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<DATE>2010-07-23</DATE>
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<NAME>Lauren Proux</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<PB REF="2">
<P><HI>I</HI> Have taken a Survey of this <HI>Tractate,</HI> and find it very <HI>Spiritual, and Practi|cal,</HI> and doubt not but it will be very <HI>accep|table,</HI> and <HI>profitable,</HI> to all tho&s;e who have their <HI>&s;ences exerci&s;ed to di&s;cerne between things that differ.</HI> And therefore I cheerfully concur with the&s;e three <HI>Reverend, Learned,</HI> and <HI>Godly</HI> Mini&s;ters who have written their <HI>Epi&s;tles</HI> in commendation of it; And think it worthy to be <HI>Printed.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Place this before the Title.</NOTE></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE Sinners Hope: AS HIS PRIVILEDGE, and DUTY, In his wor&s;t Condition, <HI>Stated, Cleared,</HI> and <HI>Improved.</HI></P>
<P>TENDING As well to the Startling and Inviting of the Wicked from his Sinfull and Wretched Cour&s;e, upon the Conditionall Hopes that are layd out for him; As the Confirming and Directing of the truly humble and weak Chri&s;tian in his Duty and Comfort, in the &s;everall Ca&s;es of <HI>Darkne&s;s, Sin,</HI> and <HI>Affliction.</HI></P>
<P>Being the Sub&s;tance of &s;everall SERMONS, PREACHED BY <HI>Henry Newcome,</HI> M. A. and one of the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, at <HI>Manche&s;ter,</HI> in the County Palatine of <HI>LANCASTER.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Lam. 3.29.</HI></BIBL>
<P>He putteth his Mouth in the Du&s;t, if &s;o be there may be Hope.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Jer. 2.25.</HI></BIBL>
<P>But thou &s;aid&s;t there is no Hope, no, for I have loved &s;trangers, and after them will I go.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Heb. 6.18.</HI></BIBL>
<P>That&mdash;we might have a &s;trong con&s;olation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the Hope &s;et before us.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>E. C.</HI> for <HI>George Ever&s;den,</HI> at the Sign of the <HI>Maiden-head</HI> in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, 1660.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To my Reverend Friend, <HI>Henry Newcome,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Have been earne&s;tly entreated, to importune you to the printing of tho&s;e Sermons, which in your prea|ching of them, were &s;o greatly appro|ved of, and &s;o &s;ignally &s;ucce&s;&s;efull. The Text was, <HI>Ezra. 10.2.</HI> You have &s;ince your coming among&s;t us, prea|ched upon &s;everall nece&s;sary and &s;ea|&s;onable Subjects amongst them, though many of the others might have co&s;t you as much paines, and have been very profitable and u&s;efull, yet the&s;e by &s;ome of your be&s;t and mo&s;t judicious Auditors, are de&s;ired to be the fir&s;t fruits to a future harve&s;t: <HI>I</HI> &s;hould not ingage you to this work
<PB REF="4">(knowing the burthens that lye upon you, not only in your publick mini&s;try, which is very great, but the multitude of private concernments, wherein you are pre&s;&s;ed above &s;trength, &amp; if not wi&s;ely moderated will &s;horten your daies) but that my own judg|ment concurs with others for the pub|li&s;hing of them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov 13.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Hope deferred ma|keth the heart &s;ick. Alexander</HI> the great he had all; when he had nothing, becau&s;e he had Hope. The Poets feign that in <HI>Pandora's</HI> box, which was &s;tuffed with all the woes and mi&s;eries that might be, the Gods placed Hope in the bottome, the <HI>Prophet</HI> calls the people of God <HI>Pri&s;oners of Hope.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">zach. 9.12</NOTE> It was this that made the Rebell come in, when a thou&s;and pound was pro|claim'd to be given to whome&s;oever could bring his Head: the Hue and
<PB REF="4">crie will make the Traitor run, when Hopes of pardon will bring him back. I &s;hall adde no more but that my Hopes are, you will an&s;wer our Hopes, and my pray|ers &s;hall be for Gods ble&s;&s;ing on them.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your fellow Labourer in the work of the Mini&s;try, and your reall Friend and Brother.</HI> Richard Heyrick</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>To the Reverend his much e&s;teemed Friend Mr. <HI>Henry Newcome</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell, at <HI>Manche&s;ter.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Worthy Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have by a providence (God &s;o orde|ring it) &s;een and peru&s;ed your pain|full, profitable, powerfull work; E|nough (through Gods grace) to &s;tartle and awaken the wicked, and to encou|rage Saints: well it is for the former that they have any remote hopes of heaven: but &s;ure it is in re&s;pect of a po&s;&s;ible change, for otherwi&s;e, they are at pre&s;ent,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.12.</NOTE> <HI>without Chri&s;t, without Hope, and without God in the World.</HI> The hope they u&s;ually harbour in them&s;elves is indeed no hope, at lea&s;t no true hope, for &s;uch an hope, as an handmaid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8.13.14. Job. 11.20.</NOTE> follows faith. <HI>The Hypo|crites hope &s;hall peri&s;h, it &s;hall be cut off and his tru&s;t &s;hall be as a &s;piders web, or
<PB REF="5">as a puffe of breath, or as the giving up of the gho&s;t;</HI> The hope therefore you give them is not in re&s;pect of their pre|&s;ent &s;tate: Chri&s;ts rule is infallible; <HI>verily, verily I &s;ay unto thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 3.3.</NOTE> <HI>except a man be born again he cannot &s;ee the king|dome of God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.9.10.</NOTE> <HI>Know ye not</HI> (&s;aith the A|po&s;tle) <HI>that the unrighteous &s;hall not in|herit the Kingdome of God? be not de|ceived, neither Fornicators, nor Idola|ters, nor Adulterers,</HI> &amp;c. &s;hall inherit the Kingdome of God. The Souls of men, as &s;uch, do wave up and downe without any anchor at all, only if they will come in, lay hold on the covenant, embrace the offers and tenders of grace, there is then <HI>Hope in I&s;rael concerning this Thing.</HI> And as for the Saints, that are often be&s;et with darkne&s;s, &s;in, af|fliction, you have opened &s;uch a doore of Hope to them, that if they will but enter, they may take a view of that buil|ding,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54.11.12.</NOTE> <HI>who&s;e &s;tones are layd with fair co|lours, and the foundation with Saphires, who&s;e Windows are of Agats, and the Gates of Carbuncles, and all the borders of plea&s;ant de&s;irable &s;tones.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro 10.28.</NOTE> <HI>The Hope of the righteous &s;hall be gladne&s;s,</HI> Saith <HI>So|lomon;</HI>
<PB REF="6">it may be for a time <HI>the Lord may rear out of Zion,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joel. 3.16.</NOTE> <HI>and utter his voice to</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>and the Heavens and the Earth may &s;hake, yet for all this, the Lord will be the Hope of his people, and the &s;trength of the Children of I&s;|rael:</HI> there is no rea&s;on that Gods people at the lowe&s;t &s;hould let go their hold; are not the promi&s;es of victory &amp; defence to <HI>the Pri&s;oners of hope?</HI> yea &s;ure|ly. <HI>The Lord their God &s;hall &s;ave them in that day,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 9.12 16.</NOTE> <HI>as the flocks of his people; for they &s;hall be as the &s;tones of a Crown lifted up.</HI> Now that the unregenerate may be wonne, and that the Saints may know their priviledges whil&s;t they are yet in the valley of <HI>Achor,</HI> my advice and de&s;ire is that the&s;e things may be publi&s;hed, not only to a great congregation, but to the Church throughout the&s;e Nations. I hope much good will be in the publi&s;hing of the&s;e Hopes, that although we have all tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t our God, even from <HI>Dan</HI> to <HI>Ber&s;heba, Yet now there is Hope in I&s;rael concerning this thing.</HI> If a Blu&s;h of mode&s;ty &s;hould
<PB REF="6">&s;tand as a temptation to keep back the publication of this piece, I can|not but &s;ay to you as <HI>Schecaniah to Ezra, Ari&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra. 10.4.</NOTE> <HI>for this matter belongeth unto thee, we al&s;o be with thee, be of good courage and do it.</HI> The Lord ble&s;s the&s;e papers, and the labours of all the learned to the good of his church and the Glory of his grace. So prayes</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Gar&s;tang</HI> <DATE>Jan: 2. 1658.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your unworthy Brother and fellow Labourer in the Lords Vineyard <HI>I&s;aack Ambro&s;e.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>To the Reader who is &s;piri|tually alive, and reads for &s;piritual nouri&s;hment.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Good Reader:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THat the bountifull God might make his afflicted and &s;uffering people <HI>great amends,</HI> he hath not only broken <HI>the iron yoak of Epi&s;copacy, and &s;uper&s;titious ceremonies</HI> &s;o pinching and pre&s;&s;ing; but hath ble&s;&s;ed us with a <HI>Covenant,</HI> and beginnings of de&s;ired reformation (at fir&s;t the wonder, and &s;till the &s;upport of the faithful in the Covenant) &s;ince which time the pre&s;&s;e hath been fruit|full in <HI>practicall treatie&s;s,</HI> wherein as a Token of <HI>Covenant friend&s;hip,</HI> The Lord hath made <HI>a Fea&s;t of fat things, a fea&s;t of Wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. 25.6.</NOTE> <HI>of wines on the lees well refined; That the &s;pirit of Truth and Holyne&s;s,</HI> might &s;ecretly and powerfully in|crea&s;e the power and practi&s;e of Godline&s;s in the truly Godly (the only ready way to perfect reformation) by &s;ound and &s;piritual food, choi&s;ly provided and &s;everally di&s;hed, not only publickly and weekly in Gods own hou&s;e (where he is liberall and open|handed)
<PB REF="7">but privately and dayly in their own Hou&s;es, in their families and clo&s;ets, where this <HI>Heavenly Manna</HI> is ever ready for them to take, and feed upon, whil&s;t others have been fa&s;t turning <HI>their &s;ometimes forward profe&s;&s;ion of the power of Godline&s;s</HI> into a livele&s;s and lawle&s;s forme, and the <HI>un|clean Spirit</HI> hath been every way active in <HI>practicall errors,</HI> as &s;eparation, fir&s;t from Churches of Gods making, and after of mans; ca&s;ting down authorities and tram|pling upon them, as mire in the &s;treet, forging commi&s;&s;ions for publick preaching; ca&s;hiering the Chri&s;tian Sabbath, and li&s;ting the <HI>Jewi&s;h;</HI> puddle dipping the right|ly baptized in infancy; cole-blacking the &s;tarres in Chri&s;ts right hand, as worthy to loo&s;e their light and place; and openly contradicting and bla&s;pheming that clear &amp; dazling light of truth, &s;treaming from them all, and e&s;pecially the la&s;t, tending <HI>to Go&s;pell bani&s;hment.</HI> This is one of the rare if not un|ob&s;erved providences of the&s;e <HI>late reling and rolling times,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 3.45.46.</NOTE> the lively workings of gods &s;pi|rit, to bring the hidden and deep my&s;teries of the Word written (and copied out into the hearts of gods Mini&s;ters) into Sermons, &amp; Sermons into printed volumes &amp; printed volumes into the Hou&s;es of the godly, that after they have read the <HI>exceeding great and pretious promi&s;es of God in his own Book,</HI> they may read the reality of them in the books
<PB REF="8">of them in the books of his Me&s;&s;engers, who have believed and proved, and &s;poken and written what them&s;elves have read and heard, and &s;een and learned, that the faith of true believers might be &s;trong, and their joy full. This providence minds us of <HI>the &s;e|ven years of &s;o great plenty in Egypt,</HI> when god fitted and rai&s;ed up <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> to gather to|gether that plenty, and to lay it up in &s;tore|hou&s;es, for a &s;upply in <HI>the &s;ucceeding an&s;we|rable years of famine.</HI> The&s;e late years have been years of plenty for <HI>heavenly Manna,</HI> Gods &s;teps have dropped fatne&s;s, there have been <HI>&s;howers of ble&s;&s;ing,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 12.23.24.</NOTE> the Mini&s;ters of God <HI>(as the chiefe &s;heapherds dying as the corn &s;own)</HI> have born much fruit; God hath fit|ted and rai&s;ed up many <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> to gather this plenty into &s;tore-hou&s;es, I pray God, that years of famine be not to follow, when there will be no food, or but little food but in &s;uch &s;tore-hou&s;es, <HI>when the witne&s;&s;es &s;hall have fini&s;hed their te&s;timony and be &s;lain:</HI> Certainly books are di&s;hes, wherein Chri&s;t &s;erves in food to his Church in the wilder|ne&s;&s;e, to his &s;cattered Church, to &s;ingle Saints, However providence may order matters, <HI>This &s;torehou&s;e</HI> and &s;uch like are worthy the Chri&s;tian mans entertainment and welcome, having this priviledge, there can be no wa&s;t of this &s;pirituall &s;tore by the u&s;e of it, here is fulne&s;s in time of plenty, and will be fulne&s;&s;e in time of famine, this
<PB REF="8">plenty though on the incre&s;ing hand, breeds no &s;urfeit in healthfull and hungry &s;oules. I doubt not the providence and pains of <HI>this our Jo&s;eph,</HI> gathering together and &s;to|ring up the hopes of all &s;orts, that are not pa&s;t hopes, will be acceptable to the Church of God, and e&s;pecially to my good and loving neighbours in, and about, <HI>Manche&s;ter,</HI> who have already &s;avourily fed upon this &s;tore, and for who&s;e &s;ake, in a peculiar &s;ort, this provi&s;ion is thus trea&s;u|red up. Their ble&s;&s;ings, both in Ordinances and providences, have prevailed above the ble&s;&s;ings of their neighbours, God hath turned away the Sword from their gates, limited the pe&s;tilence and other fore di&s;ea|&s;es among&s;t them, tran&s;lated their lights, and again fild their candle&s;ticks, cured the pride and power of the &s;pirit of error, in|crea&s;ed and twi&s;ted the cords of their uni|on, and heightned their hopes of the &s;prea|ding and increa&s;ing of the power of godli|ne&s;s, which God e&s;tabli&s;h. The God of their Mercy grant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2 22.</NOTE> that <HI>aged Paul</HI> and <HI>young Timothy</HI> (who hitherto hath &s;erved <HI>with him in the Go&s;pell, as a Son with the Father</HI>) may long, and long live and love and la|bour together, and be ble&s;&s;ed in their labors, and remain a ble&s;&s;ing to that great congre|gation, both &s;owing precious &s;eed, and rea|ping the labours of tho&s;e <HI>men of God,</HI> who have laboured with them, and before them
<PB REF="9">to the defeating of Satans policies, the di&s;|appointing of the deluded hopes of the bu|&s;y &s;pirit of divi&s;ion, the rai&s;ing and e&s;ta|bli&s;hing of the grounded hopes of the righ|teous, and the united joy and glory of Mi|ni&s;ters and people at <HI>that great day of gathe|ring together unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> which for the churches &s;ake is the hearty de&s;ire and pray|er of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy &s;oules friend, who doth rejoyce and ble&s;s God with thee, for the love and labours of his Servants, <HI>John Angier:</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>To the Reverend Mr. <HI>RICHARD HEYRICK:</HI> Warden of the late Colledge at <HI>Manche&s;ter,</HI> his much ho|noured Brother, and faithful fellow labourer in the Congregation there.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dear and much honoured Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IF my appearing thus in print be no wonder, it need be none to your &s;elf, or any that knows us, That I prefix your name to the&s;e papers: you well know with what fear and &s;en&s;e of unfitne&s;s for it I undertook any part of the charge of this great congregation (wherein God hath &s;o long a time to mutuall com|fort continued you) upon the Death of that eminent &s;ervant of his, and
<PB REF="10">Dear Brother of Yours Mr. <HI>Hol|linworth,</HI> as judging the place <HI>too publick</HI> for one of my mean Abilities, though incouraged there|unto by your affectionate invitati|on and the unanimous call of the congregation; And that I &s;hould yet make this adventure to be <HI>more publick,</HI> You are not un|acquainted with, (being a princi|pall acce&s;&s;ary to) the Occa&s;ion of it. The importunity of fundry of this people, whom the Lord hath made dear to your &s;elfe, as to me, Headed and &s;et on by your re&s;pective Letter, having much again&s;t my own inclination and former intention pre&s;sed this from mee. Their reque&s;t was to you in the fir&s;t place, who have been their antient Pa&s;tour, to have
<PB REF="10">revi&s;ed and publi&s;hed &s;ome of your many Elaborate di&s;cour&s;es, where|of they have been made pertakers in your con&s;tant mini&s;try among&s;t them, that they might have had the pro|fit of your former paines by this meanes revived unto them. You have declined, at lea&s;t at pre&s;ent waved, the motion, upon the too ju&s;t grounds of your age and &s;ome bodily weakne&s;&s;es, which might make the work &s;omewhat tedious and more burthen&s;ome to you: I cannot &s;ay much of <HI>my bodily &s;trength,</HI> at lea&s;t that it exceeds, or is proportionable to the con&s;tant burthen of this great <HI>Congre|gation,</HI> (wherein I &s;hould bear a part with you) the Work now lying upon three of us, which heretofore hath had Seaven to un|dertake
<PB REF="11">it) and to which you are &s;o ready to expre&s;s a tender Te&s;ti|mony upon all occa&s;ions (which I thankfully acknowledge) that I &s;hould for that be le&s;se excu&s;ea|ble. And on the contrary, my <HI>want of Age,</HI> and that gravity, which &s;hould have put authority upon &s;uch a Work, might have plea|ded much for me. But &s;ince it is come to this, and that I am not like to be excu&s;ed (as you are, as yet) from Printing, you will pardon me, If I ex|cu&s;e not your name in this Dedication. It may be of no &s;mal advantage (and &s;o of no little weight with me in this Application of my &s;elf &amp; the&s;e papers to you) that being con&s;cious to my &s;elf of my own meanne&s;s every way, and the little that my own name can add to the acceptance of this Di&s;cour&s;e, be
<PB REF="11">the matter never &s;o of the grea|te&s;t and highe&s;t Importance, that yet I appear to the World, under the notion of any &s;peciall relation to you, &s;ufficiently known for your eminency in birth, place, parts, &s;ervice and printed labours, which yet had been &s;ufficiently manife&s;t without this by our affectionate lines, which I have made bold to publi&s;h herewith: But being re|ally &s;en&s;ible of your many kind|ne&s;&s;es to me, and much refre&s;hed in my poore indeavours in this Congregation, in your comfortable and intirely affectionate conde|&s;cention to, and conjunction with me, <HI>I</HI> could do no le&s;s, then in this publike appearance, make this known to the World of you by this De|dication, as a thankfull acknowledg|ment
<PB REF="12">of my heartie&s;t re&s;pects unto you. May the Lord have mercy on us in continuing your health &s;till unto you, and pre&s;erving you long a|mong&s;t us, as an Ornament and rich ble&s;&s;ing to this place, an helpfull and u&s;efull in&s;trument to this part of his Church, and a &s;in|gular part of the comfort of his life, <HI>Who is</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your unworthy (yet truly Affectionate) Brother, and fel|low-labourer in the Lords work,</HI> Henry Newcome:</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication to the reader">
<PB REF="12">
<HEAD>To The Chri&s;tian Reader, E&s;pecially to tho&s;e of the Con|gregation of <HI>Manche&s;ter,</HI> in the County of <HI>Lanca&s;ter,</HI> To who&s;e Service <HI>The Lord</HI> hath at pre&s;ent appointed him in the Mini&s;try of The Go&s;pell.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dear Friends:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT is the Judicious Ob&s;ervation of one, that it is no marvaile if many things in nature, which are unknown in their cau&s;es be very wonderfull, when many naturall things, that are known, are no le&s;&s;e wonderfull, if the com|monne&s;&s;e did not prevent our con&s;ideration of them, and they would be no le&s;&s;e admired and que&s;tioned for preternaturall, if not &s;o common|ly known as they are. And among&s;t &s;ome others this of Letters, whereby men &s;peak with one a|nother by their hands, and a man may di&s;cour&s;e with him that hath been dead &s;ome hundreds of
<PB REF="13">years by taking up his booke and reading, as if he were rai&s;ed from the dead to &s;pake with him. It was the great goodne&s;s of God that di|rected &s;ome in&s;truments at fir&s;t to this mo&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;ary help, upon many accounts to mankind in all the Affairs and concernments of life, and as an high improvement of this, no le&s;&s;e admi|rable and gratious was that providence of God that &s;et this way of printing on foot, which as it is &s;uch in the thing it &s;elfe; &s;o in that (as it is ob&s;erved) it was in &s;uch a time when much u&s;e was made to a bad end of the wri|tings of men, wherein the vulgar were much abu&s;ed and mi&s;led by the fal&s;e quotations and glo&s;&s;es upon the more rare and hard to be gotten written copies, that were then extant; as al&s;o, that when the light of the go&s;pell begun to break out again after a di&s;mall night of igno|rance and &s;uper&s;tition, there &s;hould be &s;uch a ready meanes prepared for the tran&s;mitting and di&s;per&s;ing of this light all over the Chri&s;ti|an Churches; the benefits of which ble&s;&s;ed pro|vidence we and our fore-fathers have abun|dantly ta&s;ted: And though I can not but be|waile the manifold mi&s;chiefs and inconvenien|ces of a licentious unlicen&s;ed pre&s;&s;e, the horri|ble abu&s;e and adulterating of this excellent bene|fit; yet the profit of printing, whereby we are made partakers of the labours of the Godly and and learned in former times and the labours of others may be transferred to po&s;terity, mu&s;t needs be acknowledged as a glorious Mercy. <HI>I</HI>
<PB REF="13">mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e it was far from my thoughts ever to have &s;aid thus much on this matter upon &s;o feeling an occa&s;ion as this is, but my de&s;ire is to be &s;erious in this undertaking, and to have an eye at God, and the &s;peciall end wherein I might be u&s;efull in this matter, how poore and meane &s;oever the attempt be, or whatever it &s;hall plea&s;e God the &s;ucce&s;s &s;hall be.</P>
<P><HI>The manife&s;tation of the &s;pirit is given to every man to profit withall.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12 7. v. 4.</NOTE> <HI>And there are differences of guifts, but the &s;ame &s;pi|rit: To</HI> one is given by the &s;ame Spirit, <HI>A word of Wi&s;dome</HI> to another a <HI>word of knowledge</HI> by the &s;ame Spirit. <HI>A word of Wi&s;dome</HI> to &s;peak Parables, <HI>A word of knowledge,</HI> to open and explaine parables as a learned Annotator and Paraphra&s;t upon that Scripture.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sit ergo <HI>&s;cientia</HI> mediocris cognitio; <HI>&s;apientia</HI> vero reve|lationes magis ar|canas et &s;ubl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">mes contineat. <HI>Calvin in Loc.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Calvin</HI> makes this knowledge to be, more mean attainments in the more my&s;te|rious things of God, and that of Wi&s;dome to be more penetrating into more high and hidden things. As therefore mens guifts do differ, &s;o mu&s;t needs the Books that are written by men of by differing gifts; I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, my &s;hare in this rich bounty in the things <HI>that are freely given us of God</HI> hath been, in what mea&s;ure &s;oever it is, of this &s;econd kind; ha|ving attained (and de&s;irous to be heartily thank|full for it too) but to that of &s;ome <HI>Word of knowledge,</HI> at the utmo&s;t, that <HI>Mediocris cognitio,</HI> that meaner knowledg in the&s;e glo|rious
<PB REF="14">my&s;teries; a word to explaine, open, and endeavour to &s;et on, what is plainly &s;et forth in Scripture for mans &s;alvation. And whatever I am of this (more I am not &s;u&s;pected of, I am &s;ure) it is a &s;peciall guift of the Spirit to be a plain preacher, and upon this con&s;ideration being con&s;cious to my &s;elf of my own weakne&s;s, I &s;hould have re&s;olvedly kept my &s;elf retired, if I had known that none but the fruits of the guifts <HI>of Wi&s;dome,</HI> in the more accurate and judicious labours of men of higher parts and abilities, could be of u&s;e to the Church of God.</P>
<P>I am (I ble&s;&s;e God) content with that part the Lord hath called me to act in his Church, and for which he hath in any mea&s;ure furni&s;hed me, though much burthened and un&s;atisfied, that I do not what I might do to the utmo&s;t therein: and yet I oft think of what a judicious Divine once &s;aid of one very famous for a pra|cticall preacher, that we were in a &s;ad condi|tion, if we had no able. Mini&s;ters in <HI>Eng|land</HI> to deal with gain-&s;ayers, then &s;uch as he. And I do ble&s;&s;e God that he hath furni&s;hed out many excellently qualified, and enabled to manage the controver&s;ies of the times with much strength and and clearne&s;s, and to de|fend the truth again&s;t all Oppo&s;ers. And though the multitude of <HI>Polemick</HI> di&s;cour&s;es hath bred &s;ome inconvenience, and many of the&s;e worthy Champions well skill'd at their weapons have been too apt to fall from the publick &s;ervice, to
<PB REF="14">engage in unhand&s;ome and &s;ome unwarrantable duells, making many controver&s;ies and ingage|ments wholly per&s;onall, and &s;o the fruit of this hath no way an&s;wered the time, parts and paines that have been u&s;ed in it upon many oc|ca&s;&s;ions: yet to nau&s;eate or under value parts and labours this way, were for a peaceable peo|ple to throw away their defence and bulwarks in a trained military power for their pre&s;erva|tion. If we would have no Souldiers to defend us, our Enemies will find Souldiers to oppo&s;e us, and without re&s;i&s;tance by &s;ome well experienced Champions, to de&s;troy us: And if we decry all polemick learning, we may &s;oon be over|thrown by it in our adver&s;aries, who cheri&s;h it to the utmo&s;t; and cannot be oppugned, nor the truth defended again&s;t them, unle&s;s by &s;ome eminently skil'd in it on our &s;ide: Men could not have peace, if it were not for warre; few would &s;oone be to live in re&s;t, if none to main|taine war upon occa&s;ion: Be&s;ides, the&s;e pre|tious men of God thus &s;pecially qualified keep the Bulwarks, whil&s;t others le&s;&s;e fit for &s;uch &s;ervice &s;hould &s;et on foot and improve the trade of religion, by which we mu&s;t &s;ub&s;i&s;t and live eternally. Every mini&s;ter &s;hould have his com|petency in both, the word of Wi&s;dome, and the word of Knowledge, though &s;ome mens <HI>potior parts,</HI> may lie more in the one, and le&s;&s;e in the other. But controver&s;ie maintains the truth, and practicall piety improves it, that, without ten|ding on this, defends a &s;hadow, fights for reli|gion
<PB REF="15">while the heart and life is gone from it; this without that, lies open to uncertainty, continu|all di&s;turbances from oppo&s;ers, and danger of buil|ding without a foundation, the&s;e can not well and truly be the one without the other, &s;o likewi&s;e the&s;e do one, remotely yet often very effectually, the work of the other: Controver&s;ies well &s;tated and cleared in many points lay the foundation &s;olid for the pow|er of Godline&s;&s;e to build on; and the power of Godli|ne&s;s heartily admitted doth notably prepare for the right judging of controver&s;ies and tends much to the quieting of them. I have taken leave to commend in the&s;e lines that part which here I pre&s;ent not to you: But yet I am confident of it, that I may get leave for the, whoever thou art that art more in controver&s;ies, then the &s;tudy of thine own heart, to lay a&s;ide tho&s;e things, til this be fir&s;t done. It is very &s;ad when men when read controver&s;ies to &s;atisfie the lu&s;t and curio&s;ity of their own carnall mindes, rather then to enquire into the truth under them, for Gods glory and the affecting their hearts therewith which it is po&s;&s;ible for thee to have done, read pra|cticall books another while, and amongst the re&s;t this, if thou plea&s;e: I would thou migh&s;t return to tho&s;e things another man, and le&s;&s;e of tho&s;e matters would &s;erve the turn, Five may be put out by taking a|way the fewel, as wel as by throwing on water; this &s;tu|dy may heal divi&s;ion by diver&s;ions and by giving men a truer notion of differences, and of the &s;eed and fuell of them from within us, which while the matter of prastical religion's neglected men have notwith them. The clen&s;ing the &s;tomack may prevent fumes into the head and cure the di&s;ea&s;e in that part this way. I
<PB REF="15">I have purpo&s;e&s;ly waved &s;uch a notion of this very &s;ubject, as might have looked towards a controver|&s;ie, as al&s;o the like con&s;ideration of it, referring to us as a nation gotten like the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in <HI>Ezra</HI>'s time into a <HI>great tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion,</HI> and un|der &s;ore judgments for the &s;ame, and what hopes might be in this thing I have but touched on the by; and all becau&s;e I &s;ee this other particular cour&s;e to drive at the root of all di&s;ea&s;es among&s;t us; if mens hopes were founded, &s;ecured, and improved about their own &s;oules, it would &s;oon give us a true ground of hope of things &s;ucceeding yet well in Church and &s;tate. What God may be about to do with us of this Nation I am &s;ometimes de&s;irous to be enquiring after; the tokens of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure towards us are many as formerly, &s;o of late more e&s;pecially in the &s;ick|ne&s;&s;es, &s;trang, epedemicall and of long continuance; &s;uddain death; untimely and &s;ad accidents; the removall of the righteous, the Chariots of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and the hor&s;emen thereof, &s;ome hopefull young men prepared for the mini&s;try prevented with the crown, before the Church had any tast of their labours (a mercy no doubt unto them, but &s;harpe&s;t di&s;plea&s;ure unto us) Reformation &s;adly at a &s;tand; many, &s;en|&s;le&s;s of any great evills upon us; many have been crying out of glorious times, till the very &s;hadows of the evening are upon us, and we almo&s;t &s;pent, the Nation &s;ecretly wa&s;ting and con&s;uming under our late brags of pro&s;perity: the &s;uddain and &s;trange revolutions; the turnings up&s;ide down; the back|ward and forward proceedings in the affairs of the &s;tate. And what &s;hall we think will become of us?
