The Application of Redemption

Corinth, and Athens, the 〈◊〉 of sciences and Store-house of learning and learned men, the excellency of whose parts and the conceit of 〈◊〉 and wisdom did so transport them, and puff up their earthly minds, that they slighted the simplicity that was in Christ and trampled upon the meanness of the Gospel, Acts. 17. 18. Philosophers of the Epicure and Stoics they encountered Paul and said what will this babbler say? and v. 〈◊〉 some mocked; As though the 〈◊〉 of the meaner sort, though they had no heart to receive the Gospel yet they had no skil to resist, or were able, and 〈◊〉 durst not grapple with his arguments. These only who had more learning, they gave the encounter, and openly contemned both his purpose and doctrine, As it is with men who are but weak and unskillful at the weapon, not able to 〈◊〉 a blow or put by a thrust, it's no hard matter to get within them, but those who are 〈◊〉 of defense are dextrous, and handy at their weapons, there is little hope to hit them or to come within them. So here, men of meaner capacities and of shallow reach, they yield more easily and are forced to let fall their weapons, but such who are skillful are masters of defense, can devise devices, the subtlety of their own reason is 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 suggestions, they will latch almost any blow, and put by the plainest truth for the present push, that there is no hope to come in to them. And this also is the ground why your painted Formalists, and subtle hypocrites who are grown cunning in the craft of profession, (for so they make it) they are so hardly brought on to believe. Publicans and sinners and Harlots shall go before them. And for this cause it is our Lord so marvailously distastes this condition, Rev. 3. 17. I would thou wert either cold or hot, Lukewarmnes is worse than prophanness, not that falls shows are worse than grosser evils when heart and life, outside and inside are both ill, but intruth because such are more difficult to be convinced of their evils, and therefore not likely to be amended or brought out of them q. d. As though the Lord had said if thou wert openly naught, thou mightest be brought to see & acknowledge thy naught iness; Here Paul issues the strength of that resistance against the Lord and his Gospel 1. Coloss. 21. Enemies in your minds by wicked works. but in the original, Enemies by reason of your discourses, set or attent to evil works. It's the first step to wisdom to become a fool, and thats hard to him that is highly in love with his own wit.

Examination: we may hence gain certain evidence whether ever the Lord 〈◊〉 made any entrance upon this great work of preparation and so any expression of his purpose 〈◊〉 to call us to himself to this day or no. happily the Lord Christ hath been knocking oft at thy door as he passeth by in the dispensation of his Ordinances in the ways of his providence in which he hath walked towards thee, hath called in upon thy Conscience, presented the guilt of thy sins and laid heavy things to thy charge, and knocked hard at thy door, awake thou that sleepest, so that thou hast heard a confused noise as it were that made thee a little to look about, but hath the Lord ever lifted up the latch as though he were resolved to come in? hath he laid hold upon and begun to grapple with that Graceless heart of thine and held this 〈◊〉 of discovery of sin to thy mind as to constrayn thee to look wishly upon it indeed to see it clearly and convictingly according to that which hath formerly been spoken? Know and conclude thou mayest, thou art in the right way, and the Lord begins to deal with thee as he doth with those that he intends good unto. But art thou a stranger to these dispensations of the Lord and tradings with thy mind and heart? Thou mayest indeed have notice and hear a rumor of Christ passing by and the excellency of his Grace, but of any purpose of making his abode with thee, thou never couldst have the least 〈◊〉 thereof unto this day.

How then shall we know whether we fall short of this true sight of sin or no?

We will take both Particulars mentioned, into Consideration, that so we may take a true scantling of our own estate, and track the Footsteps and Impressions of the work of the Spirit upon our souls. I will touch the first in a word, and entreat more largely upon the Second, to wit, Touching the convicting sight of sin, because there lies the life and stress of this Doctrine.

If then we see sin clearly, naked, and in it's own Nature, [ 1] namely, this resistance and opposition against God as the greatest evil of all other: It will thus be discerned, This sight will keep the heart in cold blood from careless adventuring upon the commission of sin. You must still remember my purpose is not to dispute of sanctifying knowledge, or to give in evidence of that, for we are in this place to look at that light that is let in in this preparative work, and this first Branch of it, which how far it may go, or whether it can agree to an Hypocrite, I will not now dispute, that only I will infer from it, is beyond exception; That in cold blood, i. e. Take such a man out of the hurry of a Temptation, when he is himself not drunk with some overbearing distemper, for then he knows not where he is, or what he doth, and therefore may adventure to do anything, but when a sinner is come to himself, and the sight of his sin as before disputed, it will suffer him carelessly to adventure upon the Commission of that which appears such in his own apprehension, even the greatest evil of all. The dreadfulness then of this duty apprehended, will drive the soul to a stand, and stop the sinner in his proceeding, that he dare as well eat his flesh, and take a Lyon by the claw, and a Bear by the tooth, as to have his hand in that which is the heaviest plague of all in his own Judgment. There is no man living, but as he hath something which he prizeth as the chief good, in which his soul takes content, so the loss of that, or that which is contrary to that, he looks at as the most unsupportable evil that can betide him. That the Soldier should take the lie or challenge, and have the contempt of cowardice put upon him, and sit still, and not seek to revenge the wrong as he conceives it, he cannot bear it. That the 〈◊〉 young man should sel his possessions, and part with all to the poor, it is such an unsufferable loss, he will rather part with Heaven, the very hearing of it makes his heart heavy, and himself to go away sorrowful, Mat. 19. 22. Yea, that which Nature hath made dear to all, to see death before a man, and danger such as will undoubtedly hazard the loss of life; how do we fear the thought of it fly the sight, avoid the occasion of it? didst thou see thy sins and the hellish resistance of thy heart against God to be a greater evil than all these? didst thou really judge them such, believe them (as the men of Nineveh did Jonahs threatening, Jonah, 3. 5.) to be such? It's certain it would amaze thy heart, that thou wouldest be as loath to rush into evil, as thou wouldest be to run upon a Spears point, or cast thyself into the mouth of the Lyon to be torn in pieces. Take a rebellious sinner beset with the horror of his Conscience, so that he sees Hell gaping for him, and the Devils ready to seize upon that hellish heart of his, how loathes he then the least appearance of those corruptions, the evil of which he sees in the punishment only? how tender is he to avoid the occasion of them? When the evil of thy punishment is now over and out of mind, didst thou but know that resistance and rebellion of thy heart against God, his Grace, his Spirit, his Truth aright, as greater than all those evils, and is now present with thee, thou wouldst be so far fearful not heedlessly to adventure upon the practice of it. When Judas saw whether his Covetousness had brought him, be flung away his thirty pieces, Matth. 27. 3. And it's certain, all the Scribes and Pharisees in the Synagogue, and all the money in the Country of Judea, could not have prevailed with him had they been then tendered to him; much more had he seen the 〈◊〉 had been a greater evil than the vengeance that did 〈◊〉 , Acts, 19. 16. 19. When the evil spirits prevailed against the seven Sons of Sceva, fear fell on them 〈◊〉 , and many of them had used curious Arts, brought their books together, and burnt them before them all. When the hearts of these Converts were pricked, and they craved Counsel what they should do, Peter amidst many other Counsels which he suggested, ads this, verse 40. Save yourselves from this crooked generation; You that are in Parthia, Mesopotamia, Phrigia, Galatia, you 〈◊〉 amongst many professed Enemies to the Lord Christ & his Truth, therefore save yourselves from their Society, and verse 44. They came and abode together, and sold their goods and parted them as everyone had need.

〈◊〉 to this you disobedient Children and rebellious Servants, who have the Commands of Parents and Masters, Counsels of Servants and Neighbors daily suggested and pressed upon you; listen to this you heedless Professors, who have the Word and Precepts of God daily published in your Ears, and proclaimed in your hearing, and you go away informed, convinced, and the heart cannot gainsay but it ought to stoop, your carriages should not be wayward, your words sharpish, your behaviors uncomely: and yet you dare, you do 〈◊〉 , carelessly adventure at the next time and 〈◊〉 upon the same sins; you may talk what others say by 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 profess in words that sin is the greatest evil of all, but in truth you never saw sin to this day, much 〈◊〉 saw it to be the greatest evil of all. A little evil, were is but the 〈◊〉 of so much of thy blood by stripes, or the loss of so much money, wert thou punished in thy purse for such wretchlessness, they would cause thee to set thy mind, and heart, and hand to thy work, the loss of thy life, and soul, and Heaven, and God, and all would prevail more with thee; but in truth thou never yet knewest what the loss of these meant, and therefore not what thy sin is that brings the loss of all.

Thus much for the sight of sin 〈◊〉 ; come we now to inquire of the second, AND HERE MAKE WE [ 1] PRVIY SEARCH WHO THEY BE THAT SEE SIN CONVICTINGLY, by the Evidence of the former Doctrine, and that will be an Inditement against four sorts of Persons, whose Practices give in undeniable proof, that they fall short of this Dispensation of God aright, they never found this Work upon their minds.

The first are such, Who are unwilling to come within [ 1] the Rule and discovery of the Truth, that will lay open a man's loathsome corruptions, which are yet beloved, and lodge too near the heart. If he might have his will, he would not meet with that Truth that would meet with his Courses, whereby he gives his sensual Spirit exceeding great content; unwilling to hear that to be an evil, which he is unwilling to reform; loath that such and such either dispositions or carriages should be condemned as wicked, which he is loath to part withal; he loves not to have this or that to be a Rule, or a Duty, and yet he fears it will prove so, and therefore desires not to hear of it, lest he should be forced to practice it; and therefore he is most at case when he is least within the sight, and cal, and command of such Truths which he knows do so narrowly and deeply concern him: and therefore he deals in this case with the Dispensations of the Word, as men use to do that are in debt and danger of Law and Creditors; they fly the Country when they know the under Sheriff hath any Writ out against them, or else betake themselves to some Priviledg places, where they may be freed from the Arrest of the Officer. So these labor to be there where the Truth in reason is not likely to exercise any jurisdiction, they willingly desire to be without the reach of it, and therefore willing to live in such places under such Ministries where their Consciences may not be troubled, their hearts and ways searched, and they brought to yield subjection by an over powering hand. And here sometimes it comes to this, and that by the confession of their own mouths, when God hath broke in upon their hearts, that they have been afraid to be in the company of such men that they suspected would either convince and cal to such practices, or yet to come to the Congregations while such Truths were in scanning and consideration: Or as a Formal Knight once professed (in the Country from whence we came) he would not come to the Assembly until the Minister had made an end of such a Text. Thus 〈◊〉 Spirit was carried towards Micaiah, when all his Trencher Chaplains, the false Prophets, had dressed a Dish on purpose to fit his tooth and turn, had brought in a Verdict that they knew would please his humor, and content his carnal desire; Jehoshaphat in simplicity of heart, that he might indeed in sincerity seek after the mind and counsel of God, enquires, Is there here any Prophet of the Lord that we might inquire of him? He answered, There is none but one Micaiah, and I hate him, for he never prophesieth good, but evil to me, 1 Kings, 22. 8. He did not suit his humor, nor please his palate, therefore he was not willing to hear that from him, that happily he should be unwilling to do. So they in Isaiah's time, they would give the Prophet his Text, and tell him what Points he should handle also; They said to the Seers, see not; and to the Prophets, 〈◊〉 not right things; prophesy smooth things: Isai. 〈◊〉 . 10. And so dealt those 〈◊〉 -hearted 〈◊〉 with our Savior, when he pressed Spiritual and searching Truths upon them, they were not able to digest them; this is a hard saying, who can hear it, and from that time says the Text many of his Visciples went back, and walked no more with him, John, 6. 66. and hence it is persons of this temper are most pleased when their sins or duties are discovered in some general discourses, because they then suppose they may creep away in the crowd, and their particular either conditions or corruptions will not be attached, and they and them brought to the trial; but when it comes to meet with him in the narrow, and touch him in his particular, these persons begin to storm, Acts, 7. 51. 52. they heard Stephen quietly rip up the rebellious carriages os the Jews; but when he came home to their doors, and held the Candle to their Eyes, and gave in special Evidence to convince them also, they were not able to endure it: Yestiff-necked and hard-hearted as your Fathers, so do ye; they were Slayers of the Prophets, and you the betrayers and murderers of the just one; when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and gnashed upon him with their Teeth, &c.

If yet the Truth will come in upon them, and the [ 2] light will shine in their saces that it cannot be avoided, if they cannot prevent the seeing of it, then they fall to gainsaying, they strive mightily to stop the passage of the Truth, and to darken the evidence of it, to take off the edge and force of that which they conceive will fall most heavily upon them, and constrain them to alter their course, and lay down those distempers they are very loath to leave, Acts, 18. 6. They opposed themselves. They deal with the Truth as subtle Lawyers do with a good Cause, when the strength of it is such that they are not able to withstand, they labor to hide the Point of the Argument, and to hide that wherein the stress of the Cause lies, and fall hotly upon some bye business, or else deal most in those things which are most probable, but indeed do not touch the Point. So a Spirit that is not willing to be convinced, he will endeavor to decline the strength of an Argument, and look least to that where the stress and the weight of the Rule or Duty lies that most concerns him, or his course, when he sees the stream and force of Reason coming in upon him, he will hinder or interrupt the delivery of it, and turn it another way, or raise some blinds, and cast in some cavils, like the putting out of the light, or if not hinder the observation, yet take off the attendance and consideration of it, he will get off from that as soon as may be, he will not stay there where the strength of the conviction lies, but foist in many Objections, start other Considerations, that so he may lose the Argument, and himself lose the power of the Truth that might prevail with him. Thus Elimas the Sorcerer, Acts, 13. 10. when Paul and Barnabas had preached, and he labored to turn away the Deputy from the Faith. Paul thus speaks to him, O full of all subtlety (he had a slight of hand to any wickedness) why dost thou crook the strait ways of the Lord. He cast in many cavils, put in many suspicions and pretences that he might not look at the simplicity of the Truth delivered. The word there used in the Original, implies a sleight of hand as we cal it, when such wily spirits can turn themselves into all shapes, to 〈◊〉 by the evidence of the Truth; so many windings and turnings, so many wimblings of devices, so many outs and doubtings, that may bemist the manifest discovery of a Duty which ought to be done, or a sin that ought to be avoided, and so in conclusion loseth the Truth, and the benefit of it also, through God's just Judgment, and their own just deservings. So the Scribes dealt touching our Savior when he had cured the Eyes of the blind man, John, 9. they would have taken him off from the attendance to the work to have slighted the person of our Savior, We know (say they) this man is a sinner, &c. as it's said of a Fish called the Sepia, when the Fisher-man comes to follow her, she casts forth a kind of black humor with which she 〈◊〉 the water; and puts him to a loss in his proceedings; whereas an honest heart that is willing to be convinced, he looks most at that where there is most light, and most strength, and is desirous to attend that which gives in greatest Evidence to overcome the heart. So Eli spake to Samuel, 1 Sam. 3. 17. bide nothing from me. Job. 6. 24. teach me and I will hold my tongue he will quietly hear all, and attend that most, which may carry the cause to his Conscience.

If yet the evidence of the truth be such that he cannot [ 3] gainsay, his mouth is stopped and his reasons are spent he hath nothing to oppose, there is a third distemper which is as bad if not worse than the two former, A restlessness of spirit to raise new brabbles and quarrels against the determination of the truth, which formerly he could not resist. When he is caught and held in the strength of Argument, is taken captive and prisoner, he would fain rescue himself with a restless jangling; he sees more, and can say more though no man else can see it, nor he make good what he pretends. He cannot answer yet will not yield, cannot maintain his 〈◊〉 yet will not forsake them. As Lawyers they'll bring the cause about again, and have a fresh hearing in this and that Court; the reasons are the same, and were answered before yet he brings them over again and just in the place where he was, his arguments are at an end. if his spirit were so, but there is more in it (he says) and he cannot see through it, and yet cannot tell how to prove his own argument or answer another's, these spirits are like quicksilver which yet no man hath attained any skil to fix, so the Rulers, Elders, and Scribes when they knew not how to dash the Glory of the Gospel, and the powerful dispensation thereof mark how restlessly the venom of their spirits transported them against reason, Acts. 4. 15. 16. 17. they communed amongst themselves saying what shall we do to these men, for that indeed a notable 〈◊〉 hath been done by them is manifest to all men, and we cannot deny it, but let us straightly charge them that they speak no more in this name, when in reason they should have inferred we cannot deny the Miracle and so not the truth, let us not deny the liberty to speak, so they in John 9. 24. when it was apparent Christ had cured the man, wrought the Miracle, and so gained honor in the heart of the man, therefore they had fished up and down to weaken that, and it would not do; It appeared he was blind, (to his parents) that Christ had cured him, so himself affirmed; then they come to this, give God the praise we know this man is a sinner. But what is that to the purpose or how know they that? he answered whether he be a sinner or no I know not, one thing I know whereas I was blind he hath opened my eyes; and this was to the purpose, Then said they what did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes, I have told you already &c. they are upon the same hinges not stirred a hairs breadth Here are no reasons but only wrestlings of stomach, we are Moses Disciples but this fellow we know not whence he is.

If it be so that all these devises against the truth serve [ 4] not his turn in the fourth place he sets himself against the truth he cares not for argument, but he will stand against the truth, and then God in his just judgment leaves him, 2 Thes. 2. 18. he gave them up to strong delusions that they might believe lies that they might be damned, because they received not, but opposed the truth thus it was with Balaam Numb. 24. 1 he went out not as formerly but resolved to Curse Israel whether God would or no, and this is to hold down the truth in unrighteousness, Rom. 1. 18. I told you before that in Conviction, when the heart is thoroughly Convicted, it lies still under the work of God, but here the heart opposes the word of God. Exo. 10. 28. says Pharaoh to Moses get thee out of my sight, the day thou seest my face thou shalt die, Moses says, I will see thy face no more, but God sends to him and kills his first born and afterwards drowns himself; It's certain that if the truth follows a man home to his beloved sin, if he be a dog he will snarl against it, and resolve to keep his sin. Jer. 44. 16. 17. as the proud men there said, as for the word of the Lord thou hast spoken to us, we will not hearken unto thee; and if a man goes thus far he is very near to the sin against the Holy Ghost, and if ever God bring him home to himself it is by some strange judgments.

Exhortation to provoke the desires and quicken the endeavors of all that have heard or read the doctrine delivered & opened to lay out their labor & that unto the utmost of all their abilities never to give the Lord rest, nor rest unto their own souls, before they get this true sight of sin, if ever they hope to see the work of God's Grace in their hearts here in this world, or to see the face of God in Glory, in that other world that is to come. Brethren let not Satan deceive you, nor suffer yourselves so far to be deluded as to dream of another course or to devise a shorter cut to Grace and Glory, for its certain if you do, you will fall short of your hopes and Comforts and all. This is the way that God hath appointed and he will bless, the order which he hath set in his infinite wisdom and which he will prosper. If you would find his blessing walk in his way, if you expect success attend his order and direction which he hath left to bring us to his Christ, and so to life and happiness. If you see not your sins you are in hazard never to see good day while you live nor when you die. Christ is said to stand at the door and knock, and if any man will open unto him, he will come in and supp with him, Rev. 3. 20. Saving Contrition is a shooting back the boults of our base lusts, a severing and unlocking the heart from the Sovereignty of ones noisesome Corruptions, that stop the passage and hinder the coming of our Savior; this clear and convicting sight of our sins, is as it were the lifting up of the latch, or letting in of the Key, the powerful dispensation of the truth and operation of his spirit whereby the knot and combination between sin and the soul is broken and severed, and the way made that the authority of the truth may come at the heart and work kindly upon it for good An error here in the entrance is hardly ever recovered to miss here is marvelous dangerous, it spoils our whole proceeding in the great work of our calling and everlasting comfort as the naturallist and Physician observe an error in the first concoction is never recovered in the second, for the Lord in his wisdom and the course of nature hath so ordained, that each part doth that which is its proper and peculiar work but doth not rectify or redress that which was done amiss by another, and so the goodness of the nourishment is never recovered or the body strengthened or health so comfortably preserved herby as were to be desired. So it is in the entrance of 〈◊〉 great work of preparation for Christ and our effectual bringing home unto him, never see sin aright, the soul cannot be affected with it in a right manner, never truly see the need of a Savior, never seek after him or come to him; this through sight of sin is as it were the setting open of the window whereby the light and good of the truth, and the loath 〈◊〉 of sin is laid open unto the soul, and comes in a main upon the Conscience to prevail with it whereas shut this window and stop this passage, the soul is cooped up in the dungeon of darkness and delusion, be the ordinances never so powerful the means never so effectual there 〈◊〉 no coming into the heart, no hope to work upon it or to prevail with it for good; the evil of sin is not acknowledged, and therefore not prevented, that which his reason cannot see, a man cannot shun, the excellency and necessity of a Christ is not discerned and therefore not endeavored after as were meet. It befalls the soul, smote with this spiritual blindness as with the Assyrian Host when they came to surprise Elisha, 2 Kings 18. 19. 20. He prayed, Lord smite this people with blindness, & he did so and they saw nothing before they were in the midst of their enemies so here, when the sinner is misguided by the dimness of his deluded mind he goes on in an evil way, and knows not whither he goes, or where he is, before he be in the botintoless pit. Oh be wise and wary therefore that we err not here, least we rush into ruin and that past alrecovery. Expect then God's blessing upon our endeavor but in God's order, & attend his work in his own way. It is the aim of our Savior in sending and the office of the Holy Ghost in coming into the world when he intends to work effectually the saving good of his people, to entitle them to the pardon of their sins, and to establish their hearts under the government of his spirit. John. 16. 7. 8. If I depart I will send the Comforter, and when he is come he will reprove, he will convince, and set down the world by 〈◊〉 conviction of sin of righteousness, of judgment, of righteousness, that the law is satisfied, justice answered, and that fully, because he that was in prison is now released, and therefore the debt paid, and he gone to heaven, to his Father. Of judgment the power of his Kingdom & government erected and set up in the souls of his servants and children, in that by death he overcame him that had the power of death that is the Devil, and therefore he is judged and falls in his cause as having no right nor in reason can challenge no rule in the hearts of those, for whom Christ hath satisfied divine justice, and therefore are free from that authority that sin and Satan had of them thereby. But before we can share either in the righteousness of Christ for our justification or the rule of his spirit in our Sanctification, the Holy Ghost must and doth convince us of sin, that we have rejected and not entertained this Savior. If we do not convictingly see our sin in settling upon the root of our Corrupt rebellions and casting away the riches of Christ's mercy & the rule of his Grace, its not possible that those spiritual benefits should ever be made ours. As ever therefore you desire to see and find the mercies of Christ sealed up unto your Consciences, in pardoning of sins and acceptation of your persons; As ever you would find the Kingdom of Satan cast down in your hearts, and the government of his Grace and spirit there set up; labor for this clear and convicting sight of sin, begin you where the Holy spirit begins that you may find his presence with you, & his effectual power and blessing to accompany your endeavors in that way. Catch not disorderly at pardon, look not for peace of Conscience or hope to see the government of Christ's Grace set up in your souls before you come to 〈◊〉 your sins by convicting evidence of the Holy Ghost. The holy spirit of Grace will not cross his course to gratify our Corruption. That I may further set on the exhortation, I shall endeavor to do these two things.

• First, To propound some means to help in 〈◊〉 work.
• Secondly, Some motives to quicken you therein.

The means are these that follow.

First, Labor we to see that inconceivable excellency of holiness that is in the Lord, and search we into the 〈◊〉 and the righteous laws there recorded for the direction of our daily course, and that will make us see the loathsomeness of our own hearts and the vileness of 〈◊〉 . As its said of darkness, it cannot be seen by itself but its light that discovers itself and darkness; Its as true of sin, it is not by itself to be discerned, for it is spiritual darkness; the light of God's Holiness and wisdom which by sin are wronged, and the law which is transgressed these are both lights, God is light and in him is no darkness,, John. 1. 5. The law is a light and the Commandment a lamp unto our feet, Prov. 6. 23. And by the sight of both these we come to have a full discerning of sin which is opposite to them both.

Our ignorance of God breeds the ignorance of our own hearts, and the hidden ways of wickedness, and the cunning conveyances of corrupt distempers which are there in Psal. 14. 1. 2. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God, and then it follows they are become abominable he makes bones of no sins at all; for herein lies the spiritualness or spiritual evil of sins and that hidden poison and malignity of the corruption of our natures, that they justle professedly against the Almighty so far as he is pleased to communicate himself unto us in the ways of his Holiness and goodness. Thus the blasphemer is said to pierce God by his oaths, Levite. 24. 11. and the wicked are said to walk contrary to him, Levite. 26. to 〈◊〉 him, to weary him, to load him, while then we see not him whom we do oppose by our sins, no wonder that we neither see nor are sensible of the sins, by which we do oppose him. Whereas could we grope after the Almighty as the Apostle professeth we may, because he is not far from any of us, nay in him we live and move in every spiritual action of our minds and hearts. So that did but a wicked man, or could he perceive that in every thought of his mind, motion of his will, stirring of any affection, that he did justle with the infinite Holiness and purity of the Lord, who meets with him in every action and motion of his mind and will, It were able to sink the soul of a sinful creature, and make him sit down confounded in the sight of the loathsomeness of his own 〈◊〉 nature, as being wholly opposite to so infinite a good in all he is or doth; thus it was with Job when the Lord had schooled him out of the whirlwind, & discovered the surpassing excellency of his Glory to him, he puts him beyond all pleas of his own worth, Job. 40. 4. Behold I am vile yea more expressly he gives this as the reason of the discovery of his own wretchedness, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the Ear, but now mine eye sees thee, wherefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes, Job, 42. 4. So it was with the Corinth who was convinced by the preaching of the Word, he saw God before he saw the secret vileness of his own heart presented to his view, 1 Cor. 14. 24. God is in you of a truth. Search we into the holy Law of God, and examine our hearts and lives thereby, and see how far they stand guilty of the breach thereof; but view the compass of the Law, and what is virtually contained therein; for though the words are few, yet the things are many that are comprehended in them: And especially look not at the Letter, but at the Spiritual Sense and Mind of the Almighty in each thing there required, that the whole heart must close with God and his Will, as the chiefest good; look at, and lift up his Glory as his last end in every duty we do, and that we make a breach in all those particulars in every sin we do commit: our heart is not with him, nor make we choice of him, set not up his Name, but seek our own base ends thereby, and serve ourselves, and not him.

By this narrow search, and daily observation of our daily course, we shall be able to see the frame of our hearts and carriages presented to our view, and so discern to the full, the loathsomeness of those noisesome 〈◊〉 that leprosy-like overspreads our whole man: Thus James adviseth, James, 1. 25. that we should look ourselves into the Law of Liberty, that is a Cristal and clear Glass, and will discover what is amiss even to a mote, the smallest sins and 〈◊〉 , and that unto their full view. Paul a learned Pharisee, he saw more of sin, and more of himself by the Law, than either 〈◊〉 conceived, or suspected to 〈◊〉 to him, Rom. 7. 7. 9. I had not known that lust had been sin, but that the Law saith, Thou shalt not 〈◊〉 : nor did he think himself bad, or his condition so miserable, but when the Law came, that is, the light and discovery of the Law. he perceived his sin alive, but himself dead.

When the Lord in any Ordinance by the Truth, shall discover our sins, our Conscience shall come in as a witness to 〈◊〉 , or as a Sergeant and Officer by Commission from the Almighty to arrest and condemn us for any evil, we should attend both; to see God's mind to the utmost therein, and then it's certain we shall see. We must beware that neither out of carnal fear, nor sensual security of our sinful hearts, we be willing to lay aside the evidence of the truth as content not to hearken to the Verdict of it, 〈◊〉 desirous not to listen to the dictate of Conscience, but to shake off the Consideration of either, lest we should sink down in discouragement. It's certain, Truth is terrible, and the Dictates of Conscience are dreadful when they come with Commission from the Almighty; yet true it is, walking humbly under God's hand, we should be so far from fearing the discovery of our sins, that we should be comforted in this, that they are discovered to us: and we should compose our hearts in quietness with the right consideration of the manner of God's dealing in this kind, and commune with ourselves on this manner: It's a fearful thing indeed to fall into the hands of the Almighty, who is a consuming fire, but yet herein the faithfulness of the Lord is seen, he deals so with me as he doth with those that he intends good unto; he makes His see their sins, and that 〈◊〉 , before they ever see his pardon of them, or power against them: if he never convinceth, he never 〈◊〉 . He sent his holy Spirit into the World for this purpose, to perform the work; this is the way to Grace and Christ, I bless his Name I am in the way. I will hearken to the Evidence of the Truth that I may understand all that God intends, and listen to the checks of Conscience that I may know to the full the Nature of my sin; When we have a little inkling either by an Ordinance, or Conscience, take hold of the least intimation, and leave it not until you come to the bottom, and perceive the utmost vileness in such a course. It was so with David who took hold of the reproof of the Prophet Nathan; and though he mentioned but one thing wherein the grosness and greatness of the evil appeared, yet hence he took occasion to overlook his whole course, to consider every circumstance, and to ravel out all until he came to the bottom, he confesseth all the falseness of his heart which he used in the contrivement of that evil, and leaves not there until he come to the Root of all, the wretchedness of his Nature, that Original corruption in which he was born and bred, Psal. 51. 5, 6. Behold Lord, I was warmed in wickedness, and in sin did my mother conceive me, but thou lovest Truth in the inward parts: but I would have colored over my vile carriage, and by false pretences I would have hidden the filthiness of my sins, by sending for Uriah, and sending him to his own house to have lien with his wife, that so he might have fathered the sin without suspicion. This was the guise and disposition of Eli, 1 Sam. 3. 17. he enjoins Samuel not to 〈◊〉 anything from him of all the things that the Lord had spoken; he would hear all, and know the worst of all: So it ought to be with every man, that in earnest, desires to know the evil of his sin. If the Word discover, Conscience accuse for any sin, take the first notice and inkling, cease not to make full enquiry, and see what will become of it, search unto the very bottom.

Labor to take all those cursed Cavils, the wily shifts and devices which carnal Reason casts in, to break the blow as it were, and to defeat, and put by the Authority of the Truth: So that the edge and powerful Operation of an Ordinance is wholly blunted and hindered, that it prevails not with the heart, nor can the Judgment 〈◊〉 set down by Evidence of Argument and Reason, which comes to be darkened by such Cavils and devices. Here is then the great skil, and ought to be the chief care of a Christian; not to consult with flesh and blood; at least to clear the Coast of all such Carnal Reasonings, that the Evidence of the Truth may be entertained without gainsaying, and attain his proper powerful effect upon the mind and heart.

These Cavils and Shifts are commonly referred to Three Heads.

• 1 To lighten the evil of sin, that it is not so heinous and dangerous a matter as Ministers seem to make it.
• 2 If it were so dangerous, yet the danger may easily be prevented.
• 3 If it cannot be prevented, yet it may be suffered without any such extreme hazard, as many fear, and others would bear the world in hand.

To remove these out of the way, that so the Work of Conviction may go on with more success, we shall shortly speak to all of them in the Order propounded.

It's incident to all men naturally to have a slight apprehension [ 1] of their sin; partly they do not know it, partly they are loath to be troubled and disquieted with it; and therefore out of their own ignorance and security they would easily persuade themselves, it's not so heinous and dangerous, that so they may not fear so much to commit, nor care so much to reform them when once they are fallen, nor yet suffer themselves to be overborn with terror and discouragement, though they continue in them. This lessening of the heinousness and dangerousness of sin issues upon a four-fold Ground for the most part.

The commonness of sin, makes men not start at the commission of it; that which so many do, and so ordinarily, and happily such who are for their parts and places of no mean esteem, they imagine and conclude they may safely do. We are sinners say they, and good now, are not all so? If it go ill with us, then God be merciful to many. We have our failings, we are not alone, we have many fellows, who lives without them? If we were so gross as such, you had just reason to condemn us, and we to condemn and loath ourselves, but being no other than the most are, I hope there is no great matter in it.

I Answer in three things:

1 The more common thy sin, the more 〈◊〉 it is, and the heavier thy Curse will be from the Lord. The more they be that oppose the Lord and his Truth, the more need of thy help, and the greater had been thy love to him and his cause now to stand by it, and the greater thy falseness and unfaithfulness to forsake both, and to join sides with the wicked. See how unkindly he takes the suspicion and appearance to be carried away in a common defection, 〈◊〉 , 6. 66. When many went back and walked no more with Jesus, if commonness might have given encouragement, the Disciples had warrant enough to have carried them in the stream, yet see how il the Lord takes the least inclination or suspicion that way, Will ye also go away? See how heavily the anger of the Lord breaks out against such Apostates, Judge. 5. 3. Curse ye Meroz (said the Angel of the Lord) yea, curse ye Meroz bitterly, because they went not out to help the Lord against the mighty. When opposition grows sierce, and the numbers grow to be many, and the power mighty of such as become Adversaries to the 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 who then becomes careless of the Lord and his Cause, the Curse of God comes out against such in a peculiar manner, he aims at them by name; Curse ye such who go not out to help the Lord against the mighty pride, the mighty stubbornness, the mighty 〈◊〉 and unprofitableness, and base Earthly-mindedness 〈◊〉 gets footing, and grows common in the places, and amongst such with whom we 〈◊〉 .

2 As it shows thy curse to be heavy, so thy estate to be miserable, and thy soul as yet destitute of any saving work of God's Grace. Thou art in the road and broad way to destruction, and this is one evidence it's the common track, Broad is the gate, wide is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat, Matth. 7. 13. It's easy to find, and as easy, yet certain thou shalt perish in it. It's made a description of a Child of wrath and such who are dead in sins and trespasses, Eph. 2. 2. Who walk according to the Course of this world according to the prince of the Air, who rules in the hearts of the Children of disobedience. Dost thou walk in the common road according to the course of the world? thou art in the kingdom of darkness, and art ruled by the Prince of darkness and shall go to everlasting darkness. Dead Fishes Swim down the stream. Thou art a dead man if thou goest with the stream of the world.

Therefore the Apostle James gives it as an Evidence of true Religion and a man truly Religions James. 1. 27. This is true Religion to keep a man's self unspotted of this present Evil world. If a man say he be Religious and yet Refrain not his tongue, the Religion of that man is vain, If a man will lie and Rayl and Shift up and down because others do so, truly the Religion of that man is vain, and so his hopes and comforts will be.

The Commonness of this sin doth exceedingly aggravate it and make it out of measure sinful, even of a poisoning and spreading and infectious Nature, it's not consined within a man's own compass and conscience, it's not a sin in a man's self but there be many sins in this one, it becomes the Cause of sin to many others. Many are provoked and encouraged to the practice of the like Evils by thy practice, Examples are of a constrayning Nature, Peter dissembles and many are snatched 〈◊〉 by his example to do as he did Gal. 2 Many are strengthened and confirmed in their wickedness because they have thy example to warrant them, they will certainly perish. But their Blood will be required at thy hand: thou wast the man that did lead them to an ungodly Course and didst harden them therein. And the Name of God and his truth will be blasphemed amongst the Heathen for thy sake Rom. 2. 24. How can they but conclude that Religion allows such an ungodly Course which men dare So Commonly to commit, and to Continue in without remorse or reformation.

The Second shift whereby our carnal hearts would keep off the Evidence of Conviction, is this, As the commonness seems to 〈◊〉 our corruption, so the naturalness is made pretence to excuse it: Here the plea is ready whereby men would challenge pity 〈◊〉 connivance as their debt: It is my disposition or constitution, I cannot mend it; it is my Nature, I cannot alter it. Al flesh is frail, God knows whereof we be made, how feeble we be, and he doth not expect perfection at our hands, no man counts his coat the worse because there 〈◊〉 some moats in it, or casts away his Gold because there is a flaw or mark in it: It's my natural infirmity, and hath not each man his failings? would you have us be Saints?

Saints? Yea, either Saints or Devils. The Lord would have thee to be so. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, 1 Thes. 4. 3. the Law would have thee to be so, 1 Peter, 1. 15. Be ye holy in all manner of Conversation: thy Profession would have thee to be 〈◊〉 , Let everyone that calls upon the Name of the Lord depart from iniquity, 2 Tim. 2. 19. And he that hath this hope purgeth himself as he is pure, 1 John, 3. 5. That generally, but to come a little nearer, and to show the vanity of this Shift, I Answer, [ 1]

First, This excuse that would cover one sin, discovers another; and thy Plea doth give in undeniable evidence that all the means of Grace that ever thou hast enjoyed, and God hath vouchsafed, hath never wrought upon thee, nor prevailed with thee for good to this very day, nor hast thou received benefit or profit therefrom; but all the pains that hath been taken with thee is like water spilled upon the ground. For that's the manner of the Lord's proceeding with the soul of a sinner, when he intends savingly and effectually to work upon him, he changeth his Nature, gives him another heart, and as it was said of Saul in a like case, 1 Sam. he makes him another man. It's the Prophesy of the power of the Gospel, The Leopard becomes as a Lamb, and the Lyon as a Kid, Isai. 11. 6. the savage, harsh, and 〈◊〉 distempers, which like a fretting Leprosy, possessed the nature of sinners, are taken away when the Lord comes to take possession of them, or to prevail with them in the power of any Ordinance. It's the first step in the profession of the Gospel: He that will be Christ's Disciple must deny himself, he must be able to say as the blind man whom our Savior cured; I was blind, but now I see; I was dead, but now I am alive: I was of a proud, peevish, wayward, waspish, contentious, froward, quarrelsome disposition, could agree with nobody, nor with myself neither, but since the Lord hath met with me, and wrought upon me by his Word and Spirit, I am not I; I have another mind, and another heart, and another carriage and Conversation than formerly. He that is in Christ, and Christ in him, he is a new Creature, and hath a new Nature, he strives most against that unto which he is most addicted by his own disposition, he watcheth how to prevent that, he fears all the day long lest he should be surprised with it, fortifies most in the improvement of all means against that, confesseth that with most sorrow and bitterness, seeks with most care and diligence to obtain help from Heaven to subdue that, and commonly gets the greatest ground against the same.

Hast thou then the same corrupt Nature? Conclude thou mayest and write upon it, thou never hast prayed aright, heard aright, thou hast never received a Sacrament aright unto this day, thou hast never profited by any means thou hast enjoyed, or duties thou hast performed to this day.

Thy Disease and distempers are desperate, and likely never to be cured, and thou recovered out of them: when they come to be natural as it were, and yield to no Remedy; Jer. 13. 23. Can the Black-more change his skin, and the Leopard his spots? no more can they learn to do well who are accustomed to do evil. There be some spots of filth which are cast upon our coats and flesh, there is a sooty blackiness wherewith our garments and our skins are sometimes sullied withal by something from without, which may be cleansed and washed away with little labor in a short time; but 〈◊〉 which grow out of Nature, as Moles and Wens in the Body, there is little hope that ever they should be altered as long as Nature itself continues. It is so with distempers, when some sudden occasions or temptations from without, taints and pollutes the soul, there is Hope in Israel that some Spiritual means, like healing Medicines seasonably applied, may help and recover. But when men out of a corrupt inclination are customarily carried in the continuance of some distemper, it 〈◊〉 like another Nature, he may lose his life and soul, but is like never to lose his lust, that will go to his Grave, and so to Hell with him. Job, 20. 11, 12. When wickedness is sweet in a man's mouth, when he hides it under his tongue, when he spares it, and forsakes it not, his bones are full of the sins of his youth; they have been bred and brought up with him, grown and continued and increased daily with them; he would not leave them, they will not leave him, they shall lie down in the dust with him, rise with him to Judgment, and go to Hell with him in the end.

Thy person comes most to be abhorred and loathed by the Almighty, for which thou vainly conceivest thou mayest be pitied. We pity a man that drinks poison because it's not his disposition to be so, but the infection that befell him; but the Spider and the Toad we abhor the sight, and not endure to touch them, because they are 〈◊〉 a poisonful Nature. So it is with the Spiritual plague of thy Soul; even the dearest of God's Servants may be surprised with a pang of pride, overborn with a sudden hurry of passion, and frowardness, and the Lord pities, and pardons, and passeth it by, and will not lay it to their charge, because it was their Disease, not their disposition, their temptation and surprisal; not their purpose, the Lord looks at it so. You have heard of the Patience of Job, James 6. But when such noisesome lusts become Natural, and that we live in them, as in our Element, when we have, and keep, and own an accursed poisonful Nature, it's that which the Lord detests; The froward in spirit is an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 3. 32. In the old Law it was observed, that when the Leprosy tainted the Skin, but did not spread, the Leaper was pronounced clean; but if it did fret into the flesh, it was unclean; to teach us, that though we had leprous distempers that tainted and defiled our performances, yet if they did not fret into the flesh, our affections taken aside with them, the Lord looks at us as clean in his Christ, because it was not we that in our hearts purposed the evil, but sin that prevailed against our purpose; but if we hugged them in our bosom, laid them nigh unto our hearts, and took them as our Natures, we were loathsome in the sight of God.

The third Shift whereby a carnal heart comes to lighten the heinousness of his evil, and therefore looks not at it as so loathsome as he should and it deserves. Because he can put off the blame from himself (as he conceives) upon his Companions, who either by their 〈◊〉 and persuasions, have deluded him, and led him into sinful courses, beyond his intendment and sometimes contrary to his desire: and therefore he concludes he may justly free himself from blame, and lay the blame upon them wholly. It was the fault of such & such, I am free. Had not they counseled it, I had never committed the sin; had not they persuaded me, I had never purposed it, it was not in my thoughts, but they allured, deluded, and drew me to it. Let them be charged with the guilt, and bear the punishment, I hope I may be excused. This manner of sinful shifting of our faults unto another is that which all of us have 〈◊〉 from our first Parents. It was their practice immediately after the fall, & We their Posterity have made it a president to our Posterity unto this day. when the Lord challenged Adam for his offense and breach of covenant, why hast thou done this? he puts it 〈◊〉 to the woman, the woman to the Serpent. Gen. 3. 12. 13. 14. The woman which thou gavest me (Saies Adam) she gave unto me, and I did eat. the woman she takes the rebound and puts the ball behind her, The Serpent beguiled me. but all in vain, this could not free any of them from the punishmeut or excuse them from the fault.

To show the feeblness of this fond pretence, I shall answer several things.