<PB REF="16">well may we thus conclude, that if God intend to keepe us for his people he will reform us, and before we be reformed, the heart of the people of the land must be prepared to the Lord God of their fathers (for the want of that kept up the high places in good and reforming governours times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 20.23. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. Chr. 34.3.</NOTE> and after when <HI>Jo&s;iah</HI> did bring that to pa&s;s, the heart of the people was yet unfit for &s;uch a &s;tate, and &s;o reformation &s;ecured them not, as a people may drive off reformation &s;o long, that when it comes it may not cure them) but now what way &s;o like to prepare the heart of the people, as by &s;etting them to this &s;tudy of their own hearts? my expectation of our reviving in the Nation is, if God re&s;tore and revive his work on his peoples hearts, if wicked men be turned, and men &s;eriou&s;ly &s;tudy the&s;e matters about the &s;oul, the&s;e clo&s;e and inward things wherein we are gotten &s;o far wide, as we are, the man that can &s;ave a &s;oul is like&s;t to be in&s;trumentall to &s;ave the Land: The ge|nerall de&s;ired reformation mu&s;t begin, and be car|ried on in the particular care of every man about his own &s;oul. If the&s;e hopes here layd down were impro|ved, as here indeavoured to be pre&s;&s;ed, we might of the generall threating &s;tate of the whole &s;ay, that, <HI>There might yet now be hopes in I&s;rael con|cerning this thing.</HI></P>
<P>That I &s;hould adventure the&s;e papers into the world, it cannot be out of any conceipt I can have of any thing extraordinary in them, the profit of practical books I have had the comfortable experience of in my &s;elf and others; the matter of this is not novell, neither every way common: The things
<PB REF="16">may be found in other treati&s;es of the like kind, the method and particular dige&s;tion of them may be new, however all good books of the like &s;ubject fall not into the &s;ame hands, and this may light where &s;ome of the&s;e things may be news, at lea&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet: 1.12.</NOTE> where the Children of God may well bear their being put in <HI>remembrance of the&s;e things, though they may already know them,</HI> e&s;pecially you of my charge, dear to me in the Lord, becau&s;e &s;everall of your conditions I have perticularly digested in this di&s;cour&s;e, and I judged, upon the importunity of many of you to this publication, that it might be of u&s;e unto you to peru&s;e, that &s;o you might be more familiar with the&s;e things, which I find many &s;till needing, as if nothing almo&s;t of this kind had been delivered.</P>
<P>It is much in my heart to per&s;wade Christians to read practicall books, and to &s;tudy to looke after a &s;pirituall provi&s;ion from the Sabboth dayes and the&s;e helps, for their Souls to live more hand&s;omely upon, then many of us do; to lay in on the market day to live on that week after, and when fre&s;h provi&s;ion is &s;carce or &s;pent; or if thou would&s;t fea&s;t or have variety, it were good to have a &s;tore, though of cel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> provi&s;&s;ion, to furni&s;h the Table with: we &s;hould not keep &s;uch &s;tarved hou&s;es for Religion, as is too common among&s;t us, if this cour&s;e and foreca&s;t were on foot. Time were well redeemed in families, to read &s;ome one of the&s;e books every day, and if this &s;mall tract may be helpfull to any this way, I &s;hall have much cau&s;e to rejoyce.</P>
<P>For my credit in this undertaking the Lord hel|ped
<PB REF="17">me over any thoughts at that, before I could hearken in the lea&s;t to the motion of appearing thus to the World. It is for thy good (dear Reader) that I have ventured my &s;elf in point of credit no little: I &s;hall challenge thy improvement of what is here tendred to thee with no other apologie; then thy &s;e|rious thoughts of accounting for it at the barr of God. It is a weak Mini&s;ter indeed, that &s;hall either preach or print, if it be but truth, that may not lay enough before thee to heighten thy reckoning at that day.</P>
<P>I cannot (to invert that of Chri&s;t's friends to him) do this <HI>thing openly</HI> and <HI>&s;eek to keep</HI> my &s;elf <HI>in &s;ecret;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 7.4.</NOTE> &s;ome hands this book may fall into, that I had not chiefly in mine eye in the publi&s;hing of it, and I &s;hall not per&s;wade them to lay it down, I print not upon your motives, yet I may do it in part for your &s;akes; I would wi&s;h you to &s;u&s;pend your &s;corne and cen&s;ure, till you have well &s;ecured your concern|ment in this very matter; look to the &s;tate of your im|mortall &s;oules, which you may &s;oone come to the try|all of, and for this book or me do as you plea&s;e. As it carries the me&s;&s;age of thegne at God and our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t to men that mu&s;t live for ever, per&s;wa|ding them to come in, I know it is of that validity &amp; a|thority that my name can no way dimini&s;h it; and I wil not derogate &s;o much from the maje&s;ty of the emba&s;&s;age, as to a&s;k your leave or pardon, that it is tendred to you. Reject it on your perill; It is the <HI>word,</HI> not which is, or can be by man, expo&s;ed &s;o to you to judge of, but that one day it &s;hall recover its place, and be that by <HI>which you &s;hall be judged</HI> For my &s;elf I
<PB REF="17">am willing to be in your e&s;teeme as you &s;ee fit, provi|ded you neither wrong the truth nor your &s;elves for me. If you receive any &s;pirituall good here from, if you never &s;ee me, return thanks to God, who is always with you, and &s;tands by you, and ob&s;erves your very harts in the motion, the very title of the Book makes upon you, and to whome, I intreat you, &s;peak a word for your friend (though unknown to you) when it &s;hall be well with you. If you refu&s;e to read or rea|ding refu&s;e to hearken, you will give me leave to own my name, as one among&s;t other witne&s;&s;es, again&s;t you, when we meet at the great day; and till then to be known to you, as one de&s;iring to be (as to others) dear to me in the Lord,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your &s;ouls faithful friend and Servant in the Go&s;pel.</HI> Henry Newcome.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="18">
<PB N="1" REF="18">
<HEAD>The Sinners Hope.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>EZRA X. 2.</HI></BIBL>
<P>&mdash;Yet now there is <HI>Hope</HI> in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> concerning this thing.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Introduction, from the Text, and Coherence, to the Ob&s;erva|tion.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_THIS book, written by that pious learned Prie&s;t <HI>Ezra,</HI> (as it bears his name) doth con|tain in it an account of the chief pa&s;&s;ages of Hi&s;tory from the returne of the people of <HI>Babylon,</HI> for 164 yeares: And &s;o you have an account of the &s;teps, by which in that time that
<PB N="2" REF="19">work went or, <HI>Zerobbabel</HI> brings the peo|ple up. <HI>ch:</HI> 1. and 2. They reare up an Altar. <HI>ch:</HI> 3. They begin to lay the foun|dation of the Temple, <HI>In the latter end of ch.</HI> 3. This receives interruption: at la&s;t at 2 bouts it gets up, <HI>as appears in the fol|lowing chapters. Ezra</HI> is &s;ent, <HI>ch:</HI> 7. to re&s;tore Sacrifices. This was in the &s;eventh of <HI>Artaxerxes,</HI> 13 years before <HI>Nehemi|ah</HI> came to build the walls of the City. But <HI>Ezra</HI> coming, and breaking up his commi&s;&s;ion from the King, and being a|bout to &s;et upon the work with chearful|ne&s;&s;e, that he came about, he was &s;ud|dainly &s;aluted, with the &s;ad account of the peoples mi&s;carriage, in their marriage of &s;trange Wives, which &s;truck him into a great terrour and con&s;ternation. And ha|ving &s;itten &s;ilent about this matter, with his cloths rent, after the manner of a bitter mourner, who had his heart broken with this grievous mi&s;carriage of theirs, <HI>at the time of the evening Sacrifice,</HI> he makes pa|theticall lamentation, and confe&s;&s;ion of the Sin to God, in the Prayer or rather complaint, which you find: <HI>ch.</HI> 9 wherein you do not find any petition he could frame to put up for them, the matter he judged &s;o hainous, but all he could &s;ay a|bout it, was to aggravate it, and to leave the matter with the Lord, &s;aying, <HI>he was not able to &s;tand before the Lord becau&s;e of
<PB N="3" REF="19">this.</HI> The people, upon this Lamentation of his, flock together, and <HI>Schecaniah</HI> &s;peakes to <HI>Ezra</HI> about the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: and he joyns with him in acknowledging the mi&s;carriage of the people, but he would not have it thus left as a matter de&s;perate, but declares his opinion of the ca&s;e, that it is yet hopeful, and he propo&s;ed the way he conceived for cure, which was, by making a covenant for reformation, in that parti|cular, wherein they had &s;o gro&s;ly offended.</P>
<P>Who this <HI>Schecaniah</HI> was, that made this &s;peech: we find no mention of him before, nor after, &s;ave only in this place he is &s;aid to be <HI>the Son of Jehiel;</HI> one of that name is mentioned to be one of the Prie&s;ts, that had &s;inned in this matter, enumerated among the offenders. <HI>v.</HI> 21 whether he was his Son or no, is not de|terminable. If he was he might the better take him&s;elf concernd in the bu&s;ine&s;s, and take the &s;in the more to him&s;elf, for his Fathers &s;ake; however it is probable he was a man of good place and authority a|mong&s;t the people, in that he offers to a&s;&s;i&s;t <HI>Ezra</HI> in driving on the covenant for reformation of the &s;in, and, as a good man, grieves under Gods di&s;honour, as <HI>Ezra</HI> did, confe&s;&s;es the thing was hainous and &s;ad, yet he tells <HI>Ezra,</HI> he thinks it mu&s;t not be &s;o left. But &s;ees that <HI>yet there is Hope (yet now)</HI> for all this (which is too
<PB N="4" REF="20">true of us) that we have &s;inned thus hai|nou&s;ly (now) Now I &s;ee the people thus meet together, I have a better heart of the thing.</P>
<P>(There is Hope) the matter is not de&s;|perate, there is &s;ome Hope in it.</P>
<P>(In <HI>I&s;rael</HI>) or concerning <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> or be|cau&s;e it is in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> as anon we may &s;hew <HI>I&s;raels</HI> covenant of being the Lords peo|ple, gives them hope upon their repen|tance yet of Mercy. It is a greater &s;in for being <HI>I&s;raels,</HI> yet in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> there is more Hope about it, then if it had been in ano|ther place, if they repent of it.</P>
<P>(Concerning this thing) this whole mat|ter, the &s;in that is committed, and the judgment that is feared; this whole mat|of the &s;trange Wives, the matter of the pre&s;ent con&s;ternation. There is yet Hope about it.</P>
<P>The better to bottome the ob&s;ervati|on, I intend to rai&s;e from the words; I &s;hall preface the larger upon the explica|tion, in making inquiry into 3 things, which yet are all obvious to us in and a|bout the text.</P>
<P N="1">(1) What was the &s;cope of <HI>Schecaniah</HI> his words here? what is the drift of them?</P>
<P N="1">(1) To comfort <HI>Ezra</HI> in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; he &s;aw him dejected about it: he bids him be of good cheere though it
<PB N="5" REF="20">it was bad, yet it might do well, there was a way yet out; there was Hope in the thing.</P>
<P N="2">(2) To encourage him to &s;et about the duty; Hope puts life into repentance and reformation. Becau&s;e I &s;ee Hope in the thing, let us fall upon the u&s;e of meanes for the peoples recovery.</P>
<P N="3">(3) In re&s;pect of all in generall he a&s;&s;erts his apprehen&s;ions of the pre&s;ent &s;tate, and that <HI>Ezra</HI> had left it too &s;hort; to conclude, as if there could be nothing to be further done. <HI>Hereby</HI> implying it was not their duty to de&s;paire in the thing, but rather to &s;et upon the meanes yet left for reme|dy.</P>
<P>But Secondly wherein was the matter &s;o difficult? <HI>Ezra</HI> leaves it as almo&s;t reme|dile&s;s, and <HI>Schecania</HI> &s;aies, there is but Hopes in the thing. Hope implies a diffi|culty. The matter was very dangerous. For</P>
<P N="1">(1) It was a matter of &s;in, that was up|on them; if it had been a judgement only, it had not been &s;o amazing, but it was a &s;in that they di&s;covered; a &s;in without a judg|ment as yet inflicted, is more amazing, to Godly men, then judgement without a vi&s;ible &s;in. It was not a matter of famine, or oppre&s;&s;ion and &s;ickne&s;&s;e, but it was a matter of Sin, and therefore trouble|&s;ome:</P>
<P N="2">2. It was a very dangerous &s;in, in the
<PB N="6" REF="21">very nature and proper influence and ef|fects of it, where it takes place.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut 7 34</NOTE> <HI>They had married &s;trange Wives,</HI> a thing expre&s;ly forbidden; the rea&s;on given, Becau&s;e the&s;e women would go nigh to draw them to &s;trange Gods,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neb. 13.26.</NOTE> exemplified &s;adly to their con&s;tant experience, and in <HI>Salomons</HI> ca&s;e, <HI>even him,</HI> that wi&s;e King, <HI>did outlandi&s;h wo|men cau&s;e to &s;in. Ezra</HI> &s;aw al Religion hazar|ded hereby; he might think all his laborfru|&s;trated by this &s;in of theirs, and that it was to &s;mal purpo&s;e for him to &s;et up &s;acrifices; for the&s;e &s;trange Wives would &s;oon draw their hearts from them and God too.</P>
<P N="3">3. He &s;aw &s;o many en&s;nared in this &s;in. Many of the great men, the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> and all, as you &s;ee <HI>ch.</HI> 9. 1. and <HI>ch.</HI> 10. 18. &amp;c. and therefore more heinous before God, a|mounting near to an univer&s;all guilt upon them, more exemplary and &s;candalous, and harder to be reformed.</P>
<P N="4">4. He con&s;idered this &s;in they were got|ten into to be &s;adly aggravated, in that &s;o &s;oone after their return from captivity a grievous judgement, wherein they had &s;o heavily &s;uffered for &s;uch like doings. To be &s;inning again upon a new &s;core, when building upon the ruins, which their for|mer &s;ins had immediately made, Alas? might he think,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 21.17.</NOTE> when will this people mend? when will they be warned to leave &s;in? <HI>Is the iniquity of Poor too little for us?</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="21">Is the Iniquity of our former Idolatry too little for us? <HI>from which the land is not yet purged to this day.</HI> But mu&s;t we &s;o &s;oon begin again? It is very &s;ad; this you &s;ee laid the thing &s;adder on his heart. <HI>ch:</HI> 9. 7.</P>
<P N="5">5. He con&s;idered the &s;in the greater, in that it was committed by them, that e&s;|caped the judgment &s;o narrowly. It was not long &s;ince, when it might have been que&s;tioned, whether ever this people: &s;hould have been a people any more, and now to find them &s;uch a rebellious people! They might have peri&s;hed in <HI>Babylon,</HI> as many thou&s;ands did, and therefore it is very &s;ad to find them thus gro&s;ly &s;inning here. Chap. 9. <HI>v.</HI> 13, 14. <HI>having had &s;uch a deliverance as this, &s;hould we again break thy commandements?</HI> If they would have &s;trange Wives,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7.10.</NOTE> If they would have &s;trange Wives, they &s;hould have tarried &s;till in <HI>Babylon.</HI> Are <HI>they delivered to do all the&s;e abominations?</HI> mu&s;t the Lord have them for &s;uch work as this is? Oh! it is very intollerable.</P>
<P N="6">6. Their danger is great, there is no judgement yet on them, the &s;oarer one may be expected; God knows what's com|ming.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 7.4</NOTE> <HI>The anger of the Lord is kindled a|gain&s;t the people</HI> upon &s;uch a &s;in as this is, and &s;ure all good wil be at a &s;tand about it, and &s;ome &s;peedy ruine &s;hall overtake us. Alas! alas! who can tell, what may, nay
<PB N="8" REF="22">what may not befall &s;uch a rebellious da|ring people? <HI>Ezra</HI> from this con&s;iderati|on was thus amazed, concludes his con|fe&s;&s;ion, he could not for &s;hame tell how to move one word for this people in this ca&s;e, they had &s;o ba&s;ely mi&s;carried, and therefore he leaves the Bu&s;ine&s;s in his con|fe&s;&s;ion before God, not moving one word on the peoples behalf, as it were not knowing what to &s;ay for them, nor what to think mi&s;erable enough, that might be towards them.</P>
<P N="3">3. What were the grounds <HI>Schecaniah</HI> had of hopes in this difficult ca&s;e. <HI>There is yet hope in</HI> I&s;rael <HI>concerning this thing.</HI> Whence had he this hope, that things might yet frame well?</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In re&s;pect of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In re&s;pect of the people.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. In re&s;pect of God, he confe&s;&s;es to all the cau&s;es of feare forementioned in the thing, the matter was dangerous, the people had committed a great &s;in, and that very un&s;ea&s;onably, and all might be haz|arded thereby, yet there was Hopes becau&s;e they had to do with a gratious God, one that is <HI>&s;low to anger, of great kindne&s;&s;e,</HI> that is <HI>ready to forgive.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">el. 2.13 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ah 4 2</NOTE> If we were in any ones hands but Gods we were gone, there were no hopes for us. But we have infinite com|pa&s;&s;ions to hope in. There are termes of pardon on Gods part tendered to &s;inners,
<PB N="9" REF="22">that have got them&s;elves into plagues for &s;uch like mi&s;carriages. If they had &s;inned, and gotten into captivity for it, and yet &s;hould bethinke them&s;elves, and turne to the Lord, the Lord would yet &s;hew favour to them, why then much more,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. K 8.46 10.51.</NOTE> if we re|pent and reforme, we may prevent the judgement, his infinite bowels and good|ne&s;&s;e makes me hope. He is a God that can <HI>overlook tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 7.18.</NOTE> that can put up great injuries, pa&s;&s;e by great offences. And therefore there is Hope, he hath been u&s;ed to forgive ever &s;ince he had a people, he knew what adoe he &s;hould have with the &s;ons of men, when he took any of them to be in covenant with him. He is armed with infinite mercy and pati|ence, when he goes about to deal with us, he is not deceived in us, when he findes much untowardne&s;&s;e and frowardne&s;&s;e in us. He will forgive us, for he hath been u&s;ed to forgive in many the like ca&s;es, and is a God that can do it.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is Hope in re&s;pect of our &s;elves. I looke upon the matter as much more hopefull now, then lately or before, there are &s;ome &s;igns of good among&s;t us.</P>
<P N="1">1. In that the people are generally &s;en|&s;ible of the &s;in. Women and Children are here flockt about thee, it &s;hould &s;eeme they are &s;en&s;ible of the mi&s;carriage and willing to mourne with thee.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="23">
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 78.34.</NOTE> In that they are gotten thus for|ward without a judgment: people that have &s;inned them&s;elves into the judg|ment, have yet by repentance gotten off, though they have not &s;ought him till he <HI>&s;hew them,</HI> yet upon their repentance he hath tried them, and &s;hewed mercy to them, but we have the advantage to &s;eek mercy <HI>on this &s;ide of the judgement.</HI> We may better di&s;cern the truth of the repentance, in that no judgment is on us to force it from us; we were not quite &s;hut up, though the execution had been &s;erved, but there is more hope if we make our peace before the Writ be broken up, and we at|tached, it cannot but &s;ave us much charge. There is very much in it in turning betime, &s;ome they &s;eek God, when they have no &s;oar, no &s;ickne&s;s, no judgment on them, and yet they tremble before the Lord, a&s;|&s;uredly it is a very good &s;igne. If you were <HI>afflicted</HI> in &s;orrow, yet your condition might be hopefull, but when onely <HI>con|vinced</HI> into &s;orrow, when you have ways enough be&s;ides to take, if your hearts would let you, it is much better.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.33.</NOTE> There is hopes, in that I believe the people are willing to amend. The Lord <HI>that doth not willingly afflict the Sons of Men</HI> if he &s;ee us &s;o willing to reform without judgment, is very ready to &s;pare the Rod.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="23">
<P>I do judge from the&s;e grounds that our hopes are yet alive, <HI>that there is yet Hopes in</HI> I&s;rael <HI>concerning this Thing.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Ob&s;ervation and the &s;everall ca&s;es wherein Sinners may Hope.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe Ob&s;ervation, from the exam|ple of this good man in the text which I &s;hall rai&s;e hence is this.</P>
<P>That <HI>men in the greate&s;t &s;traights about &s;in &s;hould yet take notice of, and cheri&s;h, the hopes which God hath left them about their State.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Matters that are dangerous &s;hould not be counted de&s;perate.</HI></P>
<P>It was a commendable practi&s;e in <HI>Sche|caniah,</HI> that he yet took notice of the Hopes God had left in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> about this thing.</P>
<P>I &s;hall in&s;i&s;t on this doctrine, in the&s;e three heads. Shewing</P>
<P N="1">1. In what ca&s;e &s;inners &s;hould yet count of their Hopes.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="24">
<P N="2">2. How farr or in what &s;en&s;e this is to be under&s;tood.</P>
<P N="3">3. The rea&s;ons why they &s;hould thus take notice of their Hopes in the &s;traits they are in about their State.</P>
<P N="1">1. In what ca&s;es &s;inners &s;hould yet count of their Hopes.</P>
<P>We &s;hall briefly hint at &s;ome heads in the generall, to cleare the &s;cope of the di&s;cour&s;e till we come to the application, where we &s;hall re&s;ume the mo&s;t materiall of them, and endeavour to lay more par|ticular weight on them. The&s;e ca&s;es there|fore may be con&s;idered.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In re&s;pect of their outward e&s;tate.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In re&s;pect of their inward e&s;tate.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Outwardly, and that. 1. Nationally. 2. Per&s;onally.</P>
<P N="1">1. Nationally. Things may be dange|rous in re&s;pect of the Church. Matters may be out of order, be hindered, gone back, yet if the work be the Lords, there &s;hould be hopes in &s;uch ca&s;es. The work here went poorly on. Fir&s;t they &s;et up an altar, then begin the Temple, that with much adoe is gotten up at two bouts. When that was up, many years after <HI>Ez|ra</HI> would re&s;tore the &s;acrifices, this is hea|vily clogged with the great &s;in of the &s;trange Wives, after all this <HI>Nehemiah</HI> comes, and gets but up the wals, &s;o diffi|cultly goes the worke on, and yet it is all
<PB N="13" REF="24">this while going on, God hath it on foot, and is &s;ecretly bringing it on, for all this. And &s;o in <HI>Davids</HI> ca&s;e. He as &s;oone as he was made King, though <HI>Saul</HI> in all his raigne would never thinke of bringing up the Arke, he makes it his fir&s;t de&s;igne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 6.</NOTE> But now behold in the way God makes a breach upon <HI>&V;zzah,</HI> upon which <HI>David</HI> is di&s;plea&s;ed, he thinks it is too &s;acred a bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e for him ever to meddle with, &s;o as to have hopes to effect it, he can not be able to bring it up, it turnes a&s;ide to the hou&s;e of <HI>Obed-Edom,</HI> yet God ble&s;&s;es that hou&s;e where it was, makes <HI>David</HI> &s;ee the Arke lovely, and they enquire into the matter of <HI>the right order:</HI> and after all the&s;e breaches and di&s;couragements,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chr. 13.15.13.</NOTE> they bring up this Arke with &s;houting to its place. And &s;o the work of reformation, though by the meanes of enemies, and fal&s;e bre|thren it &s;eeme to receive ob&s;truction, that God &s;eemes to refu&s;e the &s;ervice, that his poor Mini&s;ters would do him therein, hath made breaches upon us, on &s;ome eminent reformers in the very worke, yet there is Hope in this thing: Reformation hath a ble&s;&s;ing with it where it is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 20.33.</NOTE> and when God hath <HI>prepared the heart of his</HI> people to &s;eek him in the right way, the Arke of God may yet re&s;t in his own place in the mid&s;t of us. This <HI>matter</HI> hath yet life in it, and there is hopes in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> it will revive.</P>
<PB N="14" REF="25">
<P N="2">2. Per&s;onally. If in great outward af|flictions, what ever thy &s;traight is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.</NOTE> there is yet a way out. God will with the temp|tation whatever it is, <HI>find out a way to e&s;cape,</HI> he can &s;till find a way for thee to get out of it. <HI>David</HI> was in a great &s;traight, yet <HI>he encouraged him&s;elfe in the Lord his God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sa. 30.6.</NOTE> and the Lord brought him off. Alas! If thou be in a &s;traight, and &s;ay&s;t, thou &s;halt never get pa&s;t this, it is no more then what thou ha&s;t &s;aid many another time, If thou had&s;t peri&s;ht and been undone as oft as thou ha&s;t &s;aid thou &s;hould&s;t, thou had&s;t not been alive to have &s;aid &s;o now. It &s;eems thou ha&s;t been deceived before, and &s;o mai&s;t be now, there is yet Hope in this thing.</P>
<P N="2">2. Inwardly. In re&s;pect of &s;ome &s;traights &s;inners may be in about their &s;pirituall e&s;tate. They may look on their ca&s;es as dangerous, and yet &s;hould not count them de&s;perate.</P>
<P N="1">1. In the ca&s;e of gro&s;&s;e &s;in, upon the in&s;tant of the fir&s;t conviction. The &s;oul is attached by the Lords Writ, convinced of the &s;ad cour&s;e he hath lived in, hath his &s;in layd before him, <HI>&s;et in order before his eyes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.</NOTE> he &s;ees him&s;elf <HI>in an evill ca&s;e,</HI> and is apt, now he is beaten off pre&s;uming, to run upon the coa&s;t of de&s;pair. It is ordi|nary for &s;inners, either to count their &s;ins <HI>too little to repent of, or too great to be forgi|ven.</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="25">So <HI>Cain,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 14.13</NOTE> <HI>my &s;in is greater then can be forgiven;</HI> Not my &s;in is greater then I can bear: but my &s;in is greater then God can bear, now a &s;oule in this ca&s;e: though it be hard &s;et (as the &s;ecure&s;t &s;inner will be, if God do but open his eyes,) there being no thing but a little ignorance between him and the brinke of the very gulfe of di&s;pair; yet it &s;hould take notice of the Hopes which God hath left to &s;uch a one: even vile &s;inners are invited to repent. Let <HI>the wicked</HI> indefinitely, be he what &s;ort of wicked man he can be,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;: 55.7.</NOTE> let him <HI>for&s;ake his ways,</HI> and the <HI>unrighteous man his thoughts,</HI> Let him re&s;olve upon a through change, and turn to the Lord and he will have mer|cy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat: 12.31.</NOTE> All bla&s;phemy where|with &s;oever men &s;hall bla&s;pheme &s;hall be forgiven. There is Hopes for the pardon of all &s;in, that men can repent of, and therefore a &s;inner in this &s;traight &s;hould take notice of the way God hath pre&s;cri|bed in which &s;uch a one may come off.</P>
<P N="2">2. In the ca&s;e of Apo&s;ta&s;y. 1. Great and more generall apo&s;ta&s;y. Such a &s;oul thinks its ca&s;e dangerous, and &s;o indeed it is, one that hath back&s;liden very &s;ore, for&s;aken his fir&s;t love, fallen back into his wicked cour&s;e again, returned with the dog to the vomit again. Or 2. a child of God, that
<PB N="16" REF="26">for one particular act hath done untoward|ly, as <HI>David;</HI> yet even in the&s;e ca&s;es, the&s;e poor creatures are not &s;hut up.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 3. <HI>v.</HI> 1.</NOTE> There is a way out for &s;uch &s;inners. A woman that hath done wrong to her husband, can not come back againe; the land would be greatly polluted to have &s;uch a one pardo|ned; the Adultere&s;s is to dye;<NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. <HI>22.</HI></NOTE> but you have committed fornication with many lovers, <HI>yet returne againe to me, &s;aith the Lord:</HI> I can receive when none in the like ca&s;e, would or can receive; I can do that which none el&s;e can do, <HI>Returne ye back|&s;liding Children, I will heale your back&s;li|dings.</HI> Ye back&s;liding Children, I will not plague you for your back&s;lidings but will heale them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sa. 12. <HI>v.</HI> 20.21.22.</NOTE> the people had &s;adly &s;inned, in rejecting God to be their King, God thunders upon them, frights them with raigne in harve&s;t, the people were con|vinced of their &s;in, &s;aw the ju&s;tice of God directly again&s;t them, what is now to be done? is there any remedy left for &s;uch &s;inners? is there any way for &s;uch &s;inners to come off? is there any way but going on in rebellion? and &s;tanding out in the way as long as they could? or &s;itting down in de&s;paire, waiting for inevitable de|&s;truction? yea, there is another way. For all you had done this wickedne&s;&s;e, <HI>yet turn not a&s;ide from following the Lord, for then you &s;hall follow after vaine things, which can
<PB N="17" REF="26">not profit, for the Lord will not for&s;ake his peo|ple.</HI> The Father will own his Child yet, if he would come in, <HI>only fear the Lord and &s;erve him,</HI> &amp;c. and all this evill may be done away; you may yet come off: though the matter be very bad, yet there is hope &s;till for &s;uch as you. <HI>David</HI> is convinced plainly and particularly of a very great and foul Mi&s;carriage: he confe&s;&s;es, <HI>I have &s;in|ned, I have done very fooli&s;hly.</HI> Ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12.13.</NOTE> but &s;aies <HI>Nathan,</HI> There is hopes &s;till to come off, <HI>The Lord hath done away thy &s;in;</HI> Thou &s;halt not die. In this difficult ca&s;e of greater, or le&s;&s;er falling back, there is a way left to come off in.</P>
<P N="3">3. In the ca&s;e of Darkne&s;s, a Soul is in trouble, the Lord with-draws his favour; nay, may make po&s;itive expre&s;&s;ions of In|dignation again&s;t the Soul, and when the Lord <HI>makes trouble,</HI> who <HI>can give quietne&s;s?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 34.29.</NOTE> onely yet there is hope, that he him&s;elfe will make peace again; and a Soul in this dark condition is not to be without hopes: <HI>David</HI> puts it to the que&s;tion, <HI>whether,</HI> and &s;aies, God will be gracious no more, yet after he &s;aies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 77 9.10.</NOTE> This is <HI>my infir|mity,</HI> there is hope in the thing. Let him that walks in darkne&s;s and <HI>hath no light,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50.10.</NOTE> <HI>yet tru&s;t in the Lord, and &s;tay him&s;elf upon his God.</HI> There is hopes of &s;uch a Creatures re|viving again, the Ca&s;e is hard, but not de&s;perate.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="18" REF="27">
<HEAD>CAP. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Nature of the Sinners Hope, as his Priviledge and Duty, truly &s;tated.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="2">2. HOw far, or in what &s;en&s;e is this to be under&s;tood, that &s;inners in &s;uch ca&s;es as the&s;e, &s;hould yet take notice of, and cheri&s;h their hopes? In this we &s;hall, by the way, endeavour to &s;et out, how far we &s;hould give way to trouble in ca&s;e of &s;in, in our daily cour&s;e, and how far we mu&s;t avoid it. How near we may come to con&s;terna|tion in &s;uch ca&s;es, and how far, or where|in we mu&s;t fly from it.</P>
<P N="1">1. How it is not to be under&s;tood? We mu&s;t in the&s;e ca&s;es hope, yet,</P>
<P N="1">1. Not &s;o, as <HI>not to &s;ee, and confe&s;s our &s;in,</HI> we are not &s;o to clap on the Plai&s;ter, as to hide, in&s;tead of healing the Sore, the Sore mu&s;t be opened and &s;earched, before the Plai&s;ter be laid on. This el&s;e were a way to cover, rather then cure the &s;in: <HI>He that covereth his &s;in cannot pro&s;per;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 28.23.</NOTE> <HI>but he that confe&s;&s;eth and for&s;aketh &s;hall find mercy. David</HI> while he <HI>kept &s;ilence,</HI> would have hidden his &s;in, he was in &s;ad di&s;tre&s;s of
<PB N="19" REF="27">Soul, but when he re&s;olved to <HI>acknowledge his tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion,</HI> then he found ea&s;e. It is a weary re&s;tle&s;s condition of Soul, that any man can look for, notwith&s;tanding all the hopes, if he yet hide his &s;in.</P>
<P N="2">2. Not &s;o, <HI>as not to be under a &s;en&s;e of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure,</HI> for what we have done; this hope is not to be &s;o fomented, as to make a man think, that God is not di&s;plea|&s;ed with what we have done; though there may be hope, he may be again pa|cified: we are to look at God under con|viction of &s;in, as placable, yet as provoked at it. It is not to hope that God is not angry, but that his anger may be turned a|way again. <HI>David</HI> had contrived and car|ried on his wickedne&s;s; but thus it con|cludes, <HI>The thing that</HI> David <HI>had done di&s;|plea&s;ed the Lord:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 11. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> the Lord was really of|fended at it. <HI>Jeho&s;ophat,</HI> the Lord would pardon him, yet <HI>there was wrath out again&s;t him for what he had done.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 19.2.</NOTE> We are to hope, yet not &s;o, as to force kindne&s;s from God upon our &s;elves, to fancy that God looks over our mi&s;carriages, without any di&s;ta&s;t of them, to fancy, that &s;uch things as the&s;e &s;hall never be lookt after, as the profane Athie&s;t that &s;aies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Tu&s;h, the Almighty re|gards not,</HI> he will not require it. Who ever do thus, it is not &s;uch a hope that God hath left them; not &s;uch an <HI>Antinomian</HI> fancy, to think, that God loves us &s;o