The Aggravation of the evil of this sin, in yielding to [ 1] the corrupt Counsel of loose and bad companions, and the suffering of a man's self to be 〈◊〉 by their delusionsappears in this, that they who are here in guilty they do in this their practice prefer the folly of man before the wisdom of God, their falsehood above his truth, serve their turn and base ends, maintain their honor, & that in an ungodly way, rather than the honor of the eternal God from whom they have received all they do possess to whom they owe themselves, and should improve all they have and are to his praise and yet they do not only set up base men but even the lusts of men before the honor of the Almighty, and profess so much by their practice, its not the command of God but the corrupt 〈◊〉 of vile men shall carry us, not his promises though great and precious, but their persuasions shall prevail with us, 〈◊〉 suffer the name and honor of the Lord to lie in the dust, nay trample it under their feet that they may promote their persons, and 〈◊〉 credit of their proceedings though wretchedly wicked. And what greater indignity can be offered to the great God of heaven and earth, who will require it at your hands, when your companions will not open their mouths to excuse you nor can defend you from his vengeance. the 〈◊〉 of this conspiracy against the Lord he himself acknowledgeth in Eli's indulgence yielding out of the easiness of his spirit to his sons in their profane carriage in that he did not proceed with that rigor and severity as the 〈◊〉 of their carriage did justly 〈◊〉 for. The Lord doth plainly and peremptorily charge him with a double evil 1 Sam. 2. 29. 30. 31. that they kicked at his Sacrifice that is, cast contempt upon his holy things, and honored his Sons, and that in their lewdness above him, when out of a feeble childishness he would suffer his sons to abuse God's ordinances, and not administer a sharp reproof or execute a just and severe censure suitable to the nature of the fact upon them. he gave so far allowance to the contempt of God's ordinances and was more willing to please them than God therefore the Lord denounceth his direful displeasure against him, he repented him of all the good he had intended, and would pursue him and all his Posterety to the utter confusion of their faces, because thou hast kicked against my 〈◊〉 , and hast honored thy sons above me, therefore the 〈◊〉 shall come I will cut off thy arm &c. For those that honor me shall be honored, and those that despise me shall be despised. Thus the Lord dealt with 〈◊〉 when he inconsiderately joined sides with Ahab. 2. Chron. 18. 2. 〈◊〉 thou love those that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Sodering with the society of the wicked is to 〈◊〉 it against the God of all the world: the Lord cannot bear it but his anger breaks out immediately against such.

By your yielding to the counsel of the ungodly you do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their wickedness, and appear as a 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 with them, strengthen their hands and encourage their hearts, steel their faces and make them resolutely bold, and impenitently impudent in their ungodly 〈◊〉 . they dare adventure to say and do what ever evil may serve their turns, and maintain what they do without either fear or care, to hear or reform because they have others to maintain them in what they do. As the scripture speaks of Absalom's rebellion 2 Sam. 15. 12. The conspiracy grew strong for the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Absalom, the company and increase of his numbers added encouragement to his rebellious course. Whereas had the people forsaken him his project and proceeding must needs have fallen to the ground, and he been forced to have forsaken his rebellious course, and hence it was 〈◊〉 policy & that accursed counsel he gave to Absalom to enter into his Fathers Concubines, in the view of the people, that he might settle the hearts of the people more sure to him in that there was no hope of reconciliation and agreement betwixt him, and his Father and so establish his own safety. Common Soldiers if their numbers increase though they be but weak and unskillful yet give encouragement to the trained band, and the Commanders themselves, yea their very appearance in the field, though they strike not a stroke, helps much in the Fight. So the Prophet in the former place chargeth this evil upon 〈◊〉 in siding with Ahab in his design, 2 Chron. 29. 2. Shouldest thou help the ungodly? he that yields to the Counsel of the ungodly, and joins hands with them in their way and work, he helps the ungodly, and is guilty of their sin, and blood. Thou that art resolved to soldier with the Society of the ungodly, and so suit them in their way, to maintain what they say and do, let them say and do what they will, thou helpest a false tongue to lie, a malicious heart to reproach and 〈◊〉 , an unjust hand to oppress, for thou wilt defend what they do, let them do what they will that is naught.

Thou that art thus deluded and taken aside with the [ 3] invegleings of others, though the Lord looks at them as Leaders into evil, and so will reward them, Yet know thou must, that thy condition is far worse, in some 〈◊〉 more dangerous than theirs, and thy plagues will prove more heavy; so 〈◊〉 art thou from hoping for any 〈◊〉 or pity to thyself, because thou art 〈◊〉 , that thy sin and judgment will hereby be increased. It's the sad doom of our Savior, and worthy of most serious consideration, Matth. 23. 15. Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites; for ye compass Sea and Land to make a Proselyte; that is, to make one of their Sect and humor, one of their hang-by's that must be pinned to their sleeves, melt into their Opinions, and embrace their practice; when they have made him their own, their sworn Vassal, all of a string, that they can stir him and turn him as they will, mark the issue; They make him twice more the Child of the Devil than themselves. That Perdition comes to be their Portion, and Hell for their Inheritance, they are the heirs of it, and they have a double portion there; their plagues twice more heavy, and therefore their sins must carry the same proportion, twice more vile than those that were their Leaders into that leudness. Brethren, what a dreadful thing is it for one to think of it, The Scribes & Pharisees who were cruel oppressors, 〈◊〉 exactors, who devoured widows Houses, false Hypocrites, blind guides, painted Tombs, Serpents, and a generation of Vipers, who cannot escape the damnation of Hell, and one would think Hell itself had scarce any worse. Yet when they had miss-led some poor Sneaks, and deluded some ignorant silly people by their importunities, and painted appearances of Holiness, brought them to the bent of their bow, captivated them wholly to their Opinions and Practices, what a dreadful thing is it to think that these poor 〈◊〉 Creatures should be twice more the Children of Hel than such, who to common apprehensions might seem to be the scum of Hell. Hear and fear, and let your hearts sink and shake within you, you poor 〈◊〉 Creatures, take a scantling of your condition by the former example. Imagine you saw a proud Pharisee, a man of a 〈◊〉 tongue full of turnings and windings, he cannot live without lying, he is froward in spirit, and 〈◊〉 not to 〈◊〉 the straight wales of the Lord, that he may please his own will, suit his own humor, bend the Rule to his mind, not his heart to the Rule; one of an uncontrollable Spirit that will contend with God and men if they 〈◊〉 him in a sinful course. Suppose thou sawest this man receive his Sentence at the day of Judgment, and sent down to the pit, For without shall be liars, &c. 〈◊〉 . 22. 15. They who pervert the straight 〈◊〉 of the Lord are the Children of the Devil, Acts 13. 10. And such as sow contentions amongst brethren, and are contentious, and obey not the Truth, tribulation, and wrath, and anguish, shall be upon the soul of everyone such, Rom. 2. 8. He hath learned thee his Trade of Lying, miss-led thee into the like perverse, contentious courses, How shalt thou escape the damnation of Hell? Oh thou wilt reply; Lord, it was his counsel that cozened me, his 〈◊〉 and insinuations that drew me to those evils, I had never done them else: I hope therefore I may be pitied, though he be plagued; I may be excused, though the Curte fall upon him, who was the cause and Author of all: No, no, poor misguided creature, thou art utterly mistaken; He is the Child of the Devil, and hath received now his 〈◊〉 , thou hearest him yelling in the bottomless pit; he hath his load more than he can bear; but thou art twice more the child of Hell, this is able to sink thy heart with the very thought of it. Thy slavery is far greater, thy obstinacy more, and therefore thy recovery harder than his; he is a slave to his sins, thou art a slave to the man and sin and all; he will hear reason if it be propounded, thou knowest nothing, and therefore receivest nothing unless thou be allowed by thy Leader, the less hope that ever thou shouldst be convinced or reformed. The Lord is forced 〈◊〉 let in the flashes of the fiercest of his fury into the faces of such misguided creatures, to bring them to the consideration of him and themselves, and to deal punctually for their conviction, Psal 50. 18. When thou sawest a Thief, thou consentedst, and thou wast partaker with Adulterers, q. d. they persuaded 〈◊〉 , and thou didst embrace their persuasion Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; he points out the time, the place, the company, the crew, amongst whom they sat, These things thou hast done, and I kept silence, and thou thoughtest that I was altogether like thee; but I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thee. Oh consider this, ye that forget God. You forget, you misguided sinners, that God was present, and saw what you plotted, that God is Omniscient, and knows what you intended, that he is the righteous Judge of all the World, and will bring the secret things of darkness, to light, and make known the hid Counsels of the heart. Therefore let me end with the Advice and Counsel of Moses; do not think to excuse yourselves, because deluded by your company, but leave counsel and company, share not in their sins and Societies, if you will not share in their plagues. Numb. 14. 26. Depart I pray you, from the Tents of these wicked men, touch nothing of theirs, their counsels and persuasions; and they 〈◊〉 his Counsel good, and 〈◊〉 own experience gave proof, They fled and cried whenthe Earth opened, lest the Earth swallow us up also. So be not you deceived also, lest you be damned also: stay not amongst wicked company lest you perish among them.

A Fourth Shift which seems to lessen men's sins, and to take off the strength of Conviction, and the danger of the evil, is the strength of such provocations which (as they pretend) constrain them against the heart and hair to the commission of evil, and therefore might excuse them in it. Why say men under such assaults, their speeches were so harsh and uncomely, I had almost said unchristian, and cross to rule, their carriage so cross and unreasonable, beyond the compass of humanity, yea, cross to common sense, their provocations so great, so many that they were unsufferable, they would have angered a Saint. If there fell anything uncomely (as it's impossible but in reason it should) the fault is in him that gave the provocation; a man in that case may seem to be freed from blame, such unreasonable passages would put an Angel beyond his patience, flesh and blood cannot bear it.

True flesh and blood cannot bear it, therefore flesh and blood cannot please God, therefore flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; flesh and blood cannot save you, therefore should not rule you, if you will hear the Rule of Christ, it's plain, 1 Pet. 3. 9. We must not render evil for evil, railing for railing, and if any man desire to see good days, and to seek peace; this is the way which God appoints and blesseth: If you will see the practice of our Savior Christ, it's also plain and precedential, He gave his cheeks to the Buffeters, and 〈◊〉 back to the Snuters, and as a Lamb was dumb before the Shearer in all his sufferings; and he was more innocent than you, suffered more wrong, had more reason and Authority also, if it had been a Rule so to have righted himself: But he would not do so, 1 Pet. 2. 29. When he was reviled, he reviled not again; nay, the Text says, he durst not do so, and that when he dealt with the Devil, the Accuser of the Brethren, for so many Interpreters understand the place, and I cannot see but it's safe and suitable; safe for the sense, and suitable to the Context. Jude, 8. 9. reproving that sin of reviling, verse 8. he confutes and condemns it thus, Yet Michael the Arch-Angel, when contending with the Devil, he 〈◊〉 about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation. This Michael who appeared now as the Messenger of the Covenant, and in the form of a Servant, and therefore contested with Satan, as in the days of his flesh when tempted. If Christ durst not, how dares any man? If not to the Devil, how any to such as are in Dignity?

But come we nearer to the Shift, and examine the vanity of it; and that will appear in Two things:

• 1 It's very Unreasonable.
• 2 Very Dishonorable, that others provocations should prevail with us to break out unto any unseemly practice.

It is an unreasonable thing, Because another 〈◊〉 me [ 1] wrong, that therefore I should wrong the Lord, my soul, my place; It's not an evil in Truth, but an honor, and will be a man's comfort, and bring a reward with it, to bear an injury, harsh dealing, and hard measure; Blessed are ye when men persecute you, and speak all manner of evil against you, they bring great reward. But to revile, and deal harshly with others, because so dealt withal, is to be injurious to God, to my profession, to the peace and comfort of my own Conscience: Because a man cuts my finger, should I go and stab my heart? men would look at it as a way of Frenzy: Because men set themselves against me, should I set God against 〈◊〉 also? This is the Apostles cure, 1 Pet. 3. 12. The Eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous, but the Face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Nay, how cross to common sense is it, when thou thinkest the carriages of men are unreasonable, their provocations unsufferable, yet thou wilt do the like, and so condemn thyself by thine own doing.

It's marvelous dishonorable to God: We do not 〈◊〉 up [ 2] his Name that is called upon by us, and express the virtues of him that hath called us to his marvelous Light, and out of the world, that we might shine as Lights in a crooked generation; what serves your strength for but for a time of trial? you say flesh and blood cannot bear, why good now? what serves your Grace for, but to do other and better than flesh and blood can do? This kind of distemper overtook Moses and it cost him dear, and the Lord would not once vouchsafe to hear an excuse or to abate him of the 〈◊〉 , Psal. 106. 31. 32. It went ill with Moses for 〈◊〉 sakes because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. The fore Moses himself said Deutr. 1. 37. the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying thou shalt not go into the Land, nay Deutr. 3. 26. the Lord would not hear him, saying, speak no more to me of this 〈◊〉 . This is a great dishonor to God and grace, when we are overcome of evil, whereas we ought to overcome evil with goodness. Rom. 12. 21.

Whereby men labor to put by the stroke of the truth, that either it shall not hit at least not wound, either not touch them, or not trouble them, it is they FORGET their duty wholly and therefore did it not. The throng of business pressed in upon them, and that something unexpectedly, did distract them, that crowd of occasions coming in like a mighty sea did so take up their thoughts & surprise and hurry them, they remember not what they should do and therefore did not perform what they ought, it was the slip of a man's memory, no such great matter, nor will be so sadly charged upon a man they hope, It were hard if it should, It was but my forgetfulness. But? forget thy duty man? what couldest thou say more wherein thou mayest aggravate thy fault in a most heavy manner? Is not this the express will of God, that a man should do with all his might what his hand finds to do Eccles. 9. 10. That he should abide in the calling unto which God hath called him, 1 Cor. 7. 20. Is not this the great errand of a man's life, the end why we came into the world to do God's will? the only charge that is laid upon us by the Almighty, we are not charged to be rich or honorable, to gain the profits and pleasures of this world, there is not such a 〈◊〉 to be seen in the whole Bible; thou only liyest to discharge thy duty, if thou forgettest that, thou forgettest why thou livest, and the very excuse is a far greater sin than that was which thou didst seem to excuse, and thy punishment will be answerable when out of thine own mouth thou wilt be condemned. As it was said to him in the story, when the Prophet in his own person would discover the Kings carelessness, to him he disguised himself as the King passed by, and so passed by him and said; 1 Kings, 20. 39. Thy 〈◊〉 went out into the midst of the 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 a man brought a man to me, saying, Keep this man, if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, and as thy servant was 〈◊〉 here and there, he was gone; and the 〈◊〉 of Israel said, so shall thy judgment, thyself hath decided it. Let me speak to thee in a like manner. The Lord hath given thee his holy commands in charge, the Grace of God, the Gospel of Grace which hath appeared and which bringeth Salvation teacheth men to deny ungodly & unworldly lusts, & to live Godly & soberly in this present evil world, & to be Zealous of good works, 2 Titus, 13. 14. that we 〈◊〉 mortisy the deeds of the flesh, that we might live, Rom. 8. 13. but if we walk after the flesh we shall dy, these Evangelical commands thou art bound to observe, if by any means they be awanting thou loosest thy lise, if thou loosest them; forget these, and God will forget thee. Now thou returnest thy excuse, that while thou wert busy here and there, busy in planting, and building, busy in plotting and contriving thine own carnal contents, thy heart busy and eager in the pursuit of earthly occasions and employments, thy thoughts busy in devising and acting means, in observing and improving opportunities, thy hand busy in endeavoring to the utmost of thy power and skil to accomplish these, either sinful, or at the best earthly conveniences thou mindest these so much; the other was wholly out of thy mind; out of thy own mouth shalt thou be condemned, so shall thy judgment be thou heedless sinful creature, thou hast decided the matter, they that forget God shall be turned to Hell. Psal. 9. 17 They who mind earthly things their end is damnation, Phil. 3. 21. God in mercy will not mind thee, he will not mind the prayers thou makest, he will not mind thy complaints, thy necessities thou presentest before him.

Thus generally: For a particular answer I shall do two things.

• 1. Shew who those be that make this shift.
• 2. How this aggravates their sin.

Who those be that make this excuse, that each man [ 1] may take his portion, that those may not be burdened by mistakes who desire to burden themselves, that we may not bruise the broken in spirit. There be two sorts of forgetful persons.

First, such who in the sense of their own feebleness and brickleness of memory are not able to keep the wholesome truths, those heavenly treasures which many times are commended to their care & observance, but those precious promises, precious comforts & directions, they slip away out of their weak memories like pure liquor out of a leaking vessel, which makes them sit down in silence, and their hearts sink in discouragement loaded with the loathsomeness and greatness of the evil, that they cannot tell how to bear it, nor yet to bear up their hearts under the weight of it, they conceive it so heinous, so dangerous a sin; that which we cannot retain say they, how shall we have the use of it, how shall we answer the loss of such glorious truths, and the very weight of the evil shakes their very hopes many times. And you shall ever observe the favor the Lord shows to such weak ones and the work of his grace in them, that though through the scantness and narrowness of their memories, they are not able to keep things in their order & to make report of them; yet so much as they have present use for they will have that at hand. and such truths which they shall have need of for after times they are never generally called to the practice of them, but they are called to their minds, God's spirit brings them to remembrance their hearts by faith received them and hold them Mat. 13. 23. but the narrowness of their memory was like a house that had but scant rooms, kept them in a lumber together, but there they were, and therefore the 〈◊〉 brings them forth. John 14. 26. The comforter 〈◊〉 bring all things to your remembrance, These are not the persons we now speak unto, for they lighten a d lessen their evil by this means, these find it heavy and load 〈◊〉 heurts with Godly sorrow for it.

2. There is therefore another sort, whose wound of 〈◊〉 lies not in the weakness of their memories, or scantness of 〈◊〉 that they cannot retain the truths commended to them, and come within their charge, but such who stuff their minds and memories so full of earthly occasions, or attendance to some distemper that either they keep out or crowd out the remembrance of their duty and think because it was not in their minds, therefore they have plea sufficient if it be not in their practice, and thus their disposition and spirit is worse than their carriage and behavior, and this their excuse it increaseth their sin, in three things, or ads a threefold aggravation to it.

They give in undeniable evidence that they do not [ 1] only neglect the service but that they have no love to it; not only their endeavors are wanting but their hearts and faithfulness, are wanting also to the Lord and his work, love and faithfulness will cause attendance and remembrance where ever it is. The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves, he dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye & apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at table, walks with her when he travels and 〈◊〉 with her in each place where he comes. So it would be with thee, If thou 〈◊〉 little and makest that thy excuse, its certain thou lovest little, if thou mindest not, thou 〈◊〉 not the Lord and his ways, Psal. 119. 97. Oh 〈◊〉 I do love thy law, it is my meditation day and night so the Saints Isa. 26. 8. The 〈◊〉 of our hearts are towards thee, and the remembrance of thy name. And therefore the Psalmist again 〈◊〉 , thy Commandments are ever with me. The heart of the lover keeps company with the thing beloved. If thou mindest not to practice the duty its certain thou may est conclude thou 〈◊〉 yet hadst love to the Lord Jesus and his service.

This forgetfulness not minding that which is thy [ 2] charge, shows thou never hadst a high esteem, never yet set'st a price upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the ways and will of God, thou undervaluest thy duties and lookest at them as things of little worth and therefore are out of sight, and out of mind, refuse things that are of mean account with us, we lay them by, cast them into any blind corner, we judge them not worth the remembrance and therefore we bestow not our memories upon them but if there be a pearl of price some special and rare jewel, each man cares 〈◊〉 he lays it, and can easily find it and that in the dark. So it is when thou lookest at the Commands the Lord gives and the duties he requires as matters of no great consequence, and therefore bestowest not thy thoughts or remembrance about them, see how the prophet argues from this ground Jer. 2. 32. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire, yet my 〈◊〉 have forgotten me days 〈◊〉 number; so where their esteem is their memories are also. It's certain it's a base 〈◊〉 heart of the duties which are in daily practice and the discharge of his place, which ought to be his daily wear. A man should put on Christ, his holiness, meekness &c. and 〈◊〉 themselves with a quiet and modest and peaceable spirit. yet these are not in his way nor his thoughts, It's certain thou carest not so much for God's command as a frothy headed maid doth for a clout. Weigh then but in serious consideration, the wretchedness of thy pretence; shouldest thou hear a servant or a child excuse their idleness or disobedience to Master or Father on this manner, I hope you will excuse my neglect, and pardon 〈◊〉 disobedience, because I do not love your person, 〈◊〉 or esteem your place or command, were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aggravate the evil no way to excuse it. Such is the silliness of this shift of thine, when thou wouldest make thy forgetfulness to lessen thy fault. Because thou doest not love the Lord nor reverence his holy law, this increaseth the evil exceedingly.

It argues a sensual sottish, Atheistcal disposition of [ 3] heart tolive without God and 〈◊〉 , in our course 〈◊〉 to put off the apprehensions of Christians and men these are joined together Ezek. 23. 35. Thou hast forgotten me and cast me behind thy back, to live an outlaw upon earth, when we attend not, mind not a law by which we live. Thy duty is plain which is required, the sin evident that is forbidden, thou neglectest the one and committest the other, and this is the balsom that heals and helps all; I did not once think of it. It was wholly out of thy mind, I did quite forget it; why then forget thou art a Christian, nay a man, forget there is a God, that there is a Heaven to reward 〈◊〉 a Hell to Torment thee, forget thou hast a soul to be saved or sins to be pardoned, or avoided until thou feelest the plagues of them, which thou 〈◊〉 never be able to forget nor yet to bear.