<PB N="20" REF="28">fondly, as to love us in the very act of &s;in, in our very wickedne&s;s. This is not Faith, we ought not to hope thus, which is be|&s;ides all rea&s;on and Scripture grounds: there may be hope, yet di&s;plea&s;ure too.</P>
<P N="3">3. Not &s;o to hope, <HI>As not to be a&s;hamed truly before God,</HI> for what we have done: it is Impudence in us to look upon God as confidently, as if we had done nothing ami&s;s; this &s;etting a Face upon our &s;ins, as if we had not offended at all. <HI>Ezra</HI> was <HI>a&s;hamed and confounded, and could not &s;tand before the Lord;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra 9. <HI>ult</HI></NOTE> Could not look God in the face, becau&s;e of that they had done. <HI>Shecaniah</HI> doth not propo&s;e the&s;e hopes to take off the &s;hame that was due to them for &s;in. We are not to hope &s;o as not to be a&s;hamed:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 6 15.</NOTE> <HI>Were they a&s;hamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all a&s;hamed, neither could they blu&s;h.</HI> This was a great Complaint, and God threa|tens them for it; <HI>Therefore they &s;hall fall among them</HI> that fall.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 2.26.</NOTE> <HI>As a Thief is a&s;ha|med, &s;o is the Hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;rael <HI>a&s;hamed:</HI> As a man reputed to be hone&s;t, &amp; is catcht &s;tea|ling, is ill aba&s;ht; or one that hath u&s;ed &s;tealing, and is catcht &s;o doing, is made to carry his &s;toln Goods back again in his hand, is fearfully a&s;hamed of it. So is a Sinner that is apprehended by the Spirit of God, with his &s;in upon him, and &s;o &s;adly and mi&s;erably is to carry in Gods pre&s;ence
<PB N="21" REF="28">becau&s;e of it, and yet hope too.</P>
<P N="4">4. Not &s;o to hope, <HI>As not to be very much humbled and vile in his own Eyes.</HI> He is not &s;o to run to his hopes, as to &s;ave his due humiliation for what he hath done, to think ba&s;ely and vilely of him&s;elf for his mi&s;carriage: we are apt <HI>either to de&s;pair in our &s;elves and God too, or el&s;e to hope in God and our &s;elves too;</HI> whereas we mu&s;t divide in this ca&s;e, and hope in God, yet utterly de&s;pair in our &s;elves. Oh! upon &s;uch a &s;traight, we ought to &s;ee the vilene&s;s and weakne&s;s of our &s;elves herefrom. Oh! this is my ba&s;e and perver&s;e Spirit? this is my folly and wretchedne&s;s, this is that which is the be&s;t my heart will bring forth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and yet hope in God.</P>
<P N="5">5. Not &s;o to hope,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1.1.</NOTE> <HI>As not to &s;ee our ab|&s;olute need to Chri&s;t:</HI> to hope &s;o in &s;uch ca&s;es is &s;infull hope. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us who is our hope.</HI> Though &s;in &s;hould not drive us to de&s;pair, yet it &s;hould drive us to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> alone to hope in: We are &s;o far to be troubled, as to make &s;ute to our <HI>Bla&s;tus,</HI> to &s;peak a good word for us: Hope, to skip <HI>be&s;ides, or without Chri&s;t</HI> to Souls ea&s;e, is &s;ad, prepo&s;terous, and unchri&s;tian hope.</P>
<P N="6">6. Not &s;o to hope, <HI>As not to combat and &s;trive to the utmo&s;t again&s;t the &s;in:</HI> We are not to hope that the &s;in &s;hall be pardoned, if we &s;till allow it. It is not an hope to
<PB N="22" REF="29">let the &s;in alone: we are not to de&s;pair, &s;o neither to hope with the &s;in &s;till upon us; not to hope, to &s;ave us any further la|bour about the bu&s;ine&s;s, but to engage to the utmo&s;t again&s;t our &s;in, upon the ground of this hope which the Lord hath left us in our difficult ca&s;e.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, How is it to be under|&s;tood? We are not in ca&s;es of &s;in to give way to con&s;ternation of mind &s;o far; As (1.) in generall.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>To undo any of the conclu&s;ions concern|ing Gods goodne&s;s, that are made from Scri|pture grounds.</HI> Sin concerns <HI>us,</HI> but For|givene&s;s belongs to <HI>God;</HI> what we have done, we ought to be humbled for, but what he will do hereupon doth not con|cern us to determine again&s;t. What ever we are, we mu&s;t leave God as we find him in Scripture; while we bring down our &s;elves, we mu&s;t not go about to bring down him too: while we truly di&s;cover our own badne&s;s, we mu&s;t be carefull we di&s;parage not his Goodne&s;s; what ever ca&s;e we are in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 86.5 &amp; 103.8. Exod. 34.7 Neh. 9.17.</NOTE> we mu&s;t &s;till conclude, that God is where he was, <HI>A God ready to for|give, a God &s;low to anger, a God pardoning ini|quity, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and &s;in.</HI> Thou art to &s;ay, what thou ha&s;t done, that thy &s;in is great, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but to &s;ay, it cannot be forgi|ven, this is not left to thee to determine on: what God will do to thee is altoge|ther
<PB N="23" REF="29">with him, he is a gracious and a mer|cifull God &s;till.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Nor to make any peremptory conclu&s;ion about the event and i&s;&s;ue of the thing.</HI> To &s;ay, <HI>I &s;hall one day peri&s;h by the hand of</HI> Saul. To &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sa. 27.1.</NOTE> <HI>I am cut off, my hope is peri&s;hed from the Lord.</HI> To &s;ay, <HI>I cannot be &s;aved;</HI> this will bring me to Hell: I am &s;ure I mu&s;t peri&s;h: this is to prevent God. It is not for thee to make Decrees; thou knowe&s;t not, what ever thou art at pre&s;ent, what yet God may make thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.26.</NOTE> and what thou may&s;t come to before thou die&s;t: <HI>With God all things are po&s;&s;ible,</HI> Sinners ought therefore to be &s;paring in their finall determinations concerning them&s;elves, for &s;ecret things belong to God, <HI>And many &s;uch things are with him.</HI> It is a mercy thou art not in Hell already, and it may be hoped, thou &s;halt not in the end ever come there.</P>
<P N="2">2. More particularly, We are not to let down our hopes.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>For a Sinner,</HI> upon his Conviction he is to hope, that upon his repentance he may yet find mercy. God hath given forth his Son, <HI>That whoever believes in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Jo 3.16.</NOTE> The vile&s;t Sinner that comes in upon the Pro|clamation of pardon, is bound to believe he &s;hall find acceptance.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>For the Godly,</HI> upon any failing, or &s;in, they are faln into, or di&s;cover in them|&s;elves.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="30">
<P N="1">1. They are to hope, &s;o <HI>as not to ca&s;t down all their evidences of grace in their Souls,</HI> rai|&s;ed and duly gathered before, for this one &s;in; one &s;in doth not evidence the want of Grace: He that is born of God &s;inneth not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Jo. 3.9.</NOTE> <HI>The Seed of God abideth in him.</HI> This Seed of God, that bringeth him off, makes him humble and turn to God, abides in him. <HI>Thy &s;in may argue a defect of &s;trong Grace, but not of true Grace.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. They are <HI>Not to conclude again&s;t per|&s;wa&s;ions of Gods love to them,</HI> if ever they had any upon Scripture grounds. <HI>I am God, I change not.</HI> God doth not ca&s;t off for every Offence:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 3.6. 1 Sam. 12.21.</NOTE> <HI>God will not for&s;ake his People, for his great Names &s;ake; becau&s;e it hath plea&s;ed the Lord to make them his People.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. They are <HI>Not to conclude this &s;in le&s;s pardonable then another.</HI> God can forgive this, as well as he hath forgiven others, and will do it upon their repentance for it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 151.1.</NOTE> <HI>Forgive my &s;in for it is great:</HI> A great Sin, infinite Mercy can forgive: If we &s;in, he is not only <HI>Mercifull,</HI> but <HI>ju&s;t and faithfull,</HI> in re&s;pect of his Ju&s;tice &s;o fully &s;atisfied by Chri&s;t, and his Truth, of pro|mi&s;e whereby he is engaged <HI>to forgive us our &s;ins.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="25" REF="30">
<HEAD>CAP. IV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Grounds of the Sinners Hopes as before &s;tated.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="3">3. THe Rea&s;ons why a Sinner &s;hould take notice of, and cheri&s;h his hopes in his wor&s;t condition.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e of <HI>the large footing God hath given for a Sinners hoping in any &s;tate almo&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">R. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>he can be in by his &s;in.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. The fir&s;t ground is, the <HI>Lords di&s;po&s;i|tion and nature of mercy and placablene&s;s to|wards a poor Sinner;</HI> Which gives him footing for his hope abundantly in any particular ca&s;e. As,</P>
<P N="1">(1.) <HI>From his Name, and Attributes,</HI> whereby he hath made him&s;elf known to his people. God proclaims his Name to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> to be the <HI>Lord, the Lord God,</HI> the powerfull, the mighty Jehovah,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34.</NOTE> which mini&s;ters comfort, when annexed to his manife&s;tation of him&s;elf in this way of mercy. <HI>Mercifull,</HI> inclined to pity, the &s;in and mi&s;ery of his people, ready to re|lieve them in their di&s;tre&s;s, and not only ju&s;t to require the due Service, and puni&s;h the defaults; <HI>Gracious,</HI> of an affable con|de&s;cending
<PB N="26" REF="31">de&s;cending nature, not &s;tanding upon the di&s;tance that he is in, as a great King above all his Creatures; he may be petitioned, &s;ought unto, and prevailed with by his poor Suitors. <HI>Long-&s;uffering,</HI> that is, not ha&s;ty to u&s;e &s;everity with the wor&s;t of Sinners, u&s;ually taking all other waies fir&s;t with them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.4</NOTE> <HI>Willing that all men &s;hould repent and come to the knowledge of the truth:</HI> Trying many that repent not with much goodne&s;s to draw them to it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.22</NOTE> <HI>Enduring with much patience the very Ve&s;&s;ells of wrath,</HI> before he brings <HI>De&s;truction</HI> on them. And one that with his own Children bears abun|dantly, takes them not at the wor&s;t in eve|ry thing they do: <HI>Suffers their manners in the Wilderne&s;s.</HI> Can take great Indignities at their hands, and pa&s;s them by upon their repentance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah. 7.18.</NOTE> and put them up. <HI>That pa&s;&s;eth by the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of his people.</HI> If his people want good things, though they de&s;erve them not at his hands, yet he hath <HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> out of which he is ready to &s;upply them: he can &s;atisfie them out of his goodne&s;s, he hath made them promi&s;es of mercy upon all occa&s;ions of their &s;in and repentance. And he is a <HI>God of truth:</HI> He holds him&s;elf, though no Debtor to us, yet a Debtor to his own good Word to his Servants, and both the&s;e in no &s;tinted manner, but he is <HI>abundant</HI> in them: We cannot need him &s;o far, but his goodne&s;s
<PB N="27" REF="31">and truth <HI>abounds</HI> to us: he will multiply his goodne&s;s and truth to us upon occa&s;i|on: many have had experience of his mercy, but this exhalts it not to tho&s;e that come after; <HI>He keeps mercy for thou&s;ands,</HI> not only &s;hews mercy, but re&s;erves mercy for thou&s;ands, and not only in &s;ome ca&s;es, but in all ca&s;es he forgives <HI>Iniquity, tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion, and &s;in.</HI></P>
<P>Now ob&s;erve, he proclaims him&s;elf by this Name, when the people had finned a great and fearfull &s;in, in making a Calf in <HI>Horeb,</HI> when he was highly provoked, <HI>Would have de&s;troyed them, had not</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>his cho&s;en &s;tood in the breach,</HI> &amp;c. Yet for all this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 106.23</NOTE> this great provocation could not make him change his Name; but though he de|clares his re&s;olution to vi&s;it for ob&s;tinate &s;in, yet he will, for all that, be known by no name but this, in re&s;pect of the truly penitent.</P>
<P N="2">2. He is de&s;cribed to be <HI>&s;low of anger,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 103.8.</NOTE> not ea&s;ily provoked: men are &s;oon pro|voked, great men u&s;ually expect more pun|ctuall ob&s;ervance then others, and are ea|&s;ily incen&s;ed, if they be not ob&s;erved in e|very circum&s;tance. But God is &s;low to anger. It were &s;ad for us, if we had &s;uch an one of him, &s;o hard to plea&s;e, &s;o very cri|ticall, &s;o ea&s;ily moved, as &s;ome Children and Servants, have Parents and Ma&s;ters of us. But God is not &s;o, he would have us
<PB N="28" REF="32"><HI>&s;low to wrath,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ja. 1.19.</NOTE> for &s;o &s;hould we be Chil|dren of <HI>Our Father which is in Heaven,</HI> for &s;uch a one indeed is he.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Not apt to &s;tir up all his anger,</HI> upon any enforcing occa&s;ion, or provocation. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was frighted over the people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 9.19</NOTE> when he &s;aw the Lords wrath waxed hot, for he &s;aw nothing but a con&s;uming fire in it for them. But many times he turns his anger away, and puts up &s;ome peevi&s;h unto|wardne&s;s in us:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 78.38.</NOTE> And when he is angry, he doth not <HI>&s;tir up all his wrath;</HI> it would be &s;ad if he did.</P>
<P N="4">4. Not apt to <HI>be long angry,</HI> he will <HI>not retain his wrath,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 30.5, 6. &amp; 86.5. I&s;a 57.16.</NOTE> he will not contend with his Creatures, for <HI>then the Spirit would fail before him, and the Soul that he hath made.</HI> Many of us for no cau&s;e can be angry, and heartily angry, and long angry, but if we have ju&s;t cau&s;e of provocation, we rather &s;tudy how to expre&s;s our anger, then how to bear the Offence, and few think at all how to proportion our anger &s;o, as to know how they can bear it again&s;t whom it is &s;tirred.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 103.14</NOTE> But he, though provoked, is con&s;idering our frame, and remembring not only what he can do again&s;t us, and what we have done again&s;t him, to pro|voke him to it, but what we are, and what we can undergo, of what he might lay up|on us.</P>
<P>Now who ever they are, that make it
<PB N="29" REF="32">their fir&s;t work to de&s;pait in every difficult ca&s;e, they mu&s;t needs have other thoughts of God then what the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions mani|fe&s;t of him. If he be &s;uch a one, what ca&s;e is there, but one may have &s;ome hopes about it?</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;econd ground is, <HI>That full and compleat way of mercy, that he hath found out and &s;et forth for us in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> He is one, not only <HI>with</HI> whom,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> <HI>but in whom he is well plea&s;ed:</HI> well plea&s;ed with all that have intere&s;t in him. He is every way &s;uch an <HI>high Prie&s;t as became us.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7.26. Col. 1.19. Jo. 6.37. Heb. 2.17.18.</NOTE> <HI>In him all fulne&s;s dwells;</HI> he is one, that the Father <HI>will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out:</HI> Tho&s;e that come to him in his Name. <HI>He is not one that cannot be touched with a feeling of our Infir|mities.</HI> He hath been in the fle&s;h, and &s;o knows what it is to be a man; though he knows not what it is to &s;in, yet he knows what it is to be tempted to it, and what it is to bear the weight and burthen of it. He knows the company we live with in the world, in the mids of <HI>Men and Devills,</HI> as <HI>Luther</HI> phra&s;ed it. And &s;o being a man for us, we may look upon the Deity as ble&s;|&s;edly acce&s;&s;ible hereby, and know that he hath pity and tender re&s;pect for our nature and kind.</P>
<P>The third ground,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55.1. Rev. 22.17. Jo. 7 37.</NOTE> <HI>The univer&s;all tender</HI> of mercy, <HI>who ever will,</HI> let him come. <HI>The great day of the Fea&s;t,</HI> when mo&s;t people
<PB N="30" REF="33">was there, he makes the Proclamation, That who ever is a thir&s;t, may come to him and drink. Hence (as one &s;aies) He was born in an Inn, not in a private Hou&s;e, and crucified out of the City, and not within <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s and benefit of his Birth and Death was not of private concernment, not to be confined to one place, or one people: the Go&s;pel is to be preached to <HI>every Crea|ture.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.16. I&s;a. 55.1.</NOTE></P>
<P>The fourth ground, <HI>The freene&s;s of this tender,</HI> Come and buy, and he that <HI>hath no mony</HI> come: I can but have nothing; the wor&s;t Chapman that can come to the Market, can be but he that <HI>hath neither mo|ney, nor price;</HI> and yet &s;uch as the&s;e may &s;peed well, and go home be&s;t provided. They that come hither mu&s;t have nothing: thou art but in the poor condition before|hand, that every man mu&s;t be reduced to, that clo&s;es with Chri&s;t; None ever had him that de&s;erved him, and thou art but unde&s;erving.</P>
<P>The fifth ground, <HI>That nothing is required at our hands, but the &s;ame is promi&s;ed unto us.</HI> I may come to Chri&s;t for the Condition, and upon that Condition for Pardon: the nature of the Covenant is wonderfull; he hath promi&s;ed to perform both parts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.31.32. &amp; 24.7. &amp; 32.39.40.</NOTE> there is nothing I can find at any time, that may incapacitate me, or hinder me
<PB N="31" REF="33">for comfort; but before I ca&s;t off my hopes, I may &s;ee that very thing promi&s;ed that is required: and &s;ure this well con&s;i|dered, doth wonderfully fit a poor Chri|&s;tians turn upon many pinches, that other|wi&s;e he &s;hould be at a lo&s;s in about his comfort. We cannot apply Chri&s;t but upon condition, but ble&s;&s;ed be God, we are not to find the Condition in our &s;elves, or at our own proper co&s;t (which would ne|ver be done) but we are readily directed, where to have it. If I cannot challenge Chri&s;t to be mine for want of an Intere&s;t, I may go to him for an Intere&s;t. If I cannot apply him for want of Faith or Repen|tance, or any other Grace, I may go to him for Faith and Repentance, and that Grace; &s;o that &s;till I have &s;omething el&s;e fair before me to do, then pre&s;ently to de|&s;pair, when any &s;uch &s;traight is upon me.</P>
<P N="2">2. We are to hope,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>R.</HI> 2. Ja. 1.20.</NOTE> For <HI>consternation doth no good,</HI> this like the wrath of man <HI>worketh not the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God.</HI> Thou thinke&s;t when thou ha&s;t e&s;caped thy un|rea&s;onable pre&s;umption, thou can&s;t not be too low, nor low enough, and that it is thy duty to ca&s;t down thy &s;elf. There is a Mean of hope between the&s;e, which is thy duty; to de&s;pair for &s;in is &s;in, and to give way to trouble to the utter dejection of a mans heart before God, is to give way to a &s;in: you think you do but bring down
<PB N="32" REF="34">&s;elf hereby, but beware You take not God down with you; this de&s;pair brings God no honour, hinders thy doing, makes thee u&s;ele&s;s, nay, directly reflects upon God, in that thou ha&s;t &s;uch hard thoughts of him, and acte&s;t again&s;t his expre&s;s will and plea&s;ure. It is the <HI>Command of God, that you &s;hould believe in his Son,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Jo. 3.23.</NOTE> that you &s;hould believe what God hath graciou&s;ly revea|led, that there is mercy with him, and par|don to be had from him upon repentance. Many in this ca&s;e count that a duty w^c^h is no &s;mall &s;in, extoll Gods mercy as high as you can, and you glorifie him thereby: &s;o be it, you conclude right of the Subject of it; <HI>Viz.</HI> That you &s;et not up mercy with allowance of &s;in in your &s;elf, and bring &s;elf as low as you can, and it is a like good, &s;o be it, thou include not Gods mercy in the thing, to bring that lower then thee.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>R.</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>This hope will facilitate thy repentance, and reformation. There is mercy with thee that thou may&s;t be feared:</HI> Men would not ingeniou&s;ly nor filially fear thee, if thy mercy did not give them hopes. The <HI>A&s;&s;y|rians</HI> might rather have &s;tudied to have ral|lied their broken Forces again&s;t <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> then have &s;ubmitted, if they had not known <HI>the Kings of</HI> I&s;rael <HI>to be mercifull Kings.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 103.3. 1 Kin. 20.31. Jer. 2.25.</NOTE> <HI>Thou &s;ay&s;t there is no hope, I have followed after o|ther Lovers, and after them I will go.</HI> I am like, it &s;eems, to be de&s;troyed, <HI>pa&s;t cure,
<PB N="33" REF="34">pa&s;t care:</HI> I cannot get off, therefore I will do as I do. Endeavours langui&s;h where there is no hope.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9.10.</NOTE> <HI>He that ploweth ploweth in hope;</HI> or el&s;e the &s;harpne&s;s of the &s;ea&s;on and the hardne&s;s of the labour would make him &s;it &s;till. <HI>Hanun,</HI> that had &s;o villainou&s;|ly entreated <HI>David</HI>'s Me&s;&s;engers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sa. 10.6.</NOTE> &s;aw he had done &s;o vilely, that his Action &s;tank in the No&s;trills of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and all his Neigh|bours, that he had no way but to prepare for War: So &s;inners, when they look up|on their &s;tate as de&s;perate, they are likeli|e&s;t to go on, as if they were tied to make it out, and to &s;tand, or fall by it. <HI>Themi&s;to|cles</HI> would at any time make his Enemy a Bridge of Gold to fly away upon, rather then force them to fight. When a &s;inner &s;ees no hope of quarter, he hath much ado to yield to be &s;lain, but rather being de|&s;perate, if he be without hopes of life, he will &s;ell his life as dear as he can. A Soldier in the Army, that had a mortall Di&s;ea&s;e upon him, was ob&s;erved to look like death, and yet to fight mo&s;t valiantly, the Emperour took him for his Valour, and had his di&s;temper &s;earched into, and he became cured: After this, he was not ob|&s;erved to be &s;o daring and venturous, as before; The Emperour asked him the rea|&s;on, he &s;aid, Before he lookt upon him&s;elf as a dying man, and therefore mattered not to have been killed, but now his Di&s;|ea&s;e
<PB N="34" REF="35">was cured, he would take more care, for he had a life to &s;ave now, as well as another. So when &s;inners think they have done that already, that cannot be forgiven, that mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily ruine them without redemption; it rather makes them more de&s;perate in the charges and on-&s;et in their cour&s;es, but if once they &s;ee hopes of life dawn, they will not be &s;o prodigall of their Souls, becau&s;e they think they may e&s;cape, as well as another. God hath for the &s;ame rea&s;on made you way enough to come off upon, golden Bridges to retreat on, which may put life into your re&s;olu|tions for a &s;paring cour&s;e in &s;in, and to come off by repentance. <HI>Thy repentance would &s;trengthen thy Hopes, thy Hopes draw on thy Repentance.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>R</HI> 4.</NOTE> <HI>Not to hope,</HI> or to de&s;paire, though in the&s;e &s;treights about &s;in, <HI>is &s;o purely fle&s;hly and carnall,</HI> &s;avouring of that emnity that is naturally in our hearts again&s;t God, as we would little think. <HI>Rank fle&s;h</HI> it is, as can be.</P>
<P N="1">1. Thou ha&s;t &s;inned, and thou knowe&s;t thou ha&s;t cau&s;e <HI>to think ill of thy &s;elf,</HI> and thou art <HI>loath to think &s;o well of God,</HI> as that he is notwith&s;tanding ready to pardon. A|mong Men u&s;ually we &s;ee a want of Grace in men that do wrong, and &s;o as much want of Grace in others, that they cannot &s;uffer it: and &s;o the Party offending wat|ches
<PB N="35" REF="35">to cover his own vilene&s;s in affront|ing, by the others fury and impatience up|on the reception of it. And &s;o thou know|e&s;t thy &s;elf to have done ba&s;ely, and thou art loath to aggravate thy &s;in &s;o far, as to think thou ha&s;t &s;inned again&s;t a God that is ready to pardon. Thou would&s;t either trample upon patience, or deny it;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>Not knowing that the goodne&s;s of God leadeth thee to repentance.</HI> Oh! to &s;ee God &s;o ready to forgive, and thou &s;o ready to &s;in: thou &s;o ea&s;ily to forget him, and he &s;o hardly for|getting thee; thou &s;o treacherous, and he &s;o gracious: Oh! how unlike are God and we? how might it break thy heart to con&s;ider it? But we are apt to &s;tudy to di&s;parage, at lea&s;t, we would not honour, the party we injure.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou art <HI>hath to be &s;o beholden to him,</HI> as to think of hopes of pardon; hope implies pre&s;ent need and poverty: thou art loath to &s;ubmit, and &s;tande&s;t rather on thy ju&s;tification, would&s;t fain come off up|on another &s;core, then that of a pardon on thy knees: men are very loath to &s;ubmit to free Grace, no &s;mall matter to have that inward &s;en&s;e of wretchedne&s;s, as rea|dily to run out after &s;alvation <HI>for Gods &s;ake.</HI> There is a carnall enmity in the heart a|gain&s;t Chri&s;ts &s;overaignty, thou would&s;t not be <HI>Conquered,</HI> but &s;tand for thy Native Priviledge; truly loath to &s;toop &s;o low
<PB N="36" REF="36">as to take a pardon at his hands. And is not this &s;in of an high nature? Is this a temper to be indulged? there is the high|e&s;t pride in de&s;pair that looks &s;o low.</P>
<P N="3">3. This di&s;pair is pure Carnality; for thou <HI>oft doubte&s;t at the promi&s;e,</HI> when <HI>in truth thou &s;tumble&s;t at the Condition:</HI> thou had&s;t rather de&s;pair then repent; thou thinke&s;t God will not pardon, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t a mind &s;till to &s;in: thus would&s;t thou make thy choice a nece&s;&s;ity, to delight thy &s;elf in thy cour&s;e, and ca&s;t the blame of it other-where. Thou &s;ay&s;t, <HI>there is no hope,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 2.25.</NOTE> when in truth thou ha&s;t no mind. There is no hope, and why no hope? <HI>For I have followed after other Lovers, and after them I will go.</HI> I have no hope in this way, becau&s;e I am re&s;olved another, that's the true rea&s;on of it. Who is apt to think there is any hope in altering, in a bu&s;ine&s;s he hath a mind to be as it is? Obedience is the thing we &s;tick at, we have under|neath a love to &s;in, and &s;o would cover it, with this pretence, that there is no hope, if we &s;hould repent. Men that would clear their &s;incerity in their troubles, might do well to lay a&s;ide their &s;in in the fir&s;t place, and after to get hopes as they can: but many times per&s;ons cry out of their hopele&s;s condition, when &s;ecretly they hug their &s;in &s;till. God &s;ayes, <HI>Turn yee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.</NOTE> <HI>turn yee, why will yee die?</HI> It is not an|&s;wered
<PB N="37" REF="36">again, we mu&s;t die, therefore why &s;hould we turn? No, you are re&s;olved to live in your &s;in, and this de&s;pair mu&s;t be your pretence for &s;o doing; of &s;uch a na|ture and &s;avour many times is this our much dejection and con&s;ternation in the Soul, &s;uch unthought of pride and carnali|ty is cheri&s;hed and indulged under the no|tion of &s;elf-humiliation: but men &s;hould cheri&s;h their hopes for the&s;e rea&s;ons.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The U&s;e of the Ob&s;ervation to the un-converted, tending to the &s;tartling of Sinners out of their &s;ecurity.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>WE &s;hall endeavour to apply this Ob&s;ervation;</P>
<P N="1">1. To tho&s;e that are un-converted, and this under a threefold de&s;ign.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. To rou&s;e them from their &s;ecu|rity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To inform them of the truth of their e&s;tate.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. To per&s;wade them from Impeni|tency.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="38" REF="37">
<P N="1">1. <HI>To rou&s;e Sinners from their &s;ecurity.</HI> Sinners &s;hould take notice of their hopes: now carnall men are not yet come into a capacity of hoping, they lea&s;t que&s;tion their e&s;tate of any; they conclude their condition good at fir&s;t, do not que&s;tion but it mu&s;t go well with them: to tell them there are hopes about them, is to make them wor&s;e then they were, to put a doubt in that, wherein hitherto they have made none at all: to tell you, it is not <HI>impo&s;&s;ible,</HI> but you may go to Heaven, there may be hopes, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> it is uncouth to you; you wonder we do not peremptorily conclude on the bu&s;ine&s;s: like a man that is not &s;en|&s;ible of his &s;ickne&s;s, and the Phy&s;itian tels him, that he may happen recover: you doubt your &s;alvation lea&s;t of all, but let me tell you, if there be hopes of you, that is all: we would by this Doctrine rai&s;e up &s;ome mens hopes, &s;o we mu&s;t take down others confidence: I would all that are a|bove it were brought down to good hopes; &s;o be it, all that are below it, were but brought up &s;o far. And therefore to &s;tartle &s;uch as you are; take notice that for that great and dreadfull ca&s;e of your eternall Salvation, <HI>hopes are all:</HI> but there is a world of danger.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>If you knew but what is in you,</HI> you would &s;ee that hope was fair for one in your condition. Alas, there is enough
<PB N="39" REF="37">done, if you never do more, to make thee mi&s;erable at this very pre&s;ent, if God do but open thine eyes: poor Creature! thou art bu&s;ie healing thy &s;elf out to fin, but God looks on thee all the while; but if God let thee but &s;ee, that he hath looked on, how would thy pre&s;ent condition af|fright thee? <HI>This witne&s;s would make thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 24.7.</NOTE> <HI>as in the terrour of the &s;hadow of death:</HI> If God did but take up thy lying, &s;wearing, Sabbath-breaking, the neglect of the la&s;t Duty, and one of the&s;e &s;ins &s;et on by the Spirit of God, would put thee into fear &s;ufficient, and it would be well, if the fin that at pre&s;ent is too little to repent of, be not pre&s;ently too great in thy eyes to be forgiven, <HI>when ever God &s;ets thy &s;in in order,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 50.21.</NOTE> there will fearfull matter enough be found again&s;t thee, to make thee &s;toop, and be beholden dearly to a little hope. Alas, take carnall hearts in the wholes, and there is nothing between them and the greate&s;t terrour imaginable but a little blindne&s;s and ignorance of their mi&s;e|rable condition. If you did but &s;ee your &s;elves ju&s;t as you are, it is well if you could hope; a&s;&s;ure your &s;elves the root of terrour and angui&s;h is in you, and that &s;ome are troubled, it is not becau&s;e their conditions are not &s;o good as yours, but their Con&s;ciences are more tender, and they cannot &s;wallow a bad and fearfull
<PB N="40" REF="38">&s;tate as you can: the matter of all terrour is ready with thee, thou artready charged, it is but Gods priming, and putting fire to, and thou needs not &s;tir a foot to fetch in mi&s;ery unutterable; all thy mirth may be at an end, there is enough done, nothing but the dropping of a Scale from thine eye and thy Flames are ready about thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou may&s;t be glad of the news of hope, for at pre&s;ent I may blank thee, <HI>thou art not in the way that thou can&s;t po&s;&s;ibly be &s;aved in:</HI> things are &s;o far out with thee, that there is not yet any &s;hew of a founda|tion layd in thee for any hopes of thee, thou do&s;t not doubt at all of being &s;aved, and I &s;ay thou may&s;t be &s;aved; but let this &s;tartle thee towards a change, this way thou art in will never do it, men never went to Heaven this way, it is a Road that will never lead thither, there is nothing done yet that will &s;ecure thee from eter|nall ruine:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.9.</NOTE> <HI>be not deceived,</HI> what ever &s;uch as you may be &s;o mad to think, be it known to you, you cannot inherit the Kingdome of God. If you indulge your &s;elves in known &s;in, this way will put you be&s;ides all hopes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 3.36.</NOTE> <HI>He that believeth not;</HI> that is, is not converted to believe, he needs do no more for falling into wrath, he is born to it already, the wrath of God never removes from over that per&s;on, his e&s;tate is of wrath: <HI>The wrath of God abideth on
<PB N="41" REF="38">him;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.18</NOTE> <HI>the wrath of God is revealed from Hea|ven again&s;t all unrighteou&s;ne&s;s of men.</HI> It is not confidence of your condition that will make it good; &s;ure that man hath no rea|&s;on to &s;it &s;till, or to think he hath nothing to do, when he hath yet nothing done to|wards his &s;alvation, and the way wherein he is will be his ruine; thou hope&s;t fairly for Heaven, when thou art in the way that never any went to Heaven in.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Thou may&s;t &s;oon be at thy Journeys end,</HI> and at thy reckoning, to make u&s;e of all the hope thou ha&s;t; there may be <HI>but a &s;tep</HI> (for ought thou knowe&s;t) <HI>between thee, and death.</HI> Alas,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sa. 20.3.</NOTE> it is but getting a Cold, and falling &s;ick, and dying, and then thou com&s;t to tryall, <HI>for all the things done in the fle&s;h.</HI> It may take thee with a did|dering and &s;haking, and thou may&s;t (for any thing any body can tell) begin to &s;hake for Hell. Oh! thou that art at peace, and dwelle&s;t at ea&s;e, how &s;oon may thy mi&s;ery come armed upon thee? Thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t &s;o low a rate as hope: why? A|las! if God &s;et but Death before thee, thou wilt &s;ee thy &s;elf be-&s;et as the <HI>Benjamites; Thou knowe&s;t not that evill was neer thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jud. 20.34</NOTE> and behold, thou art be-&s;et on all &s;ides; an ill life behind thee, and Hell before thee. Oh! what will become of thee? <HI>For the wicked man God hath whet his Sword, he hath bent his Bow, made all ready.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 111.</NOTE> Thou may&s;t