Another Shift which keeps off the edge and power of a Conviction, Is the deadly and destroying hazards they expect, and great extremities which they fear will 〈◊〉 befall, if they should not dispense with some sins in such cases: Hence it is their Arguments come on armed with such unanswerable Interrogations in their apprehensions; Why? what would you have us do? You little know the desperate straits unto which we are driven, were you but in our places, we are persuaded you would not only pity us in what we have done, but would do the same things; Alas, would you have us beggar ourselves? undo our families? destroy our Liberties and Comforts? yea, hazard, nay lose our lives? herein we hope the Lord will allow us some dispensation or connivance: Thus they with one 〈◊〉 consent, not only desired, but took it for granted they should also obtain their desire, which to them appeared so reasonable; Luke, 14. 18. 〈◊〉 Guests began to excuse themselves; One hath hired a Farm, and he must go and see it; Another a yoke of Oxen, and he must try them; and therefore I pray you have me excused; Another hath married a Wife, and he cannot come, and 〈◊〉 desires he may be excused, q. d. We conceive the case so equal and reasonable, we suppose we need not speak ourselves, you will plead our excuse, which indeed pleads for itself: should not a man preserve his state, and therefore in a way of providence go visit his Farm? should he not attend his Calling? if he be called to follow the Plow, why should he not follow it?

For Answer, I shall shortly leave two or three Scriptures with thee: Is it not one Command of the Gospel, That they that will 〈◊〉 godly in Christ, must suffer persecution, and through many Tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, 2 Tim. 3. 12. He that will save his 〈◊〉 shall lose it, Matth. 16. 25. He that loves 〈◊〉 or Mother more than me, is not worthy of me, Matth. 10. 37. If thou art so far from yielding obedience to the Gospel, as to refuse the terms of it, canst thou be excused? To fear man more than God, to preser thine own ease more than his Honor, canst thou be excusable? To attend the Comforts of this world with the loss of the peace of thy Conscience, to look after the preservation of thy life, and neglect the Salvation of thy soul; nor God, nor man, nor Angels, nor Devils, nor 〈◊〉 own Conscience will excuse thee.

The Seventh Shift and forgery whereby our Carnal Reason would 〈◊〉 and defeat the power of the Truth, and lessen the loathsomeness of sin, is that which seems to them so reasonable, even to common sense, as that it admits no denial; and it's taken from THE HOLINESS AND SPIRITUALNESS OF THE LAW, unto which they are bound, and that overbearing strength of the body of sin, and original corruption, 〈◊〉 they are wholly disenabled to the performance thereof; so that there is not only a difficulty, but even an impossibility to corrupt Nature, and to men in their Natural condition, to answer the exactness thereof; doth not the Text say 〈◊〉 such cannot cease from sin, 2. Pet. 2. 14. That which is 〈◊〉 of the flesh, and comes from it, is flesh, John, 3. 8, 9. Are not the words plain, That the Prince of the Air rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and that he takes them captive at his will, 2 Tim. 2. last. Nay, if the holy Apostle who had the Spirit of Grace, yet found his distempers bear up so hard, and make head against him, that they soiled him, and put him to the worse, and forced him to cry out as under captivity and thralldom, I see another Law in my members carrying me captive; Oh wretched man, who shall deliver me, Rom. 7. If he that had received the power of Grace against his sin, was yet so overborn, what can they be able to do that are yet in their natural condition (and have nothing but sin) as all the Sons of Adam are since the Fall? That as 〈◊〉 in a storm are forced by the rage of winds and weather to go whither they will carry them, not whither they should; men pity them for what they suffer, do not 〈◊〉 them for what they cannot do: So it is with the strength of distempers, which like a mighty stream, carry us uncontroulably to the commission of evil, and it's impossible for us to prevail against; alas, what can Nature do in such a case, if God will not help? Is it equal that men be put upon impossibilities? or that they should be punished for that which cannot be avoided? It's not in man to direct his own ways, to subdue his own sins: we are nothing else but a lump of corruption, the Lord knows we do what we can, and we hope we shall not be condemned for what we cannot do.

I Answer, The Lord knows, and thy Conscience knows, and the world knows, thou speakest a horrible fall ehood, or to use the Phrase of Scripture, Thou liest, and speakest not the Truth. More particularly I answer Four things.

Thou doest not what thou mayest and canst do. 〈◊〉 [ 1] Lord hath left in thee the remainder of many natural abilities, hath lent thee the help of many common 〈◊〉 and Graces, which by Art and Education have grown to some ripeness, and thou hast found the strokes of his Spirit partly restraining of thee from evil, and constraining of thee to good; and thou neither hast, nor dost put forth actions and endeavors answerable in any measure. It was said of them, it's as true of thee, Rom. 1. 21. When they knew God, they 〈◊〉 him not as God. The unprofitable Servant was not condemned so much because he had no Talent, but that when he had received a Talent, he idled away his time and Talent, hid it in a napkin, he traded not, gained not consequently, Matth. 25. 25. This is thy condition, thou art in his rank, thy sin the same, and thy sentence will be the same; thou hast 〈◊〉 one, but many Talents; hath not the Lord given thee a mind to conceive, and a memory to retain things? why canst not thou lay out these for the Lord and his Truth, as well as to lavish out both in the pursuit of the world, and thine own lusts, and lying vanities? thou mayest read the Bible as well as other vain Books, seek the communion of Saints, and thy legs would carry 〈◊〉 to them, as well as to riotous company. Nay, thou art not only faulty in not doing what thou canst, but even neglecting, 〈◊〉 opposing the practice of those Duties unto which thy judgment would carry thee, and 〈◊〉 constrain thee, Rom. 1. 18. thou holdest down the Truth in unrighteousness, when thy reason props it, thy Conscience provokes and calls, this thou shouldest, this thou oughtest to do, and yet thou neglectest it. Yea, let thine own Experience give in evidence in this behalf; thou laziest away thy time in the ways of thy Calling, and the work of the Lord, reads not, 〈◊〉 not, prayest not in private, recallest not the things heard, 〈◊〉 not in thy place with meekness, but crooked carriages, peevish and froward speeches, rugged behaviors attend thee in thy daily course: Answer me out of thine own heart; Would not so much money hire, such reward promised and performed, persuade thee to do such duties, or reform such sins? Would not the fear of some displeasure, at least the sharpness of some punishment, compel thee to reform outwardly; to find thy heart, and tongue, and mind, and force thee to pray, and read, and recall, make thee bite thy lip, and compose thy carriage, not to speak a cross word, or vent a passionate speech? Thou wretch, doth twenty pound, or a whipping post give thee any Grace, thou hadst therefore ability, which thou never didst improve as thou mightest.

Secondly, Be thy weakness whatit will be, or inability, [ 2] that is not the worst; but that which ads to the heap of the 〈◊〉 of thy evil, and the height of it, Thou art not yet WILLING to be made ABLE, to receive the grace which the Lord in the Gospel hath prepared and now tenders, and would give thee, 〈◊〉 thou but willing he should Rev. 22. 17. Oh everyone that will let him come to the waters, for the Gospel doth not require that a man should believe by his own power, nor yet condemn him because he doth not, but that he will not incline his Ear, and suffer the power of the Truth to take place with him, and prevail with him for good. Christ comes to his own, and he comes with Grace and Life, but they receive him not, John, 1. 10, 11. yea, our Savior professed it to them, Ye will not come to me that you might have life, John, 〈◊〉 . 40. And light is come into the world, but men love darkness rather than light, John, 3. 19. men love their distempers, hug and 〈◊〉 their lusts, they are weary of the Word that would reveal and remove their corruptions, Rom. 8. 7. The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God, it is not subject to the Law, nor can be: It hath not any Spiritual good, it will not bear the power of the Truth, that would pluck away our corruptions, and take place in us Do not plead so much therefore thou art not able, but go to the bottom, thou wouldest not be made able thou wouldest have thy proud heart, and not be made humble; thou wouldst have thy loose heart, and not be purged: when thou art in Hell, and art tormented with these, and for these, know thou hast thy will, and therefore why dost thou complain?

Nay, it is thy disposition to withdraw thyself from those means, and not to give attendance, and leave thyself under the stroke of the Word that would take away thy unwillingness, John, 3. 20. He that doth evil, hates the Light, and comes not to the Light, he went away sorrowful, Matth. 19. 22. And after that time, many of his Disciples went away from him, and walked no more with him, because his words were spiritual and piercing, which they could neither hear nor bear.

Not attending for redress and help against the frowardness and perverseness of thy heart, it's a just and righteous thing with God to stake thee down under all thosedistempers, that thou mayest be deluded with them, hardened in them, and damned forever for them, and thou hast no more than thou hast righteously deserved, 2 Thess. 2. 10, 11. Because they did not entertain the Truth in the love of it, therefore he gave them up to the activity of Error, that they might believe lies; and it's the best Reason that ever yet appeared to my apprehension, why the Woman who in Reason could not but know the Serpent could not speak, yet would and did talk with it: But she had begun before not to love the Truth, being set to till the Garden, and to keep it, Gen. 2. that is, to keep the wild beasts out of it; she did not so, therefore God gave her up to be deluded by the Serpent: the like may be said of Balaam's conference with his Ass; in reason he should have fled from his Ass, not have fallen in conference with him; but when men delight not to have God in knowledge, no marvel that he delivers them up to a reprobate sense, Rom. 1.

What ever difficulty and impossibility attends thy [ 3] weakness, thou art the cause of it, and therefore must bear all the evil that is a consequent of it. The Debtor that hath borrowed a Sum of money, at the day of payment, if he shall return this Answer, That the money he borrowed he hath drunk away, whored or played it away; so that having spent his Stock, it's now impossible he should satisfy his Creditor. Doth he not deserve to be punished, not only for his not payment, but for his prodigality which brought that upon him?

The Eight Cavil, whereby our carnal hearts would shift off the Authority and evidence of the Truth, as that it shall not be able to set down the Conscience by an overpowering Conviction, is, That the sins themselves are SLIGHT, of small consequence, not worthy any such serious consideration, much less any trouble of heart, that should drive a man to a stand, and cause him to sit down in silence and sorrow, as under just condemnation: Alas, they were but some sudden words, and they were gone and past, and if there were no worse I wis, the world were at a good pass; or they were but the present and inward 〈◊〉 of the heart, and the flashy thoughts of my mind, nobody knew but myself, neither did nor could they hurt anybody but myself, and are not thoughts free? Or lastly, were it a failing in practice, it was but in a petty thing, a very trifle not worth the while to spend time to take notice of it; some windy words, flashy and sudden thoughts, petty failings, and they are so far from troubling the heart, as that they touch it not; so far from sitting down convinced of the evil of these, as might break the heart, as that they see no weight, nor just cause at all to burden it, they go away as Sampson with the Gates of Gaza, and felt them not.

We shall therefore take the Severals into special consideration, and see what heinousness there is in these sins, when they are weighed in the Ballance of the Sanctuary: And we shall begin with Words, and examine what is the weight of the evil that is in them; and that will appear in many Particulars.

Look at them in their own Nature absolutely, thy [ 1] words have such weight that they are able to sink thy soul into the bottomless pit, and to pass sentence of life and death upon thee; for so our Savior, By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned, Matth. 12. 37. This is one part of the Inditement upon which the Judgment is executed at the great day by our Savior, When he shall come with ten thousand thousands Ministring unto him; to execute Judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them, of all their ungodly deeds, and of all their hard speeches, which they have spoken against him, Jude, 14. 15. Those harsh Expressions, the unkind language, currish, rugged; and cutting Speeches, whereby they would daunt and kill the hearts of the Saints; the secret scorns, and contempts, and reproaches, whereby they have tossed the names of the Saints in their Meetings, Merriments, and upon their Ale-benches; happily there is no man besides thy mates that hears thee, no witness can accuse thee, no Judge that can pass Sentence: The Lord Jesus he comes for this end, and thou art the man, and thy speeches are the matter of thy Inditement; of these he will convince thee, and for these execute Judgment upon thee at that great day, he will make thee sit down in silence, he will stop that wicked mouth of thine, thou shalt not have a word to speak for thyself then: this is the Charge that the Lord puts in against such wretched Hypocrites, who think to carry all things covertly and cunningly that no man may lay hold of them; the Lord pulls them out by the pole, Psal. 50. 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit: It is his Trade, his lips are the forge of falls-hood, his mouth is as it were the mint of lying reproaches, of back-biting, he sits at it, keeps his shop, it's the sale and ware that is vented upon all occasions, when his Companions, as his Chapmen, come to buy: So the Text, Thou satest and spakest against thine own mothers son, &c. these things thou hast done, the Lord keeps these words upon Record, and sets them in order at the day of Judgment, Oh consider this, you do not now consider, the Lord doth, and he will tear you in pieces, as you have torn the names of his Servants by your taunts and reproaches; and in truth it's no marvel, for thy language and customary speech gives a taste of the temper of thy soul and spiritual condition, and is a sad evidence of thy corrupt and graceless estate, James 1. 16. If any seem to be Religious, and bridleth not his tongue, the Religion of that man is vain; his language loose and frothy, his words peevish and frampful, froward and scornful, the Religion of that man is not worth a rush, his prayers are vain, his hearing vain, his profession he will never do good with it, never receive good or benefit from it: As we say of Money, the sound of it shows whether it 〈◊〉 pure or base, true or counterfeit, it sounds like Brass or Copper, it's certainly counterfeit, it hath not the sound of silver, or as we say of Bels, the ring of them discovers whether they 〈◊〉 of base matter, or of right 〈◊〉 ; so here, a man's speech is the discoverer of a man's Spirit. If his heart be the Inditer of a good matter, the tongue will be as the pen of a ready Writer, Psal. 45. 1. Those words that come from Grace in the speaker, will administer Grace to the hearers; empty words do show an empty heart. Thou art one of those, and thy speech bewrays thee, said they to Peter: A jeering and scoffing tongue is a note of an Ismaelite; by that Ishmael was discovered to be of the flesh, Gal. 4. In a word, as a stinking breath argues a corrupt Stomach and 〈◊〉 Lungs; so it is with base and vain language, it argues a corrupt and rotten heart: As light therefore as thou conceivest these vain and windy words of thine, thou wilt one day find the load of them so heavy, that they will be like a Millstone to sink thee down into irrecoverable 〈◊〉 , so that thy life and death lies in thy words as little as thou makest of them.

Look at them with respect to OTHERS, cast them into the Ballance of Comparison and Consideration, with the evil of others, and thereby the greatness of their evil will more evidently appear: I answer therefore in the second place, The evil of thy words is in some regard, I say, in some regard, worse than the evil of thy heart; though that be the Store-house and Treasury of noisesome distempers, and the Ware-house which furnisheth a man's whole course, yet corrupt language ads a deeper die, and makes those evils of the heart more loathsome: As there is more store of Commodities in the Ware-house, yet the false light of the Shop makes them so much the worse, because it makes them not appear as they are; words darkens much of the Truth that is in the heart, which would make against sin, and covers and colers over that which is evil, that it might not appear to be such, that the heart purposeth and concludes certainly it will have it, because it likes it: yet could a man but hear the privy Verdict which knowledge and conscience gives, 1. He should see them consenting to the Truth: 2. Condemning the will of sin. Reason tells the heart, this is the way and the will of God, and you should not reject it; this is your Duty, and God's Command, you perish for it if you do oppose; here Truth appears as well as distempers. But when the Cause comes to be 〈◊〉 and pleaded outwardly by words, the tongue hides the verdict of knowledge and conscience, suffers not their testimony, or the Truth once to come to light. But the corruption that the heart would have, it pleads for it under the color and pretence of that which is Lawful and allowable; So much light and knowledge as would discover the sin that is suppressed. The evil that was there suppressed, that is by color of cunning and false words, varnished over, and pleaded for under pretence of that which is good and Lawful. So that here is a double evil more in our words than in our hearts.

1. A Silencing of the Truth, when the testimony of Judgment and Conseience must not come to light.

2. Coloring of the loathsomeness of sin that it might not appear like itself, by the paint and varnish of lying words. Thus some translate that of James, and though it be not the full meaning, yet I see not but it is part of the meaning; The tongue is a world of evil, James, 3. 6. is an ornament of evil, when lying language 〈◊〉 fair colors and pretences upon foul and unlawful practices. So the paint of words hides the foul visage of sin. Thus you shall observe in the Scribes and 〈◊〉 , Acts, 4. 16, 17. It's manifest to all, and cannot be denied; yet that it spread no further, let us straitly 〈◊〉 them that they speak no more in this name. If 〈◊〉 Consciences might have: been heard to speak, they would have testefied that the wonder is great, and argues the Finger of God, and the worth of the men, and that it should be published, and God honored; but their tongue turns it another way, this man is but an Impostor, his name must not be had in regard, his person in respect, so it was with them they would have forced the blind man to have spoken against our Savior John 9. 24. This man is a sinner give Glory to God, and so endeavored to have him deny the truth of the miracle, which in their own hearts they did undoubtedly acknowledge; so it was with the false witnesses packed by Jezebel, let Conscience be examined and suffered to give in evidence and you see the truth, Did Nabal blaspheme God and the King? no, is he worthy to dy? no, Is it not treachery for any to plot and pretend this? It is so, says Conscience there is no truth at all but treachery; but their false tongues hide the truth, and put an appearance of truth upon that which is false.

Somtimes a man out of an ignorant custom or neglect [ 2] holds forth more evil in his words, than he either conceives or attends in his own apprehension, this is usual amongst Children conversing with naughty and lewd company, they speak the evil words they hear frequently with their mates when they know not what they speak, or what the words imply that they speak. It may possibly be conceived that many of those children who cried to Elisha come down thou bald pate, 2 Kings 2. 23. spake what was commonly said amongst their Parents, not knowing the evil of the words they spake.

All the while the evil is Confined and concealed [ 3] in the closet of the heart it's not dangerous, nor yet infectious to any, but only to the soul of the party that harbours it. But when the wickedness of the heart walks abroad in our words, and communication it conveys a taint and pollution with it; And herein lies a greater evil: in our words than in our hearts in point of infection, the heart is like a dunghill of noisesome abominations, but our speech and words let out the steem of it, which is able to annoy all that are in presence or pass by with the stench of it.

Compare the evil of our words with our practice also, [ 3] & it will appear that in many particulars the scales will be cast this way, and the 〈◊〉 of the evil will lie here.

Our words are as it were the panders and provokers, [ 1] more universally to all kinds of evil than our practice can be; There be many sins that come not within the compass of our practice as errors, false opinions, and those that do they come not within our power or possibility for the while. But there is no error so gross, no delusion so loathsome but our speech can vent and broach it. No practice so 〈◊〉 but by our words and communication we can present it together with all the occasion to the heart to draw forth those sinful inclinations there, to linger after and to seek for opportunity to commit it 1 Cor. 15. 33. Evil words corrupt good manners and the Apostle specifies none but implies a taint and pollution of all, the sting of the Serpent we know spreads over the whole body, taints all the blood at an instant, so there is the poison of Asps that is under the lips of the ungodly, So the Apostle James 3. 6. the tongue amongst the members defiles the whole body, Conference and Communication affects the whole man, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 up the heart to effect, the head to plot, 〈◊〉 eye to look, the hand to work &c. Speech drives the chollerick man into a passion the melancholic man into discontent, the loose and vain person to be transported with his lusts, and uncleanness. Therefore the same Apostle compares it to a 〈◊〉 verse. 5. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth a spark of fire sets a whole house a whole town on a flame, before one be aware.

As wordstaint more universally so they 〈◊〉 of greater [ 2] force and prevail more powerfully draw more effectually to the commission of evil, the sin is committed and the commission leaves a scandalous example behind it, and that as it were passively and in silence presents itself to the memory of him that attends it. but our words do not passively present a thing to the view of another, but awaken him and work upon, and actively, and prevailingly cal out any inclination to an evil, and that with 〈◊〉 and overbearing importunity. Examples only offer the bait if the heart will nibble and take it but words & persuasions take hold upon a man, and will have no nay before they obtain their 〈◊〉 , so the Adulterous woman Prov. 7. 21. with much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him, so Judge. 16. 16. Delilah laid siege and made battery at the heart of Sampson, at last wearied him out and wrought him to her own will and his ruin, an evil example is like the presenting of an army before a place and summoning of it, but speech is like a constant beleaguring of a City which will force it to surrender and therefore I have ever judged it more dangerous to live with a person of an il language than of an evil life, because a man's practice will be but seldom and occasional and mainly an enticement to someone kind of evil, but speech pursues a man with variety of enticements words are arrows, and he that shoots a whole quiver will hardly miss but wound with some or other at the last.

The evil of the tongue is a kind of restless unweariable [ 3] untameable wickedness, the practice of sin 〈◊〉 such that sometimes a man's years permit not the pursuit ofit, or the time suits not, or the place fits not, or a man's ability and strength makes unapt and wholly unable to take it up, so nature desires 〈◊〉 and rest, and the commission of sin is at an end, the Thief must leave his trade of robbing, the Drunkard his company, the Adulterer his lusts, when age and sickness comes in upon him and their able strength is now spent. But the evil of the tongue begins with a man in his tender years, when the child knows not the mistery of sin nor yet hath ability to practice it, yet he can prate and talk of it. this grows up with him to his riper years, and when his strength and nature decays and a man grows towards his grave yet the evil of his tongue grows lively and active; and when a wretch is able to do nothing yet then is he able to read lectures of villainy, and wickedness which he hath learned in his life and practiced in the leudness of his carriage from his youth. As it is with old Huntsmen when their legs fail that they cannot follow the game, yet they will sit and hear the cry and lewr after the hounds, when they can do little else. So here, This I take to be the meaning of that of James which exerciseth the apprehensions of interpreters, and its marvelous hard to find the sul mind of God therein, James. 3. 6. It sets on fire the whole course of nature and itself is set on fire of Hel. i. e. by the hellish delusions and temptations of Satan.