<PB N="42" REF="39">not yet be &s;trucken: The Bird yet alive, but fire ready to &s;trike. Alas, it is but Gods putting in any of the Creatures into the Writ, to be his Officer, to Arre&s;t thee and to ca&s;t thee <HI>into pri&s;on,</HI> and <HI>verily thou &s;halt not come out thence, till thou ha&s;t payd the utmo&s;t Farthing;</HI> and that will never be, if you ever be &s;o mi&s;erable, as to make the Experiment of it: therefore thou ha&s;t cau&s;e to &s;tartle, <HI>thy death may be neer, and thy Death may prove thy Hell.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>There is but one way in all the world for thee to come off upon,</HI> and that a very narrow one; you do not think your condition &s;o dangerous, that you are within one, by many pleas, for your &s;alvation: but &s;o it is, that if Conver&s;ion help not, you are &s;ure for e&s;caping, you are undone for ever, thou art upon a narrow point, if thou could&s;t &s;ee it. <HI>It is Gods Record, that he giveth eternall life,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Jo. 5.11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>and this life is in his Son.</HI> No other way but by Chri&s;t to have eter|nall life: Sure you mu&s;t many of you, ei|ther find many waies to Heaven and Hap|pine&s;s, or el&s;e you mu&s;t tremble to think your &s;elves out of this way, when there is none but this one.</P>
<P>Weigh the&s;e things well, and &s;ee whe|ther here be not cau&s;e for you to tremble, and if that a me&s;&s;age of hope would not do well.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="43" REF="39">
<HEAD>CAP. VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Further tending to enform &s;everall &s;orts of Sinners, especially of the dangerou&s;ne&s;s of their pre|&s;ent &s;tation; how little Hopes, and upon what terms only, there are any hopes, of &s;undry &s;orts of Men.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="2">2. THis may inform you of the truth about your E&s;tate and Condition; we may tell you,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Of &s;ome Conditions that are very and much more dangerous then others.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Of &s;ome that are very hopele&s;s a|bove others.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. What our hopes are of any of you.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. Of &s;ome Conditions that <HI>are very dangerous, and le&s;s hopefull.</HI> Oh! there is little hopes, and therefore beware of the&s;e Sinners e&s;tates, <HI>fly from the Tents of the&s;e men.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 16.26.</NOTE></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Of an old Sinner,</HI> &s;uch are rarely con|verted, &s;in rivetted, and twice natured to them: &s;uch as the&s;e are many times very ignorant, and deeply conceited of their
<PB N="44" REF="40">wi&s;dome, and their parts decayed, and &s;o out of a capacity of attaining &s;aving know|ledge; old men are hardly turned, rarely born again: to take <HI>Nicodemus</HI> his doubt literally, <HI>Can a man be born again when he is old?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo 3.4.</NOTE> God knows it &s;eldome comes to pa&s;s, Oh, therefore look to it in your young time, this is the &s;owing time, this is the be&s;t &s;ea&s;on:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10.5</NOTE> little hopes of an old Sin|ner.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Of a worldly Profe&s;&s;or.</HI> Oh, much dan|ger of &s;uch a one, the world holds their heart from Chri&s;t, and their Profe&s;&s;ion keeps convictions of their hearts, the World &s;teals the Soul for Hell, and Pro|fe&s;&s;ion keeps the Watch, that the Theft is un-di&s;covered till all be lo&s;t, the World is enough to damn thee, and thy Profe&s;&s;ion enough to &s;ecure thee in the way of dam|nation; the World &s;atisfies thy Lu&s;t, and Profe&s;&s;ion thy Con&s;cience, and &s;o thou art mo&s;t certainly bound for de&s;truction, if God do not by &s;trong hand fetch thee out. Our Saviour &s;aies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.23.</NOTE> <HI>How hard is it for a rich man to enter into Heaven?</HI> Ea&s;ie for a rich man to profe&s;s Religion, but hard for him &s;avingly to be religious; ea&s;ie for him to do nothing &s;o well, as to po&s;t to Hell and de&s;truction. Oh, look to it all of you, this, by this hath many faln, &s;ecretly and &s;urely &s;toln their ruine: it is the mo&s;t qui|et, &s;ecure, &s;weet, triumphing &s;ure way to
<PB N="45" REF="40">Hell that a man can go. As Mr. <HI>Bradford</HI> &s;aid of Martyrdome for Heaven, &s;o I may &s;ay of Worldline&s;s under Profe&s;&s;ion, if there be a way <HI>to Hell on Hor&s;e-back,</HI> this is it: If thou have taken up Profe&s;&s;ion, and yet in heart love&s;t the World, thy Condi|tion is very dangerous; when the Word and Mini&s;try would come to heal thee, thou &s;alve&s;t thy &s;elf by thy Profe&s;&s;ion, and wilt not be the carnall man, when &s;uch a one is &s;poken to, and yet love&s;t the World carnally and damnably, and wilt ruine thy &s;elf this way. And thus covertly keepe&s;t thy heart wicked, to go to Hell with them when thou die&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Of an Apo&s;tate Heretick.</HI> Oh, &s;uch as the&s;e are hardly &s;aved, if &s;aved at all,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.15.</NOTE> <HI>yet &s;o as by fire;</HI> a &s;tick that is in the fire may e&s;cape with &s;cortching, if catched before kindled. They are many of them given up to <HI>&s;trong delu&s;ions,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2.11, 12.</NOTE> to the efficacy of Delu&s;ions, that they may believe Lyes, and all this in the end to be damned. The&s;e poor Wretches if &s;aved at all, we &s;ave them with fear, as plucking them out of the fire, Hell-fire being ready to kindle on them, by the light of which they &s;eem to walk, while they are here. O! fly the Tents of the&s;e wicked men, who&s;e &s;tate is &s;o dangerous.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Of a Death-bed Penitent.</HI> Oh! this &s;tate is very hazardous, men then to have
<PB N="46" REF="41">all their work to do, and undo, when they are unfit to do any thing, and can have &s;o little certainty of their own reality in any thing they profe&s;s, then to de&s;ire to do. A man may in fear of Death &s;eem to ca&s;t a|way his &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In&s;tructions to afflicted Con&s;cien|ces.</NOTE> and think verily him&s;elf he doth do it, and yet if he recover, be as ready to take it up as ever, which eviden|ces the little hold a man can have of his own heart at &s;uch a time. Mr. <HI>Bolton</HI> tels of a Thief that was condemned, and &s;eem|ed &s;o penitent while under the Sentence of Death, that &s;ome, out of hopes of his reall Conver&s;ion, beg'd his life: and this man was within two years after Executed for &s;tealing again. The&s;e Experiences make us very little &s;atisfied in any profe&s;&s;ions of Repentance at Death, after a gro&s;ly wick|ed Life; God may honour him&s;elf by your acknowledgment of him, and choo&s;ing to die in his way, and our Charity is bound up, and we leave you, not determining of your ca&s;e, but our Charity will not certi|fie for you, to make good your entrance into life, you may be judged for all this according to your life, and be eternally undone: It is good repenting therefore, when a man knows what he doth, what he him&s;elf means, which on a &s;ick Bed one cannot do. It is poor going for any man into another World, with that prepara|tion only, that a &s;ick Bed can furni&s;h him with.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="41">
<P N="2">2. Yet there be &s;ome Conditions, not only le&s;s hopefull then others, but quite <HI>in a manner hopele&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Of <HI>a Profe&s;&s;or that turns Per&s;ecuter.</HI> Oh, this is very high, when men leave God and revolt to the other &s;ide; it is no mean wickedne&s;s will &s;erve their turn, as the <HI>Phi|li&s;tims</HI> &s;aid of <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sa. 29.4.</NOTE> <HI>How &s;hall he recon|cile him&s;elf to his Ma&s;ter, but by the heads of the&s;e men?</HI> So how &s;hall this man be taken to heart in <HI>Satans</HI> Army, unle&s;s he reco|ver his Credit by more open Ho&s;tility, then ever he did act in before. No <HI>Turk</HI> &s;o bad as the <HI>Renegado</HI> Chri&s;tian, and &s;urely this is &s;uch an high Indignity to Chri&s;t, and the Spirit of Grace: this is &s;uch a <HI>de|&s;pight,</HI> &s;uch <HI>a trampling under foot the pre|cious blood of the Covenant,</HI> that &s;uch a one &s;eldome or never recovers. A Back-&s;lider may return, but then he &s;tops there: but a Back-&s;liding Per&s;ecutor he goes &s;o far the other way, that there is &s;carce any room for him to turn on. Mr. <HI>Latimer</HI> tells of one in his time that de&s;paired, that had once been a Profe&s;&s;or; and after mocked at the Truth, judging that he had &s;in'd a|gain&s;t the Holy-gho&s;t, and how he bad him go home to his Prayers, and he would to his Study; and another day tell him what he thought: For (&s;aies he) I un|der&s;tood it well enough, but could not well declare it, but I will bungle at it as
<PB N="48" REF="42">well as I can: and &s;o he an&s;wered, and after a&s;&s;erted in the ca&s;e: that <HI>Privilegium paucorum non de&s;truit regulam univer&s;alem;</HI> This man (&s;aies he) I knew that repen|ted, and many to have done as he did; and yet never a one returned but he. We would endeavour to find a Door open for &s;uch to get out at, if they got repentance; but u&s;ually &s;uch engage &s;o far, that they come hardly to repent. A Per&s;ecuter at fir&s;t hand may be converted, but one of the&s;e God &s;eldome gives repentance to, that he may turn again: and this is but too common a thing, which I mention, to make men tremble that are &s;ecure and carele&s;s, as too many are; that at fir&s;t, when (it may be) they were low in the World, they profe&s;&s;ed Religion, but when gotten a little great and rich, they begin to &s;light their Profe&s;&s;ion, and &s;tick not to mock and &s;coff at the be&s;t people, though (it may be) under the notion of &s;uch a Party, di&s;&s;enting from the wor&s;er &s;ort in &s;ome Di&s;ciplinary Controver&s;le, but this will not excu&s;e their hatred and affront to Religion it &s;elf, and men may &s;oon engage further, then they can ea&s;ily come off in &s;uch a de&s;perate cour&s;e: and therefore let them that have profe&s;&s;ed, beware what they do, they bring an evill report upon Religion, they advance the Devils King|dome, they harden many to their ruine,
<PB N="49" REF="42">and fearfully bar out their own repen|tance: If you do go off, beware to take heed how far you go: of all kind of Sinners beware of being a Per&s;ecuter, and of all Per&s;ecuters, let the Apo&s;tate Per&s;ecuter look about him.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>A man that for&s;akes the publick Ordi|nances,</HI> prophanely, or otherwi&s;e, there is little or no hopes of: the Ordinances are the Means, which God doth ordinarily u&s;e to make men better by; and therefore this is a &s;in of an high nature, becau&s;e it is a|gain&s;t the Means of being changed. This made Mr. <HI>Latimer</HI> &s;ay, Come to Church if it be but to &s;leep there, for God may take thee napping; the Mini&s;ter may awake thee, if there, and God may together with it awaken thy Soul: if you lye in Chri&s;ts way, there is hopes; if you be about the Pool, though you cannot get in, yet you may be healed: but when men go quite out of all high waies, their Conditions are heavily markt out for dangerous. Alas! it is &s;ome more then ordinary &s;ervice and &s;ecurity the Devill de&s;igns from you, if he prevail upon you this way, to get you care|le&s;s of Ordinances, and to get a trick of idling at home on the <HI>Sabbath day.</HI> If men be wicked, yet if they go to the publick Ordinances, the Devill is not &s;o &s;ure of a|ny of them: a word &s;et on by Preaching, may drive him out of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the ve|ry
<PB N="50" REF="43">wor&s;t of you; and therefore when he de&s;igns to have &s;ome more then ordinary &s;ecurity of you, that you &s;hall be true to his &s;ervice, and be his for ever, never to over-run his Colours, he would break you off from Ordinances, and then he needs look no more after you, unle&s;s it be to &s;et you on &s;ome eminent Piece of Work for him, which only &s;uch a one is fit for. He may have hopes of many that go to Church; that he &s;hall light of a good &s;hare of them, but this puts him to pains, and he is oft made to be-&s;tir him&s;elf, &s;ince the Ordinances of God make Batteries on his Holds, and he is lyable to be turned at e|very Sermon, out of &s;ome heart, and Sinners by long Sieges may be forced to yield: but when he knows he hath a &s;trong Garri&s;on within, and hath removed them from all Leagures, he may leave that Soul, and find it at any time &s;afe e|nough to him.</P>
<P>We in Chri&s;ts behalf, what Promi&s;es &s;oever any make to us, can have no &s;ecu|rity of you, if you keep &s;till in loo&s;e and bad Company: No more can he have hold of any for Hell, as long as &s;till they are frequenting Publick Ordinances.</P>
<P>And tho&s;e that do thus, he doth not on|ly de&s;ign to be &s;ure of them, but he in|tends &s;ome more then ordinary Service from them; the&s;e men are like to &s;erve
<PB N="51" REF="43">him in any thing he puts upon them, they keep out of the way of having any thing to hinder them. What is there to hinder the vile&s;t thought of taking place? of Corruption ri&s;ing to an height in the heart? go to the Church and &s;ome word may meet it, and give check to it, that if men be wicked, yet they cannot afford to be &s;o very wicked: but when he hath you out of the noi&s;e, of the word, <HI>no Voyce be|hind you,</HI> to tell you of another way, you know not what wickedne&s;s you &s;hall &s;top at. Thus have I heard of, and known &s;ome, that have ended their daies on the Gallows, that have confe&s;&s;ed, that the fir&s;t &s;tep towards that Ignominious Death, hath been their <HI>Sabbath</HI>-breaking. When men dare turn their backs on Gods Ordi|nances, and &s;it at home, it is hard to think what Meditations they may have at home; nay, what for vilene&s;s and wretchedne&s;s may they not have? Sure <HI>Satan</HI> hath a de&s;ign to take you from Gods teaching, that he may have you in &s;ecret, and on Gods own Day, to teach you wholly at home. <HI>If idling at home be thy Sabbath|daies work, no marvail, if Thieving, Whore|dome, and what not be thy Sabbath-daies Me|ditations?</HI> Alas! it is not a matter of Cloaths.</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ja. 2.1.2, 3 4, 5.</NOTE> God hath enjoyned us not to be par|tiall in our &s;elves, and to judge <HI>after evill
<PB N="52" REF="44">Thoughts;</HI> a poor man in vile Rayment, in ca&s;e of Conte&s;t, is not to be under-va|lued, but to be equally admini&s;tred to in a way of Ju&s;tice, as the rich man in co&s;tly Apparell, <HI>with his Gold Ring on his Fin|ger,</HI> and if you come into the&s;e A&s;&s;emblies, much more, we &s;hall be as glad to &s;ee you as greater men, and as much de&s;ire the Salvation of your Souls.</P>
<P N="2">2. Sure it is a greater &s;hame to &s;tay at home needle&s;ly, then to appear at Church in the poore&s;t Rayment.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Divell will venture to teach you in Rags.</P>
<P N="4">4. And be&s;ides, &s;ee what a De&s;ign the Divell hath carried on again&s;t you: it may be, you have been of better fa&s;hion a|mong your Neighbours, and you have drunk your &s;elves out of your Cloaths, your former going to Church hath not hindred your loo&s;e living, and now he hath brought you to beggery, and &s;o a&s;hamed to go to Church at all, and now he may do what he will with you.</P>
<P N="5">5. But when you come to die, and find the want of what you &s;hould die with, and this upon your Con&s;ciences, that you neg|lected the means of getting it, what a rage will this leave you in?</P>
<P N="6">6. And be&s;ides all this, the Damned in Hell, if they might have leave to come to the Ordinances, would make it no matter
<PB N="53" REF="44">of Cloaths; they would be glad to hear a Sermon for the good of their Soules, though in the poore&s;t Cloaths that ever man wore.</P>
<P>But men that do thus, there is the lea&s;t hopes po&s;&s;ibly of them of any again. And tho&s;e that leave the publick Ordinances out of Con&s;cience, their Condition is no better, they are to lead the Divels Van, they are gone through Profe&s;&s;ion to the Divels Camp on the other &s;ide. <HI>They frame mi&s;chief by a Law:</HI> They for&s;ake A&s;&s;emblies, and ju&s;tifie it, and doubly af|front the Ordinance of Chri&s;t; and the&s;e are more unlike to return to the A&s;&s;em|blies again, and as &s;ure as any, to feel the damning effects of their neglect of them. This for tho&s;e that are very hopele&s;s.</P>
<P>But thirdly, We may &s;hew, <HI>what our hopes are of any of you,</HI> that are yet vile and live in &s;in: Why, truly we may, to affect your hearts with it, open our very hearts to you about your E&s;tate; As indeed it were but rea&s;onable, that you &s;hould ask your Mini&s;ters advice about your Condi|tion; you are not apt to tru&s;t your A&s;&s;u|rance for your E&s;tates, without the advice of your Lawyer: For your bodily Health, you are willing to ask the Phy&s;itian, and and very earne&s;tly &s;ometimes de&s;ire him to tell you, what he thinks of you, both becau&s;e you judge the matter is Impor|tant
<PB N="54" REF="45">and that their skill in the bu&s;ine&s;s is rather to be tru&s;ted then yours, &s;ince better ver&s;t in it: and how comes it, that the Mi|ni&s;ter is &s;o &s;eldome Con&s;ulted with in the ca&s;e of the immortall Soul? is it becau&s;e the matter is of le&s;s Concernment, or you have skill enough to judge your &s;elves? Or that Mini&s;ters are to no man|ner of purpo&s;e? As for the u&s;e that a great many make of them, they were the need|le&s;&s;e&s;t Officers that ever were &s;et on foot) or intruth, is it becau&s;e you lea&s;t matter this bu&s;ine&s;s of any? But we may in faithful|ne&s;s tell you, what our thoughts are of you <HI>Gratis:</HI> Sure we may &s;ay of the very vile|le&s;t that hear us, there is hopes; and we tell you in our God, <HI>we have hopes of you,</HI> of the vile&s;t Drunkard, unclean, prophane per&s;on in the Congregation; thus far it may be it <HI>plea&s;eth you,</HI> and we &s;hall en|deavour your <HI>profit,</HI> as much in what we &s;hall &s;ay further. We have &s;ome kind of hopes about you, whil&s;t we con&s;ider.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That it is out of ignorance, that any of you do as you do,</HI> if you knew what you did, you would clo&s;e with Chri&s;t pre&s;ently. <HI>The God of this World blinds your eyes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.4</NOTE> <HI>that the glorious light of the Go&s;pell</HI> breaks not in pre|vailingly upon you.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That yet we may &s;ee a day of the wor&s;t of you,</HI> God may turn you; There is none of you, that mo&s;t grieve us at pre&s;ent, but
<PB N="55" REF="45">God can make you to &s;eek <HI>our Beloved with us:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Caut. 6.1. Gal. 1. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> God can make us <HI>glorifie God in you,</HI> that you &s;hould profe&s;s the way, that &s;ometimes you have per&s;ecuted: we are thinking &s;ometimes at &s;ome of you, that are &s;o zealou&s;ly &s;et for &s;in, mad again&s;t the people of God, that endeavour &s;o ear|ne&s;tly to &s;erve &s;in, that you are but cutting out an example, what manner of &s;erious Chri&s;tians you mu&s;t be, when God turns you. Oh! this will be a rare Motive to put you on, when you come in, to <HI>labour more abundantly then all,</HI> becau&s;e you &s;tand out &s;o long, and have done &s;o much the o|ther way. We delight our &s;elves in our God, to think what men you will be, when God works this Change upon you: And all this wickedne&s;s is but to cut you out a Copy of high Endeavours in the right way when you return. God can &s;end home <HI>One|&s;imus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 6.20.</NOTE> that he may depart for a &s;ea&s;on, to return home for ever into Chri&s;ts po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion. This is the wor&s;t we wi&s;h you, and this we hope in, and it is that which God can by his mighty power work at the tur|ning of his hand; This de&s;pi&s;ed way, God can make any of you a Profe&s;&s;or of it, when he plea&s;eth: And this might by a <HI>&s;ide-blow</HI> in the mean time &s;trike upon your Con&s;ciences, if God be plea&s;ed to &s;et in with it, what hopes you can have in the way you are in, when our hopes of you is
<PB N="56" REF="46">to &s;ee you out of it: Mini&s;ters, thou mai&s;t &s;ay, have hopes of me, but not in the way I am in, how dare I then hope in this way? or why &s;hould I dare to go on in it, if it be a way I mu&s;t leave, If I de&s;ign Salva|tion? The Lord help you and your thoughts herein, for this will verily prove ju&s;t as we &s;ay.</P>
<P N="3">3. This we know of you, <HI>that if you re|pent not, God will</HI> own his own way, and <HI>you mu&s;t never do well,</HI> if you repent not: We know thus far of the wor&s;t of You, that if You knew what You did, You would never &s;tand out, and that if God &s;et for it, it is not You that can &s;tand out: and this we have further for our own encou|ragement in re&s;pect of the event concern|ing You, whether You will come in, or no, we know not, <HI>but this we know, if ever you do well, you mu&s;t come in:</HI> If ever You be &s;aved, You mu&s;t turn to Chri&s;t, we may have Your companie yet in Gods way, as aver&s;e as You are; and it mu&s;t be &s;o, or Your Souls to all eternity mu&s;t pay for it; and therefore we re&s;olve to &s;tick where we are, knowing that all that will do well, mu&s;t take the &s;ame cour&s;e, and &s;eek Chri&s;t as we do: but for the cour&s;e You are in, if You intend to perevere in it, there is no hopes for You, if You will not repent and turn to Chri&s;t, we will never ask the Lord to &s;hew mercy to You; we will beg re|pentance
<PB N="57" REF="46">for You, or we dare not beg mercy, for he will only &s;hew mercy to the Penitent.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 58.5.</NOTE> <HI>Be not mercifull to any wick|ed Tran&s;gre&s;&s;or:</HI> Prayers made by &s;uch a one as <HI>David,</HI> are Prophetick Determina|tions, God will not be mercifull to any wicked Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors; Sinners that go on in &s;in, that will not <HI>repent, to give God the Glory,</HI> they are &s;ure to reap the fruit of their doings, God will not &s;hew mercy on them. For You in this way to be fa|ved. Con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. It is <HI>against Gods truth,</HI> God hath declared the contrary, and think whether You have not ca&s;t Your matters on a nar|row mi&s;erable Point, that you mu&s;t ei|ther be damned, or the mo&s;t holy One of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> make him&s;elf a Lyar.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. It is <HI>again&s;t his admirable contri|vance,</HI> in this way he hath appointed, wherein only Mercy and Ju&s;tice is recon|ciled: and is it likely, that he will go out of this Glorious way, to &s;ave thee in a way of thine own?</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. It is <HI>again&s;t all rea&s;on</HI> that men &s;hould be &s;aved in a way of their own, that will not be &s;aved in Gods way: Is it rea&s;on, that God, or You &s;hould appoint a way of Reconcilement? Or doth God &s;o gain by Your Salvation? Or is he &s;ure to lo&s;e &s;o by Your ruine? That if he cannot have You up to his terme, he mu&s;t needs come
<PB N="58" REF="47">down to Yours. Oh! my Brethren do not You believe this, venture not Your precious Souls on &s;uch de&s;perate &s;en&s;le&s;s Pre&s;umptions. And therefore now You &s;ee what You are like to tru&s;t to, if You would know what hopes there is of You. Why, what do You intend to do? it is at Your own &s;elves:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 58.5.</NOTE> <HI>If you will frame your waies and your doings, to turn to the Lord:</HI> There is riches of Mercie to receive You; and great hopes of You; but if You in|tend to per&s;i&s;t in the cour&s;e you are in, &s;peak no more of the bu&s;ine&s;s, it is impo&s;|&s;ible. If God can cea&s;e to be true, wi&s;e, and ju&s;t, then thou in Impenitencie mai&s;t be &s;aved. What! a man be &s;aved in his Impenitencie? do not, Lord do not do it, &s;aies the holie man.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>But this &s;hall &s;uffice in the &s;econd part of this U&s;e, for the Information of wicked men of their &s;everall dangerous E&s;tates.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="59" REF="47">
<HEAD>CAP. VII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The truth improved again&s;t the im|penitency of wicked men, to per|&s;wade them to come in.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="3">3. LEt this then be improved again&s;t your impenitency;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Motives.</NOTE> Since there might be Hopes if you repent, be per&s;wa|ded to repent and turne from the &s;infull wretched cour&s;e, that you are in, Oh! leave your &s;ins. <HI>Turne ye, turne ye, why will yee dye?</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider what an hopefull condition yours might be, if you would turne.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. How hopefull in re&s;pect of your reconciliation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Of the con&s;equences of it.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="60" REF="48">
<LIST>
<ITEM>&mdash; Hopes of Reconciliation</ITEM>
<ITEM>&mdash; Hopes from Reconciliation</ITEM>
<ITEM>Hopes of your reconciliation. In that &mdash;</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Chri&s;t &s;tands ready to receive you,</HI> if you will but come in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 38.18. Ezek. 33.11.</NOTE> <HI>he waiteth to be gra|tious; he will glorifie him&s;elfe to &s;hew mercy:</HI> how &s;olemnly he prote&s;ts! he de&s;ires not your death, per&s;wades you to turne, he &s;tretches out his hand all the day long un|to you: his heart is not <HI>to be wrought</HI> to an inclitation to be friends with you, it is wrought already; he hath been u&s;ed to de&s;perate cures, &s;uch fe&s;tred &s;ores, to &s;uch worthle&s;s adventures; he is gratious and ready to forgive, this is a great advan|tage, He &s;tands ready for your comming, there needs no preparing of him, he is al|waies ready, the change is only re&s;ting at thee, if thou woulde&s;t be drawne to come.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>All your former waies may be forgiven un|to you;</HI> he will not <HI>remember again&s;t you your former iniquities,</HI> you have gone on in re|bellion thus long, lay down your armes now, all that is pa&s;t &s;hall be forgotten, <HI>he will remember ogain&s;t you your &s;ins no more.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43.25. Ezek. 33.12. to the 17.</NOTE> If you will come in, your former waies &s;hall not be remembred, the Lord will make no difference between thee and the re&s;t of his &s;ubjects, thou &s;halt not be op|pre&s;t with &s;u&s;pitions and jealou&s;ies, nor
<PB N="61" REF="48">upon every occa&s;ion be attached; but &s;halt have the freedom of another &s;ubject <HI>Mi|cah.</HI> 7, 18, 19.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He 1.8.12.</NOTE> <HI>I will be mercifull to their un|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and their &s;ins and their iniqui|ties will I remember no more,</HI> Oh! what a mercy would this be to you, to have all the&s;e fearfull &s;cores, cancelled, all the&s;e debts payd; which if you come to reckon for your &s;elves, would prove your undo|ings: It is &s;uch an opportunity of free|dome, as you may not meet with againe. The Lord is as ready to forget the &s;ins of a convert, as the righteou&s;ne&s;s of an apo&s;tate you &s;hall not be admitted, to have your old &s;ervices all revived upon every new tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, but the Lord will par|don all. What a rare thing would this be!<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32.1.2.</NOTE> they that feele the weight of their &s;ins know, how <HI>ble&s;&s;ed he is, who&s;e iniquities are pardoned, who&s;e &s;ins are covered;</HI> that, <HI>ble&s;&s;ed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not his &s;in,</HI> and this &s;tate if thou wilt come in, may be thine.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.20.</NOTE> <HI>This matter is committed to the mi|ni&s;ters to deale in,</HI> the office is on purpo&s;e to make tenders of mercy and reconcilia|tion by <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> unto you. <HI>We are am|ba&s;&s;adors for God, and we are to entreat you in Chri&s;ts &s;tead, as though God did be&s;eech you by us, to be reconciled unto God:</HI> they are &s;ent on purpo&s;e, to drive on the match between Chri&s;t and your &s;oules, they have
<PB N="62" REF="49">full letters of evidence, <HI>what they bind on Earth &s;hall be bound in Heaven, and what they loo&s;e on Earth &s;hall be loo&s;ed in Heaven:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 20.23.</NOTE> They are men of your own &s;elves, &s;ubject to like pa&s;&s;ions, as your &s;elves are, that are to mini&s;ter between God and you; who are kept by Chri&s;t on purpo&s;e in eve|ry place, where his Church is, and it is to looke to your &s;oules, to hear and gather the lambs in their armes, to invite you to come in, and to helpe you in your Chri&s;ti|an cour&s;e this is the Mini&s;ters, very bu&s;i|ne&s;s: and by that you may perceive, that God is in earne&s;t in the work he &s;ets them on, and that you might be received if you came in, for otherwi&s;e this officer was needle&s;s, and our preaching were in vaine. It would do well if &s;ome would thinke wel at it, that if their lives can be right, it were to &s;mall purpo&s;e for God to keepe up his Mini&s;ters, as he doth, for &s;uch lives are be|&s;ides the councell and de&s;igne of the Mi|ni&s;try altogether. But come in to the&s;e officers, appoynted on purpo&s;e to invite and entertaine you: the cities of refuge were all among&s;t the Levites &s;till, &s;o Chri&s;t is to be found among&s;t the Mini&s;ters, and happy is that poore &s;oule, that hath been pur&s;ued by the avenger of bloud, that is gotten among the Levites, but as long as the Levites have a City,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 35.</NOTE> there will not be a place of refuge wanting for humbled
<PB N="63" REF="49">guilty &s;oules: this for the Hopes of re|conciliation,</P>
<P N="2">2 For the con&s;equents of this reconcili|ation, or hopes <HI>from</HI> it. Oh! turne, you little thinke what will follow upon it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In re&s;pect of others, or the Lati|tude of this reconciliation. Turne and &mdash;</P>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.17.18.</NOTE> The <HI>Father will be reconciled</HI> unto you <HI>Come out of her, touch no uncleane thing, and I will receive you,</HI> you &s;hall not want a place if you leave that, nor want a Father if you leave your Fathers hou&s;e for goodne&s;&s;e &s;ake. <HI>But I will be your Father and you &s;hall be my Sons and Daughters, &s;aith the Lord the Almighty;</HI> of Rebells you &s;hal be made the Kings Sons, God will be at peace with you, a friend, nay, a Father to you.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The Son will be reconciled,</HI> &s;o as to undertake your patronage to be your ad|vocate with the Father: Oh! this is the <HI>Jonathan,</HI> when the father calls thee in, will love thee (Like <HI>David</HI>) as his own &s;oule, he will be thy advocate, put his robe on thee; thy pretious &s;aviour &s;urety and bro|ther, and &s;peake a word for thee when thou art away.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The &s;pirit will be reconciled,</HI> to be thy comforter: Let men keepe Chri&s;ts commandements, and God will manife&s;t him&s;elfe unto them, nay, Chri&s;t and the
<PB N="64" REF="50">father will by the &s;pirit come into that man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 14.21.23. &amp; 26.</NOTE> <HI>and make their abode with him.</HI> A &s;a|cred place &s;hall that polluted heart of thine be even a Temple <HI>for the Holy Gho&s;t to dwell in.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 6.19.</NOTE> <HI>The Angells will be reconciled,</HI> &s;o as to be friends with you. Some interpret that of <HI>reconciling things in Heaven and things on earth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cameron.</HI> Col. 1.19.</NOTE> to be thus, that the Angells are again&s;t men while they are &s;inners, not that &s;in reacheth them, but becau&s;e of their perfect conjuction with Chri&s;t; and as all that are for the King in a City, are again&s;t all that are again&s;t him, &s;o the An|gells are again&s;t all the Enemies of Chri&s;t: but when a &s;oule is converted, then there <HI>is joy in Heaven,</HI> then they are reconciled: before they &s;tood ready, if God but &s;peake the word, to de&s;troy any notorious &s;in|ner, but now they are friends with them: <HI>The Angells are mini&s;tring Spirits to all that are Heirs of &s;alvation;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> all that are for Hea|ven, though never &s;o poore, &s;o young ones in this way, the Angells of God care not what &s;ervice they do for them, and unto them: their Angells called &s;o, becau&s;e ready to attend on them upon occa&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.11</NOTE> even on the very littles one; the &s;ame Angells, that <HI>behold the face of the Father in Heaven,</HI> are ready to come forth, and atend on any of the&s;e little ones. If you turne, you little thinke, what joy there