Two things I suppose are ospecially implied in the text.

1. The violence and untameableness of this evil cannot be stopped, it carries all before it; not only propounds a temptation unto evil, but counsels, yea commands; if not that, entreats; if that take not place, pursues all these, perseveres to importune, til the importunity kindles in the heart like a mighty flame which cannot be quenched. So when Demetrius had pressed his companions with such prevailing arguments of profit 〈◊〉 , you know that by this trade we have our living presently they were all upon a flame, and the voice prevailed by the space of two hours, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Acts. 19. 28. when they heard those sayings so they were kindled and carried away with Herod's speech, the voice of God, and not of man Acts. 12. 22.

2. This untameable evil of the tongue hath not his dates and periods, his spring and fall as it were, but sets on fire the whole course of nature, i. e. grows up with us from our beginnings, and goes along with us in our daily course until we lie down in our graves. When children can know nothing nor learn to do nothing, yet they will easily take in naughty words and tattle them when they know not what they talk. In a word this is the full meaning, so near as I can guess, whereas the feebleness of our childhood unfits us for the knowing and practicing of some evil, our 〈◊〉 years frees us from some, as childish sports and vanities, decrepit age utterly 〈◊〉 us to most, the 〈◊〉 evil of our tongues, sends in a veyn and currant of wickedness, through our whole course, the folly and 〈◊〉 of our child-hood unfits us not for this, or our riper years frees us not, but such count it as suitable to their condition, our decrepit age hinders us not, but the vanity of the tongue casts a venom through all, nor is a man wearied with such 〈◊〉 as that he craves end or ease, but is as fresh at night as he was in the morning, in his youth as he was in his childhood, in his decaying age as he was in his riper years. This hellish fire 〈◊〉 few el and matter to nourish it in a man's whole course, therefore it's said it's set on fire of Hell. Because our natures are easily tainted with this poison and takes it in almost unawares, you cannot keep children from learning the language especially thats naught which they hear, nor can you force them to leave it or forget it, they grow up to ripeness and readiness in it without either care or pains, Joseph swears, the Court oath, and the children speak half Ashdod and half Hebrew.

That thou mayest see how far thou art deceived in [ 4] slighting the evil of thy words, know if there be any evil in the world it is in-manner and measure in them James 3. 6. the tongue is a world of evil, an University, an Universality of all wickedness in it, and its an Ornament of all evil besides, (the word will carry both, and I would include both) what ever evil is on earth amongst men, in Hell amongst Devils and the damned, what ever, wickedness the manners of all Countries have invented the Condition of all men have practiced, or the hearts and 〈◊〉 of men contrived the tongue shares in all these. It's the chief secretary to all estates of sin and sinners, the Interpreter of men's minds & Translator of these evils betwixt man and man. In a word, what ever evil is in the heart or mind of a man's self, the tongue hath vented it, whatsoever hath been done by others, seen or observed, the tongue hath related, reported it. It's that which will cover all the foulness, excuse or lessen the loathsomeness of the most vile evils, hath varnished and decked over the most detestable practices with some pretences of liberty or indifferency hath been the Lawyer which hath undertook to plead the cases of the vilest ways of evil that ever were.

Having seen the vileness of sinful words; Now let us [ 2] proceed to consider of our THOUGHTS, the first stirrings of the distempers of our hearts that suddenly and presently vanish away, men imagine there cannot be such evil in them, nor are they to charge themselves so deeply for them as Ministers would bear them in hand. No man say they can see or know the thoughts of our hearts, & therefore they cannot be offensive or scandalous to any and therefore its not possible they should be discouraged from doing any good they desire or intend, or provoked to the practice of any evil that may be dangerous to themselves or dishonorable to the Lord. besides they appear not só soon to our apprehensions but they pass away in an instant, and are as though they had never been, and what great evil is in the, and why should the soul be so deeply 〈◊〉 with them and the sinner be forced to feel so great sorrow for them? this is to make them worse than they are, and ourselves more miserable than we should be.

The evil of thy thoughts and stirrings of the distempers of thy heart are hidden and spiritual, and they pass away before thou canst perceive them, much less judge of them aright, but didst thou but see them as they are, and upon thorough search couldst truly find out the bottom of that baseness and filth that is there, they would appear exceeding loathsome and heinous to thine own apprehension, as he said, the sin of the soul, is the soul of sin. The sin of the body, is the body and carcass of corruption; that is, in the sinful motions of the soul, of the mind and heart, there is the life, poison, and power of corruption, putting forth itself in the utmost activity of the venom and malignity of it. The Actions of the Body are tainted with the pollution of sin by consent, as the distempers of the mind and heart appear in them, and are acted by them; the body is as it were an accessory in the evil and wickedness; the mind is the principal, that contrives all, useth only the body as an Instrument to vent its own venom and wickedness by.

More especially see the heinousness of the evil of thy Thoughts and Heart, in the Particulars following.

First, In regard of God. The sinful poison of thy [ 1] thoughts, doth estrange thee from God, carry thee in professed opposition against him; so that the sinner comes by this means to resist the Almighty, as it were to his very face.

Let me open both these in a few words.

Thy inordinate thoughts takes thee off from yielding [ 1] attendance to the Lord, that thou fallest off from him, and the guidance of his wisdom in the Rule, before thou fallest into any sin: Here came in the first breach between God and the soul, and by this the breach is continued and increased daily in our departings from him. This I know (saith the wise man) that God made man right, but he sought out many inventions, or findings, Eccles. 7. last. He was made for God, and should have eyed him directly, and kept himself under the operative dispensation of his spiritual Government, in which he would not have been awanting to him, but he would have carried him to his end, and kept him so in happiness, that is, carried him to himself, and kept him with himself forever. But he found out findings; so the words. When he should have looked to the will of God as the Compass only appointed to stere his course by, he should have looked to the Law which the Lord had found out as the line and level of his life, which would not have failed to have led him to his Duty, and quickened him in it. He was not content with the Rule and way that God had found out, but he finds out an Invention out of the vanity of his mutable mind, looks to that, and is wholly led aside by that from the Lord. So that when he should go from Rule to Rule, for the guidance of 〈◊〉 daily course, he goes from one vanity to another, from one vain thought to another, from one device to another; as they said, let us devise Devices. As in a well ordered Army, break the Rank in one place, and ye bring ruin and confusion upon the whole: Here was the right order in which we were made, and we should have kept Rank and File; the mind and judgment should only have attended God; the Will attend our Judgment, the Affections wait on the Will, the Actions issue as the execution of all. Here Satan routed Adam, brake this Rank upon the first 〈◊〉 , takes off the Mind from attending the Covenant, Command, and Direction of the Lord, The day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, and listens to the 〈◊〉 and forgery of Satan, Ye shall not die at all; and so falls into the commission of the sin, which brought condemnation upon him and his whole posterity; and 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 came in thus between God and the soul, so it's daily made greater by this means. As a man once having missed his way, the further he 〈◊〉 , the further he goes from the right way. Such is the ravelling of our own imaginations, we 〈◊〉 ourselves the longer we continue in them. After we are overborn with the hurry of our thoughts, we are 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 with our 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 God, his Promises, out Directions and Comforts, cannot tell where to find our hearts. This the Apostle gives as the fountain and first cause of those overflowing evils, and fearful backslidings from God, Ephes. 4. 17. The Gentiles 〈◊〉 the vanity of their minds, and so become strangers from the life of God. Thus David by the sinful devices of his own mind departs so far from God, that he cannot find any evidence of his Love, or sense and feeling of his favor; he plots the commission of the sin, then the covering of it, therefore sends for Uriah, would have sent him to his house; when that took not, but resolves the contrary, then he plots his drunkenness that he might forget his resolution; when that succeeds not, he sends him back to the Army, and delivered him up to the hand of the Enemy in the issue. So by inordinate attendance to unruly thoughts, the sinner is taken aside so strangely from the Lord, and so overwhelmed with the guilt and pollution of sin, that partly he dare not, and many times is so bewildered and 〈◊〉 , that he knows not how to recover himself, and come home to God.

The evil of our thoughts carries the soul in professed [ 2] opposition against God; for it is by the Spiritual Operations and Actions of our minds that we meet with the Lord, and have a kind of intercourse with the Almighty, who is a Spirit. For all outward things are for the body, the body for the soul, the soul is nextly for God, and therefore meets as really with him in the Actions of Understanding, as the Eye meets with the Light in Seeing; which no other Creature can do, nor no action of a bodily Creature doth. Our Sences in their sinful and inordinate sweryings, when they become means and in-lets of evil from their objects, they meet with the Creature firstly, and there make the jar: It's the beauty of the Object that 〈◊〉 up to lust by the Eye, the daintiness of the Diet that provokes to 〈◊〉 by the taste, the harsh and unkind language that provokes to wrath and impatience by the Ear: But the Mind and Understanding toucheth the Lord directly, meets with his Rule, and with God acting in the way of his Government there, and when it goes off from the Rule as before, and attends its own vanity and folly, it justles with the Almighty, stands in open defyance and resistance against him. This also appeared in Adams sin our of the folly of his own deluded thoughts, he would have unthroned the Almighty, and hoped by Satan's Counsels to set himself in the room of God: Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil, Gen. 3. and he saw it to be good to get knowledge, and so purchase a Deity to himself, and so put it to trial: thus the wicked openly profess, They say to the Almighty, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, Job, 21. when they desire not to have the wisdom of God rule in their minds, but set up their own foolish imaginations, they say then to God, depart from us; they shake off the Authority of the Truth, and with that the Sovereignty of the Lord himself and his Government: Hence the Apostle, Collos. 1. 21. They were Enemies, and where lay that enmity? in their minds, in their 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , in their Discourse, in the exercise of the largest act of their Understandings, wherein the use of the whole faculty appears, and this enmity appears in the fruit of it, which will undoubtedly follow, namely, evil works. Hence Rom. 8. 7. the wisdom of the flesh is said to be enmity against God; not an enemy to him that would sometimes cross and oppose him, but Enmity, the whole being and working of it is carried in constant opposition against the Law. And upon 〈◊〉 ground it is when the Apostle Peter would show Simon Magus the heinousness of his sin, he stays not in the outward expression, but calls him directly to consider the thoughts of his heart, where that 〈◊〉 language was minted, and from whence it proceeded. When 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by laying on of the hands of the Apostles, the holy Ghost was 〈◊〉 , he perceived how he might get a booty, and therefore he fell to bargain, tries the Market, what shall I give? &c. The Apostle carried with a zealous indignation against so vile a demand, which cast so much contempt and contumely upon the holy Spirit, and the gift thereof, answers with a holy disdain, and denounceth a Curse. Thy money perish with thee, q. d. thou art in a perishing condition, and this money of thine which thou conceivest will further thy proceedings, will perish also; yet he ads a caution for his recovery: Oh pray, if it be possible, that the thought of thy heart may be forgiven, Acts, 8. 22, 23. q. d. Thy sin is so heinous, so execrable, so detestable, it's almost past all possibility of pardon, it's not in the tongue which uttered the word, nor in the hand which offered the money, nor yet so much in thine eye that saw the work done, for all these met not so directly, so immediately with the Lord. The words were propounded to the Apostles, the money should have been paid to them; but Oh, it was the hellish villainy of his mind and apprehension which did so basely esteem of the gifts of God's Spirit, as if they might be valued or purchased with money. He did so conceive, as if the holy Spirit of Grace should Lackey after his lusts, and be at the beck and command of such a proud rebellious wretch, as that it should be disposed and dispensed according to his will and humor. This was in his mind and thought, and this made it so heinous an evil, that the Apostle put it to a may be, if it be possible; so that the hellish evil of our imaginations, and cursed contrivements of our thoughts, may put a man almost beyond possibility of pardon: So in the sin against the holy Ghost, it's said, our Savior saw their thoughts, Mat. 12. ver. 25. those gave in evidence of the direfulness and inconceivable heinousness of those contumelious speeches against our Savior, when they said, He casteth out Devils by Belzebub the Prince of Devils; It is not said he heard their words, though blasphemous, but he saw their thoughts, they issued out of their apprehensions, their thoughts being calm and quiet, it was not some base pang or passion; but when they had no provocation, their own thoughts carried them against the evidence of all Truth, merely out of the venom of their own hearts. This was unpardonable blasphemy; and in truth there is no Creature but a reasonable Creature that can close not with the Creature only, but with God in his Rule, that can sin, nor is there any sin properly but where the mind and heart is an Ingredient in it. So the ravished Maid, though her body was abused, yet her person was not charged as guilty of sin, nor she polluted therewith, because her judgment was not there assenting, nor her heart yielding thereunto.

Look at thoughts in regard of all the other evils of our [ 2] lives which are acted, and appear in our daily course, we may thence come to take a guess at the greatness of the evil of our thoughts, for it will appear they are the causes of all other evils, and therefore it cannot but be concluded there is more and worse evil in them than in all the rest. A man's imaginations are the forge of villainy, where it's all framed, the Ware-house of wickedness, the Magazine of all mischief and iniquity, whence the sinner is furnished to the commission of all evil, in his ordinary course; the Sea of abominations, which overflows into all the Sences, and they are polluted into all the parts of the body, and they are defiled and carried aside with many noisesome corruptions, Matth. 15. 19. Out of the heart comes murders, adulteries, thefts; there is the nest where all these noisesome vermin are bred, Matth. 12. 34. Out of the abundance of the heart the tongue speaks, and the hand works: If there be pride and snappishness in a man's speech, stubbornness in a course, 〈◊〉 in a man's Conversation, there is abundance of all these, and more than these within. The Imagination of our mind is the great Wheel that carries all with it; That loathsome and execrable wickedness, worse than which the Sun never saw, the Earth never bore (that unpardonable siu excepted) the killing of the Lord Jesus the Lord of Life, the seed of it was, a thought cast by 〈◊〉 into the heart of Judas, John, 13. 3. it was warmed with a covetous disposition, and so brought forth that hideous treachery, the 〈◊〉 of the Lord Jesus.

If 〈◊〉 be evil in the tongue that 〈◊〉 it, is it not worse in the heart that indites it? Wickedness in our actions and speeches, are but the brats and brood of our minds and hearts, there they were conceived and fashioned in all the parts and proportions of wickedness as in 〈◊〉 womb, a man's practice doth but like the Midwife, bring them into the world, into open view, it makes the evil appear, but evil in the very heinousness was there before: Nay, the Mind hath not a hand in the plotting only of all these evils, but it puts forth a special power in the execution of the works, which otherwise would be at a stand. The mind doth not only conceive, but it travels for deliverance, and brings it forth into action; that is the meaning of the place which carries both depth of difficulty and excellency in it, Isai. 5. 18. There is a Generation which draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with Cart-ropes. We will open two things here.

• 1. What these Cords and Cart-ropes are.
• 2. How they draw.

First, Cords are, Counsels, false pleas, forged and plausible pretences, which are ordered and contrived as though they were twisted together as a Cord, strongly to persuade and prevail, and they are Cords of vanity, which the vanity and misguided apprehension of carnal 〈◊〉 hath twisted. Cart-ropes have the same sense, only with this aggravation, it implies more strength and subtlety; the most sedulous contrivements, the most subtle and restless underminings of colorable excuses that may take off all the strength of argument that oppose the way, 〈◊〉 inconvenience that might hinder the work, so that they carry all before them; Thus God is said to 〈◊〉 the Cords of the wicked, Psal. 129. 4. when they drew their Plow over the backs of the righteous.

To draw iniquity, is by the strength of cunning contrivements, the greatest subtlety of the most feigned pretences that carnal Reason can coin; by these I say prevailingly to persuade, and carry even without fear or opposition to the practice of sin, that is to draw, &c. that look when the Load is at a stand, and the Cart at a stall, they set more force to it, and draw it out notwi hstanding all 〈◊〉 and resistance to the contrary: So here. Thus the unjust Steward, Luke, 16. 3, 4. he said within himself, I am resolved what to do: Thus the Harlot when the young man seemed not willing to listen to her first Allurements, but came on heavily, she put to her Cart-rope, and plucked him by force, Prov. 7. 14. 21. See the contrivings of her carnal reasonings as the twistings of so many Cords to make even a Cartrope, to hale him with a kind of violence to this villainy: Arguments she 〈◊〉 to persuade him, impediments she removes that may hinder him: Her Arguments are subtle, and secretly contrived, she pretends (which is not common amongst Harlots) her Profession, yea, serious practice of Relsgion, she had Peace-offerings with her, that is, the remainders of them, and so provision, and that in a plentiful manner for her support; and that which was more, then she had offered her free-will Offerings, that of purpose she came to meet him, that God in providence had put the opportunity into her hands, Lo, I have found thee, and that all conveniences and contents are fitted at home: As touching any inconveniency that might be suspected or feared, that coast is clear, the good man is not at home; and thus she 〈◊〉 him with false pretences. So the Prophet declares the prevailing power of carnal Reasonings, that they carry a man uncontroulably in his course that he cannot be stopped, Isai. 50. last. Hence it is the wise man passeth Sentence of a man's estate by the common rode of his thoughts. As the mind is, the man is; as the frame and constant stirring of the heart, so is his estate and condition; Prov. 12. 2. A good man obtaineth favor of the Lord, but a man of wicked devices will he condemn, because such a man is an ungodly man, who must not look to find favor with him, or acceptance from him.

Again, Look we at the large extent of this spiritual [ 3] wickedness of the mind, which cannot be bounded; the unavoidableness of it, it cannot be prevented; and in both we shall see, and be forced to confess the aggravation of this evil: There is a compass wherein a man's words and actions may be confined, a man cannot vent the venom of his words, or express his poisonous and wretched practices amongst all men, not amongst many, many times; but there are no limits nor bounds to be set to the thoughts of a man's mind, or the lusts and desires of the heart. Were a man never so full of malice and hatred, he cannot murder many; happily he dare not adventure upon one, but yet his mind can plot, and his heart desire, and both privily assent and approve the the destruction of many millions, yea, most of the world at one clap: as the Tyrant that wished that all in Rome had but one neck, that he might cut it off at a blow. Herein is the extent of the murder of the mind; this may be multiplied and acted every hour of the day, and each minute of an hour. The Adulterous mate hath not liberty, and it may be not possibility to satisfy his lust by commission of it with one whom his heart is 〈◊〉 after, yet he can lust after her, and many thousands more, and the thoughts of the mind can inwardly conceit the villainy, 〈◊〉 give assent to it; and this is the Adultery of the heart, this may be acted and continued each moment of the day. So that there is an endless, boundless kind of infiniteness in this evil of the mind, it meets with an infinite God, and so swerves in an infinite manner from him.

Again in an ordinary course, and look at the power of the Creature, it cannot be stopped nor hindered, we may gag the tongue, manacle the hands, fetter the feet, and so prevent their actions, yet in all places, at all times upon all occasions in all companies, let all men do what they can, the thoughts will be working, and the affections of the heart stirring after such evils as they be addicted to.

As the evils of our whole course have their rise and [ 4] cause from our thoughts, so are they nourished also hereby: Our imaginations are the womb where wickedness is conceived; So are they also the breasts and dugs where they are maintained and nursed up, the sinews of the strength of our distempers lie in the lustings of our mind and heart; when the soul sucks the sweet of a distemper by daily meditation, lies at the dug as it were, draws out the Spirits and Quintessence of any noisesome lusts and temptations, by daily attendance, bestowing his mind and thoughts thereupon; whence the soul comes to be incorporated into a lust, and wholly under the strength and power of it, So that though the evil is not outward and scandalous, yet it becomes more heinous in the sight of God: as it is in distillations, the spirits of Wine, and some drops of Chemical Oil, are of more force than a great part of the substance taken in the grossness of its Nature, and do more cheer and quicken, and comfort in a cordial manner: So it is in the soul, by the daily musing and acting of our thoughts, upon the occasion of any corruption presented; our Meditation is the distillation which draws out the Spirits of pride or passion, or lusts, and becomes marvelously confirmed in these, and transported by these to our spiritual prejudice, they grow strong in us, and we under the power of them, thus Jonah while he sits down in a muddy distemper and attends the vanity of his own thoughts, he rows drunk with his passion, so that he neither knows God nor himself; not only doing that which is naught, but he will 〈◊〉 that which he doth, I do well to be angry unto the death, says he. Hence it is the Apostle suggests that Caution, Rom. 13. last, Make no provision for the flesh; the Meditation and musing of our minds, is the plentiful provision we make for the welcoming and maintaining of any distemper: when we let our thoughts loose to view the compass 〈◊〉 any harsh carriage, and injurious dealing, we make provision for anger and revenge, and the heart comes to be carried with violence of wrath and rage; Thus and thus he dealt with me, so unkindly, so injuriously, and that to my disparagement in the presence of such; and this sets him all on a flame: when we pore upon our infirmities and weaknesses we provide for discouragements, and we sit and sink down under them, and so strengthen those corruptions, that otherwise have received their deaths wounds, and would be weakened and wast away. As it is with old decayed Bodies which are subject to fainting fits, and are ever and anon swooning away, the pouring in of some Cordial Water will fetch them up again, and ad new strength and cheer. The Flesh here, is original corruption; the old Man, which in the Saints is dying away, and decaying daily, but our Meditation puts as it were Aqua vitae into the old man's mouth, adds vigor afresh, and sometimes makes it with violence to prevail.

Lastly, while the swarms of vain imaginations keep [ 5] through-fare in our minds and the noisesome steems of sinful affections are rising, boiling, and bubbling in our bosoms, there is little expectation that the power of any means should come in upon the soul or prevail with it for good, the crowd of imaginations stop the passage so that there is no coming to speech with the soul, the hurries of 〈◊〉 to transport it and take up the whole strength of it, that it can neither attend nor stay upon anything besides, 2 Cor. 10. 4. therefore called the strong hold, where Satan intrencheth, and fortifyeth himself against all the means of Grace 〈◊〉 may cast him out, for while the stream of the thoughts are turned another way, the ear hears nothing, the understanding minds nothing, the heart embraceth nothing, there is no place or room there, and thence it is, as our Savior speaks, the word cannot take place in them, John. 8. 37. therefore the prophets advice to Jerusalem when he would have her cleansed and saved, he directs her to dislodge her vain thoughts, wash thy heart O thou Jerusalem that mayest be saved, how 〈◊〉 shall vain thoughts lodge within thee Jer. 4. 14. those vain thoughts are those carnal reasonings whereby the sinner would put bye the authority of the truth, that so the sinner might neither see the loathsomeness of his sin; nor the danger of his estate, or the necessity to recover himself out of it, and if these thoughts lodge in him there will be no entertainment for the power of any ordinance or counsel that will take place with him, nor reproof awe, nor exhortation persuade, he casts out and keeps off any thoughts of any necessity to be washed, and so to be saved. If then by those vain thoughts thy heart is estranged from God, and carried in 〈◊〉 , against him, If they be the cause of all sins committed and continued in, if the hindrance of all means that might procure our God, then is their evil exceeding 〈◊〉 and therefore we should so judge it and so be effected with it.

We come now to speak of a third 〈◊〉 alleged [ 3] to excuse sin and to show the slight 〈◊〉 the soul 〈◊〉 of it, viz. suppose the failing was in practice, yet because the matter or thing wherein the offense was committed was but SMALL, men look at it as a petty business, a very trifle, not worthy 〈◊〉 taking notice of, and therefore account it as an 〈◊〉 of folly and childish weakness to be troubled with so 〈◊〉 a thing, or to have the heart deeply affected with it more than the matter deserves, and a man in reason should. It was but taking of a penny or shilling too much, putting off a cracked Commodity without suspicion by slight of hand; lazying out a man's time, ever seem to be doing and yet do little; out-bid a man in a bargain by a wile, and he never the wiser; these are but tricks of wit matters of no consequence, and what needs Conscience be troubled for these? a man is 〈◊〉 the worse for them why should he judge the worse of himself or his condition? such 〈◊〉 in a man's coat make it never a whit the more unseemly, such poor petty things in a man's carriage, makes it never a whit the more uncomfortable, As the eye of man happily discerns not these things, the Law cannot reach them nor the magistrate punish them, why should any man punish himself or 〈◊〉 a torment and rack to his Conscience for them? The things are little and petty.

The less the things are more heinous thy fault is, and the greater thy guilt as it thus appears. The less LOVE thou showest to the Lord if thou wilt BREAK with him for a trifle, Sets the honor of his great name, Obedience to his holy Law, contentment to his good spirit at so low a rate, as that thou wilt dare to justle injuriously against all these for a very shadow, which in thine own account is as much as just nothing, where there is truth and strength of Love the hardest things seem light and things of the greatest worth little; As Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and it seemed short and time little because he loved her, Gen. 29. 20. Ask me what thou wilt for dowry said Shecher, Hamors son and I will give it, only give me the maid Gen. 34. 12.

Amongst men in ordinary converse which lies within the compass of humanity he never prizeth a man's friendship or fayor who fayles him in common curtesies, and deny their desires, or refuse to gratify them in things of no great worth. I thought I might have commanded a greater matter at your hands than so; but when I see you stick with me for such a trifle, there is little love when so little a matter can hinder the work of it. A gracious heart will part with all for Christ, and thou wilt part with Christ and his mercy rather than part with a little prosit or pleasure, nay, with a beggarly lust that thy heart takes delight in: The Apostle calls it, The labor of Love, 1 Thes. 1. 3. Love is laborious, lays out itself to give content to that which is beloved. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you, John, 15. Thou dost nothing for the Lord, and thy love is very little, or else that which is, is nothing worth in God's account: Look at the practice of Judas so helluh and detestable as not to be named nor remembered amongst men; and the loathsomeness that lay in the bottom was this, That he sold the Lord Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; a goodly price, says the Prophet, Zach. 11. 12. Turn but the Tables, judge thy practice by this pattern, thou sets the Gospel of Christ, and the Government of the Spirit of Christ at a far lower rate, even the thirtieth part of the price that he set, yea, sel him to satisfy a base lust or humor of thine own heart. It was a just reproach whereby Absalom checked the falseness of Hushas, who forsook David as he conceived in his distress, and followed his Enemy into the Camp: Is this thy love to thy friend? to leave him thus in the lurch, and do nothing for him in the day of distress. The reproof was sharp and just, so far as reason could reach: but it falls far more justly, far more heavily upon thee; Is this thy love to the Name of the Lord Jesus that thou shouldest slight it? to his Law, that thou shouldst despise it, 〈◊〉 it? is this thy love to his Spirit, that thou shouldst grieve it? and that for a trifle, for a twopence, for a booty, for a bargain, which will make thee a beggar when thou hast got all thou canst gain by it; and that when there is no allurement worth the looking after that might entice thee, no danger or difficulty that might hinder thee in thy duty and receiving a blessing and comfort therefrom.

The less the thing is, the less care and conscience thou [ 2] expressest for the good of thine own soul. When thou wilt run the hazard of 〈◊〉 happiness for the gaining of a little profit, so many pence in the shilling, so many shillings in the pound; nay, but the giving satisfaction to a lazy, sinful, sensual humor. Alas poor Creature, hadst thou no more for thy soul but pence and shillings, a little laziness for thy life and happiness, and Salvation, dost thou value thy soul of no greater worth? Our Savior in the Gospel sets a higher price upon it, Matth. 16. 25. 26. What will it profit a man, if he should win the whole world, and lose his own soul, 〈◊〉 what shall he give in exchange for his soul? q. d. A. man should be a loser by the gain, and a beggar by the bargain if he had all. And yet deluded Creature thou wilt sel thy comfort, the peace of thy conscience, the salvation of thy soul for a thing of naught. The whole world is vanity, nothing, and less than nothing, and thou wilt part with thy happiness for that which is far less than that which is less than nothing. When Naaman came to the Prophet to be cured of the Leprosy of his body, and so to save his Natural life, and he was directed and enjoined by the Prophet to wash seven times in Jordan; he began to take it in distaste as a course that was too mean and base for his comfort and Cure, Are not (says he) the Waters of Pharpar and Damascus better than the Waters of Jordan? His Servants seasonably and wisely check the carelessness of his own safety and recovery; Had the Prophet commanded thee some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much more when he saith, wash and be clean? 2 Kings, 5. 12, 13. The greatest labor should have been undertaken to preserve thy life, what carelessness is this to neglect the least that may procure thy safety? It's so here, our sick, sinful, leprous and polluted souls, lies now at hazard ready to perish; had the Lord enjoined us to the heaviest task, things of greatest danger and difficulty to be done and suffered for the safeguard of 〈◊〉 souls, would we not, should we not have done them? parted with a limb for our lives, our lives for our souls? and shall we not be willing to part with the paring of our nails, these poor, empty, lying vanities, for our everlasting happiness? what Athiestical carelessness is this? that men should live as if they had no souls to be saved, nor sins to be pardoned, not care to do the least thing that might procure their everlasting good, and greatest welfare.

The less the things 〈◊〉 in which thou givest thyself liberty [ 3] to transgress without any touch or trouble, the greater the wickedness of thy heart. For such a kind of course argues undeniably that thy soul is fully possessed with the source of corruption, when it runs out at every chink, runs over upon every occasion, and is 〈◊〉 to the commission of evil. And a man is put beyond all color of reason that may excuse, or any pretence that might lessen it before God or men: It argues the Veins are full of blood when the body bleeds in several parts without provocation; It's certain the channel is full, and the stream strong, when it fills each creek, and goes speedily and swiftly when there is no gale stirring. So it's certain, it argues strength of distemper, and source of sinful corruption in the soul, when the heart is carried to the commission of evil upon each trifling occasion that is 〈◊〉 . The less the thing is that might draw thee, the greater the corruption of thy heart, that like a mighty stream transports thee to the practice; so that there is no reason to be rendered, but only the wretchedness of thy own Spirit, why thou fallest into such an evil. When the Lord charged the Israelites with the consideration of his kindnesses, and their departings from him, Judge. 2. 2. he thus presseth them, Why have ye done this? So when this question shall be put to thee, Why art thou lazy in thy place? careless of a command, so easy to be done, so daily before thine eye that thou canst not but attend it? Why dost thou outreach in thy dealings, cheat in thy sellings? Why there is nothing to be alleged but the poisonous impostumes of corruption that break out of thy heart, when there is no temptation without to provoke a man, no bait to entice him, no fear of evil on the one side to force him to sin, to avoid danger; there is no weight of worth in any profit or pleasure by thine own confession, that might justly stir thee, or take thee aside to go against Justice, Command, Conscience, thy own Comforts and 〈◊〉 : There is nothing but the power of thine own lusts, the perverseness of thine own will, the strength and distemper of thine own affections, that 〈◊〉 and hurries thee to the Commission of such sins. It was the evidence of the leudness of Israel's whoredom that did prostitute herself to all Lovers without gift, Ezek. 16. 30. How weak is thine heart? The strength of her sinful inclinations was such, that she did not stay til temptation came and surprised her, but she sought temptations before they came, and did prostitute herself to every occasion with eagerness. This also was the guise of them who transgressed for a morsel of bread. As it is in the balance, when a dram or a grain will fetch up the scales, it 〈◊〉 it fully loaded with the weight that carries it strongly that way. When thine own mouth confesseth the things are of no consequence, nor worthy consideration, no sweet of 〈◊〉 that might delight, there is no price of any commodity that might carry any weight with thy will and affections to cast them that way. It's an argument undeniable, and beyond gainsaying, thy heart is loaded with lufts and corruptions, that so easily cast the balance that way, even the least dram, the least inkling of any occasion that comes in that scale. The less the occasion, the more and stronger thy corruption, and such as cannot be excused, therefore it's usually most severely plagued by the Lord, because there is more sinfulness in an action where there is less provocation, and more heart and affection to it. As it was in the Offerings of those that cast into the Corban; the Widow that cast in two mites, the Text says by our Saviors Verdict, she cast in more than they all, Luk. 21. 3. because there was more heart there, more unfeigned bounty and liberality, though the money and gift was less: So it is here; There are most noisesome corruptions in thy heart, vented upon the least occasion; the thing thou covetest it may be is but two mites, a penny or twopence in the shilling more than is just, when men's necessities force them to seek supply. But there's a sink of immoderate covetousness in thy heart, that against command and conscience, knowledge and comfort, thou wilt transgress for a trifle. The less the thing is, the easier the command of a Governor; the more hellish thy carelessness and perverseness that will not attend it, when it is before thy face, and may be performed without any trouble at all. And this is the cause why the Lord most commonly doth most severely punish such a practice, because there was more heart, and so more poison in the sin, when there was less occasion to commit it. So it was in Lots wise, Gen. 19. 26. She looked back from behind him, and she became a Pillar of Salt. It was but a cast of her countenance, a look of her eye, one would have thought it had been but a little matter; the thing was little and easy, and therefore more easily it might have been discharged, therefore the 〈◊〉 desire was exceeding strong, and the provocation exceeding great, and the 〈◊〉 sharp and remarkable when the Command is plain and express, the Duty so open before us that it cannot but be discerned, easy and familiar to be 〈◊〉 . It's a 〈◊〉 current of corruption and 〈◊〉 impudency, to sin in the face of a command, and under the eye and check of Conscience, therefore our savior leaves a star as it were, a memorandum upon that part of the story Remember Lots Wife, beware how you go against an express charge in services which may easily be accomplished, Luke. 7. 32. 〈◊〉 like you may see Numb. 15. 31. 32. in the man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath, look we at the thing itself, what can any man imagine of less moment, and smaller consequence, to gather a few sticks, he was alone, he enticed no man to the like evil, and it should seem not in so open a place, for they found him, but if you look into the foregoing verse its a special instance of one that should sin presumptuously, there is most of the venom and poison of a man's heart in such a practice.

We have now done with the first sort of those pretences whereby our carnal reason would beat back the evidence of the truth, and cast in some fogs and mists some forged cavils, which might cloud and eclipse the the full discovery of the authority of the truth, that so the filth of sin might never be discerned, nor the heart consequently affected therewith as it should and here Satan useth all the subtlety and policy that lies within the compass of his power. For he knows full well if he dash the work of the truth in the very entrance and beginning of it, he will then keep it from ever coming to perfection. If the strong man can keep his door shut, he must needs keep all his substance and his house safe also, and herein answerable lies the primitive and chief work of the Holy Ghost he is sent of purpose to convince the world of fin, to silence all flesh and to captivate every thought; and therefore we have labored to chase away those 〈◊〉 , to 〈◊〉 those clouds and fogs, which darkened the shining of the truth of the Gospel; when the sinner cannot but see the evil and danger of sin, which is now so evident it cannot be denied.

The second sort of cavils is here. He cannot but confess the danger, yet he vainly hopes he can prevent it and that further quiets him and encourageth him in his sinful course, the hope of escape; The 〈◊〉 of carnal reason in this kind are four: Either God will not regard it; or if he do, 〈◊〉 he will not require it, and call to an account; or if that, He can satisfy for it; or if none of these, The Lord will not be rigorous but he will abate it.

Al these pleas issue from the Atheism, of the heart of the sons of men, whereby they neither know God nor themselves; we shall persue them in, their places and order, but briefly.

Such is the deluded folly of men's minds, that they [ 1] confine the Almighty to their compass, and therefore Sottishly conceive that the Lord is so attent to the great affairs of heaven and the place of his holiness, and the Glory of his own name, that he looks not after the things here below nor regards the carriages of the sons of men, that creep up and down like so many poor Ants upon the face of the Earth. So that either the Lord hath covered himself in thick clouds, and retired himself to the 〈◊〉 of his Glory that he cannot see or else he attends matters of greater moment and Consequence to order in his infinite wisdom, and therefore lays these aside without any regard. And if once this forgery finds entertainment it sets open a gap to any kind of profaneness, makes men careless and fearless what they do because God regards not what is don, 2 Pet. 3. 1. 2. So those scorners which walk after their own lusts, saying where is the promise of his coming, for since the Fathers fell a sleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation, 〈◊〉 ye not see how men provoke God and prosper? and hath it not been so in all ages, 〈◊〉 wicked & ungodly continue in sinful courses & yet succeed according to their own content. It was so in the former ages, it went best with the worst men, it is so in this, and will be so to the end. the Lord looks not after the mean occasions of men upon earth finds himself employment in the affairs of Heaven; it matters not what the desert of our sins be, we shall never feel what they do deserve; so those rulers, Amos 7. they put away the evil day far from them, and then they cause the seat of violence to come near, 〈◊〉 . 73. 10. 11. those blasphemers who set their mouths against Heaven and their tongue walks through the midst of the Earth, & they say how doth God know this? and is there knowledge in the most high? Upon this ground it is that they let loose themselves in the fearless pursuit of 〈◊〉 loathsome abominations, then said he unto me (the Angel of the Lord of Hosts) the iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness; For they say the Lord hath forsaken the earth the Lord seeth not Ezek. 9. 9. For since here we must learn to chase out and keep out such imaginations, by setting up the light of the truth in our minds and listening wholly thereunto. So the psalmist shows the cause, and applies the cure, Psal. 94. 8. Understand ye brutish among the people and ye fools when will ye be wise. He that plantd the ear shall not he hear; he that formed the eye shall not he see? Yea the Lord professeth to take notice of these men's ways in an especial manner, & to make privy search after them, Zeph. 1. 12. he will search Jerusalem with candles and visit such as sit upon their lees and say who sees us, you shall find he knows both good and evil and he will work both as a reward to such as deserve. This Job felt by experience Job, 14 16. For now thou numbrest my steps, dost thou not watch our my sins, my transgression 〈◊〉 sealed up in a bag. and thou shalt find it so, the Lord will follow thee step by step; and track and trace thee in all thy wanderings and keeps an account of all thy sins sealed up as it were in bags.

But if the Lord doth see and observe all our evils yet [ 2] he is patient and will pass them by, and put up those many 〈◊〉 , being pitiful and compassionate to poor creatures, knowing they be but dust.

True it is the Lord out of his long sufferance, will bear long with the base dealings of the sons of men, yet out of the purity and holiness of his nature he cannot but bring them to account and trial for all the swervings of their lives, Psal, 50. 18. Thus the secure sinner counted the Lord's patience a kind of connivence, and allowance of him in ungodly ways I held my tongue and thou thoughtest wickedly that I was such a one as thyself, that God could wink at wickedness, look aside at the slips and swervings of the ungodly, and suffer them to go away with it; but all in vain, For I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thee, consider this ye that forget God: so likewise in Eccles. 11. 9. rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the ways of thy youth, & walk in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these 〈◊〉 thou shalt come to judgment, the Lord will arrest thee for the wrong done to his holiness, and follow the suit against thy soul for all thy injurious dealings, and he himself will come in against thee as a swift witness; If thy Conscience condemn thee God himself is greater than thy Conscience and he knows all things, and will bring to light the hidden things of darkness & will make manifest the counsels of the heart. When all those dunghill stains of Adulterous lusts, and malicious, envious and covetous desires, shall be laid open to the view of the sun, all those swarms of foolish and wicked imaginations, shall be then discovered, its better therefore that thou shouldst see them now, in the day of Grace: better thou shouldst have them now discovered to thy Conscience for thy humiliation, then at the day of judgment for thy confusion.

But if the Lord will require all, then I hope I may [ 3] use means to satisfy for all, when my day beginns to decline, and my Sun to set, and my glass is run, when I am dropping down to the grave, and groaning upon my sick bed. I will then betake myself to my prayers & tears and repentance for my sins, I will sorrow for my sins, seek unto God for mercy, I will repent and reform the evil of my ways, and the Lord will remove the Plague of them.

In thy declining days wilt thou do this? Oh deluded creature, who knows but this day or before thou hast read over this book the Lord may take away thy soul, who knows whether thou shalt have time to seek, or a heart to seek, or God will accept of thee when thou seekest.

Whether a time or no. Whether the date of God's [ 1] bounty, the day of Grace and period of God's patience, be come to an end. When thou hast abused 〈◊〉 many opportunities, whether ever he will give thee leave or time once to look out for 〈◊〉 , when thy tongue shall be faultring in thy mouth & thy eyes fallen in thy head, 〈◊〉 heart sink and dy within thy bosom, not able to sigh out one desire, and the Lord snatch thee out of the land of the living before thou canst see or consider whithere thou art going Luke. 19. 41. 42. If thou hadst known at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes, the things of their peace were before their eyes, and yet were hid from their eyes Rev. 2. 21. 23. I gave her day to repent, but she repented not, therefore I will cast her in to a bed and 〈◊〉 her children with death. she had no more days of repentance but of ruin, she was cast into a bed of sorrow and had not time to pour out her prayers.

If thou hast time, who knows that God will give thee [ 2] a heart, to seek for mercy or sue for Grace; It's true God may help thee, but it's as true God may harden thee, he may humble thee and he may 〈◊〉 thee, and it's most likely he will, thou which hast refused to hear, he will refuse to help, Ezek. 24. 13. I would have purged 〈◊〉 and thou wouldest not be purged thou shalt never be purged more, Jer. 51. 9. we would have cured Babylon but she would not be cured, leave her then, leave them to the blindness of their 〈◊〉 that would not be enlightened, leave them to the hardness of their hearts that would not be converted; He will not always strive who hath stood so long and knocked so often, thou shalt see him no more quickening, awing, affecting of thee.

Or if thou hast a heart to seek in thy manner, who knows [ 3] whether God will accept it or no? Thou wouldest not regard his 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , and he will not respect thy prayers and 〈◊〉 , Prov. 1. 28. Then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me; Hebr. 12. 17. Esau found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears; nay he may send thee as he did the Israelites to the Idols of thy heart, Jer. 2. 28. But where are thy gods that thou hast made? let them arise and save 〈◊〉

But Lastly if I cannot satisfy for my evils, yet out [ 4] of his bounty and mercy he may abate me of the Plagues the mercies of God are great, and his compassions large, and thus the mercies of God who were provided to bring men from their corruptions to 〈◊〉 , through the abuse of carnal hearts become means to make them secure in their dregs, Deuter. 29. 19. when all the plagues were threatened, yet they bless themselves and say, I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my evil heart. So they in Isaiah. made a Covenant with death and Hell.

The sin against mercy is one of the greatest sins that ever thou committest. Thou turnest the grace of God into 〈◊〉 , Jude 4. and such are ordained of old unto condemnation; thou despisest mercy and abusest it, thou shalt therefore be condemned by mercy not saved by it. God must not be just and so not God, if he save thee without satisfaction to his justice, The Lord cannot wrong himself to relieve thee, dishonor himself to deliver thee, Exod. 34. 7. He will by no means Celar the guilty, Its one of his names and himself, and he cannot deny himself, and if his justice be not satisfied thy plagues cannot be abated.