<PB N="65" REF="50">will be in Heaven about it, and what a Guard of Angels, of the heavenly hoa&s;t &s;hal be mmediately &s;etabout you, or frequently be imployed from, and to Heaven, on di&s;patches for you: Oh! a rare alliance this is.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Good Mini&s;ters will be reconciled</HI> unto you. Alas! while you live as you do, be it known we cannot be friends to our Ma&s;ter and to you too; and therefore know it, that while you live as you do we are not &s;atisfied in you, our hearts cannot be to|wards you, we are not friends with you, we dare not but <HI>&s;ave our Ma&s;ters quarrell,</HI> however you oblige us, or we carry fairly towards you, you are not the men that we can repo&s;e in, or go away from you at any time without regret and &s;orrow: but if you will turne you will find us your joy|full friends, ready to embrace you, coun|cell you, pray for you, and more hearty towards you, then any relations can be. When <HI>Saul</HI> was converted, though they were terrified to hear but of his name;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 9.17.</NOTE> yet when <HI>Ananias</HI> under&s;tood that he was coming in, it was brother <HI>Saul</HI> at fir&s;t word; lay down the enmity of your hearts again&s;t Chri&s;t and our &s;cruple towards you falls therewith; but otherwi&s;e (we care not who knows it) we cannot be towards you as towards other men, while we live. But if you take to Chri&s;t, we &s;hall &s;oon
<PB N="66" REF="51">take to you, and with bowels of love em|brace you, you may &s;oone have our warm hearts, if we can &s;ee you but once brea|thing after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and it is no &s;mall matter to have thy Mini&s;ter one with thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.23.24.</NOTE></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>All good men will be reconciled</HI> unto you you &s;hall have their love and friend&s;hip: they heard, <HI>That he which had per&s;ecuted the way, was now a preacher of it;</HI> what? did they not take him down? did they not in|deavour to be revenged on him; now he was come into their power, for the inju|ries he had done them? no, but <HI>they glori|fied God in him,</HI> they rejoyced exceeding|ly that he was thus brought in;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 129.74.</NOTE> if thou turne, <HI>The righteous will be glad at heart, when they &s;ee thee,</HI> thou wilt find more true love among&s;t the &s;erious profe&s;&s;ors of re|ligion, then can be found el&s;ewhere. Mr. <HI>Dod</HI> &s;aid he lo&s;t one naturall brother for Chri&s;t, and he had 200 Go&s;pell brethren and &s;i&s;ters in&s;tead of him, and &s;o thou wilt find them ready to receive thee into the heart of them, they will helpe thee <HI>with harty councell, their lips will feed thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 27.9. &amp; 10.21.</NOTE> thou &s;halt find thy heart made better and not wor&s;e by conver&s;e here. When a &s;inner is converted the lo&s;t groat found, the Mi|ni&s;ters call in Chri&s;tians to rejoyce here, as Chri&s;t doth the Angells to rejoyce in Heaven: Oh the mercy to be admitted
<PB N="67" REF="51">into the affection and &s;ociety of Gods children! they are men that can helpe you with a prayer, they have intere&s;t in Chri&s;t, they can &s;peak to the King of Heaven for you, and the&s;e &s;tand all ready to enter|taine you, if you would come in; turn your own heart towards the Lord, and you turn at once all the hearts of Gods people towards you as the heart of one man: the hopes of your being converted will &s;atis|fie all the &s;cruples that can be again&s;t you in the hearts of any, and they are forth|with ready to receave you.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>All the Creatures will be reconciled,</HI> at pre&s;ent there is enmity between you and them; they grudge to &s;erve you, while you &s;erve not Chri&s;t, they groan under your bondage, and take them&s;elves &s;ubject to vanity, while &s;ubject to you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 8.20.21.</NOTE> and you out of Chri&s;t: they are willing any one of them to enterraine the Office of di&s;pat|ching you, and to bring you to hell, would venture to attach you, but they would have you in; how willingly would the beere choake the drunkard, and the aire poy&s;on the &s;wearer, &amp;c. but now if you come in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hoa. 2.18. Job. 5.23.</NOTE> they will all be in covenant and league with you. <HI>You &s;hall be at agreement with the &s;tones, and Beats and foule of the Aire,</HI> all ready to &s;erve thee, and if any of them kill thee, yet they will not bring thee to Hell, if thou be in Chri&s;t. This for the
<PB N="68" REF="52">latitude of your reconciliation or the con|&s;equents of it with re&s;pect unto others.</P>
<P>But then Secondly, in re&s;pect <HI>of your &s;elves,</HI> if you but come in, great advanta|ges will follow upon this reconciliation. Fir&s;t, here. Secondly, Hereafter. <HI>Here,</HI> 1. <HI>You &s;hall have &s;weetne&s;s in ordinances,</HI> which you never had before, by which the&s;e &s;o|lemn duties will be made ea&s;ie and delight|full to you, as al&s;o you &s;hall receive that true and &s;olid &s;atisfaction, which hi|ther to you had been e&s;tranged from: The next to the comfort of Heaven is the joy of Gods hou&s;e and ordinances. Oh how &s;weet can God make his word to a &s;oul! Oh!<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 65.4.</NOTE> <HI>The man is ble&s;&s;ed whom God choo&s;eth and cau&s;eth to approach near to God, that he may dwell in Gods hou&s;e, he &s;hall be abundant|ly &s;atisfied with the goodne&s;s of his Hou&s;e, e|ven of his holy Temple;</HI> there is the good|ne&s;&s;e of Gods hou&s;e to delight mens &s;ouls in, wherein &s;o much comfort is to be had; and this you &s;hall upon your conver&s;ion be admitted unto, you &s;hall now know what it is <HI>to be made glad in the Hou&s;e of Prayer,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 56 7. P&s;al. 4.7.8.</NOTE> and to have that comfort, that pa&s;&s;es <HI>that Comfort of Corne and Wine and Oyle.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. You &s;hall <HI>have covenant mercies;</HI> that is, that which you have, &s;hall come in <HI>the tenure of a promi&s;e, and not of providence only;</HI> your outward good things are like
<PB N="69" REF="52">if not to be more, yet to be better then heretofore, of a better kind: the&s;e things when they come in love, when they come as tokens of what God will do more for us; when they come as part of the inheritance as having this Motto on them; <HI>This till thou comme&s;t to Heaven,</HI> and Heaven it &s;elf annexed, as the up&s;hot of that Mercy, which brings in this unto you; why, this makes outward mercies far more high then before. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 65, 21, 22, 23. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2, 21. to the end.</P>
<P N="3">3. You &s;hall have <HI>ready &s;upport under all difficulties,</HI> be reconciled and you &s;hall be <HI>prayer free,</HI> the mo&s;t admirall convenien|cy for our wilderne&s;s travell, that can be thought of: Alas! as you are, you may make much of pro&s;perity, but if ever you be in trouble you know not which way to turn, you are oft in Gods hand, but you know not how to deal with him, to claim the lea&s;t mercy from him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo 9.31.</NOTE> <HI>God hea|reth not the Prayers of &s;inners:</HI> but now the reconciled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65.24.</NOTE> They are made forthwith free at the throne of Grace. To the Godly, God &s;aith, <HI>call on me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee:</HI> but to the Wicked,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.15.16.</NOTE> God &s;aith, <HI>What ha&s;t thou to do to take my Covenant into thy Mouth, &amp;c.</HI> Oh what a conveniency is it! that &s;till when any trouble or affliction comes, one may turn a&s;ide and find that help in our own clo|&s;et,
<PB N="70" REF="53">that all the world cannot afford the like to us: wicked men mu&s;t abroad and &s;eek their help at &s;econd hand, and at many hands, and at la&s;t go without it too; when as if thou be reconciled, there is no cro&s;&s;e can befall thee, but thou mai&s;t have free recour&s;e to him, that hath the orde|ring of all matters, and mai&s;t have help from him in every bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and neede&s;t no more.</P>
<P N="4">4 Thou maie&s;t have <HI>&s;atisfaction to thy hart, whatever comes,</HI> godly men have all contracted into one, whatever outward thing they want, they are &s;ure to be &s;atis|fied about it, for they are nearer to the thing then any one el&s;e, their God hath the di&s;po&s;ing of it, and if they ask it of him if it be good for them he will &s;ooner give it them then any others. Or el&s;e 2. they can make &s;hift without it, the fire may as well be put out by withdrawing fuell, as throwing on water, God can withdraw the de&s;ire, and it is all one: as if he fulfilled the de&s;ire of his people. If God either give him the thing, or give him &s;omething more of him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4 6.7 Jer. 16.5. to 9.</NOTE> either will &s;erve his turn. Alas! you, that are at a di&s;tance from God, you patch up a content and &s;atisfaction from the creatures, one contributes one part, and another another, but now if one thing be away, one &s;tring out of tune, there is then no mu&s;ick, all the re&s;t can not joyne
<PB N="71" REF="53">together to make up the place of that one thing, that is away: Alas! one &s;ick child puts you all into hurries, and imbitters all the other things which you enjoy, and &s;o it will be with you as long as you live as you do. I cannot &s;ee how a carnall man can be &s;ure of any content at al, for he mu&s;t have it out of &s;o many things, and a thou|&s;and to one &s;ome one thing or other is &s;till away: Now turn to God and you may have content, you may be able to part with many things, for your trea&s;ure is not in them, though the &s;hip be lo&s;t yet your adventure is not in that bottome, you wil le&s;&s;e matter; <HI>your hart will be fixed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 112.7.</NOTE> <HI>tru&s;t|ing in the Lord,</HI> &amp; &s;o you <HI>will not be afraid of evill tidings:</HI> if many ca&s;ualties befall thee yet &s;till thou ha&s;t God to delight in, and he <HI>can &s;oon give thee</HI> (either in another thing, or in him&s;elf in the light of his countenance) <HI>much more than this is.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 25.9.</NOTE></P>
<P>Secondly, for advantages <HI>for the future,</HI> if you would but come in.</P>
<P N="1">1. You &s;hould have <HI>joy in death,</HI> and this, when we come to dye indeed, were worth creeping on our hands and knees all the days of our lives, to have attained ra|ther than to be without it, in the time of need, in the hour of trouble. Wicked men, Alas! death feeds on them <HI>like &s;heep</HI> the fir&s;t born of death will &s;eize upon them; but now they that are reconciled
<PB N="72" REF="54">&s;hall come famou&s;ly off,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 49.10.</NOTE> they are by Chri&s;t delivered from death, <HI>and him that hath the power of death, who is the Devill;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.14 15.</NOTE> and from that bondage which <HI>all their life|time they were &s;ubject unto through the fear of death;</HI> turn to God and death &s;hall com|fort you.</P>
<P N="2">2. You &s;hall have <HI>Heaven for your &s;oul;</HI> to them that believe <HI>eternall life;</HI> the o|ther &s;ame body is in Heaven already,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3.15.</NOTE> you come at your conver&s;ion <HI>to an innumerable company of Angels,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect;</HI> the&s;e you are a&s;&s;ociated to already, and you &s;hall &s;hortly be brought to be with them, <HI>for ever to be with the Lord;</HI> many turned pro&s;elites of the gate among the <HI>Jews,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 14.15.</NOTE> becau&s;e of the excellen|cy of their religion above all other religi|ons in the world for their religions promi|&s;ed nothing for eternity as this did, &s;ure the recompence of reward &s;hould fetch you in, many that mu&s;t never come there would yet count him <HI>ble&s;&s;ed that might eat bread in the kingdom of God;</HI> I am confident you count it happy to be in Heaven, and will you not labour to get thither? To them that by patient waiting and continuance in well doing &s;eek for immortality honour and glory,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.19. Ro. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>eternall life,</HI> they that look for immortality and glory, and &s;eek it in &s;uch a way as by patient continuance in well|doing, they &s;hall have <HI>eternall life.</HI> Now
<PB N="73" REF="54">&s;eriou&s;ly think of the&s;e things which are offered, and think what a deal it is you lo&s;e for want of turning, what a world you mu&s;t part from if you keep your bad heart, Your condition &s;o hopeful, and all fru&s;tra|ted by a ba&s;e heart is very &s;ad. This for the fir&s;t con&s;ideration at large, in re&s;pect of the hopes of and from reconciliation, which might induce you to come in.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, the&s;e hopes all have them not,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2.</HI> Motive</NOTE> you have the hopes that many have not, and if you be not the better for them, your condition wil prove wor&s;e then theirs that never had them, or are not in your pre&s;ent capacity: As</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The Divels never had any hopes afforded them,</HI> they were proceeded again&s;t at their fall, clapt under chains of darkne&s;s, re&s;er|ved in pre&s;ent to further torment: when God expo&s;tulates the bu&s;ine&s;s with man for his fall, and rea&s;ons it with him, to draw him to repentance, in token of a de|&s;ign of mercy towards him, he proceeds to cur&s;e the &s;erpent without any parley with him, and in his ab&s;olute &s;entence and con|clu&s;ion of judgment again&s;t him, lets fall a promi&s;e of the &s;eed of the woman for mans recovery: but delivers this in an ab|&s;olute doom again&s;t him. Chri&s;t took not on him <HI>the nature of Angels,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2, 16 Dr. <HI>Ham mond.</HI></NOTE> he took not hold of that nature, to &s;ave it from &s;ink|ing, never tryed them with a conditional
<PB N="74" REF="55">tender of mercy, as he hath done the &s;ons of men, no doubt, they would not &s;tick to &s;ay if they had but the probability of reception to mercy, which you have, if they had but a &s;aviour given among&s;t them as you have, they would have been glad of him, and many of them have clo&s;ed with him with all their hearts on the wor&s;t terms immaginable, much more on &s;uch as he is offered to you. As &s;ome of the fa|thers have told us, that the Devill on a time when this &s;cripture was read <HI>et carro factus e&s;t, the word was made fle&s;h,</HI> that he &s;hould &s;mite &s;ome Chri&s;tians, &s;aying, why do ye not wor&s;hip at this word? for if he had taken on him our nature, we would have wor&s;hiped. The moral of it holds, and certainly for you that have this hope, to get be&s;ides it, to be in the &s;ame condi|tion, that the damned Angels are in, that never had any, is very &s;ad: It is called the fire prepared <HI>for the Devil and his Angels,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.41</NOTE> it was primarily ordained for them. It is not fire prepared &s;o properly for man, for they had a mediator provided, and upon fair terms might have e&s;caped; but for you to pertake of the Devils fire, it is but good enough for you, when you wilfully put your &s;elves be&s;ides your better capacity, and neglect your hopes, which they never had.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Many of the Heathens never had the&s;e
<PB N="75" REF="55">hopes made known to them;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 2.12</NOTE> the heathen while &s;uch, before the go&s;pell came a|mong them they were <HI>without Hope,</HI> and &s;o are they &s;til, that &s;it in darkne&s;s and in the &s;hadow of death: what hope there is of a Gentiles &s;alvation, that never heard of the go&s;pell, I &s;hall not here di&s;cour&s;e of, and I would be loath ours were no o|therwi&s;e then theirs is, yet mu&s;t hold they &s;hall not be proceeded with, in the &s;ame manner as Chri&s;tians &s;hall, <HI>Viz.</HI> 1. for the contempt and neglect of the go&s;pel which they never had. But certainly, if the mighty works had been done in <HI>Tyre and Sidon, in Sodom and Gomorrah, in India and China and Tartary, &amp;c.</HI> which have been done in <HI>England; London, Lanca&s;hire, and Manche&s;ter they would have repented long ago,</HI> they would embraced Chri&s;t and clo|&s;ed with him; verily if you &s;tand out, and are never the better for the Go&s;pel, but lead lives for all this light, which good heathens would be a&s;hamed of, <HI>it will be more tolerable for tho&s;e places at the day of judgment then for you.</HI> Oh! they will &s;ay, if we had had but one of the days of the &s;ons of men, which you have had, it might have been in our way the &s;alvation of many of our &s;oules; and will you be never the better for this priviledge?</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The damned in Hell are pa&s;t their hopes,</HI> Alas? their day is now over, as Chri&s;t
<PB N="76" REF="56">&s;ays, <HI>the time will come when you &s;hall de&s;ire to &s;ee one of the daies of the &s;on of man,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 17.22.</NOTE> <HI>and you &s;hall not &s;ee it;</HI> they would give all the world, if they had it, that they might but have one &s;abaths liberty more one day which they have had here; they would hope to put fair for it, that they might prevent thereby their eternal mi&s;ery, and it can not now be granted them. <HI>Dives</HI> would have been glad to have brought his own me&s;&s;age if he might as well as to have &s;ent another to his five brethren, to have had &s;o much re&s;pite out of torment, but alas! he never moves it as a thing impo&s;&s;ible, re&s;pite is is pa&s;t; there is a gulf fixed, and there is now no pa&s;&s;ing to the hoping &s;ide. Oh, Sirs; think at it! will you wilfully make void &s;uch a &s;pecial priviledg, fru&s;trate this capacity you are in, and make your &s;elves, who now have hopes in as bad, nay, a wor&s;e condition then they are in, that either never had, or never the knowledg of, or are now pa&s;t the&s;e hopes which you at pre&s;ent have? Oh! look well at it and in the fear of God con&s;ider it. This may &s;ery for the &s;econd con&s;ideration.</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. <HI>Motive.</HI> P&s;al. 22.20.</NOTE> Con&s;ider <HI>the concernment of the&s;e hopes of yours,</HI> the matter is of the weightie&s;t con&s;i|deration, it is the affairs of the &s;oul, deliver my darling <HI>my only one, from the power of the Dog,</HI> Oh! it is the ca&s;e of your darling, your only one.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 19.2.</NOTE> <HI>If thou be wi&s;e thou &s;halt be wi&s;e for thy &s;elf,</HI> the profit of thy repentance will be
<PB N="77" REF="56">thine own, of thy neare&s;t concernment within the&s;e few dayes, when a fit of &s;ick|ne&s;s will leave thee all in a &s;oul,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.26.</NOTE> <HI>and if thou &s;corne&s;t, thou alone &s;halt bear it:</HI> this &s;oul of thine mu&s;t thou go out with will be &s;ure to &s;mart for it; <HI>and what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and loo&s;e his own &s;oul? or what will you give in exchange for your &s;oul?</HI> the matter is of &s;uch concernment, that if men would regard any thing they &s;hould not neglect this; Alas! it is not any other thing cared for by thee, can repair thy neglect or lo&s;&s;e in this: It is not what you &s;ecure; if your immortall &s;oul go for it in the end, I wi&s;h you may never know the preciou&s;ne&s;&s;e of a &s;oul in the lo&s;s of one for any of your own parts.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider <HI>the rea&s;onablene&s;&s;e of the condition,</HI> on which your hopes are offered,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>4.</HI> Motive</NOTE> you may be happy if you do but repent, the Lord will have mercy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 3.12.13.</NOTE> only acknow|ledge thine iniquity, only repent and turn to God, the Lord is ready to forgive, will not ca&s;t off, <HI>only fear the Lord and &s;erve him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sa. 12.23.</NOTE> only be willing to come over to Chri&s;t in his ways to be regenerated, to be ruled by Chri&s;t, to leave your vain conver&s;ati|on to &s;et into a way of holine&s;s. If you clo&s;e with this you may be &s;aved, now it is as &s;ad to loo&s;e &s;uch hopes, and as &s;ad to loo&s;e them upon &s;uch terms, the thing is not more de&s;irable, then the condition rea&s;onable. For</P>
<PB N="78" REF="57">
<P N="1">1. <HI>It is the way which the Lord likes,</HI> he Loveth the righteous,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 11.7.</NOTE> and <HI>the righteous Lord loveth righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> you think, if you leave off &s;in, and turn &s;erious, there are &s;uch men, your companions heretofore in &s;in, you mu&s;t never look them in the face. Alas! think at it, and how can you look God in the face in the way you are in? come, &s;tand not on what the rulers do, or great men do, or mo&s;t men do, not on what is done, but what &s;hould be done: <HI>whether is better to obey,</HI> &s;o to plea&s;e, <HI>God or man,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 4.19.</NOTE> <HI>judge yee.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.74. &amp; 158</NOTE> <HI>This is the way good men love, the righteous will be glad, when they &s;ee you,</HI> and they care not for &s;eeing you till you are <HI>&s;uch.</HI> Alas! <HI>when they behold the tran&s;gre&s;&s;or they are grieved,</HI> wo to you for your &s;elves when a good man cannot &s;ee you without &s;orrow, but now if you turn, this way they love, they that have tried both ways they &s;it down here, and would not for a world live as they have done,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.173.</NOTE> and as you do, <HI>I have cho&s;en thy Precepts,</HI> &s;aies <HI>Da|vid.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Wicked men confe&s;s to this way,</HI> the very Devils confe&s;s Chri&s;t. Alas! there is not one wicked man of many, that dares own his own cour&s;e in &s;ober &s;adne&s;s; and for religion, what have they to &s;ay again&s;t it, but that they are all hypocrites; Alas! by this they witne&s;&s;e that true religion is
<PB N="79" REF="57">not to be blamed, they ahve nothing to charge us with in our way, but that we are not &s;erious and through in it: they will it may be, &s;ay, &s;uch profe&s;&s;ors are drunk &s;ometimes, &amp;c. All the fault they can find with religious men, is that where|in &s;ometimes any of them are like them|&s;elves; and though wo to tho&s;e by whom the&s;e offences come, yet the&s;e very quar|rels will ri&s;e up in judgment again&s;t them that make them, a &s;candalous profe&s;&s;or is a &s;ad creature, yet we wil not allow him &s;o in the mouth of a man that is &s;candalous and no profe&s;&s; our at all.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>It is a way may be owned before any man:</HI> you heed not be a&s;hamed of Godline&s;s or a|ny good duty, whoever &s;tands by.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.16</NOTE> <HI>I am not a|&s;hamed of the go&s;pel of Chri&s;t,</HI> as if there were any thing amis in it, you may better do that good duty then they &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plutarch</NOTE> whoever they be that look on: as the Philo&s;opher &s;aid, that reproved one, whom he &s;ound hiding him&s;elf from one that &s;ought him, to have born fal&s;e witne&s;s for him, &s;aies he, dares he a&s;ke you to do it, and dare not you deny him? &s;o &s;urely you may &s;et a bet|ter face of your way, than they have cau&s;e to &s;et on theirs. It is &s;in that brings &s;hame and the&s;e are waies will bring to &s;hame, and &s;o will repentance never.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>All dying men are for this way,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 6.21.</NOTE> when men are mo&s;t them&s;elves, then they are &s;e|riou&s;ly
<PB N="80" REF="58">preferring the way of holine&s;s, you &s;ee the &s;tatues of our gallants, they are not &s;et up with the in&s;truments of their plea&s;ure about them, but with hands lif|ted up praying, oft with their book before them, or their Bible in their hands, and the&s;e are things of likelye&s;t reque&s;ts at &s;uch a time, never man repented on his death bed that he had made too much ado and never any (if &s;en&s;ible) but did &s;adly re|pent of their waies of &s;in, this that is re|quired of thee, is that which at death all men de&s;ire, and can only with comfort die in, though with many it is then too late to &s;eek for it.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>It is the work of Heaven,</HI> holine&s;s is glory begun, there is no &s;in in Heaven, and the the happine&s;s of Heaven is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22.3. P&s;al. 1. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> that there they never &s;in again&s;t God: there <HI>his &s;ervants alwaies &s;erve him,</HI> Alas! for wickedne&s;s, it is a worke that will not alwaies la&s;t; <HI>The way of the ungodly &s;hall peri&s;h:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 139. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> It is work that &s;hall have an end; but for the Godly mans cour&s;e it is <HI>the way everla&s;ting,</HI> it is the way that indures for ever, that is begun here and gone on with in Heaven, you all count heaven the happy place, and there is no &s;in there, Godline&s;s is work of the &s;ame kind, though not in the &s;ame degree, as the work of Heaven is, this is work you need not break off when you die.</P>
<PB N="81" REF="58">
<P N="7">7. <HI>That which you are required to leave for Heaven, is that, which if you go on with, the day will come, when you &s;hall not have one friend left to &s;tand by you in that way in all the world,</HI> you are advi&s;ed to leave that for Heaven, which if you &s;tick to it, you will be left de&s;olate with it one day. For</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>God will not look at you.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.5 6.</NOTE> &s;inners can|not &s;tand in the judgement, <HI>the Lord know|eth the way of the righteous,</HI> (he a&s;&s;erts the godly mans way) but wicked mens waies &s;hal peri&s;h from the Lord utterly.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Chri&s;t will not indure you,</HI> he bids &s;uch depart from him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.23.</NOTE> he knows them not, they are <HI>workers of iniquity;</HI> if &s;uch, whatever they pretend, away with them, he wil not indure the &s;ight of them; you dare never look God nor Chri&s;t in the face in this way, you are in.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Angels and good men cannot pity you,</HI> they &s;hal triumph in gods ju&s;tice in your righteous ruine, they cannot afford one drop of water out of Heaven to cool <HI>Di|ves</HI> his tongue; when mi&s;erably tormen|ted in the flame.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>The Devils wil be again&s;t you,</HI> they that have been your tempters, will be your tormentors, as much ado as they have made to get you to &s;in, as forward will they be to hale you to execution for &s;in, and rather then you &s;hould be uncondem|ned, <HI>Satan</HI> would witne&s;s again&s;t you for
<PB N="82" REF="59">the very &s;ins which he tempted you to: The man that &s;aid to <HI>Joab,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sa. 18.12.</NOTE> that if he had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the Kings command in the matter of <HI>Ab&s;olom, even thou thy &s;elf would have &s;et thy &s;elf again&s;t me:</HI> &s;o the Devil, that only pre&s;&s;es thee to &s;in now, Alas! he will &s;et him&s;elf again&s;t thee in that time of reckoning, and it will vex thee to thy heart, to &s;ee him &s;o per&s;ecuting thee, for the very waies, he enticed thee unto: the very Devils &s;hortly wil be again&s;t thee, and it will torment thee to &s;ee how thou ha&s;t been betrayed by them; the Devil like the hangman, that con&s;ents or entices to &s;tealing.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Wickedmen thy companions will be a|gain&s;t them.</HI> Alas! you have taken &s;weet council together, you have &s;trengthened one anothers hands in the way that was e|vil, you have turned off from Chri&s;t, to &s;it downe in the bo&s;omes one of another: but the day will come, when ye &s;hall be for&s;aken one of another. <HI>Dives</HI> had no mind that his brethren &s;hould come to him, when he was in Hel, not as if there was any charitie there; but he knew it would aggravate his torment, to have them come together, both to help his remembrance in the &s;in they had committed together as al&s;o of the mi&s;|chief he had done, by being acce&s;&s;orie to their ruine. And &s;o your intimacie, and
<PB N="83" REF="59">love, and &s;worn brotherhood &s;hall end in this, that you &s;hall cur&s;e the time that e|ever you knew one another, and wi&s;h you had never &s;een each others faces. In this eternall fend and hatred will all this love of yours end;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.1.</NOTE> you may with <HI>Judas</HI> think they that &s;et you on work, &s;hould bear part of your puni&s;hment for it, but they will turn you off; and bid <HI>you look to that</HI> your &s;elf, others may help you to &s;in, but for the torment, you may look to it your &s;elves, they will be as if you had never known them, when you are in the depth of your adver&s;ity (unle&s;s it be to torment you with the remembrance of them,) by your &s;ins which lie upon you.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Your own hearts will be again&s;t you,</HI> con&s;cience will then be unmuzled and let loo&s;e upon you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 9 41.46.48.</NOTE> and your heart &s;hall con|demn you, and you &s;hall be for&s;aken on all hands, this is <HI>the worm</HI> which your &s;in hath bred, that &s;hall <HI>never dye</HI> in that <HI>fire</HI> that can never be quenched.</P>
<P>Seriou&s;ly think at it, and that it is for this, you will ruine your hopes; if you would leave this, you might be &s;aved, you may be eternally happy if you will but re|pent, <HI>and leave that which never did you good nor never will do,</HI> this is all that is required of you, and you may be happy for ever. Let this fourth con&s;ideration have its force with you.</P>
<PB N="84" REF="60">
<P N="5">5. It will aggravate your mi&s;ery ano|ther day, when you &s;hall be pa&s;t hopes, to con&s;ider that once there was hopes, and you have thus out&s;tood them: the day will come when you &s;hall be under ab&s;o|lute de&s;pair, the door altogether &s;hut up|on you, you finallie &s;hut in, and then think how &s;ad it will be, that you &s;hall re|member, that once the door was open, and you &s;tood out,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.24.</NOTE> as you did. God now calls and you will not; you &s;hall then call and he will not; <HI>he will laugh at your cala|mitie, and mock when your fear comes,</HI> when alas! you &s;hall call on the rocks to cover <HI>you from the wrath of the Lamb.</HI> Oh that you might take warning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 6.15.16.17.</NOTE> that none of you may in hell lament your de&s;perate condition, when you &s;hall there be pa&s;t hopes, and &s;hall remember, that this hath been prea|ched to you, that there is hope yet for you, if you would repent; nay, that there you &s;hould remember that we this day foretold you, what would befall you, if you &s;till &s;tood out.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="85" REF="60">
<HEAD>CAP. VIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The way readied for gro&s;s &s;inners to come over into a condition of Hope.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>IF any &s;oul be by all or any of the&s;e Motives &s;tartled as if the&s;e words, that &s;o neerly concern you, &s;hould among&s;t &s;o many fall to the ground and none be mo|ved by them, none be &s;tirred in &s;o great a congregation to look after their &s;oules, I know not what to think it may &s;ignifie to|wards us. The&s;e &s;ermons though by a worthle&s;&s;e In&s;trument, yet as the Lords me&s;&s;age will breed &s;omething, either the conver&s;ion of &s;ome, or el&s;e &s;ome &s;peedy judgement on you for your impenitency, The removall of the Go&s;pell or the like, which the Lord forbid: but (if any (as I ra|ther de&s;ire and hope) do think of turning and &s;ince it is declared there is hopes if you turn, you think of &s;o doing, and would know how you might partake of tho&s;e hopes; if you are of the mind, and would know the next way over to a changed &s;tate what cours might be taken what is next to be done, that you might &s;et about the work of &s;alvation which you have hither|to neglected, if you would know how to
<PB N="86" REF="61">begin, and go on towards a change. Take the&s;e directions.</P>
<P><HI>Labour for &s;ufficient knowledge of the prin|ciples of Religion,</HI> this is nece&s;&s;arily to be laid, where it is not alreadie, as the fir&s;t &s;tep,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Meanes</NOTE> <HI>How &s;hall they believe in him of whom they have not heard;</HI> and what are they the better for hearing of him, if they get no knowledg by their hearing. <HI>My people are de&s;troyed for lack of knowledg.</HI> If men be gro&s;ly Ignorant of tho&s;e principles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea. 4.6.</NOTE> which we take for granted in our pre&s;&s;ing of duty on them, how &s;hould they ever frame to do any thing, <HI>Our Go&s;pell is hid to them that are lo&s;t,</HI> and men can never be in a way to e&s;cape, as long as the Go&s;pel remains hid to them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4.3.</NOTE> There are many were brought up in Ignorance, mi&s;&s;ed catechizing when they were young (the &s;pecial time of lear|ning) but it cannot be expected that God &s;hould be bound to make abatement to us for our parents neglect towards us, we can|not think to &s;kip learning the principles of Religion, becau&s;e the fitte&s;t time was neg|lected on our part for the attainment of the knowledge of them; If thou art never &s;o old and art ignorant, thou mu&s;t yet learn or thou can&s;t not be &s;afe. Thou &s;aie&s;t thou art an ignorant bodie, not book lear|ned, wer't never catechized, &amp;c. (beware you do not &s;o by your children as your pa|rents did by you) but alas to all this we