If a carnal man sees he cannot prevent the danger of sin, then he says I will bear it, if I be damned I will suffer it as I may if it come to the 〈◊〉 . Let me have my sins though the Devil have my soul, let me have the sweet of the pleasures of sin in this world though I never see the face of God in Glory, this is a most forlorn and devilish resolution.

But dost thou know what thou sayest? true thou shalt bear thy damnation, but thou art never able to bear it without breaking under it, being helpless and hopeless forever. O woe to thee that ever thou wert born! O poor creature! If I should cease speaking and all of us join together in weeping and lamenting thy condition it were the best course; It is impossible thou shouldest ever bear God's wrath. Let these three things be considered.

Judge the Lion by the Paw, judge the torments of Hel by [ 1] some little beginnings of it, and the dregs of God's vengeance by some little sips of it, and judge how unable thou art to bear the whole, by thy inability to bear a little of it in this life, In terror of Conscience as the wise man says, A wounded spirit who can bear? When God lays the flashes of hell fire upon thy soul thou canst not endure it. Whatsoever a man can inflict upon a poor wretch may be born, but when the Almighty comes in battle array against a poor soul how can he undergo it? Wittness the Saints that felt it, as also the wicked themselves who have had some beginnings of hell in their 〈◊〉 ; when the Lord hath let in horror into the soul of a poor sinner, how is he transported with an insupportable burden, When it is day he wisheth it were night, and when it is night, he wisheth it were day, all the friends in the world cannot comfort him, nay many have sought to hang themselves, to do anything rather than to suffer a little of the vengeance of the Almighty, and one man is roaring and yelling, as if he were now in Hell already and admits of no comfort; if the drops be so heavy, what will the whole Sea of God's. Vengeance be? If he cannot bear the one, how can he bear the other?

Consider thine own strength, and compare it with [ 2] all the strength of the Creatures; and so if all the Creatures be not able to bear the wrath of the Almighty, as Job says, Job, 6. 12. Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh as brass, that must bear thy wrath? as if he had said, it must be a stone or brass that must bear thy wrath. Though thou wert as strong as brass or stones, thou couldest not bear it: when the mountains tremble at the wrath of the Lord, shall a poor worm or bubble and shadow endure it?

Conceive thus much, If all the Diseases in the world did seize upon one man, and if all the torments that all the Tyrants in the world could devise, were cast upon him; and if all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth did conspire the destruction of this man, and if all the Devils in Hell did labor to inflict punishment upon him, you would think this man to be in a miserable case, and yet all this is but a beam of God's Indignation. If the beams of his wrath be so hot, what is the full Sun of his Wrath, when it shall seize upon the soul of a sinful creature in full measure?

Nay, If yet thou thinkest to lift up thyself above all [ 3] Creatures, and to bear more than they all, Then set before thine eyes the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, he that creates the Heavens, and upholds the whole frame thereof; when the wrath of God came upon him only as a Surety, he cries out with his Eyes full of tears, and his heart full of sorrow, and the Heavens full of lamentation, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matth. 27. 46. Oh thou poor creature, if thou hast the heart of a man, gird up the loins of thy mind, and see what thou canst do: Dost thou think to bear that which the Lord Jesus could not bear without so much sorrow? yet he did endure it without any sin or weakness. He had three sips of the Cup, and everyone of them did sink his soul; and art thou, a poor sinful wretch, able to bear the wrath of God forever?

Yield unto the Evidence of the Truth thus 〈◊〉 , beyond all opposition and gainsaying, and sit down in silence under the Authority of it, and let it settle upon thy soul; neither question it anymore, nor hear anything against it, when it hath been heard formerly so fully scanned and determined upon such undeniable grounds. Shut the door against the appearance of any sinful shifts, admit no conference with carnal reason any further; Say, that coast is clear, that case is concluded; my corrupt heart hath had a full hearing.

All the Cavils and devices that ever the policy of Hel could coin, or the falseness and deceitfulness of my own heart could 〈◊〉 or frame, have been alleged, followed, and pressed to the utmost, they have been answered and confuted, and the definitive sentence is past against mine own soul, by the full consent of my own apprehension; I yield the day, I confess the case, I hold up my hand and plead guilty: These are my sins, they are so heinous, so dangerous, I could never have conceived, I could never believe it before, but now I yield and confess it freely; these are the abominations that I have committed, it's Hel that I have deserved; I am an undone man, a poor forlorn damned creature; this is my 〈◊〉 , I cannot prevent it, nor can I bear it, I do not now question it: Awake with this in the morning, sit down with this at the Table, walk with this all the day long, and let this Truth rest with thee, when thou betakest thyself to rest, and it will over-power and affect thy heart: So Job when his heart came off kindly in a godly remorse for his transgressions, he suffers the 〈◊〉 of his condition to lodge and stay with him, he lies under it, and looks at nothing else, Job, 7. 20. What shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men, I have sinned; q. d. I have no Arguments to allege, no excuses to make, I can say nothing, nor do nothing in mine own defense; only I must say I have sinned, thou art the preserver of men, and unless thou succor me, I must perish, I cannot preserve myself: If the Corrosive be never so keen, the Salve never so searching and operative, yea, though it were applied to the rawness of the Sore, the very proper place for it's work, if ye stir it continually, now take it off, then lay it on; it will never work effectually, 〈◊〉 thoroughly, or kindly heal the wound; but you must bind it on, let it stay upon the place by the space of so many hours, then you shall find the proper and powerful operation thereof. So it is with the Sovereign and convicting Truths of Christ, when all Cavils have been answered, and all the pleas which a man's self-deceiving heart hath put in, have been removed; so that the Truth finds passage to the Conscience, and is applied aright unto the soul; unless it settle there by a silent subjection unto the strength of it, and admit no further questioning nor debating when the cause is determined by undeniable evidence, it never works kindly, nor prevails 〈◊〉 effectually as otherwise it would. It's 〈◊〉 policy and practice he daily attends; When Scriptures are so pregnant, and Arguments come in with such strength that no carnal pretences can stand before them, though he retires for the present, and seems to leave the cause; yet upon the next occasion, when any advantage is presented, he brings about the business again, and follows the temptation afresh, and puts in some pretence, while he questions the Truth he hinders the operation of it for the while, while we are parleying and disputing what we should do, we omit so long to do what we ought, and unfit ourselves to do what we intend and are resolved of formerly. Therefore when all cavils have been silenced, let not these brablers appear again, nor suffer them to renew their suits and 〈◊〉 anymore, but cast them out of consideration (as we do use to cast bills and barreters out of the Court when the causes have been heard) settle the heart under the sentence of the Truth, and let it sit down there; Hear nothing against the determination of the Word, but out of the Word; and then it's certain that determination will never alter before thy condition alter. Give thy soul for gone really according to the righteous Judgment of the Truth, and stop all passages that no carnal reason may come to the speech of thy soul, or pretend any way of rescue, and you will presently perceive, it will break kindly under the blow, or else look out for relief elsewhere. Go aside then and parley with thy Spirit, and say, The Word upon serious search and examination hath determined it, my Conscience confesseth it, and I now see the loathsomeness of my sin, and wretchedness of myself and condition, I go up and down the world as a condemned creature whose doom is past, and look daily for the day and hour of execution, that death consume my days, my body drop down to the dust, and my sinful, proud, polluted soul be dragged down into Hel amongst the Devils; to avoid it, is impossible; to bear it, is intolerable; woe to my soul that thus I have sinned, and who shall, who can deliver from this sin, and this death? Talk not, trouble not me with dispute what my sin and my condition is, but Oh, help me out of it, if it may be. And it's certain, if thy soul abide here, it will sink under unsupportable sorrow, and soak itself in it, for this will take away the sight and sweetness of anything that may refresh and support the wounded soul, because he will see his sins in the bitterness and venom of them, where ever he is, and what ever he doth, and as that which poisons all the best of the comforts of this life. He sees his sin in his prosperity, which is but the fatting of him for the slaughter. He sees his sin in his honor, he is advanced the higher that his downfall may be the more miserable. God fills his belly with his hid Treasures of this world, that he may treasure up wrath against the day of wrath. As it is with 〈◊〉 , if it pass through the fire only, it hardly warms it; but if it lie under the blowing of the sire, it will melt it. When we take away carnal shifts, and bring the soul to the sight of sin, we put it into the fire, but that only warms it a little; but when it sits down under the Sentence, it's then under the Furnace, and that will melt it. Thus our iniquities are said to lay hold of a man, Psal. 40. 12. When we are under the Sentence which the Word passeth upon our sin, we are then under the reach of our sins, and they then lay hold of us, and that will cau e that we shall not be able to lookup.

All those Truths that we shall hear publicly dispensed out of the word, or we shall privately read in it, which concerns our corruption of which we stand guilty, or that condition into which we are brought by reason of our sin; We must take them home to ourselves, as the special portion the Lord hath appointed unto us in particular, and we must make particular application of them in a peculiar manner unto ourselves; for by this means there is more light without, whereby our sins and estates are more fully discovered, more Eye-salve and Spiritual sight conveyed to our minds, whereby the eye of our understanding is more clearly enlightened to see our sins, and our misery in them. He that joins many fires together, they will not only warm him, but scorch him if he stand near them. So it is with the Word which is a fire, the joint Testimony of so many Scriptures, or so many 〈◊〉 Admonitions taken and applied near, as those which attend our Particular, they will not only warm and affect the heart a little slightly, but scorch a man's Conscience with the terror, as well as clear a man's apprehension with the light; that is one thing in the 1 Cor. 14. 24. The simple Ideot when he comes before God in the Assembly, and the Word is published and seconded; the Text 〈◊〉 , he is judged of all, and condemned of all, and so the thoughts of his heart are made man fest, and 〈◊〉 falls down, and says, these sins are mine, I have committed them; all these plagues, and threatenings, and judgments are mine, I have deserved the Lord should lay them upon me; all this guilt belongs to me, how shall I answer it, or be able to undergo it? All these thus taken home by Spiritual application, become as so many weights added to the burden, which makes it unsupportable. Look as it is in Chyrurgery, it's not enough to have the Salve, and apply it, yea, and bind it also; but it must be 〈◊〉 renewed, and so quickened, and then it will work 〈◊〉 , and marvelous forcibly. So it is when by our own conviction, and the dispensation of the Ministry, the light of our apprehension is made more clear by the instruction of the Word, the strength of our own conviction established by the conviction of the Word, we apply afresh, follow them, and fasten them afresh upon our souls, and that makes them prevail more effectually than before, like a fresh gale, it makes us go faster on the way we intended.

Make and keep the evil of sin really present in thine apprehension; and that's the last way to see the vileness of it, and find the venom of it in its greatest efficacy. It was the Observation of the Natural Philosophers, and Experience and Reason gives in approbation of the course; the nearer we bring an Object of evil to our view, the more it affects and stirs the heart of him that beholds, when they would terrify a Malefactor, and wrest out a confession of Truth, they 〈◊〉 the gibbets and instruments of Death that be prepared, set him upon the Rack, make him ascend the Ladder, that the nearness of the evil now approaching may strike terror, and fasten fear and dread upon his Soul; deal thou so with thine own heart for thy spiritual good. See the evil of sin in the execution of it upon others, and set them before thine eyes, and act it also upon thyself by a through consideration of thine own course.

Set the evil of sin before thine Eyes in the execution [ 1] of it upon others. This was the advice the Lord gives to the rebellious and unbelieving Jews 〈◊〉 he would have them sensible of the danger of their own 〈◊〉 , he sends them to see the ruin that sin hath 〈◊〉 , the havoc it hath wrought in the places of greatest renown, persons of greatest respect for their 〈◊〉 and account before God and men, Jer. 7. 12. Go now unto my place, which was in Shiloh, where I set my Name at the first, and see what I have done to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel. Though that was the place of my Worship, where in my Name and Honor was great, and therefore might in reason be preserved; they the people of my choice and 〈◊〉 ones, and therefore might expect pity and commiseration, yet were destroyed and laid wast without remedy, and recovery. So will I do to this house which is called by my Name, in which you trust, and unto the place which I gave unto you and your Fathers, as I have done unto Shiloh. So also when he would make them see the loathsomeness of their unnatural departing away from him to other gods, he sends them to other Nations, that they may convince and condemn them for their course, so contrary to reason, and the very carriage of the Heathen, Jer. 2. 10. Pass over to the 〈◊〉 of Kittim, and send unto Kedar, &c. Not that they should make a Journey thither by their bodily presence, but send their thoughts afar off, and in serious consideration present those evils really to their own view, see what sin hath done to others, and be persuaded it will bring the like evil upon their own souls. Let me so speak to thee, and do thou so practice. Go thou hard-hearted sinner to the red Sea, and hear there Pharaoh belching out his blasphemy against the Lord, Who is Jehovah? I know not Jehovah, nor will I let 〈◊〉 go: See there the Wheels of his Chariots taken off, and he and his Egyptians crying and flying, Let us fly from the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for them. See them drowning and dying, and their dead Carkasses cast upon the shore. This is the hideous and direful destruction that hardness of heart hath wrought. Go thou rebellious sinner into the Wilderness into the Tents of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram: See them rising up against the Lord and his Officers, and reproaching their persons and proceedings, Ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi, seeing all the Congregation are holy, Numb. 16. 4. Stay but a while, and see them standing in their Tent doors, they and theirs, and see presently the Earth opening and swallowing up them, and all that appertained unto them; they went down alive to the pit, 〈◊〉 to Hel: And hear all Israel flying at the cry of them, lest the Earth swallow us up also. See the others that offered Incense burning in the 〈◊〉 ; and see what rebellion against God his Officers and Ordinances works. Go thou proud hearted wretch to Babylon, see Nebuchadnezzar walking and vaunting himself upon the top of the Turret; 〈◊〉 wildering amongst the Beasts of the field; and from thence pass on to the Palace of Herod: See him set upon his Throne venting his venom against the dear Servants of the Lord, and the people crying, The voice of God, and not of man, Acts, 12. 22. he taking the Honor to himself in his heart, and not giving it to God: Follow him thence into his Chamber, and see him breathing out his heart upon the bed of sorrow, the Lice eating out his 〈◊〉 . Go thou covetous Earthly-minded 〈◊〉 to Jerusalem unto Judas; hear him there plotting and bargaining with the Scribes and Pharisees, 〈◊〉 the Lord Jesus, the Lord of 〈◊〉 for thirty pieces of Silver; see him 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Money, and so betraying his Master: follow him thence into the High-Priests Hall, see his pale face, his ghastly looks, and shaking hands; hear him yelling out of the horror of his heart, I have sinned, Matth. 27. 3, 4. See him flinging his money away; and follow him thence, and behold him putting the 〈◊〉 about his neck, sighing out, the blood of Jesus, the innocent blood, the blood of Jesus; let me not be, rather than be thus miserable and with that he 〈◊〉 himself head-long, and his bowels gush out, and his soul departs out of his body, and the Devils they lay hold upon it: Send thy thoughts post to Hell after him; hear him there cursing the day that ever he was born, the head that plotted it, the heart that desired it, the Scribes and 〈◊〉 that consented, and gave it, and the tongue that said; Hail Master. Behold what desperate evils 〈◊〉 will drive a man unto, and what unfferable desolation it draws with it.

As thou seest the execution of the evil upon others [ 2] So act upon thyself by present consideration; danger and death when they are at hand and in present expectation they put men upon real expressions, when they see 〈◊〉 must dy, and they must come to answer, sins will appear as they are, and they must suffer what they do deserve, there is no shift then, their hearts and hopes shake and sink; act therefore thine own death and thine own judgment, and bring in a real account of thy Condition by daily and real consideration, die daily, and drag thy heart to the trial of God's tribunal, see what thou canst make of it now, that thou mayest know what to expect then; Go apart, and keep Assizes or at least Sessions with thyself I see my sins and my condition, let me see how I can give an account for them and how I can answer to the Lord and his Law, or how I can bear that which follows; First or last I must come to trial, let me 〈◊〉 up myself beforehand to it. Suppose 〈◊〉 , I heard the last 〈◊〉 blow, Arise ye dead and come to judgment, 〈◊〉 I saw Christ coming in the clouds with thousands, suppose I beheld the thrones set and the Lord Jesus summoning all flesh; when the books shall be opened, and all hidden things brought to light, when the wicked shall not be able to lift up their 〈◊〉 but cal to the Mountains to cover them, they are not able to abide the trial, and therefore cannot endure the terror of the lamb; thou canst not but say those are thy sins of which thou never yet repentedst, that thy curse and condemnation is such as thou art not able to avoid, thou canst not answer for the one, nor bear the other; Therefore bring it up to this conclusion let me not rest in this condition now that the word and my Conscience tells me I shall never find comfort therein at that day.

Let me now draw towards a conclusion by setting on the exhortation with two or three Motives.

And first consider the danger of the mistake herein, to miss here is to miscarry forever in the great work of our conversion, without any possibility of recovery or redress; If God never let a man see his evil its certain he never recovers him out of it. When he will prepare a people for destruction and cut out a people on purpose for confusion, and make them ripe for plagues he takes this course, Isa. 6. go thy ways and make the eyes of this people dim and their ears heavy that in seeing they may see and not perceive, hearing they may hear and not understand, least they should be converted and I should heal 〈◊〉 , keep them there and they be safe enough from ever receiving any saving good. So our Savior Math. 6. 21. 22. The light of the Body is the eye if the light within thee be darkness how great is that 〈◊〉 the whole 〈◊〉 is so; a wound here is never 〈◊〉 there is no hope of any good coming to a soul 〈◊〉 up in 〈◊〉 It's made a character, a brand that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon such as be reprobates Math. 13. 13. to you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mysteries of the kingdom, but to 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 that seeing they might see and not understand. If there be but one gate to come into the way miss that & you miss the way so here, therefore when men are but one step betewen them and destruction they are thus discovered Math. 24. 37. they eat, they drank, they married and knew nothing until the flood 〈◊〉 and destroyed them all, As in a town where there is but one entrance or passage, block up that, there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coming in, no going out, and 〈◊〉 no 〈◊〉 of relief. They go not out to seek any, none come in to bring any 〈◊〉 , so here when the mind is blinded, there is no 〈◊〉 of the coming in of any good or for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 receive 〈◊〉 , the passage of Grace and of mercy is wholly blocked up, therefore our Savior is said to come to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one 〈◊〉 ou by turning of you from your 〈◊〉 , therefore you must see them before you turn from them, no seeing, no turning, no blessing. Acts. 3. 26.

It is the easiest way of all other; It easeth a man of [ 2] that last reckoning, and arrearages to come; a seasenable and timely discovery of sin makes a man 〈◊〉 occasions of evil and prevent them, it sets up a fear in the heart and stops a man that he dare not adventure to commit them. He that walks in darkness knows not whither he goes and therefore must needs go to ruin, he lies open to all evil that comes, he discerns it not, he will do any evil be it never so loathsome, he perceives no such evil, he takes sour for sweet, poison for 〈◊〉 and preservatiues, & swallows down anything though death be in it, John 16. 2. they shall think they do God good service when they 〈◊〉 you; and says Paul I was a persecutor blasphemous and injurious and through ignorance I did all this 1. Tim. 1. 13. The kingdom of Satan is the kingdom of darkness; while he keeps men in ignorance & hoodwinked he can carry them whither he will; when the light of the Gospel is once 〈◊〉 up his juridiction falls to the ground, nor can he prevail as before; It was a good woman's speech 〈◊〉 desireing that her children might be instructed 〈◊〉 catechised that their reckoning might be less and their account more easy than hers, having lived in ignorance, children under Parents, and Servants trained up under good masters that show them the evils of their ways and keeps them & affrights from them, they come on so easily to Christ, & are carried so gently that they know not what terror means, timely conviction keeps them from the pollutions of the world.

Lastly it is the safest and surest way. See our sins [ 3] we must first or last either here to our humiliation or hereafter to our confusion; and we had better see them by the light of the Gospel while we are within sight of 〈◊〉 that we may be relieved, than to see them by the 〈◊〉 of Hell when there is no remedy. If the eye be 〈◊〉 the whole body is full of light Math. 6. 22. If we would judge ourselves we shall not be judged of the Lord 1. Cor 11. 31. Who would not now be convinced that he may then be acquitted see his sins now for his humiliation, that he may never have them then laid to his charge, Jer. 50. 20. In those days and at that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found, for I will pardon their iniquities and will remember their sins no more. How should this encourage thee to seek out for thy sins now, to search thy heart and to look into thy life, when as indeed if thou dost so see thy sins as to sorrow for them and by this sight and sorrow thou be driven to a savior, thy sins may be sought for but they shall be found no more.

The description of contrition stood of two parts whereby the nature of the work was especially discovered.

Partly in the Causes of it,

• Sight of sin,
• Sorrow for sin.

Effects of it,

• 〈◊〉 of sin.
• Sequestration from sin.

Concerning the sight of sin so far as it serves our turn in a true conviction of it, in that they stood here as accused by Peter and condemned in their own Consciences as guilty of no less than the blood of Jesus, we have already spoken.

The second thing in the text to be considered is the means how this was wrought. And these are two.

The first, is a particular Application of their special corruption, the Apostle doth not hover in the general and shoot at rovers, but comes close to them, chargeth them expressly in a special manner, and lets fly in the very faces of them, this Jesus whom ye have 〈◊〉 , he names not, he blames not any other, he says not Judas was a wretch that betrayed him, the soldiers cruel that took him, Pilate base and fearful and 〈◊〉 that condemned him, no this is the Jesus and you are the men that have committed this villainy, A person could not be more innocent, a practice more bloody, you are men that stand guilty of this horrible abomination of Crucifying the Lord of Glory. The Doctrine from hence is this.