<PB N="87" REF="61">can onlie &s;ay, <HI>why this is your lo&s;&s;e, but not your excu&s;e,</HI> the more wrong you had done you, but you are not hereby di&s;char|ged from a nece&s;&s;arie prerequi&s;ite if you in|tend &s;alvation. If thou be old Ignorant, thou mu&s;t learn as old as thou art, Talk not of being too old to be Catechized, if thou neede&s;t it thou mu&s;t have it. Thou art indeed too Old to be thus &s;hameful|ly ignorant, but &s;ure if thou under&s;tande&s;t thy danger thou &s;houlde&s;t not be too old to make ha&s;t to begin now in what thou art &s;o &s;adlie ca&s;t behind, and ha&s;t lo&s;t &s;o much time in. To &s;ay thou art <HI>too old to be in&s;truc|ted,</HI> is as good as to &s;ay, thou art <HI>too old to be &s;aved:</HI> For there is no way for &s;alvati|on to tho&s;e that are gro&s;ly Ignorant of the main principles of Chri&s;tianity, &s;ecret things belong to the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.29.</NOTE> <HI>but the things that are revealed to us and to our Children.</HI> It is ob&s;erved that this Latter clau&s;e in the <HI>Heb.</HI> is written with &s;ome extraordinarie pricks,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ayn&s;w.</HI> in loc.</NOTE> which the Jewi&s;h wrirers ob&s;erve to &s;ignifie, that extraordinary and nece&s;&s;a|rie care &s;hould be taken about the know|ledge of what is revealed, and that whether poor or rich, young or old, care &s;hould be taken that the knowledge of revealed things &s;hould abound among them, and be tran&s;mitted to po&s;teritie. They are re|vealed and do belong to us, and notice mu&s;t be taken of them by us, Since God
<PB N="88" REF="62">in the riches of mercie and his conde&s;centi|on to us hath not kept al things &s;ecret from us, and &s;o all to him&s;elf as he might have done, but con&s;ulting our good hath merci|fully revealed things to us without which we could never be happie, and never but by this revelation have come to the knowledg of; we &s;hould not &s;o far neglect this va&s;t pri|viledg as to be ignorant of what we may thus be In&s;tructed in; <HI>They belong to us.</HI> Our priviledge and dutie is to know the things that are revealed, It is &s;ad that many of you know not what is within <HI>you, what &s;in is,</HI> not <HI>how full you are of it,</HI> and <HI>what Chri&s;t came for;</HI> nor <HI>what Mini&s;ters work is in the world,</HI> and it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould ever do better if you never know more then you do. <HI>Levi did turn many from iniquity,</HI> how was that?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.6.7.</NOTE> <HI>Why the Prie&s;ts lips keep knowledge and they &s;hould &s;eeke knowledge at his mouth, for he is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI> Mini&s;ters then turn men from &s;in, when people &s;eeke knowledge at their mouth, when men in|quire of them for the knowledge of the Lord, and do de&s;ire and are willing to be in&s;tructed by them, we have it in the&s;e parts in our hearts, and have propo&s;als of it, to indeavour <HI>your</HI> per&s;onall in&s;truction, for the curing of <HI>your</HI> bloudie &s;oul-killing ignorance, and one would think the &s;top &s;hould not be in <HI>you,</HI> if we are willing to put our &s;elves on the paines. If <HI>you</HI> intend
<PB N="89" REF="62">&s;alvation, You will heartilie embrace it for there is no other way to &s;alvation. If a man &s;hould have followed a trade, where|in he is gotten behind, and finds he cannot &s;ub&s;i&s;t, feeles him&s;elf broken and undone, and one comes and tells him, there is &s;uch an emploiment men live finely on, there is much gain and little hazard, though &s;ome paines, and if he fell into that way, he might recover his ruins, he might &s;upply his nece&s;&s;ities, and live plenteou&s;ly, would he not hearken to it? But then this would be an objection, I know not the my&s;terie of the trade, I was not an apprentice to it; and know not how to &s;et about it, but if one &s;hould tel him that there is &s;uch a one would teach him all, in&s;truct him in everie particular, &s;ure if the &s;tick was not in the friend that &s;hould doe the courte&s;ie, it &s;hould never &s;tick at the partie that needs, but he would gladly imbrace the motion and without delay &s;et upon the matter which &s;o much concerns him. This is the ca&s;e of many ignorant &s;oules, it is ea&s;ie for You to &s;ee, that in the way You are in You can never &s;ub&s;i&s;t, If you &s;aw your own condition you might ea&s;ilie be aware of it, that this life will never hold, this way will not &s;erve the turn, The way of Sin will undo you, You can never be quiet while You drive this trade, every Sermon will fright you, (as wo to us,) if we &s;peak
<PB N="90" REF="63">any comfort to him that goes on in his wicked way, be it knowne to You, it is again&s;t our will and be&s;ides our commi&s;&s;i|on and intention, if You have any thing from us, in this &s;tate You are in to mi|ni&s;ter comfort unto You. You might fear like a broken trad&s;eman every creature might arre&s;t You for Hell, You are in a &s;ad condition for death, that in the&s;e &s;icklie times, may come within the&s;e 3. Or 4, daies. You can never be quiet as long as this life la&s;ts that You live in. O that you might feele your &s;elves utterlie <HI>broken</HI> of of the trade of &s;in, that you would go on no longer in it. Well then there is a cour&s;e will &s;erve you, many live pretiou&s;lie of it, many thrive, (the only thriving trade, the only happie life in the world) and that is the way of holine&s;s, here is all the advan|tage, &s;weetne&s;s, convenience in this way that is immaginable, none ever were ruined or brake of this trade that ever were per|fect Ma&s;ters of it. There is &s;uch a com|mon &s;tock to trade on that it is impo&s;&s;ible for thee to fail or break in this. This way would helpe all your old &s;cores, a Chri&s;t would &s;upplie all nece&s;&s;ities, and lay in ble&s;&s;edly for the time to come. But now may &s;uch a poor creature &s;ay, I, but I was not born to this priviledge, not brought up to this cour&s;e, I know not how to frame to it, It is a way I cannot skill of; I be|leive
<PB N="91" REF="63">thee. <HI>Thou knowe&s;t not the manner of the God of the land,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings. 17.</NOTE> (as the Lions made the Sa|maritanes feele they did not;) well now Mini&s;ters are &s;ent on purpo&s;e to teach you, they are willing to do it, Offer to doe it, <HI>enquire of the Law at their mouth, they are the me&s;&s;engers of the Lord of Ho&s;ts,</HI> for this very purpo&s;e. They &s;ay <HI>Come unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord:</HI> If any one &s;hould be appointed on purpo&s;e, to teach all that were broken of other trades, the my&s;terie of the gainfulle&s;t trade in the towne, would it not be counted a great priviledge, and could that Officerwant ei|ther love or cu&s;tome? Surely <HI>This</HI> if you knew your need, was a thing to be greatly rejoiced in by You, and we &s;hould be glad or be &s;o imploied, and have cau&s;e to be glad of the Offer, all &s;ides would be plea|&s;ed, If mens eies were but opened, &s;ure if things were rightly weighed the &s;tick in per&s;onall In&s;truction would not be on the peoples &s;ide. But this is your fir&s;t &s;tep, for any of you that are not come yet unto it, you mu&s;t labour for knowledg. The know|ledge of principles mu&s;t be had in rich and poor, of all &s;orts, and Sexes, where &s;al|vation is expected.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Frequent the means diligently.</HI> Be di|ligent at them and in them. If you would doe well lie at the poole &s;ide &s;till, lie in the way Chri&s;t walks in, It is both a good
<PB N="92" REF="64">&s;igne and a good meanes of doing well. It is &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 8.34. Jo. 20.24.</NOTE> when Chri&s;t came to his di&s;ciples <HI>Thomas was not there</HI> when he came; and you find, <HI>Thomas</HI> that could not beleive unle&s;s he &s;aw, he was now away when he might have &s;een, And &s;o he was behind in his Faith, to the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles and all was becau&s;e <HI>Thomas</HI> was away when Chri&s;t came. The way not to mi&s;s of Chri&s;t when he comes, is not to be a|way at any time when he could have come. <HI>Hanna departed not from the Temple,</HI> and <HI>David</HI> de&s;ired that <HI>he might dwell in the Hou&s;e of the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lu. 2.37. P&s;a. 27.4.</NOTE> not as if there were a|ny Man&s;ions in the Temple for any to live in, but it is only to &s;igni&s;ie their con&s;tan|cie in attendance on the meanes, they were never away when any good thing was &s;tirring, when any thing was to be done in the Temple and &s;o were as con|&s;tant as if they had dwelt there. It is good to be one of the <HI>Temple dwellers,</HI> to be a|way from no opportunitie, that thou can|not excu&s;e it to God him&s;elf, for it may be <HI>thy part may be dealt when thou art away,</HI> the Angell may trouble the waters and thou not readie, &s;omething that near|ly concerns thee may be likeli&s;t to be &s;po|ken, when thou art away. Some think when a Mini&s;ter may aime at the curing of a par|ticular &s;oul, or God may direct him to what may be &s;utable thereunto, that the
<PB N="93" REF="64">Devill may know by our notes, or other|wi&s;e, and prevent the mans coming to the meanes at that time, when this thing is di&s;cour&s;ed of that was &s;o fit for him. How|ever, to make &s;ure, wait upon God at all opportunities; For this is the way thy hea+ling mu&s;t come, and none knows by what Sermon it mu&s;t be done. Frequent all op|portunities thou can&s;t po&s;&s;ibly for faith, that is a good &s;ure way. Men ought not by the late Acts, to travell on the Sabboth day or do any thing like a breach of tho&s;e Laws unle&s;s their excu&s;e be &s;uch as is to be allowed <HI>by a Ju&s;tice of the peace;</HI> doe you have a care how you pretend any Excu&s;e for &s;uch neglect, that will not be allowed <HI>by God him&s;elf</HI> the royall author of the Law and the &s;earcher of all hearts. And &s;o for opportunities on other daies, redeem time for them, approve thy heart to God that no nece&s;&s;itie but what he will allow be pretended or practi&s;ed upon to neglect a Sermon at any time, when it might be heard, God may do the more Good at &s;ome one Sermon then all: but that may be the Sermon thou maie&s;t be tempted to pa&s;&s;e by, and that good may not come by that one, but for thy diligent and con&s;ci|entious attendance upon all, The life of thy &s;oule may be wrapt up in the due ma|nagement of <HI>one,</HI> and thou knowe&s;t not which, opportunity.</P>
<PB N="94" REF="65">
<P N="3">3. <HI>When God touches you at a Sermon, if e|ver you do well you mu&s;t get into &s;ecret.</HI> Take notice how the pul&s;e of con&s;cience beats, let not the word have &s;cope upon you, ty it not ju&s;t to the time of hearing, walke with it alone, and let it have further conference with you, let it have time to &s;ettle and &s;oake in upon you, to water the very root of your &s;oules, and not be like water &s;pilt upon the ground, many are the highway hearers among&s;t us, the word is but &s;catte-upon them, not received and kept at all by them. The Divell catcheth or taketh the word out of their hearts. For it was never in, it was but entring and is by this care|le&s;ne&s;s oft put by,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reverend Mr. <HI>Hil|der&s;ham.</HI></NOTE> as one &s;aies pretiou&s;ly <HI>we give advantage to Satan to &s;teale, as the loo&s;e laying of our goods doth to our &s;ervants to become thieve.</HI> It is noted that the di&s;ci|ples were never the &s;tronger in their faith notwith&s;tanding the miracle and it is be|cau&s;e they had not con&s;idered it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 6.52.</NOTE> Many at Church are like &s;ives in the water as full as they can hold, and when out have ju&s;t no|thing, men would count it a great judg|ment and be &s;en&s;ible enough of it in their temporall e&s;tate to get much and to put it into a bottomle&s;s pur&s;e, but with many it is thus in the matter of their &s;oules bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, in hearing the word they have lit|tle abiding with them after Sermons and that for want of dige&s;ting the word by &s;e|cret
<PB N="59" REF="65">meditation after hearing. Chri&s;t after &s;ome parables a&s;ked his Di&s;ciples <HI>If they under&s;tood all tho&s;e things,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 13.51</NOTE> <HI>your work begins when ours end,</HI> we have all the &s;cene in pub|lick, but yet it is in the nature of a Treatie and Parley with you; and you are in &s;ecret to thinke of and to return an an&s;wer to, what we propo&s;e to you. There is but one part of the work done here, the other part is to be done by you. And it is not for no|thing that you have &s;oe much time be&s;ides what is &s;pent on a Sabbath in publike, and if this other part of your worke be faith|fully done there will be no time too much or to &s;pare. <HI>Con&s;ider what I have &s;aid</HI> (&s;aies <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>Timothy</HI>) <HI>and the Lord give thee un|der&s;tanding in all things.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.7.</NOTE> This carnall world|ly talke after Sermons &s;poiles all, a Mi|ni&s;ter may come after and &s;ay, where he heares no word of the Sermon mentioned, <HI>Alas here will be no an&s;wer for me,</HI> It will be a great while before &s;uch talk as this is wil bring a Sermon to the heart, or that men &s;hould ever profit by Sermons that do on this manner. The Mini&s;ter &s;peaks in pub|lick and then we break off, and now it is at you, what &s;ay you? Many complain of bad memories, (The truth is, it may be it is not without cau&s;e,) but yet if you cannot re|member all, or &s;o much as you would doe labour to take good notice of what did mo&s;t touch you in a Sermon, let that
<PB N="96" REF="66">word &s;peaks with you again, <HI>He &s;itteth alone and keepeth &s;ilence,</HI> when the word drives you into a corner to con&s;ider of things in &s;ecret, there is more hopes by farre con|cerning you. If the word once wound thee that it <HI>&s;ingles</HI> thee out from <HI>the heard,</HI> there is hopes thou maye&s;t be hunted downe as <HI>Naomi</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Boaz?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ruth. 3.18.</NOTE> <HI>The man will not be at re&s;t till he hath fini&s;hed the thing this day.</HI> But as long as you can heard together after a Sermon, the work will never forward with you: was ever happy match made without private conference to get acquaintance and to &s;ettle the affections; we li&s;ten to hear <HI>the voice of the Bridgroom</HI> with you un|der the canopy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Hamonds</HI> notion on Jo. 3.29.</NOTE> this would make us rejoyce indeed. Alas Chri&s;tians <HI>we do not preach be|fore you but to you.</HI> It is not for you after a Sermon to &s;ay, what we have &s;aid, or done or how, but what you intend to doe, <HI>we preach not for approbation but for an An&s;wer.</HI> What availeth it us <HI>to have you cry us up here and cur&s;e us in Hell,</HI> you might find &s;ome|thing el&s;e to do after a Sermon more pro|per and immediate work for you, then to &s;ay what you think of the Mini&s;ter. The woman thought &s;he had obliged Chri&s;t much by giving &s;o large a te&s;timony of his doctrine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 11.27.28.</NOTE> as to &s;ay: <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the Womb that bare thee, and the Paps that gave thee &s;uck.</HI> And &s;he &s;aid no more then what was true and ju&s;t for Chri&s;t, yet he returnes her
<PB N="97" REF="66">an an&s;wer wherein he in&s;inuates what would better have becommed her to looke after, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that hear the word of God and keepe it.</HI> The poore&s;t Sermon that you can hear, hath more in it I doubt then you will doe, <HI>The Sermon that is not worth your writing, will be worth your accounting for.</HI> It is good if the word be repeated in your hou&s;es, but it never workes till it &s;ingles you out and gets you into your clo|&s;ets. Make u&s;e therefore of this direction, ob&s;erve wherein God &s;trikes you at a Ser|mon, and take good notice of it.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>If one &s;in be di&s;covered, &s;earch to the bottome of it.</HI> There is a ne&s;t within whe e this is at the mouth, &s;ome one &s;in is di&s;co|vered to thee, which thou art checked for and convinced of, but it is not a matter of one &s;in that thou art to deal in; If this was the word that was &s;o bad, or this the action that was &s;o unrea&s;onable, what is the heart within that bred and brought forth this word and action;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12 34.</NOTE> <HI>Out of the abun|dance of the heart the mouth &s;peaketh.</HI> There is wor&s;e within all along. O what an heart ha&s;t thou that would &s;end forth &s;uch an un|clean filthy word; what an heart ha&s;t thou that would let thee lye! What an heart ha&s;t thou, that would let thee &s;in thus quietly! live thus long without duties! let thee do on this fa&s;hion and let thee &s;leepe quietly at night after all; <HI>Paul</HI> when God opened
<PB N="98" REF="67">his eies, he &s;aw the Law was &s;pirituall <HI>but he was carnall,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.14</NOTE> <HI>&s;old under &s;in,</HI> a &s;ad thing when a man &s;ees this true of him&s;elf, (as it is &s;aid in this &s;cripture famous Mr. <HI>Dod</HI> fir&s;t &s;aw him|&s;elf) this every &s;in thou art convinced of may be driven up into,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Cla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">k</HI> in the life of Mr. <HI>Dod.</HI></NOTE> &amp; the work never goes on to purpo&s;e til it be &s;o: alas no &s;in lies &s;ingle an a carnal hart. This one thou &s;ee&s;t, but it hath fellows, labour to find the re&s;t out.</P>
<P>By one &s;in labour to find out the <HI>&s;in and di&s;ea&s;e of nature,</HI> or thou wilt never be throughly cured.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Beg of God to humb le thee and to change thy heart,</HI> move now thou art doing, for a totall change. They that are in Chri&s;t mu&s;t be new creatures, <HI>Old things are pa&s;t away,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.17.</NOTE> <HI>all things are become new.</HI> Re&s;olve upon it, the Old heart will never do better the Old heart will not &s;erve, thou can&s;t never get through to Heaven with the Old Heart: A man that will repair an Old ruinous hou&s;e, he knows not what he en|ters on, he may be at more charges, and it neither hand&s;ome, nor. &s;afe, but &s;till &s;ome peice out of Order, a meet patcht bu&s;ine&s;&s;e for a while. It were better to pull down the Old one, and build all new: never think to leave only, &s;uch and &s;uch a &s;in; but beg of God to put another princi|ple into your heart, and you will find your &s;elf more ea&s;y for Duties and your &s;tan|ding will be much more likely.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.32 33</NOTE> That pro|mi&s;e
<PB N="99" REF="67">of God giving <HI>a new heart and a new &s;pirit, and, writing the Law in the Heart.</HI> Lay that upon thy heart, and beg of God to work it on thee or thou can&s;t never make any thing of it. God hath promi&s;ed upon your turning at his reproofe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.23</NOTE> <HI>to powre forth his &s;pirit upon you.</HI> Move for that or you do nothing.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Make choice of good company,</HI> The ve|ry Heathen could &s;ay. <HI>How can he be a good man that doth not hate bad company?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.115</NOTE> <HI>David</HI> &s;aies. <HI>Depart from me ye workers of iniqui|ty. For I will keep the commandements of my God.</HI> I have work to doe which I cannot do in your company: Therefore depart from me.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 9.26.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> as &s;oone as he was conver|ted a&s;&s;ayed to joine him&s;elfe to the people of God &s;till wherever he came.</P>
<P><HI>Let tho&s;e that fear thee turn in unto me,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.79.63.</NOTE> and <HI>I am a companion of all tho&s;e that fear thee.</HI> This is the way to do well, good com|pany if the motion be weak will ripen, nouri&s;h, and help it on. Bad company, if it be &s;trong are able to &s;mother it. He mu&s;t be a &s;trong Chri&s;tian indeed that loo|&s;es nothing in bad company. It was <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;tomes</HI> &s;aying, <HI>that bad company after a Sermon was like turning Savine into a Gar|den as &s;oon as it was made,</HI> and Dr. <HI>Pre&s;tons</HI> that <HI>ill company after a good Motion is like continuall dropping on a firebrand.</HI> Alas, fil|thie, frothie, worldly, wicked talke, (and
<PB N="100" REF="68">wicked men have no better for us) corrupt the &s;oul, and may make you the wor&s;e for it a great while. (And woe to <HI>you</HI> by the way, when godly men cannot keep company with, you for fear of infection, cannot be with you but they lo&s;e by you) if you would do well, join your &s;elves to tho&s;e that fear God. Many never get over this temptation; &s;tartled they are, but they know not now to for&s;ake their Old companions; If they cro&s;|&s;ed them, and they were faln out, they could avoid them: but it is hard to for&s;ake any whom we are not wholly faln out with; and as hard it is to fall out with them for Gods &s;ake, or el&s;e you might &s;oon be out with them, we can do that for a <HI>lu&s;ts &s;ake,</HI> which we know not how to do for <HI>Gods &s;ake.</HI> But make thou this &s;tep further, thou wilt find much advantage from it, have no needle&s;s familiarity with them that are wicked: In|timate &s;ocietie with wicked men, is hard|lie con&s;i&s;tent with the practi&s;e of Grace. Our Saviour tells us, <HI>we mu&s;t hate Father, and Mother, and Brother, and Friends, for Chri&s;ts &s;ake,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lu. 14.26.</NOTE> Therefore this &s;hould not &s;eeme &s;trange or grievous unto thee to for|&s;ake a wicked a&s;&s;ociate, who is but Obtru|ded upon thee by the Devill on purpo&s;e to keep po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion for him and to be a &s;nare to thee: good companie is both a mark and a meanes of thy being a good man, the man may be known by his companion
<PB N="101" REF="68">both to him&s;elf and others, that is not known exactlie by any thing remarkable as from him&s;elf;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Digno&s;citur &s;ocio qui non cogno&s; cuur ex&s;e.</NOTE> And &s;o a man that &s;hall pretend he loves not the Alehou&s;e, nor loves not drink, but company drawes him, to me it is <HI>as odious to love drunken compa|ny as to love drink,</HI> for what can he love &s;uch company for! It is one lu&s;t to love drink, another to love companie, <HI>That</HI> he loves to &s;in by, <HI>the&s;e</HI> to &s;in <HI>with,</HI> He &s;atisfies his fle&s;hly appetite with <HI>that</HI> and his car|nall fancy and delight with <HI>the&s;e.</HI> But if &s;uch a man do not perfectly know his own &s;tate, let him look on his company, and &s;ee if he know what they are, and then he may know him&s;elf. And therefore I would put the&s;e companions among&s;t his <HI>marks,</HI> and <HI>&s;igns</HI> to try his &s;tate by, And &s;ay the&s;e drun|ken idle companions are the <HI>marks</HI> of the pre&s;ent damnable e&s;tate of this mans &s;oul. For whatever wickedne&s;s there is in any of them, the lively habits of it are in <HI>his</HI> &s;oul. He is of the &s;ame kind, it is likene&s;&s;e that makes per&s;ons love. There is a good like|ing, or no di&s;liking of tho&s;e vilene&s;&s;es, the wor&s;t among&s;t them, or you could not out of choice affect their company. One may know your temper that &s;uch as the&s;e can be endured by you, &amp; upon the early motion of changing your cour&s;e, you mu&s;t change your company or it will not be: you can not keep your old company, and go on this
<PB N="102" REF="69">way, nor lightly take better company and not be much furthered in it.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Fall upon the pre&s;ent work.</HI> The &s;in you are convinced of, labour to begin in &s;triving again&s;t that very &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.26.</NOTE> and the duty you have neglected; now &s;et about it. <HI>Put away lying, and let him that hath &s;toln &s;teal no more,</HI> lie no more, &s;wear no more, be idle no more, drink no more, neglect duty no more, you mu&s;t begin with &s;omewhat let it appear you are changed by for&s;aking the&s;e &s;ins at pre&s;ent that are next, and &s;o forward every &s;in that you meet with. Try the a&s;&s;i&s;tance which God will give you in oppo&s;ing the&s;e &s;ins that are next at hand. Suffer not thy &s;elf in any &s;in thou meete&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>thou</HI> ha&s;t a greater to overcome, the &s;poyl of this may &s;trengthen thy Force again&s;t that O|ther, but be doing, gathering up Forces, clearing the coa&s;t as you goe, how low &s;oever you take up at fir&s;t be doing till greater bu&s;ine&s;&s;e comes. This may be but <HI>little</HI> but it may <HI>begin</HI> a great <HI>deal</HI> and <HI>&s;o be a great thing:</HI> loo&s;e not thy heart in ex|pectation of &s;ome one adver&s;ary, but try the next idle thought Or cu&s;tomary bad word, Or family duty, Or in&s;tructing thy Children, enter with the next thou mee|te&s;t, <HI>And &s;o</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>Delay not your re&s;olutions.</HI> This is the Devils la&s;t ca&s;t, when he &s;ees he can carry
<PB N="103" REF="69">it no other way, he will get you <HI>to</HI> delay your changing a while. But beware of this thing, the device is to get thee off the pre|&s;ent heat that is on thy Soul, and then the matter would dy in thee; We are not igno|rant of his devices, If thou art re&s;olved <HI>Make ha&s;t and delay not to keep his Comman|dements,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119, 59, 60</NOTE> <HI>Let the dead bury the dead, &s;aies</HI> Chri&s;t but <HI>follow thou me.</HI> Before that &s;hould hinder thy following Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8.22.</NOTE> let the dead lie unburied till the dead could do it. Chri&s;t and the &s;oul mu&s;t be &s;aved fir&s;t. <HI>No</HI> bu&s;i|ne&s;s comparable to this bu&s;ine&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lu. 5 27.</NOTE> whatever it is, it mu&s;t give place to this. <HI>Matthew</HI> as &s;oone as Chri&s;t &s;poke to him, to follow him, <HI>He ro&s;e and left all to follow him.</HI> Alas doe not think <HI>of repenting,</HI> and <HI>not of repen|ting now.</HI> Doe not &s;ay when &s;uch an afflicti|on is over, &s;uch a wordly bu&s;ine&s;s di&s;pat|ched I will mend. No this is not the way &s;et upon the duty in the fir&s;t place, this is the way to have thy worldly bu&s;ine&s;s ea&s;i|lye&s;t, and be&s;t expedited for thee. Doe not &s;ay <HI>thou art too young?</HI> thou may hap|pen never live to be Old. <HI>A young man may have a &s;hort life, and eternall damnation.</HI> And therefore looke about you, delay not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">5.8 G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">2.3.</NOTE> <HI>To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Abraham</HI> got up early <HI>in the morning</HI> though it was to &s;acrifice his deare&s;t and only Son, and is <HI>the day farr on</HI> before thou can be got forward to the altar with thy
<PB N="104" REF="70">darling lu&s;t doth &s;pend thy time as the <HI>Le|vite did</HI> for the fir&s;t days, &s;pend the mor|ning &s;o long till it be too late to goe that night.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jud. 19.5. to 10.</NOTE> Thou mu&s;t break through all delays: <HI>Better go early in the morning then late at night.</HI> May thy heart &s;ay to thee as was hin|ted to the <HI>Levite,</HI> Let the duty alone to night it is but a peice of a day, begin a week with it. Take up the&s;e things when thou maye&s;t have a full time to con&s;ider them. Alas beware of the de&s;ign, there wil be as much to hinder to morrow as is to day, And therefore <HI>it is better to go late to night then late to morrow night,</HI> for &s;till the refre&s;hment in the morning mu&s;t put it late if thou &s;taye&s;t till another morning. Thou mu&s;t never think to embrace Chri&s;t, if thou wilt do it at &s;uch a time when nothing el&s;e &s;hall offer it &s;elfe to be entertained be&s;ide. Thou mu&s;t break through &s;ome difficulties, make &s;ome other matters, &s;tay to &s;hew thy &s;incere preferring Chri&s;t above all, delay it now, Thou &s;halt have as much in the way the next day, and thy heart le&s;&s;e di&s;po&s;ed to &s;tand for it. The de&s;ign is to loo&s;e and put off the pre&s;ent heat, and then a &s;mall occa|&s;ion will do well enough with thee, And therefore oh that while thou lingere&s;t as <HI>Lot</HI> did when he was to go out of <HI>Sodom,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.6.</NOTE> <HI>the Angell of the Lord would lay his hand on thee (the Lord being merciful to thee)</HI> and lead thee out of this wretched condition before the
<PB N="105" REF="70">fire and brim&s;tone be about thy ears.</P>
<P>I have now done with what I &s;hall &s;ay at this time to the unconverted &s;inner, I have &s;aid what the Lord hath &s;tored me with, both by way of motive and direction for the recovering of thee that yet there might be <HI>&s;ome hopes of thee.</HI> I &s;hall &s;ay no more at pre&s;ent, thou ha&s;t the &s;ame things now tran|&s;mitted to thee that thou maye&s;t look over them again and again, and con&s;ider of them. It may be you and I may live to deal of this bu&s;ine&s;s again in <HI>other words</HI> to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, but &s;alvation can be had up|on <HI>no other terms</HI> but your conver&s;ion. And if after all that is &s;aid nothing abide with thee, God knows where and how &s;ad Our la&s;t parting may be, But I mu&s;t needs pray and hope that God wil &s;ave you from your Lot, (according to <HI>P&s;.</HI> 49.14 15.) as judging your impenitent &s;tate an hopele&s;s, a de&s;pe|rate, and wretched e&s;tate. If your delights in the world hinder the&s;e &s;erious thoughts of yours, and &s;trengthen your impenitency, I mu&s;t needs pray as the P&s;almi&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 17.13.</NOTE> <HI>Deliver me, O Lord, from the men of this World who have</HI> a few vani&s;hing &s;moaking trifles <HI>for their Portion in this life,</HI> and have a dreadful portion of Fire and wrath remaining for them in the life to come. We have thus done with the improvement of this poynt to the ungodly, in all the 3 heads foremen|tioned.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="106" REF="71">
<HEAD>CAP. IX.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Ob&s;ervation improved to the Godly, in re&s;pect of Peace and Comfort, and that to &s;uch as are but &s;etting out towards God: following their Fears and Scru|ples, and clearing up their hopes unto them.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="2">WE &s;hall endeavour to improve this Doctrine to another &s;ort, <HI>Viz.</HI> To tho&s;e that fear God; and it is to pre&s;s them to the duty of the Doctrine, and that is to take notice of the hopes that God hath left them, about the &s;everall &s;tates which they may find them&s;elves in, and may be apt to think their Condition little otherwi&s;e then de&s;perate: beware of de&s;pairing, where God hath left You hopes; do not &s;hut up Your &s;elves, when God hath yet left You a way out, [and that 1. In re&s;pect of Peace and Comfort. 2. Of &s;in. 3. Of Affliction.]</P>
<P N="1">1. In re&s;pect of Comfort: and this,</P>
<P N="1">1. To Souls that are but begining towards God (For we &s;hall de&s;ire to take the Work before us, and leave none out,
<PB N="107" REF="71">which God would have us to &s;peak unto.) You begin to be &s;tartled, and the old life will &s;erve no longer, <HI>The time pa&s;t &s;uffices,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.3.</NOTE> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks) You have &s;inned long enough, You will have no more of it You think it is time to come in, if it be not too &s;ate, You have had enough, if not too much in the way of &s;in: but You begin now to be affraid, lea&s;t You are the fir&s;t that &s;hall come too late: You think of turning, but are afraid You &s;hall not now be received. This is an ordinary temper of per&s;ons that begin to look to|wards Heaven. Why?</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider here is a great change in Your mind, erewhile You could hope for Heaven; though you lived in &s;in, and now You cannot hope for it, though You for&s;ake &s;in. Then You had &s;o much hope, and &s;aw &s;o much Mercie in God that You left him neither Truth nor Ju|&s;tice, and now You look &s;o altogether at Ju&s;tice, that You leave him neither Truth nor Mercy. Alas, this is the malice of <HI>Satan,</HI> and the cro&s;sne&s;s of Nature. The Devill would hurrie thee into another ex|tream, but the Mean between the&s;e two is the right. Sinners &s;hould not hope, nor Penitents de&s;pair: thy ba&s;e heart would have no hope, unle&s;s &s;uch an one as would let thee &s;in too; As if becau&s;e thy fal&s;e hope is routed, in <HI>anger</HI> thou wilt now
<PB N="108" REF="72">have none. And for <HI>Satan</HI> &s;ee his hand: A long time when we per&s;waded for peace You <HI>were not willing,</HI> now You are wil|ling, he would per&s;wade You, <HI>God is not willing.</HI> The truth is, <HI>he is not willing the Match &s;hould go forward,</HI> and all his de&s;ign is to break it; but if You knew You hu|moured Corruption, and gratified <HI>Satan</HI> in nur&s;ing the&s;e thoughts, I think you would beware of them, and look on them other|wi&s;e then You do. But</P>
<P N="2">2. There is no que&s;tion in the World but God is willing, if You be willing: God will receive You, if You come in, Penitents &s;hall find Mercie. That <HI>you</HI> have no cau&s;e to doubt of Gods &s;hewing Mercie on <HI>you,</HI> upon <HI>your</HI> coming in, take the&s;e Demon&s;trations of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>His &s;olemn Word and Oath is gone out upon it.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.17.</NOTE> Leave <HI>your</HI> ba&s;e Companie, part with every ba&s;e thing, come out from the way <HI>you</HI> are in, <HI>and I will receive you;</HI> nay, he &s;wears, <HI>As I live I de&s;ire not the Death of the wicked, but rather that he &s;hould repent,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.11. Jo. 6.37.</NOTE> <HI>and live.</HI> And Chri&s;t &s;aies, That tho&s;e that come to him he will in <HI>no wi&s;e</HI> ca&s;t out. In <HI>no wi&s;e</HI>] he will make no frau|dulent di&s;tinctions to evade his Promi&s;e, he will not do it upon any terms, in any ca&s;e; now thou &s;aie&s;t, the Lord will not receive thee: How dare&s;t thou &s;ay &s;o? When the Lord &s;aies, he will receive thee.