A plain and particular Application of special sins by the Ministry of the word is a special means to bring the soul to a sight of, and sorrow for them.

Plain Application and powerful conviction 〈◊〉 together. Let the house of Israel know that God hath made him Lord and Christ whom ye have crucified; you are the men I mean, this is your sin I mention. Thus our savior the great Prophet of His Church, who spake as never man spake and best knew how to deal with deceitful hearts, he layeth his finger upon the sore, and mark how he pincheth with particulars, as his ordinary manner of dispensation was to the Churches; Rev. 3. 2. I know thy works, thou hast a name to be alive but thou art dead. I say thou art hypocritical, and I know what I say, and I tell thee openly what I know, thou hast a form of profession but thou hast no heart nor life nor power of religion in thy course; He that could not err in what he did teach, he teacheth what Ministers should do in their dispēnsation; And there was nothing more usual with our Savior, then to point out particular sins and sinners; Woe be to you Scribes, Pharisees, Hypocrites. Math. 23. and therefore he doth not closely and covertly as it were give a kind of intimation, afar off what he would, and leaves 〈◊〉 to pick and search out his meaning; but tells them their own in English as we say: plucks them out by the pole goes not behind the door to tell men their faults, but gives in testimony against their sin and that to their teeth; Luke. 16. 15. when the Pharisees in an impudent manner, began to mock at him, he lets fly point blank, You are they that justefy yourselves but the Lord knows your hearts; Yea it was the charge he gives to all his prophets, when they were to deal with the Jews and to dispense his counsels unto them, Hos. 2. 1. 2. Plead with your Mother plead, tell her she is not my Wife. [Plead] is a Law term, cal her by name, summon her into the court of Conscience, follow the suit against her Lay the charge and plead the Acton against her particular sins. Thus Stephen Acts. 7. 51. Ye stiff-necked and hard hearted, ye have always resisted the holy Ghost, as your Fathers did so do ye. So the Apostle frequently Acts, 4. 10. 11. be it known to you and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus &c. whom ye have crucified, This is the stone refused by you builders, you are the men, and this is your evil.

The Reasons shall be touched in a word.

The place and duty of a Minister requires this, who hath a special charge, and therefore should have a particular care to foresee, and so to prevent the particular and special evils, which he perceives to blemish the Christian course, and endanger the spiritual comforts of the people under his guidance and of whose safety he must give an account; and this will not be done unless a man single out the persons and set home their sins in special. The steward is not only to know 〈◊〉 several conditions of the persons in the family but to provide a portion suitable for each, if ever the safety of the whole be provided for; and the cordials for the weak, milk for the little ones, and stronger meat for those who are of able strength; the Skil of the Physician & the only way to cure a settled and inward distemper as the dropsy or falling sickness, is not to give the patient an ordinary purge, a common receipt; that every Quack-salver will do and do no good at all; But he must have that wisdom to hit the humor, and to provide ingredients that will suit the temper of the party and the 〈◊〉 nature of the disease; So it is the part of a skillful Minnister to hit the humor of the heart of a sinner, to make a receipt on purpose to meet 〈◊〉 the particular distemper such as will work upon, or sluggishness pride hypocrisy, perverseness and as the medicine doth upon the spleen or choller, and so the Lord to the Prophet Ezek. 16. 2. Cause the house of Israel to know their abominations; The Sedulous shepherd who indeed would provide for the welfare of his sheep, its not enough that by common survey he casts his eye upon them, but he must pen them, and handle them, search them and 〈◊〉 them, 〈◊〉 to their several ayls, and such Maladies unto which they are subject. So a faithful Minister must 〈◊〉 with poor sinners, as with the Sheep commended to 〈◊〉 care and custody; he must find them in their particular evils, and follow them with application of special helps.

The necessity of sinners requires this: For this manner of the delivery of the Truth, it awakens and stirs up the mind and heart of the Hearer to a more serious attention to that which is spoken, and settles the heart upon a more through consideration of himself and his ways; unto both which the soul of a sinner rocked as it were asleep in the security of a sinful course, is loath to come; not willing to hear anything that would trouble him in his sins, and very ready to lay aside the consideration of that he hears in that behalf. Whereas particular application provokes to the practice of both, calls a man by name as it were, that he must come to his Answer; he cannot avoid it, it will not suffer him to make an escape before he give in his Answer: This flings in the light so full into men's faces that it forceth them to look about them. General Truths generally do little good. That which is spoken to all, is spoken to none at all. No man heeds more than needs he must to such things he hath little heart unto, or takes little delight in. An Inditement or Attachment without a name, read, published, and proclaimed in the face of the World, no man is either troubled at it, or reclaimed by it; but when the name is recorded, and the man challenged, it makes him bethink himself how to get a Surety, or pay the debt, or prevent the danger. So is it with a general reproof, no man will own it, and therefore no man reforms by it, or is forced to seek out. Thus Nicodemus never left cavilling before the Lord came home to his own person, and touched him to the quick, John, 3. 10. Art thou a Master in Israel, and knowest thou not these things? See and be ashamed; a Master not to know that which a Scholar might and should. It's not enough that we be stirring in the house, and people be up, but we must knock at men's doors, bring a Candle to their bed-sides, and pinch the sluggard, and then if he have any life he will stir. While the Ministers of the Lord are preaching and publishing the Mind and Counsel of God in the Assemblies, there is some stirring in God's house, but yet the secure person sits and sleeps on the stool as the sluggard in his bed, unless some special Application pinch him 〈◊〉 the quick: then he begins to look up, and ask who is there? So it was with David, thou art the man did prevail more with him than all the 〈◊〉 , 2 Sam. 12. As the noise of a piece a far off makes the Fowl listen, but one scattered shot that falls upon the wing or leg makes them cry and stir. All the common discourse came not near David, but thou art the man; three words like three small shot awakened him with a witness.

The Nature of the Word calls for this manner of dispensation as that which suits and serves best for the end and work of it. It makes it hit sooner, and pierce more deeply and prevailingly into the heart: The speech of the Minister and his words are like darts and arrows, the right and particular applying them is the level carriage of them to the heart, and so they hit unavoidably, and fasten strongly thereupon. General discourses are like arrows shot a cock-height at all adventures without aim, and so without success or special profit, or powerful work upon the hearer; men come and go away not touched, not troubled, not affected with anything. The word is compared to a Sword, the Explication is like the drawing of it. So the Truth in the naked Nature and virtue of it comes to be 〈◊〉 ; but the flourishing of the Sword will never do the deed. But he that handles it suitable to the end and work of it, he must follow the blow if he purpose to force his Enemy either to 〈◊〉 or yield. So it is with the Truth: down-right blows puts sometimes the most cunning Fencer past his Sence; so 〈◊〉 cunning Hypocrites beyond all their Shifts. See how the Woman of Samaria, John, 4. 18, 19. Put off our Savior with fond Cavils, saucy and contemptuous Speeches, until our Savior met with her in particular, Go call 〈◊〉 Husband, she answers, I have no Husband; our Savior comes within her, Thou hast had five Husbands, and he whom now thou hast is not thine Husband, in that thou sayest right, thou poor sinful Adulteress; then she fell before our Savior. It is in a man's Spiritual as it is with a man's outward estate. The Bond lies forfeited, and the careless Debtor or Bankerupt he looks not out to pay. He hears the news of a Writ out for him, but sees none to arrest, and therefore he grows fearless. But when the Sergeant arrests him, and drags him to prison, you will not provide for your debt to pay, provide then to go to prison, that makes him begin to send to friends, to gather up his 〈◊〉 , sel his Commodities, crave Baile and Surety. So it is with careless prodigal sinners which suffer their souls and salvations to lie forfeir, and yet look not out, until some particular word meet and make an arrest upon the soul, and the Minister by his Commission like the Sergeant seizeth upon him, you will not forsake your sins, you must therefore perish in your sins. He then begins to bethink himself what to do.

We here see the reason why there is so little good done by the Ministry of the Word upon the hearts of ungodly men: Many Hypocrites lie skulking under the covers of deceit, and are not discovered; many proud hearts not humbled, but go on in their sturdy distempers; many sleepers sit and snort in their security, and go hoodwinked down to destruction, and see nothing before they sink into the pit. We do not knock at men's doors, we do not bring the light to their bed-sides, we do not pinch them indeed with sharp and particular reproofs, and those set on to purpose; we do not put them 〈◊〉 their fence, we do not keep them under the arrest of some conviction, so that they cannot make an escape; but each carnal reason rescues them from the hold of some common Truths that happily are delivered. Oh we level not, we hit not, we apply not the Word so home, so particularly as the occasions, conditions, corruptions of men require; and therefore it prevails not with that power, finds not that success which otherwise it might. Common Reproofs are like the confused 〈◊〉 in the Ship when the Mariners were rowing Jonah to the shore, notwithstanding all which, Jonah lies and sleeps under-hatches: But when they go down to him, and laid hold upon him, and awakened him with a witness, Arise thou sluggard, and call upon thy God, lest we all perish, Jonah, 1. 5. He then began to bethink himself where he was, and what he had done; and then remembered that though he had feared and served the God of Heaven, yet by 〈◊〉 rebellion he had departed away from him. So here, all the while we take up men's minds, and exercise their Ears and thoughts with some hovering Discourses, and common words of course, We are all sinners, In many things we offend all, All flesh is frail; but I hope better things of you, I hope there is none such amongst you.

Those daubing discourses and roving reproofs, toothless, powerless dispensations, like arrows shot a cock-height, they touch not, trouble not, and in the issue profit no man at all. They come proud and stubborn and perverse and careless, they sit so and return so, day 〈◊〉 day and year aster year. But you should shake up a sinner, go down under the hatches to Jonah set upon the hearts of men in particular Awake thou 〈◊〉 . Thou a master of a family and 〈◊〉 not, 〈◊〉 not those that are under thee? Thou a servant yet stubborn and 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 not to those that are set over thee in the Lord: 〈◊〉 thou a Wife and dost not reverence and obey with 〈◊〉 him whom God hath made thy head and guide? Art thou a member of a Christian Congregation, and hast the name of Christ called upon thee, and art thou treacherous to the Covenant of Christ, opposest the government and spirit of Christ, and despisest the 〈◊〉 of the Lord Jesus? Awake you 〈◊〉 masters and rebellious servants, perverse wives, treacherous and 〈◊〉 embers; Know that your Religion is vain and yourselves also while these distempers rest in your bosom; cal upon your own hearts for 〈◊〉 and repentance, and unto God for mercy that you perish not. Thus when Peter was recovered out of his fall, and had the blood of Christ running warm in his veins, and the power of the spirit of the Lord now setting on the right hand of the Father filling his heart with love to his Savior and zeal for his glory; see how sharply 〈◊〉 applies the keenest 〈◊〉 to cut the Consciences of all to whom he speaketh without fear or partiality, Acts. 4. 10. 11. Be it known to you, Oh ye rulers and all ye people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom ye have crucified, you have slain the just and inocent one and desired a murderer to be given to you &c. and see the success, God added daily to the Church such as should be saved. It's Cartwrights expression, when our savior sent out the sons of thunder then Satan fell like lightening from Heaven, the right levelling the ordinances of Christ will 〈◊〉 make battery in the kingdom of Satan; sharp reproofs make sound Christians. It's a course which God commends in scripture, and hath not failed to bless. Judges 2. 4. When the Angel pleaded the inditement so punctually so plainly against the people, their hearts brake all in pieces under such blows, they lift up their voices and wept, they left cavilling and replying, and fell to weeping 〈◊〉 .

Here see the reason why the best preaching finds the least and worst acceptance at the hands of rebellious sinners, that which works, and troubles most, that they most distaste, that which gives the least quiet to them, to that they give the least respect and liking. like children they love raw fruit which will breed worms and sickness, rather then worm-seed though that would prevent both. So men love raw and windy discourses to please sinful humors, and corrupt hearts, rather than some bitter and particular reproofs which would make them sound in the Faith. Ahab will nourish four hundred false Prophets at his Table, feed them with Dainties, and make choice provision for them, that they may feed his humor, and speak good things to him; when he is not able to abide the sight, scarce to hear the name of 'Micaiah the Prophet of the Lord, who would speak the Counsel of the Lord without fear and partiality, 1 Kings, 22. So they in Isai. 30. 10. They say to the Seers, see not; and to the Prophets, 〈◊〉 not unto us right things; 〈◊〉 smooth things: such as might suit their sensual Appetites, and would down without chewing. And it's strange to see when such men have told a grave tale, and vented a heartless, toothless discourse, neither pith 〈◊〉 power in it; I say; it's strange to see what admiration and esteem such carnal hearts will set upon such persons and expressions; great their parts, prudence, and discretion: Oh how sweet and seasonable their discourse, how glad to hear, and how unweariable to attend such: And all the while they may sit and sleep in their sinful condition, and neither have their Consciences awakened, nor their corruption discovered. Squeamish Stomachs had rather take 〈◊〉 a whole week together than a bitter Potion one day. This is the Disease which Paul complains of as incident to the last Age of the World; and therefore adviseth his Scholar Timothy, 2 Tim. 4. 2, 3. To be instant in season, out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort, for the time will come that men will not endure sound Doctrine; but according to their proper lusts, having itching Ears, will heap to themselves Teachers: itching Ears must be scratched, not boxed.

Information: It's not only in the Liberty, but it's the Duty of a Minister, according as the Text suits, and the condition of the Hearers answer, to aim at the sins of the persons and people to whom he speaks. Particular application implies a special intendment of the parties, 1 Kings, 21. 20. When Ahab met Elijah, he salutes him on this manner, Hast thou found me, O mine Enemy? He answers him, I have found thee, q. d. It was my duty to do so, and therefore I have endeavored it, and according to my desire and endeavor I have accomplished it, I came on purpose. Ezek. 33. 8. If the Watch-man do not 〈◊〉 the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at his hand. The necessity of the people, the nature of the work which he intends, and the charge of his place which lies upon him, calls for this at the hands of a Minister. Will not common Sence conceive it reasonable, that the Physician discover the Nature of the Disease that troubles the Patient, and put in such Ingredients as may purge the particular Humor; it's the choicest skil he can use, and the chiefest good he can do; and therefore he should intend it and endeavor it in a special manner: Would you not have the Commander in the Field search the particular disorder in the Camp, and pursue the reformation of it in each special passage thereof. Herein the Faithful Execution of his place appears.

This I speak the rather to crush that vain Cavil of captious Spirits; Why did not the Minister mean me, intend me? if the Word meet with their corruptions, and begin to ransack and search the festered sores of their guilty Consciences?

I Answer four things:

If 〈◊〉 heart misgive thee that thou art 〈◊〉 , he did [ 1] mean thee, he should mean thee. If thy heart condemn thee, know that God is greater than thy Conscience, and knows more than he can express, or thou perceive in thyself.

However it is, He had thee in his intendment in what [ 2] he said; If thou wert faulty, to reform the evil; if not faulty, to forewarn thee: For a faithful Minister should intend the good of all in all it 〈◊〉 , and they should receive it.

If happily thou be freed from the outward practice [ 3] of the evil, yet thou hast the spawn of it in thy soul, and that which will provoke thee unto it, and that corrupt part hath given approbation to the evil; thou hast not set thyself so much against the evil, and that hath made thee so far share in the evil, and so justly subject to share in the reproof. Thus the Apostle chargeth the Jew, Rom. 2. 1. When the Jew would plead his Innocency from such evils of the Gentiles, because he is ready to condemn and judge them in that behalf, says the Apostle, Thou therefore that judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou thyself dost the same things; but it might have been replied, We do not, we are not whisperers, back-biters, guilty of 〈◊〉 , malice, covetousness, &c. Interpreters answer, that the Apostles meaning is, Though they committed not such evils, yet the corruption of their Nature suited with them, and so shared in them, and therefore justly liable to the like 〈◊〉 of the Law more or less.

He meant what he said, and what his words meant, [ 4] If there be any evil in them, bear witness of the evil, John, 18. 23. and it's just a man should bear his blame. Would'st thou fish more out of a man's meaning than thou canst find in his words? I fear thou meanest to be a Caviller. It's a certain Argument of a captious and contentious disposition, and commonly of a man that carries a galled Conscience, that seeks ways and means to make a fault when he cannot find one.

It's a word 〈◊〉 Exhortation, 1. To Ministers, 2. To People. To Ministers, what they should do: To the People, what they should desire.

To the Ministers: They have a pattern here for their [ 1] 〈◊〉 . If we will be faithful to our Places, and the Work commended to our Care, faithful to the souls of the People; if we would further the Work of the Lord, and the Word, and see the fruit of our labors to the conviction and conversion of such as belong unto God's Council: This is God's way in which we must walk if we purpose to find God's blessing, that others may reap the profit, and we the comfort of our pains at the great Day of our Account; we must by particular Application make men see their sins, if ever we hope they shall see the Salvation of the Lord.

How to stere our course in this so tickle a Channel, and so tender a Work, these following Directions will not be unseasonable.

First, We must learn to bottom our Application upon the blessed Word of the Lord rightly apprehended, and opened plainly by undeniable Evidence. Then our Application will come with uncontrollable power to the Conscience, when it comes guarded with Authority and 〈◊〉 of the Truth; and men cannot but give way to those Reproofs, when they cannot gainsay the evidence of God's mind and Counsel therein. That however carnal hearts will secretly be weary of them, yet they will not dare openly to oppose them, because they perceive that they must oppose the Counsel of God. plainly dispensed therein, and in their own Conscience also. Therefore I have ever judged it most seasonable, if I would pursue a sinful course breaking out, not by the by to pull it into a discourse, but to take a Text on purpose, wherein it is plainly condemned. That the people may hear God in his Word speaking before we speak; this is to show our Commission before we do Execution, and this will stop men's mouths. Never balk anything that is in the Text, never wrest anything out of the Text that is not there, for that savors too much of a man's own spirit or passion, or private ends, all which must be avoided as much as Hell. If any man speak, let him speak as the Oracles of God, 1 Pet. 4. 11. not our fancies, or passions, or conceits, but let God's Oracles be heard only.

It's lawful for a Minister so to cast the mould, and carry [ 2] the frame of his Application that the guilty parties may conceive it, and their Consciences find and feel 〈◊〉 , that they be the parties that the Lord points out, and intends of purpose to 〈◊〉 and pursue, Matth. 21. 41. 45. Thus our Savior lays out the corrupt carriages of the Scribes and Pharisees, and paints them out so lively that they felt him, and were forced to give in evidence of their own condemnation against themselves; as in verse 41. They say, he will miserably destroy those wicked men; and verse 45. When the chief Priests heard this, they perceived that he spake of them.

In case either some false Opinions are spreading, or [ 3] some corrupt and sinful practices are like to grow and leaven and that speedily and dangerously, It's lawful in way of caution and prevention to discover men's sins and errors in their own words, that others may avoid them the better, and they be ashamed of them the more Thus Peter discovers the faults and wretched behavior of the Jews to our savior in their own words. Acts. 3. 14. you denied that holy and just one and desired a murderer to be granted to you: Not him but Barabbas. 1. Cor. 15. 22. How say some among you, that there is no resurrection? Nay its lawful to name special persons in an evil, if there may thereby be special warning given to others from falling. So Paul to Timothy 2. Tim. 1. 15. of whom is Phygellus and Hermogenes it's Calvin's 〈◊〉 upon the place, they were more famous, and therefore their Apostasy might be a means to draw others, therefore he gives warning concerning them. If any man say this is to shame men, I answer their sins should be made shameful, & they should take shame for them, that they may sorrow for them and forsake them.

Let our Application go so well guarded and fenced [ 4] against all exceptions and cavils that a sinner may not be able to rescue himself or make an escape by carnal reason. As Acts. 6. 10. It's said they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Math. 22. 34. our savior Christ put the Sadducees to silence.

Let it be done with pity and tender compassion to [ 5] men's souls, though with zeal and indignation against their sins. 2. Tim. 2. 24. 25. the servant of the Lord must be patient and gentle towards all in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. As a Chirurgeon may be most compassionate when he cutts most deep even to fetch up the core, and therefore the Apostle adds both to Titus, show all meekness to all men, and therefore to the Cretans and yet rebukes them sharply. Titus. 1. 13. He that is truly meek, and pities the souls of men most he will show least pity to their sins, all sharpness of rebuke and yet all meekness of spirit do well accord.

The exhortation to the people is that as ever you desire to see your sins and have your hearts brought to sorrow for them, you must desire it and delight in it, that you may have the light brought home to your souls in way of particular applycation to your own sins, there is no means so effectual as this, therefore desire God that your ministers may take such pains that they may speak to your Consciences.

Take three considerations here. [ 1]

Weigh sadly that when the Minister speaks in way of Applycation so as to discover thy sins, he doth no more than he may, nay no more than he should in point of Conscience, his life lies at stake if he should not deal plainly and faithfully. and therefore know its unreasonable for thee to quarrel with the Minister, or with that he speaks when he hath the word for his warrant in what he does.

Look at the good of the dispensation of an ordinace [ 2] and overlook the 〈◊〉 of it. As some would not see but drink of the Physic minding the wholsomness and bearing with the unpleasantness of it for the present. As it's wearisome to the Surgeon to be raking in the sore, so it is to the Minister, but it is for thy good, and therefore though it be painful and cross to thy carnal affection yet thou shouldest take contentment in such a dispensation of the word as is such an effectual means of thy good.

When thou findest thy heart 〈◊〉 , consider that an under quiet taking in sharp reproof its a sound argument