<PB N="109" REF="72">Thou &s;aie&s;t, thou maie&s;t go in, but alas, Chri&s;t wil pa&s;s thee by; and Chri&s;t &s;aies, He will in <HI>no wi&s;e</HI> do it: Will <HI>you</HI> not believe Truth it &s;elf when he &s;peaks?</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>If Chri&s;t &s;hould not receive Penitents, what did Chri&s;t come into the World for, or &s;end his Mini&s;ters for?</HI> if Penitents &s;hall not find Mercie, then we mu&s;t &s;ay as the Apo&s;tle in another ca&s;e, Chri&s;t died in vain <HI>and our Preaching is al&s;o vain.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.14.</NOTE> This is a faithfull &s;aying, and worthy of all accepta|tion, <HI>That Je&s;us Chri&s;t came into the world to &s;ave Sinners.</HI> What was his Incarna|tion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1.15.</NOTE> his life of humiliation, his painfull death for? if penitent Sinners find no be|ne&s;it by it? Why did he take our Nature on him, but to pity our Nature? and that we might behold Mercie brought neerer to us, and more like to be laid hold of by us: and he hath employed us Mini|&s;ters to invite <HI>you</HI> to come in; nay, we are Amba&s;&s;dors for God, and we entreat <HI>you, as though God did be&s;eech you by us,</HI> We pray <HI>you in Chri&s;ts &s;tead,</HI> to be reconciled unto God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.20.</NOTE> we entreat <HI>you</HI> in his Name to come in; <HI>nay, in his &s;tead:</HI> And do <HI>you</HI> think, that if it were no more then for the comfort of us, to our labours in this work, that he would &s;end us on &s;uch an Errand, and not &s;tand to what he &s;ends in Amba&s;|&s;age by us? Doth he pray <HI>you</HI> to be recon|ciled, and when <HI>you</HI> are willing, do <HI>you</HI>
<PB N="110" REF="73">think that he will go back and not be re|conciled? Far be it from <HI>us,</HI> or <HI>you</HI> to have &s;uch a thought of him?</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>His tenders of mercy to them that refu&s;e him, and the mercy he hath &s;hewed to thee in thy former &s;infull e&s;tate,</HI> may make thee believe he is not &s;o &s;cant of Mercie, as to have none for thee now thou repente&s;t. <HI>Doth he &s;tretch out his hands all the day long to a wicked and gain-&s;aying People,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.21. P&s;a. 81.11</NOTE> <HI>to them that will have none of him?</HI> And will he not embrace him that will have him, that de|&s;ires after him? Doth Chri&s;t &s;o lament over <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> that &s;he would not be ga|thered, when he often would have gathe|red her, and &s;aies, If thou had&s;t known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lu. 10.42.</NOTE> and brings in this, <HI>even thou,</HI> even thou rebellious, murtherous <HI>Jeru&s;alem, even thou</HI> might&s;t have had Mercie: and &s;adly concludes, that &s;he had out-&s;tood her day; and will he not rejoice over one that &s;ees what <HI>makes for his peace,</HI> and glad|ly embraces it, and comes in? Do <HI>you</HI> think he is onlie earne&s;t for them that will not accept of it, like &s;ome of us that have a mind to &s;ave our Gift and our Cre|dit too, would offer it earne&s;tly, and <HI>in|vite</HI> him <HI>&s;trongly,</HI> if we thought he <HI>would not take it,</HI> &s;uch things are common a|mong&s;t men: but certainly the Lord in|vites none, but tho&s;e that &s;hould find wel|come
<PB N="111" REF="73">if they would come in: &s;urely if the vile&s;t Sinners are invited to come, Peni|tents need not doubt of their being recei|ved. Be&s;ides, thou knowe&s;t what Mercies he afforded thee, in the time of thy Igno|tance: He may &s;ay to thee, <HI>I girded thee when thou knewe&s;t me not,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;. 45.5.</NOTE> As he &s;ays to <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> Many a Mercy he prepared thee with, that at la&s;t his goodne&s;&s;e might draw thee to repentance, and will he have no mercie now thou do&s;t repent! It can never be: If he had intended to flay thee, he might have taken the advantage of the time, when thou wert in enmitie to him, he might have come on thee in thy blind|ne&s;&s;e, and have de&s;troyed thee, and have had thee <HI>speechle&s;&s;e;</HI> but now to draw thy heart after him, to throw thee off, is the unlikelye&s;t thing that ever was. Oh no, <HI>He that could forbear thee when thou &s;inned&s;t, &s;ure will pardon when thou repente&s;t.</HI> His car|riage towards others that will not repent, and towards thee while thou wert impo|nitent, give thee no ground to have hard thoughts of him, as if he &s;hould refu&s;e thee upon thy repentance. He doth not u&s;e to ca&s;t Souls from him, that ever loved him: It is not con&s;i&s;tent with the Tenor of the Go&s;pell, and his hitherto con&s;tant dealings with Sinners in the world, to <HI>ca&s;t</HI> any <HI>Souls into Hell,</HI> that <HI>will hang about him.</HI> Mo&s;t that go into Hell are ea&s;ilyer
<PB N="112" REF="74">&s;haken off, then thy Soul in this &s;tate would be.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>The greate&s;t of the work is done already,</HI> Chri&s;t hath paid the price already: If Chri&s;t were yet to die, thou might&s;t be more doubtfull, thou might&s;t think it would hardly be that ever he would come into the World; for &s;uch a (One) as thou, (though that which did bring him when he came, would again bring him if it were to do again) Thou would&s;t have made an ill believer under the Law, to have be|lieved in a Chri&s;t to come, that art &s;o hard to believe, now the price is paid, and the Work is compleated and done by him, as it is. It is but now his giving thee a part in his &s;atisfaction, which is a &s;mall thing towards the painfull making of it. A part in that full Price he hath laid down, will &s;erve thy turn, which how ea&s;ie a matter is it for him to be&s;tow on thee, that &s;tuck not at the main, of laying down his life for thee. The King was offended that when his Oxen and Fatlings were killed, and all things were ready, that they came not to the Marriage.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 22.</NOTE> If men &s;hould come to their friends to fea&s;t with them, when they are not provided, it is &s;ome trouble; but when the dinner is provided, and per|&s;ons are invited, per&s;ons provide nothing, but what they would have merrily eaten, and they take it ill if per&s;ons do not come.
<PB N="113" REF="74">The Fea&s;t is prepared, and God had ra|ther <HI>you</HI> came then not. <HI>If Chri&s;t died for us when we were Enemies, how much more &s;hall we be &s;aved by his life.</HI> If Chri&s;t when we were Enemies laid down the Price, now we would be Friends, will he not give us a &s;hare in it; &s;hall we not be &s;a|ved now he is ri&s;en, and gone into Hea|ven, and the wor&s;t is over: No more re|mains to be done, but giving out &s;hares and portious, in that which is done &s;o ful|ly already. Thou would&s;t hardly believe he would come to die for thee, if it were to do now (as certainly he did when he did it, upon as little de&s;ert in the Creature as thou can&s;t &s;hew in thy &s;elf) if thou can&s;t not believe he will give thee a part in the price he hath paid already.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>He mightily enjoyns mercy, and exalts it among men,</HI> and he enjoyns us to &s;hew <HI>mercy after his example.</HI> Be mercifull as he is merciful,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 41 <HI>l</HI></NOTE> <HI>and forgive as God for Chri&s;ts &s;ake forgives you.</HI> He bids you do nothing in this ca&s;e, but what he will do the like upon your &s;elf if need be. The Servant that pulled his Fellow-&s;ervant by the Throat, if he had found God &s;uch a one,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.32</NOTE> as thou thinke&s;t him to be, he had not been &s;o da&s;hed as he was, when his Lord called him to account: He might have &s;aid, Why &s;hould I forgive him, when thou wilt not forgive me, five hundred
<PB N="114" REF="75">Pence with me is as great a Summ to lo&s;e, as a thou&s;and Talents with thee, if thou wilt have all, I mu&s;t get what I can in of what is owing me towards paying of thee. But you find the Lord had forgiven the thou&s;and Talents, when he reproves the exaction of the five hundred Pence upon the Brother. O this pity is to be found among&s;t Chri&s;tians, and it is in re&s;em|blance to Chri&s;t's pity to Sinners, and yet thou doubtle&s;s whether it be in Chri&s;t, or no! How odious is unmercifulne&s;s a|mong&s;t men? <HI>David</HI> was wroth with the man that had done this thing, <HI>becau&s;e he had no pity;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sa. 12 6.</NOTE> as if <HI>a man,</HI> and <HI>no pity,</HI> was a thing intolerable. The Senator that killed the Sparow which flew into his hand for refuge from the Hawk, was con|demned to die, as unfit to be a Governour, or to live, that would &s;hew Cruelty to that which flew to him for refuge. Do&s;t thou fly to Chri&s;t pur&s;ued by Sin, Satan and thine own Con&s;cience, and do&s;t think, he will &s;lay thee? The Emperour that pro|claimed, Who ever would bring in &s;uch a Rebell, &s;hould have &s;o much money; The man came in, and demanded the Reward him&s;elf, and the Emperour gave it him Can &s;uch Noblene&s;s be found among&s;t the Creatures? and will you think the Lord will not pardon and reward in like manner the Sinner that brings in him&s;elf the Re|bell
<PB N="115" REF="75">unto him. If a man could afford to do thus bountifully, God can much more. <HI>Edward</HI> 1. King of <HI>England,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Faxe<HI>'s</HI> Acts and Monument</NOTE> when a Ser|vant of his on the other &s;ide of the River, cro&s;&s;ed him in his &s;port, and he &s;aid, he would have rebuked him, if he had him on that &s;ide; the man &s;eemed to &s;et him at defiance in that he was on the other &s;ide: Whereupon he makes his Hor&s;e take the River, and ventures his life to re|venge him&s;elf on him; the man &s;eeing his Rage, never over-ran him, but came and held his Neck to his Sword. This &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion of his cooled him, which the River could not, and he put up his Sword and touched him not. <HI>Satis e&s;t pro&s;tra&s;&s;e leoni.</HI> And do you think the Father of Mercies, Graciou&s;ne&s;s, and Goodne&s;s, will come &s;o far behind, as to &s;lay the Soul that falls down at his Feet, and humbly comes in unto him. Certainlie you di|&s;tru&s;t that in God in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e, which you would not doubt to obtain from ma|ny a <HI>man</HI> in the like ca&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov 19.11.</NOTE> <HI>It is mans Glo|ry</HI> (and what not Gods, too!) <HI>to pa&s;s by a tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>He hath &s;hewed mercy when he hath declared Judgement:</HI> and will he not &s;hew mercy when he hath promi&s;ed mercy! He &s;aid plainly?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jon. 3.4.</NOTE> <HI>Yet forty daies and</HI> Nineveh <HI>&s;hall be over-thrown. Joxah</HI> took it ab&s;olutelie, thought much it was
<PB N="116" REF="76">not over-thrown; there was a re&s;erve &s;till for repentance, a tacit exception, if they repented not. And do we think when he promi&s;es Mercie upon this condition ex|pre&s;ly, that he will refu&s;e to &s;hew it? Mer|cie rejoices again&s;t Judgment. The Peni|tent hath alwaies &s;uch influence on God, that Judgments threatned &s;till mu&s;t be put by, if repentance come in, and &s;hall Mer|cie promi&s;ed to Repentance be denied? <HI>Jonah</HI> &s;aw God &s;o inclined to Mercy, that (he &s;aies) he thought it was no going of a Me&s;&s;age of Anger from him, to &s;ay pe|remptorily, Wrath &s;hould follow his pre|diction: Sure then,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jon. 4.3.</NOTE> if <HI>Jonah</HI> had been &s;ent of our Me&s;&s;age, he would have gone mer|rily upon it, to &s;hew Mercy to the Peni|tent; this was a Me&s;&s;age of a matter of the right kind, and that which the Lord hath evermore been famous for, and ne|ver failed the Me&s;&s;enger in performance of it, and fulfilling according to his word. Mercy breaks forth when Judgments are threatned, upon the tacit condition of repentance; can we think Mercy will be denied, where it is expre&s;ly promi&s;ed to the Penitent? Repentance is a thing the Lord hath alwaies &s;o looked at, that he hath abated of a Judgment threatned, for but the &s;hew of it. <HI>Ahab</HI> did but humble him&s;elf in Sackcloath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 21.27.29.</NOTE> and walked &s;oftly, and the Lord &s;hews <HI>Elijah</HI> this, and de|fers
<PB N="117" REF="76">the Judgment for it to his Sons daies Certainly if he had &s;een <HI>Ahab</HI> repent in earne&s;t, he that delaied it for a &s;hew, would have taken it quite off for true re|pentance, and would have &s;aid, I will not bring this Judgment upon him at all. &mdash; O the gratious di&s;po&s;ition of God to &s;hew mercy, may encourage the Penitent to hope in his mercy, in this plain ca&s;e he is in.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us did never refu&s;e any di&s;|ea&s;ed per&s;on that came to him,</HI> and needed his help, <HI>when he was on Earth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8.7.</NOTE> <HI>He took on him our Infirmities, and bare our &s;ickne&s;&s;es.</HI> Though this was e&s;pecially done when he &s;uffered for our &s;ins on the Cro&s;s, as you have it applied el&s;ewhere; yet in this place, Chri&s;t when he &s;aw the &s;ickne&s;&s;es of our nature, that came on us for &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.24.</NOTE> in tending to &s;atisfie for &s;in, he was &s;o piti|full, that he took him&s;elf concerned in tho&s;e pitifull Maladies, he found upon the Nature which he had a&s;&s;umed, and as fel|lowfeeling with us took part with us ther|in, and &s;tirred up his Divine Power for the relea&s;e of the &s;everall per&s;ons &s;o affected. Now if Chri&s;t did never turn back any poor di&s;ea&s;ed Creature, that came to him with their Bodies, but &s;till healed them all,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.2.</NOTE> and this further u&s;ually began at par|don of &s;in with all his Patients, and healed the Soul into the Bargain, though &s;eldome that was looked for by them. Do we
<PB N="118" REF="77">think that he will turn off thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 9.2.</NOTE> that com|e&s;t to him with a di&s;ea&s;ed Soul? and fur|ther &s;eeke&s;t for pardon of &s;in in the fir&s;t and chief, and only place: If <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> turn a di&s;ea&s;ed Soul off that comes unto him for Cure, he doth that which he hath &s;aid, he will not do; nay, I may &s;ay, he doth that which he never yet did: And further thou finde&s;t him much changed from that gratious di&s;po&s;ition that he had when he was here. And &s;ure that can never be. He is not on the <HI>Throne</HI> of Mercy in Heaven, an Advocate with the Father for his, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to have le&s;s pity and mercy then heretofore he had for poor Sinners. It is <HI>triumphant Mercy</HI> now, and therefore what he did before, he will do that, and much more now; He ows not a Mite to Ju&s;tice, he is come through all the Demands, goes to the Father, relea|&s;ed from the Grave, &s;in having no more to charge upon him, and therefore now he is in his Royalty of Mercy, and Intere&s;t for us, and &s;o &s;ure can want of nothing which ever he &s;hewed of pity to poor Creatures while he was here. Now did he <HI>ever</HI> do as thou fancie&s;t he will do with thee?</P>
<P N="8">8. Will he not &s;hew pity? <HI>How come men to &s;hew pity to you?</HI> Mini&s;ters that &s;ee you in trouble that can pity you, their hearts are turned towards you for all your Aver|&s;ions and untowardne&s;s heretofore, upon
<PB N="119" REF="77">a change: You are to them as if you had never rebelled, and never been other|wi&s;e. In our e&s;teem and affection, we look upon you in unregeneracy, and con|verted as not the &s;ame per&s;ons. Our hearts are opened to you upon your coming in; and do you think that we that are but <HI>finite, &s;treightned, hard-hearted</HI> Creatures, can have &s;o much affection towards you; and God who is <HI>infinite in mercy,</HI> that is the <HI>Fountain of all pity,</HI> that he can want favour for you? Sure if the Ma&s;ters chief Stewards be &s;o kind to you, they have &s;ome Intimation from their Ma&s;ter of his good will towards you: or they are not &s;o good to be &s;o forward of them&s;elves; or &s;ure they do think it is not again&s;t their Ma&s;ters mind, or they dur&s;t never &s;hew that favour to you which they do That men &s;hould pity you, it is a &s;ign that God then may, or that he doth pity you in their pity. <HI>I will &s;hew mercies to you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer 42 12.</NOTE> <HI>that he may have mercy upon you.</HI> God &s;hews mercy in making men &s;hew mercy and pi|ty to others in their Di&s;tre&s;&s;es. When men &s;hew pity, they are &s;et on work b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, The Lord it is that hath moved their hearts to compa&s;&s;ion, or they had been unmoved. Surely there is &s;ome|thing in it, that thy Mini&s;ter &s;hould &s;ay to thee as <HI>Samuel,</HI> As for me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam 12.13.</NOTE> <HI>the Lord forbid</HI> but that I &s;hould pray for you: nay,
<PB N="120" REF="78">the Lord forbid, <HI>that I &s;hould &s;in again&s;t the Lord</HI> in cea&s;ing to pray for you, I &s;hould &s;in if I did it not; nay, further to &s;ay, <HI>I will teach you the good and the right way, &amp;c.</HI> Sure the Lord hath &s;ome mercy him&s;elf for me, when his Officers have their hearts &s;o &s;en&s;ibly &s;et and inclined towards me: &s;ure you have high thoughts of us (as much too high, as of him too low.) If you think we could <HI>move our own hearts</HI> to have any pity towards you, or to take any care of you.</P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>Can you be wor&s;e then tho&s;e to whom he hath &s;hewed mercy?</HI> O what Sinners Repen|tance hath brought off! The fir&s;t of the &s;in|ning kind as to man is generally believed, were &s;aved: <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> the Ringlea|ders of this dangerous cour&s;e; the&s;e e&s;|caped. God put forth a triall of his pow|er upon them. The Devill had not the plunder of the fir&s;t Battell, could not car|ry it off the Field. <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> e&s;ca|ped. Thou talke&s;t of great &s;ins. Alas, what was <HI>Davids?</HI> what was <HI>Mana&s;&s;es?</HI> that <HI>filled Jeru&s;alem</HI> with <HI>Murthers, Witch|craft,</HI> and what not?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 K. 24.3.4. 2 Chron. 33, 2.13.</NOTE> that intangled the people in &s;o much &s;in, that God would not pardon it afterwards, but Plagned the Land for it when he was gone; yet this <HI>Ma|na&s;&s;eh</HI> comes off, and the Lord is <HI>entreated of him.</HI> What &s;hould we &s;ay of <HI>Mary Magdalen,</HI> of the very Jews that Cruci|fied
<PB N="121" REF="78">Chri&s;t? <HI>Saul</HI> that per&s;ecuted him? If you think he did that only to <HI>Paul,</HI> did that once which he will do no more; the Text tells you, he did it for a <HI>Patern to them which &s;hould come after.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.15.16.</NOTE> The Lord will &s;hew mercie to as great &s;inners, as a|ny he hath &s;aved yet, if they repent and come in unto him. The Lord hath a de|&s;ign to magnifie the Attribute of his Mer|cie as much in the work of Redemption, as he did the Attribute of his Power in the work of Creation: and therefore it is a dangerous thing to talk of <HI>great Sins,</HI> be|fore <HI>infinite Mercy.</HI> Con&s;ider, if as much Mercy as brought off the&s;e Sinners in Scri|pture, will bring off thee, thou maie&s;t hope: for God hath done nothing to any, but he will do the like to thee, if thou re|pent and come in as they did.</P>
<P N="10">10. <HI>God hath excepted no penitent &s;inner, what ever his &s;in be.</HI> And be&s;ides, if peni|tent Sinners be not &s;aved, who &s;hall? God doth not &s;ay, if &s;uch Sinners come, I will forgive them, and others I will not, but all &s;orts of Sinners, <HI>unrighteous per&s;ons,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 55.7.8.</NOTE> in|definitely, let them come, and I will &s;hew mercie unto them.</P>
<P>The very &s;in again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t, Divines conceive it might be pardoned for the &s;in, but that God never gives repen|tance for it. The Devill that tempred the young man, and he fled to Chri&s;ts Death;
<PB N="122" REF="79">I, &s;aies the Devill, How will you prove he died for you? nay, &s;aies the young man, <HI>prove that he did not die for me.</HI> So how will you prove that mercie doth not be|long to you? for if penitent Sinners find not Mercie, what is this Throne of mercie for? It is for &s;ome bodie, the Angels that &s;tand never needed it, the Angels that fell mu&s;t not have it, the Saints in Glory they are &s;ecured, wicked men on Earth matter not for it: There remains therefore but one &s;ort of men more, and tho&s;e are Sin|ners that repent of &s;in, and the&s;e are they this mercie is on purpo&s;e for. Thou tal|ke&s;t thou art unworthy, was ever any wor|thy? <HI>Thou art but unworthy,</HI> and never any was &s;aved by this Mercie that did de&s;erve it.</P>
<P>It remains therefore clear, that God is willing, that if thou repent, God will re|ceive thee.</P>
<P N="3">3. And &s;ure thou art willing: This is &s;uppo&s;ed all along in the former head; the matter is at a neerer i&s;&s;ue than is ordinari|ly thought of, we need not &s;olicitou&s;ly enquire, whether God be willing to &s;ave a Penitent, or no? Know but that thou thy &s;elf art willing, that thou art a Peni|tent, and thou ha&s;t the an&s;wer. It is brought to that now; but if the Fit of doubting be on thee, thou wilt make a&s;hift to get hold here, and thou wilt to plea&s;ure
<PB N="123" REF="79">this humour and di&s;temper of thy &s;oul, que&s;tion this, whether thou art willing or no? whether thou repente&s;t or no! If the doubt be only here, thou wilt doubt here though till the other was cleared, this on thy part was little doubted of, well then to help thee about what God hath wrought in thee, and to clear thy grounds of hope from hence, and though thou mai|e&s;t think none knows thy mind better then thou; yet give me leave to de&s;ire thy an|&s;wer to a few que&s;tions, whereby I think thon maye&s;t clear to thy &s;elf, that it &s;ticks not at thy willingne&s;&s;e, not &s;o much to prove what is in thee, as if any thing of thy own, as what the Lord hath wrought for thee.</P>
<P><HI>Ha&s;t not thou for&s;aken the old way?</HI> given over &s;ome gro&s;&s;e &s;ins which before thou could&s;t have lived in, nay did&s;t take de|light in? ha&s;t thou not re&s;olved again&s;t them, however thou fare&s;t for thine accep|tance with Chri&s;t upon thy coming in? Iu&s;t like a rebel that when proclamation of pardon is out, upon his laying down of his Armes, and coming into the King. It may be at pre&s;ent he dares not &s;hew his face to the King, to claim the benefit of his pardon and the Kings favour, but he lays down his armes and will fight no more. Why this is a good beginning: &s;o one may take &s;ome Soules between their &s;ins, and
<PB N="124" REF="80">their actuall &s;en&s;e of their application of Chri&s;t. Thou ha&s;t at pre&s;ent laid a&s;ide thy ho&s;tility, thou ha&s;t done with thy rebelli|on, Though thou dare&s;t not yet &s;ee the Kings face, yet thou ha&s;t done fighting a|gain&s;t him, as <HI>Saul</HI> when &s;ticken down in his way to <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> why he had done at fir&s;t da&s;h with his commi&s;&s;ion from the High Prie&s;ts and Elders, he had enough of per&s;ecuting, and whether Chri&s;t would have him <HI>or no,</HI> he at pre&s;ent had done with his breathing out threatning again&s;t the brethren, he would &s;tand by at no more &s;tonings, nor bind no more for <HI>Jeru|&s;alem,</HI> that followed this way. It is a good preface, a good beginning, <HI>that thou art &s;tanded in thy former cour&s;e,</HI> that thou ha&s;t laid <HI>down thy Ho&s;tility,</HI> wilt fight no more again&s;t Chri&s;t, Like the man whom a Mi|ni&s;ter overtooke after a Sermon, and as|ked him how he liked the Mini&s;ter, and what he remembred, &s;aies the man, I know not, but this I am re&s;olved, <HI>I will never do as I have done.</HI> So thou art re&s;olved ne|ver to doe as thou ha&s;t done, thou ha&s;t e|nough of thy &s;wearing, Sabbath breaking prayerle&s;ne&s;s in family, and in &s;ecret, drink|ing, oppo&s;ing the good way, &s;itting with the &s;cornefull, mocking Religion, u&s;ing any unju&s;t way of living. Thou wilt no more of that whatever comes of thee, why &s;ure this is &s;omething.</P>
<PB N="125" REF="80">
<P N="2">2. <HI>Art thou not willing to doe now whate|ver the Lord would have thee to doe?</HI> Art thou not reconciled to Chri&s;ts way <HI>of Go|vernment?</HI> the cour&s;e that &s;ometime thou could&s;t not agree unto by any meanes, art thou not now pretty well minded towards it! <HI>Can&s;t thou not fancy an Holy life!</HI> the time hath been when thou could&s;t not a|way with an <HI>Holy life</HI> of any thing, but now thou art better per&s;waded towards it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 9.9.</NOTE> can&s;t thou not &s;ay as <HI>Paul: Lord what wilt thou have me to do?</HI> The time was when thou wanted&s;t no Work of thine Own, thou would&s;t not have asked a Mini&s;ter what cour&s;e of life thou &s;hould&s;t follow, thou had&s;t a way of thine own thou like|ed&s;t better. <HI>The high Prie&s;t and Elders &s;hould tell thee what to doe.</HI> But now it is at this. <HI>What God will have done.</HI> And thou do&s;t not &s;tick at any of the Lords Commands, If he will have thee <HI>give, forgive, take pains in Religion, &s;trive at the &s;traight gate,</HI> what|ever it is, thou art willing now of it, &s;o be it, thou mai&s;t find favour in the Lords eyes. Why a naturall heart &s;ticks at many of the Lords precepts and would come to Chri&s;t, but with re&s;ervations, &s;ome things they have a mind of, they will have liberty for whether they be right or no. And there|fore if thou, in thy troubles art brought to an univer&s;al de&s;ire after the wil of God, that thou choo&s;e&s;t the way of his &s;tatutes, and
<PB N="126" REF="81">art willing of every duty, &s;ure then there is &s;ome good thing wrought upon thee.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Can&s;t thou be contented without a Chri&s;t</HI> The time hath been, that if thou had&s;t meat, and fine cloathes, and money, and friends, re&s;pect, &amp;c: thou could&s;t have been &s;atisfied, but now all tho&s;e things will not content thee, thou art troubled and un&s;atisfied. What is the matter, is a|ny thing taken from thee of what thou had&s;t? or mu&s;t we have more of them? or rather if one would make a bargain with thee, can the&s;e things &s;erve thee? Alas <HI>thou &s;aye&s;t take them all for a Chri&s;t.</HI> I can not live of them as heretofore, If I have all the&s;e things and God frowne on me what availeth it me! The&s;e are not the things will &s;erve my turn, the&s;e are toyes for children, that know not what better things mean, but I am undone, if I be put off with the&s;e things, I mu&s;t have a Chri&s;t or I can have no ea&s;e. Nay I would part with any or all the&s;e things for him, rather than be without him. <HI>None but Chri&s;t, None but Chri&s;t,</HI> why &s;ure this is a great matter thou art arrived unto. <HI>A naked Chri&s;t will &s;erve a wounded &s;oule.</HI> Thou &s;aye&s;t thou knowe&s;t not whether ever thou mu&s;t have him or no, but thou art &s;icke for him, thou keepe&s;t thy love for him, and thou can&s;t not live without him. There is no offe|ring
<PB N="127" REF="81">to thee another match, nor any o|ther thing in the &s;tead of him. Now alas there are many an hundred can make a li|ving, of many another thing, and would choo&s;e many a thing before they would &s;peak of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>What do&s;t think by this very trouble of thine?</HI> Thy heart is no wor&s;e then it was before, but thou &s;ee&s;t it now and did&s;t not &s;ee it before, Thou did&s;t as bad before as now, but thou could&s;t &s;wallow things bet|ter then, than now, why &s;ure then there is an alteration in thee. Once thou would&s;t have &s;aid thy heart was good, and &s;till this was thy plea, and now thou art fallen quite out with it, I tell thee this conceite of our own goodne&s;s is a mi&s;erable de&s;tructive principle, and that thou art thoroughly brought off that, is no &s;mall beginning, is noe little in thy way towards God. I ve|rily hope it is &s;omewhat better, with thy heart, when thou art not &s;o apt, to &s;peak one good word for it, as heretofore. Thy very trouble is an argument of thy mending condition. Thou talke&s;t there is nothing but what is of fle&s;h in thee. I would allude to that of the blind man. Why <HI>herein is a marvelous thing,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 19.30.</NOTE> <HI>that ye know not from whence he is, and he hath opened mine eyes.</HI> And &s;o this is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence this work upon you is, that you conclude, there is no thing of God in
<PB N="128" REF="82">it, when your eyes are thus opened, when the things that before were not noted, are now &s;uch loads and burthens to you, that &s;uch thoughts as the&s;e are made at all con|&s;cience of. Sure this is from above, that you are thus troubled for &s;uch inward &s;piri|tuall things as you at. If grace would let you, you might be at ea&s;e as heretofore for any thing I &s;ee. If former principles prevai|led this trouble would have no ground.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Would you be willing to be as you were before, though you never be better, in re&s;pect of trouble, then you are now?</HI> If thou be not willing of Chri&s;t, will you turn back again? live in the carele&s;s, regardle&s;s way you li|ved in heretofore? If you be indifferent, you will be ready enough to hearken to &s;uch a motion. But out of thy very trouble and angui&s;h, thou &s;ette&s;t up the head and &s;aye&s;t, <HI>nay for the old way, I will never turn backe again unto it,</HI> I am &s;ad now, but this wilderne&s;s is better then <HI>Egypt,</HI> I am trou|bled, but this trouble is better then &s;in. I had rather be in this condition by farr then be turned back to live in &s;ecurity and &s;in as heretofore: &s;ure thou art better inclined then thou thinke&s;t of.</P>
<P>And if in the&s;e particulars thou can&s;t make out thy willingne&s;s, thy hopes are pretty cleare, and thou mai&s;t believe it will end well with thee.</P>
<P>But 4. Suppo&s;e thou &s;cruple&s;t thy own
<PB N="129" REF="82">willingne&s;s, in &s;ome of the&s;e particulars, &s;ay&s;t at lea&s;t thou can&s;t not &s;ay the&s;e things by thy &s;elfe. Thou can&s;t not &s;ay thou art willing of all the Commands of God, and do&s;t not &s;o &s;oberly de&s;ire Chri&s;t &amp;c: Thou ha&s;t a mind to be dejected, and &s;o thou would&s;t put me off here, and conclude there is yet no hope for thee. But prethy &s;tay; &s;uppo&s;e this, yet there is &s;till hope for thee.</P>
<P>For 1. Thou <HI>may&s;t have the&s;e things real|ly in thee, and yet not be able to apprehend them.</HI> Grace is one thing and &s;en&s;e of grace is another, It is one thing to know God, and another thing <HI>to know that we know him.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Jo. 2.3.</NOTE> Thou maie&s;t be under a temptation a di&s;|couragement of &s;oul, under the prevalen|cy of bodily melancholly, and mai&s;t not be able to &s;ee what God hath done for the. Thy face may &s;hine as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did to others and yet thou thy &s;elf not &s;ee it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34.29.</NOTE></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Thou maie&s;t have &s;ome of the&s;e if not all</HI> one dram of true grace mu&s;t not go to Hel. when &s;ignes are given; you mu&s;t not &s;ay <HI>you need not the re&s;t, when you find &s;ome, nor yet, that you have none becau&s;e you find not all:</HI> but take notice of what you have, and &s;eek for what is behind.</P>
<P>But 3. <HI>Suppo&s;e thou ha&s;t none</HI> yet if thou art willing to have them, there is help for thee. Thou maie&s;t come to Chri&s;t for the&s;e things. Before thou leave&s;t off for
<PB N="130" REF="83">want of them, come to him to be &s;upply|ed with them. If thou be not willing, If thou be <HI>willing to be made willing,</HI> If thou <HI>de&s;ire&s;t, to de&s;ire</HI> &s;incerely and more univer|&s;ally, there is &s;omething already, and the re&s;t may be wrought for thee. One man comes to Chri&s;t doubting in part of his good will (as &s;ome imagine) and &s;ays,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 9.22.</NOTE> If <HI>thou wilt</HI> thou can&s;t make me clean. Chri&s;t puts up this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar 8.2.</NOTE> and it pa&s;&s;es, &s;aies he, <HI>I will be thou clean.</HI> Another comes and &s;ays, If <HI>thou can&s;t</HI> doe any thing, helpe, Chri&s;t pa&s;|&s;es by this weakne&s;&s;e too, and comes up|on terms to that man to afford help unto him. When he &s;aies <HI>If thou can.</HI> Chri&s;t turns an if thou can, upon him. I can &s;ays Chri&s;t <HI>If thou can&s;t beleive.</HI> So thou for the pardon of &s;in maie&s;t &s;ay, Lord if thou can&s;t forgive &s;uch a &s;inner as I am, help me, &s;ays Chri&s;t, <HI>I can</HI> if <HI>thou can&s;t believe, all things are po&s;&s;i|ble to him that believeth.</HI> The poor man could not &s;ay, and not lye, that he did believe, but he bur&s;t out with tears <HI>Lord I believe help my unbelief.</HI> I doe believe, that is, I doe de&s;ire to beleive, I haue &s;ome Faith and I would have the re&s;t, Lord I would not &s;ay I had the condition, nor yet let thee go for want of it, there is a middle way, <HI>I need neither lye nor dye.</HI> I come to thee for this Faith <HI>Lord I believe help my unbeliefe.</HI> So thy &s;oul &s;tirs a little, cry to God to help thee out with the re&s;t. I de&s;ire, Lord
<PB N="131" REF="83">help me to de&s;ire, I am willing, help my unwillingne&s;&s;e, I would &s;erve thee, help me in my great weakne&s;s. If I be not, Lord let the day <HI>of thy power come,</HI> and make me thoroughly <HI>willing.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 9.39</NOTE> The poor man was very generally enclined, and yet with a little of Chri&s;ts dealing with him, he was &s;uddain|ly brought to a notable clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t; &s;ays Chri&s;t to him, <HI>do&s;t thou believe in the Son of God?</HI> Alas &s;aies the man, <HI>Who is he Lord that I might believe on him?</HI> &s;ays Chri&s;t. Thou ha&s;t both &s;een him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And the poor man then &s;aies. <HI>Lord I believe and wor&s;hiped him.</HI> Thou maie&s;t not have &s;uch a di&s;tinct knowledge of Chri&s;t as thou &s;hould&s;t have. But thou ha&s;t a generall good will towards him, and if he would &s;hew him&s;elfe to thee thou would&s;t directly and di&s;tinctly clo&s;e with him, and fall downe and wor&s;hip him. This that is in thee may be made more particular, and in&s;tead of de&s;pairing with it, labour to have it increa&s;ed, where it may be increa&s;ed abundantly. <HI>Turn ye at my reproof, I will pour forth my &s;pirit upon you,</HI> Doe you offer for it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.23</NOTE> and I will help you, turn you and I will poure out my &s;pirit, that will help you to turn throughly Obey the precept; and claim the promi&s;e. <HI>I have gone a&s;tray like a lo&s;t &s;heep. Seek thy &s;er|vant.</HI> The poor &s;oul cries.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a 1.9. <HI>uli.</HI></NOTE> Lord I am a&s;tray I cannot come back againe, I know not
<PB N="132" REF="84">where I am, lo&s;t <HI>I</HI> am. <HI>I</HI> cannot find my &s;elf for thee, but thou knowe&s;t where to find mee, thou knowe&s;t how to redeem me, thou knowe&s;t my w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ndrings, Lord &s;eek me out. Lord do not lo&s;e me. <HI>Seeke thy Servant.</HI> Why this w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> is left open to thee, whatever yet hinders thee, thou maye&s;t beg of God to work they heart up unto it. This for the Fourth &s;tep.</P>
<P>5. <HI>God may &s;uffer they troubles to abide</HI> with thee for many pretious Reasons of good to|wards thee. Thou maie&s;t be ready to &s;ay, But &s;ure if God did intend to &s;hew mercy on me he would have done it before now, he would not have kept me off all this while if ever I mu&s;t have come on, &s;ure &s;ome to|ken for good he would have &s;hewed ere now; If he had liked my coming. He would have made me welcome, &s;ignified his acceptance of my repentance before this, in &s;ome mea&s;ure or other. But I &s;hall to drive thy trouble pa&s;t this &s;top, &s;hew thee that God may in love to they &s;oul at pre&s;ent withhold &s;en&s;ible comforts from thee. Ma|ny choice Rea&s;ons the Lord may have for his &s;o doing.</P>
<P>I. God may withdraw, <HI>to make thee lay a &s;olid foundation,</HI> not only for near &s;ins but in <HI>humiliation for all former &s;ins.</HI> The terrous abides to &s;earch the &s;ore to the bottome. God may intend to drive up thy humiliati|on
<PB N="133" REF="84">for the very &s;ins of thy youth. <HI>Ephra|im</HI> bemoaned him&s;elfe till he bore the re|proach of his youth. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.19</NOTE>And then God &s;miles on him, &s;aies he is <HI>a plea&s;ant child.</HI> Alas, if the&s;e &s;ins &s;hould not be &s;earcht out, and &s;hould lie within unrepented of, thy matter would be fowly hudled up, and when the&s;e things were at after &s;earched for, it would marr all thy comforts again. God would make through work with thee. Thou would&s;t it may be quit &s;cores with God, draw gloves with him. That all that hath pa&s;t &s;hould &s;tand for nothing, and if thou mighte&s;t have pardon for all that is pa&s;t, thou would&s;t mend for the time to come: But this will not &s;erve, thou mu&s;t be willing to bring out the old &s;core, thou mu&s;t undoe as much as in thee lies what before thou ha&s;t done, acknowledgment mu&s;t be made, &s;atisfaction to God and man as much as in you lies; or God will not be friends with you. You mu&s;t be willing to take &s;hame for your former doings, If you would find favour for the time to come, re&s;olve therefore to do thy duty in this thing. Humble thy &s;elfe for all former &s;ins, hide nothing from God, make cleare work, as farr as you goe, for what is pa&s;t, and you are &s;o farr on your way towards com|fort.</P>
<P>2. It may be, <HI>to &s;earch thy heart for &s;ome regarded &s;in,</HI> that God &s;till frowns on thee.
<PB N="134" REF="85">And indeed it would be &s;ad for thee, if God &s;hould &s;mile on thee, and any &s;in lodged in thy &s;oul. The &s;in that troubles thee mo&s;t, is not alwaies the cau&s;e of thy trouble, that &s;in that is in open view, is not &s;o dangerous, but it is the &s;in that lies in a corner, that &s;ays nothing, the thing thou lea&s;t &s;u&s;pecte&s;t, that keeps thy wound from healing, &s;ome thing that is hidden from the Phy&s;itian, that makes the phy&s;ick will not work, &s;omething that is a &s;inn, that thou wilt not have to be a &s;in, as <HI>Da|vid</HI> would be &s;earched and tryed, and if there was any <HI>way of wickedne&s;&s;e in him.</HI> So there may be &s;ome hidden way of wicked|ne&s;&s;e in thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 136. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> and till thou be willing to let Chri&s;t come into every roome, to throw out what he will, to be ab&s;olute Lord in thy Soul, It is not for thy good that thou &s;hould&s;t have comfort, Chri&s;t may have that of thee now that he knows he cannot have afterwards, and therefore &s;tands off, till thou be of a mind univer&s;ally to clo&s;e with him. It may be thou may&s;t live in pa&s;&s;ion, in the fa&s;hions of the world in the &s;in of u&s;ury, Wilt have &s;omething lawfull which is not. If God love thee he will ne|ver let this <HI>way of wickedne&s;&s;e</HI> remaine in thee. The great matter of controver&s;y that would make way for thy peace, is, whe|ther Chri&s;t or thou &s;hall make the Law? If Chri&s;t be admitted as the compleate legi|&s;lator,
<PB N="135" REF="85">he will &s;hortly come to thee, but till then he will &s;tand off, as it is be&s;t for thee. And therefore in thy trouble do this duty, de&s;ire God to &s;earch thee, look to all thy ways, pray the Lord to &s;hew thee thy &s;in, that offends him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 34 32.</NOTE> in the words of <HI>Elihu that which I &s;ee not, teach thou me, If I have done in iquity I will do no more,</HI> and this will <HI>bring</HI> the <HI>work up</HI> with thee.</P>
<P N="3">3. God may withold his face from thee <HI>to bring thee more cleerly and univer&s;ally over unto him,</HI> and this is much for thy good: Chri&s;t would have men count what it will co&s;t them to be Chri&s;tians when they come to him. The great que&s;tion now upon thy turning is, as before &s;aid, who mu&s;t give thee law! whether thou or Chri&s;t, whether thou wilt do in all things as thou wilt or as thou ha&s;t <HI>been wont,</HI> or as the <HI>mo&s;t u&s;e,</HI> or whether as <HI>Chri&s;t plea&s;eth</HI> in every thing? <HI>Ephraim was cha&s;ti&s;ed</HI> for he was <HI>a Bullock unaccu&s;tomed to the Yoke.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer 41.18.19.20</NOTE> Would not keep the furrows, nor draw quietly in his geeres. God cha&s;tizes him till he is tamed to his will, and now he &s;ays <HI>turn me Lord and I &s;hal be turned.</HI> Why when he is of the mind that God &s;hould have the whole rule of him, then God pitties him, <HI>and earne&s;tly remem|bers him</HI> &s;till, and will &s;hortly hide him&s;elf no longer from him, will be kept no longer off him, <HI>I will have mercy on him, &s;aith the Lord.</HI> It may be thou would&s;t at fir&s;t turn to
<PB N="136" REF="86">him, would&s;t <HI>leave &s;ome &s;ins,</HI> and do <HI>&s;ome du|tyes,</HI> but thou would&s;t fain have an hand in the bargain, would&s;t make one end of it, why this will not be. Chri&s;t &s;ays we mu&s;t then each keep our own. If thou wilt not part with thy e&s;tate, give, and forgive, and &s;ubmit to whatever I require, It mu&s;t &s;tand as it doth, I &s;hall not declare my accep|tance of thee. But now when the &s;oul is brought up to Chri&s;ts terms, that it &s;ticks at nothing, (as terrours are the like&s;t of any thing to bring thee unto it) then Chri&s;t will make no long tarrying from thee.</P>
<P N="4">4. He may withold from thee <HI>to make thee a right bred Chri&s;tian, A Chri&s;tian of the right kind.</HI> There is much difference among&s;t Chri&s;tians; &s;ome build their hou&s;e quickly, but it is without foundation, and &s;o &s;tands not. Thou art kept in a condition to lay a good Foundation. <HI>Some Men are Chri&s;tians they know not why, and they become Apo&s;tates they know not how.</HI> Some have but &s;ome over|ly-&s;ideway preparations for Chri&s;t, take up religion as the mo&s;t convenient way for the pre&s;ent. But now thou p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ie&s;t too dear for Chri&s;t, to let him hereafter go for nothing. Thou art brought to &s;ee thy need to him, to have the experience of the Go&s;pell my&s;te|ries, to find it in thy &s;oul, what it is to be re&s;cued out of the hands of Satan by the Me|rits of Chri&s;t, feeles how hardly thou art fetcht off, and this is like to lay a foundati|on
<PB N="137" REF="86">of a more mortified, &s;pirituall, lively Chri&s;tian, then if thou came&s;t to comfort &s;ooner. It is &s;aid of <HI>Rhehoboam.</HI> He did evill becau&s;e <HI>he prepared not his heart to &s;eeke the Lord.</HI> He was not <HI>fixed</HI> in his heart for God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cron. 12.18.</NOTE> he was not thoroughly foundationed for Re|ligion, his heart was never right &s;et, from a &s;ound inward principle of holine&s;&s;e, and &s;o upon occa&s;ion he did fall off to do evil in the &s;ight of the Lord. Certainly tho&s;e Chri&s;ti|ans for the mo&s;t part prove be&s;t, that were either bred in the time of per&s;ecution, wher|in nothing but grace dur&s;t have lookt out for Chri&s;t, and there were daily tryals to keep corruption down. Or el&s;s that are bred and brought out by inward &s;harp terrours though in a time of peace. For this makes them know them&s;elves the better ever after. <HI>The March birds are alwaies the be&s;t Singers.</HI> And therefore thou maie&s;t take comfort in it, that thou art in the way not to <HI>be ca&s;t off,</HI> but to <HI>be bred right,</HI> to have thy heart &s;et right to|wards Heaven. And therefore de&s;ire to bring up the building with thee. Thou had better have thy troubles continue, then have them not cured. Better be in feares, then have hopes without a foundation.</P>
<P>But then 6. Having brought up thy mat|ters thus farr, It may be yet thou maie&s;t have no comfort. Thou art humbled for Old &s;ins, and <HI>all</HI> &s;ins, and brought to Chri&s;t univer&s;al|ly and art throughly humbled to &s;ee thy need
<PB N="138" REF="87">to Chri&s;t, and would&s;t lay the foundation on the rock, yet thou ha&s;t no comfort: why &s;oul, Thy duty is not to de&s;pair now, nor to vex and fret thy &s;elf with doubts about thy e&s;tate. <HI>There is other work to be done.</HI> And labour to <HI>doe the Duty of this thy conditon.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. It is thy Duty in this ca&s;e. <HI>To &s;tudy to reform to thy utmo&s;t.</HI> And to Order thy con|ver&s;ation a right, avoid all &s;in, walk with God in all Duty. If thou can&s;t not prevail with God for comfort, goe to him for &s;trength. In a &s;en&s;e of your utter unability beg of him to enable you to &s;erve him how|ever he deales with you.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.16,</NOTE> <HI>Cea&s;e to do evill, learn to do well,</HI> whatever is &s;in meddle not with it, and what is duty goe about it, I will walke with <HI>a perfect heart in the mid&s;t of my hou&s;e,</HI> &s;aies <HI>David. O when wilt thou come un|to me:</HI> till he comes walk &s;o, and this is the way to have him come to thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 101.2</NOTE> Let it be the daily exerci&s;e <HI>to have a con&s;cience alwaies void of offence towards God and Man.</HI> Live like a Subject till favour comes.</P>
<P N="2">2 <HI>Be diligent in the u&s;e of all meanes pub|licke and private.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 24.16</NOTE> Lye in Chri&s;ts way &s;till, though thou thinke&s;t he hath hitherto pa&s;&s;ed by thee. <HI>Sathan</HI> would draw many off from the u&s;e of means, tels them they aggravate their Sin, by going to the Sacrament, and that their Prayer is abomination. But let me hint this to thee, that if thou be as bad as may be and thy duties may not be accep|ted,
<PB N="139" REF="87">yet it is better to doe them as well as thou can&s;t, then not to doe them at all. It is an excellent ob&s;ervation one hath on <HI>Simon Magus</HI> that Peter <HI>bids pray</HI> though <HI>he was in the gall of bitterne&s;&s;e and the bond of Iniquity,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De. <HI>Arrow Smith.</HI> Acts. 8 12 23.</NOTE> If it were Lawfull and a duty for <HI>Simon Mag|us</HI> to pray, then &s;ure thou maie&s;t make bold to do thy duty too, thou can&s;t not be wor&s;e then the Apo&s;tles &s;ays he was. <HI>Satan</HI> would &s;cruple thee about duties, for he knows that is the way by which vertue and comfort &s;hould come from Chri&s;t unto thee. But keep clo&s;e to Prayer what ever comes. And for the Sacrament, alas if thy heart be bad though thou goe&s;t it will not mend by &s;tay|ing away, God may in &s;ome one Ordinance when thou thinke&s;t not of it, give thee the comfort together of all the Ordinances in which thou ha&s;t waited upon him, and hither|to received nothing. He &s;ets up a Portion for every child that is not at pre&s;ent fit to have it, and thou maie&s;t have all together. But be &s;ure to continue in Prayer and hea|ring, and at Sacraments if admitted to them.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Be dilligent in your lawfull calling. Let every man abide with God as he is called.</HI> Work with thy hands the thing that is hone&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 7.24.</NOTE> Law|full work is <HI>Gods work</HI> for the time of it, as well as hearing for the time of that, fall not out with thy bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, <HI>&s;erve God in thy outward bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</HI> Let not Religion be re|proached
<PB N="140" REF="88">to &s;poyle Servants or Workmen. Let not the World be the wor&s;e for it. Be|leive God is &s;erved, and may be enjoyed in tho&s;e bu&s;ine&s;&s;es. Many have many troublous thoughts for want of lawfull thoughts about their Bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Many people have much trouble for want of better Bu&s;ine&s;s. Mr. <HI>Ball</HI> (as I have heard,) when One complained to him of many &s;ad thoughts he gave them a ta&s;k of getting <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes</HI> without Book as an only Remedy. Which when the party lookt &s;trangely at, he told him that he per|ceived much of his trouble was for want of employment, and that would &s;et him on work. And &s;o certainly dilligence in an hone&s;t way is good Work for thee.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Abide</HI> thus in this cour&s;e <HI>waiting for Comfort.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 28.16.</NOTE> <HI>He that beleeveth doth not make ha&s;t.</HI> Be not too ha&s;ty with Chri&s;t; &s;et not him a time. But wait till he plea&s;e to come. It is good that a man &s;hould both Hope, <HI>and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lord:</HI> quietly tarry till the Lord comes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.26</NOTE> For con|&s;ider thou may well afford to wait.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Chri&s;t waited a great while on thee,</HI> be|fore ever thou would&s;t Offer to come to him. It is not long that thou ever framed for it, and art thou taking off time and quarrelling that he comes not out at fir&s;t to welcome thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Chri&s;t is worth thy waiting for,</HI> It is no inferiour bu&s;ine&s;&s;e thou tarrie&s;t about. One
<PB N="141" REF="88">glimp&s;e of his favour is more worth then all the world. Thou wilt never repent groaning for &s;uch a birth.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Thou art not &s;o good but</HI> thou may be willing to tarry. Alas to have thee quarrel|ling at the foot of the ladder, that the par|don is not ab&s;olute, and that it came no &s;ooner: It doth not become thee. The mercy is free. If thou con&s;idere&s;t how in|finite it is that ever it &s;hould come to thee, thou wilt &s;ay there is no &s;uch equivalen|cy on thy part, but thou may thankfully tarry a time for it.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Thou ha&s;t no whither el&s;e to goe.</HI> No o|ther work will plea&s;e thee. We &s;ay, when a friend is not ju&s;t in the way, <HI>Come, &s;tay, he will come anon, you have no other Bu&s;ine&s;s. You had as good &s;tay here as walk about,</HI> &amp;c. If you have any other Work you can doe, you had be&s;t go about it, you are not yet fitted for Chri&s;t. But if you cannot turne a&s;ide after vaine things. Then &s;tay here. This way of holyne&s;s is the be&s;t way, and therefore you may afford to tarry in it. And ble&s;&s;ed be God thy Heart is &s;o di&s;po|&s;ed.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>This condition of wayting may be a very &s;afe condition for thee.</HI> Thou little thinke&s;t that there are &s;uch difficulties about mana|ging Comfort, as there are. <HI>The&s;e trou|bles keepe thee out of hearmes.</HI> Thou art now too feared, to do as &s;ome do. Though
<PB N="142" REF="89">thou droope&s;t, it keeps thee from &s;ecurity and levity, and many a &s;candall, that &s;ome of another temper are put to it to repent of. It &s;aves thee &s;ome repenting work.</P>
<P N="6">6. For any thing that is done of all this while <HI>Chri&s;t may cure thee in one moment.</HI> Thou thinke&s;t matters are gone a great way with thee, that thou art very farr out of &s;ight. Alas thou art within one glimp&s;e of a perfect cure. Whenever the moment comes wherein Chri&s;t will appear, he can notwith&s;tanding all that is done, make all cleare in thee. It is but cau&s;ing <HI>his face to &s;hine,</HI> but &s;etting on one Word, but recti|fying thy heart, in &s;ome one thing, and thou &s;halt be whole. One look of Chri&s;t can mend all, and prayer may &s;oone fetch it. Who would not wait if he thought he was &s;o near.</P>
<P N="7">7.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 7.6. 1 Pet 5.6. <HI>Caryl.</HI> Hab 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>His time is the be&s;t and the fitte&s;t time.</HI> your time is <HI>alwaies ready,</HI> (&s;aies Chri&s;t) <HI>but my time is not yet. He will exalt you in due time.</HI> The vi&s;ion will &s;peak, <HI>it will not lye.</HI> He that &s;ays more then is &s;o, lies in word, he that promi&s;es more then he will doe, lyes in deed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 13.8.10.</NOTE> but it will be in its appointed time, <HI>Saul</HI> waited but not long enough, in wordly matters men mu&s;t wait to the end of the day in their tenders, till &s;un&s;etting, or they cannot &s;cape undamni|fied.
<PB N="143" REF="89">And art thou talking of breach of day, when it is not yet the third hour of the day? Why it is a great while to night Chri&s;t may come yet if it were nearer &s;un|&s;etting then it is, It may be in this ca&s;e as in <HI>Daniels</HI> Vi&s;ion, <HI>the thing is true, though the time appointed may be long.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 10.1.</NOTE> But Chri&s;t will not faile his own in the be&s;t and fitte&s;t time.</P>
<P N="8">8.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54.7.8.</NOTE> The <HI>longer Chri&s;t tarries before he comes the longer he may tarry when he doth come.</HI> when he hath <HI>for&s;aken a little moment.</HI> He gathers oft with <HI>everla&s;ting mercies.</HI> He may not come till thou art fully prepared to make him &s;o welcome when he doth come, that he may never leave thee. They that have a &s;mal fine, pay a good round yearlie rent and they which fine hard pay the le&s;&s;e rent It is hard to &s;ay which is better. Here is a conveniency and equality both ways, if thou be not &s;oone comforted as &s;ome o|thers are, thou may&s;t have thy com|forts more through and abiding when they come.</P>
<P N="9">9. However <HI>Heaven will make amends for all.</HI> If thou get it there, it will bear char|ges abundantly. <HI>A waiting &s;oul</HI> may get Heaven, as well as a &s;oul <HI>ravi&s;hed with joys in believing,</HI> And thefore wait: a man ill mounted riding to &s;uch a place, others o|vertake him and overgoe him, but yet this is &s;till his comfort, they tell him he is in the
<PB N="144" REF="90">way. To be ca&s;t behind and <HI>loo&s;e the way</HI> were &s;ad, but this is comfortable that o|thers can &s;ay, I left him on the road, he is in the right way, though he drive &s;ome|what heavily. And when he is gotten to the City, he forgets &s;oon his le&s;&s;e plea|&s;ant Travell, he is glad he is There, and they that rid fa&s;ter, &amp; ea&s;ier can be no more. So though thou thinke&s;t others out goe thee in gifts, parts, and abilities for &s;er|vice, yet Thou art in the road, and if <HI>at la&s;t thou</HI> overtake Them in Heaven <HI>it</HI> will &s;erve <HI>thy turne.</HI> Thou may be as welcome <HI>at thy journeys end as he</HI> that came thither with more State, and ea&s;e, Then <HI>thou</HI> ha&s;t done.</P>
<P N="10">10. <HI>If thou had&s;t comfort it &s;hould not be, to &s;et thee at Liberty ea&s;e and idlene&s;&s;e.</HI> He that would faine have a&s;&s;urance That hee might unyoke in his Chri&s;tian Cour&s;e, doth not de&s;ire it aright, nor is like To have it, &s;urely thou mu&s;t labour as much <HI>from com|fort to improve it,</HI> as Thou do&s;t <HI>for comfort to attaine at,</HI> Labour we mu&s;t, and There|fore re&s;olve in it, and patiently wait in <HI>this</HI> good way. It is a <HI>great</HI> que&s;tion whether be <HI>the</HI> harder work <HI>to get,</HI> or <HI>to u&s;e comforts aright,</HI> to keep from <HI>impa|tience</HI> in <HI>the want</HI> of them, or <HI>&s;ecurity</HI> in the <HI>enjoyment</HI> of Them. Each condition hath <HI>its</HI> Excerci&s;e; Though the former hath le&s;&s;e hazard in it. It may &s;uffice to have
<PB N="145" REF="90">&s;aid all this, to the clearing of the hopes in re&s;pect of comfort to tho&s;e that are thus &s;piritually to&s;led at <HI>their fir&s;t &s;etting out.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. X.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The doubtfull ca&s;es of &s;uch as have made longer Profe&s;&s;ion briefly di&s;tre&s;&s;ed from the Ob&s;ervation.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="2">2. TO tho&s;e that have made longer profe&s;&s;ion, that are walking in darkne&s;&s;e and have no light. Many of the&s;e are &s;everally troubled in doubts a bout their E&s;tate. This doctrine &s;ea&s;onably pre&s;&s;es them to hope, and it would find mat|ter for them in their &s;everall capacities, but to &s;peak to the&s;e particularly, would &s;we the di&s;cour&s;e; I &s;hall therefore &s;peak &s;ome|thing in the generall, and the Spirit of God is able to melt it into the particular condi|tions of trobled Souls, that are of this &s;ort.</P>
<P>And &s;oe 1. Take notice, That <HI>whatever</HI> was urged as <HI>a ground</HI> of Hope <HI>to the pro|phane, belongs to you much more.</HI> You are as near as one of them if all be to begin now. Thou crye&s;t out of an Hypocrite, as if his condition was wor&s;e then any ones. But</P>
<P N="1">1. Take notice, <HI>Every one is not an hypo|crite
<PB N="140" REF="91">that only wants &s;trong grace,</HI> many they try them&s;elves for the truth of grace, by the &s;igns of the degrees of grace. True grace is <HI>one thing</HI> and &s;trong &amp; grown grace is <HI>another.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He is not an Hypocrite, <HI>that is not a compleat Chri&s;tian.</HI> A Chri&s;tian may be in preparation for Chri&s;t, and if not through|ly come over, yet &s;till he is no impo&s;tor, onely in the way to a true &s;etled &s;tate.</P>
<P N="3">3. He is not an <HI>Hypocrite that hath &s;ome hypocry&s;ie in him.</HI> None complain &s;o of a bad heart as they who have <HI>the</HI> be&s;t Heart. But if Hypocry&s;ie be found among&s;t other &s;ins. If it be <HI>not</HI> allowed nor <HI>ontertained</HI> with delight. The &s;oul &s;hall not be accoun|ted with as the Abettor of &s;uch a way.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.12.13.</NOTE> <HI>Pe|ter</HI> for once di&s;&s;embled yet not an <HI>Hypocrite</HI> for &s;o doing.</P>
<P N="2">2. Though thou be an <HI>Hypocrite,</HI> yet there is hope; for thee, what though no|thing but an out&s;ide profe&s;&s;ion? (For <HI>that &s;tring many one is harpning on</HI>) yet &s;ure <HI>thou</HI> art as near as the Drunkard, profane per|&s;on can be. Never tell me <HI>that profe&s;&s;ion</HI> &s;hould hinder you in your coming to Chri&s;t: <HI>Athana&s;ius wi&s;hed all men were Hypocrites,</HI> That they had been all &s;o good as <HI>Hipocrites</HI> are, For God hath more examplary honour from externall conformity, then from o|pen prophane&s;s. And <HI>further it cannot</HI> hin|der your coming in.</P>
<P N="1">1. Profe&s;&s;ion <HI>hath kept you from many
<PB N="147" REF="91">gro&s;&s;e &s;ins,</HI> which would have been heavy on you if now to reckon for. Alas if thoughts of Evill have been &s;o <HI>tedious to you,</HI> what then would you have done, if <HI>the&s;e thoughts</HI> had been words, and <HI>the&s;e Words</HI> actions. Therefore your profe&s;&s;ion hath not hindered you <HI>thus far.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Profe&s;&s;ion <HI>hath intituled you to many &s;erious Chri&s;tians</HI> who would not cea&s;e to pray for you, and would <HI>not</HI> ea&s;ily lay <HI>their</HI> hands off you, for the Hopes <HI>they</HI> once had of you, you are hereby drawn to Gods chil|dren who will be &s;ure <HI>to</HI> &s;tick clo&s;e to you and pull hard before they loo&s;e you.</P>
<P N="3">3. Profe&s;&s;ion <HI>hath inured you to the means.</HI> This is the way <HI>to get comfort,</HI> many a &s;tar|tled &s;oul knows <HI>not dutys,</HI> nor how to frame <HI>to them.</HI> But now profe&s;&s;ion hath taught thee <HI>the manner of the God of the land</HI> and in this <HI>thou art aforehand.</HI> For this is the way to have <HI>comfort,</HI> or have the Heart brought over, if yet <HI>thou</HI> fall &s;hort in this work. Many a new convert knows not how to &s;et upon the duties of Religion whence he might receive &s;trength and comfort, which is a great di&s;advantage to him. Now thy profe&s;&s;ion befriends <HI>thee</HI> with this <HI>benefit.</HI> Thou art well u&s;ed to Prayer, and reading, and hearing <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which is a good Thing be|fore hand in this matter.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>All the danger</HI> in profe&s;&s;ion, <HI>this very fear of thine about it, takes away.</HI> That <HI>Hy|pocrites</HI>
<PB N="148" REF="92">are in more danger then others, is not as if this &s;in was more unlike to be par|doned then another, but becau&s;e this kind of Sinners &s;eldome, or never, repent, and come in, as other &s;inners do. <HI>Hypocry&s;ie</HI> hinders not pardon &s;o oft as it hinders re|pentance. Now if this be thy fear and thy burthen, there is not this danger of thee. Profe&s;&s;ion if not &s;incere, it is dangerous only in this, when it is re&s;ted on, when it is made a Chri&s;t, when men are thereby whole, and need not the Phy&s;itian, and &s;o are hindred from comming to Chri&s;t for thorough healing. But when the &s;oul is &s;en&s;ible of it, and &s;trives to come to Chri&s;t notwith&s;tanding it, there is no incapacity upon it, more then on any other &s;tate for its acceptance with Chri&s;t. <HI>The Harlots and Publicans that enter into the kingdome of Hea|ven before Scribes and Phari&s;ees;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21.31</NOTE> It is not meant of Heaven <HI>above;</HI> for <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Pha|ri&s;ees</HI> as &s;uch, and <HI>Harlots</HI> and <HI>Publicans</HI> as &s;uch, &s;tand at an equall di&s;tance to glory. A prophane man dying &s;o, cannot be &s;aved no more then an Hypocrite that dies &s;o. But the Kingdome of Heaven is taken here as frequently in the <HI>N. T.</HI> For the Kingdome of Grace, for the Kingdome of the Go&s;pel, and &s;o the meaning of it is, <HI>Harlots</HI> and <HI>Publicans,</HI> are &s;ooner converted, brought to repentance, to clo&s;e with the Go&s;pell-Kingdome, then the other are. Now this
<PB N="149" REF="92">doth not imply that no <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> &s;hould come in, nor that they &s;hould be e&s;&s;e welcome if they did come in, then <HI>Har|lots</HI> and <HI>Publicans.</HI> Nay &s;ure if profe&s;&s;ors come to Chri&s;t to deny their own Righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, come off the condition that it is &s;o hard to come off from, they &s;hould be the rather entertained. It is not pro|fe&s;&s;ion that hinders acceptance unle&s;s it hinder repentance, if it hinder not com|ing, it cannot hinder your welcome. <HI>Paul</HI> was a <HI>Phari&s;ee</HI> a liver without the Law, yet <HI>Paul,</HI> when repented,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 21.29.30.</NOTE> was received as &s;oon as any other Sinner. The Similitude in that other place of the two Sons who were asked to Work in the Vineyard. The one denyed, the other broke his promi&s;e, now as the former repented of his unman|nerly deniall, and went, &s;o if the other had repented of his unfaithfull breach of pro|mi&s;e, and had gone too, no doubt he had found acceptance. Thou talke&s;t of an al|mo&s;t Chri&s;tian. But &s;ure an almo&s;t Chri&s;ti|an <HI>may be</HI> an <HI>altogether</HI> Chri&s;tian, or els <HI>Paul</HI> had prayed for this in vain:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 16.29. 2. Pet. 2.21</NOTE> For that place, <HI>Better never to have known the way of God</HI> &amp;c. This is not to this purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>For 1. It is &s;poken of &s;uch Chri&s;tians as were turned Seducers, Ringleadres of Here&s;ies, Per&s;ecutors, Wolves, that were ri&s;en up not &s;paring the flock. Thine is not any gro&s;&s;e apo&s;ta&s;ie from profe&s;&s;ion, but
<PB N="150" REF="93">only a di&s;covery of in&s;ufficiency. And</P>
<P N="2">2. It is meant of them as finally per&s;i&s;t|ing in that &s;tate. It may be &s;ince thou pro|fe&s;&s;ed&s;t, thou maie&s;t have fallen by &s;ome <HI>great &s;in,</HI> but thou ha&s;t no heart to conti|nue in <HI>it.</HI> It lies not quiet in <HI>thy</HI> bo&s;ome, <HI>thou ha&s;t no re&s;t in thy bones</HI> by rea&s;on of it, Thy <HI>Hypocry&s;ie</HI> if &s;uch, is not maintained, and thou art weary of the &s;tate and willing to come off from it, the&s;e very <HI>Apo&s;tates</HI> if they had repented, <HI>there</HI> was hopes of their yet coming off. And therefore by all <HI>this</HI> it appears <HI>that</HI> they fear and trouble doth take off the danger of thy profe&s;&s;ion, the fooli&s;h virgins if they had mi&s;t their oyle in time it had been happy for them. If thou bee&s;t one of them thou ha&s;t this advantage that thou mi&s;&s;e&s;t oyle, before they that &s;ell it have &s;hut up their &s;hops. <HI>There is yet hope in this thing.</HI> It appears then that all the incouragements that have been given <HI>to that other &s;ort,</HI> of new beginners, doe belong to you much more, you may &s;et in as beginners, and &s;hare with them and welcome. All tho&s;e comforts do be|long to you. Be&s;ides a gro&s;&s;e mi&s;take may hereby I hope in &s;ome mea&s;ure be removed that many a &s;oul thinks their hope is be|hind them altogether, that they mu&s;t ei|ther evidence it from what is pa&s;t allready or els have none the matter is not &s;o, <HI>Thou art as free to take Chri&s;t as any other
<PB N="151" REF="93">man.</HI> It thou can&s;t not cleare it from thy profe&s;&s;ion already <HI>that thou ha&s;t taken him,</HI> thy profe&s;&s;ion puts no incapacity upon thee but thou maie&s;t &s;et in for him <HI>now</HI> as wel as any man. And</P>
<P N="2">2. There is hopes for you. For God may withdraw from you (as he witholds from the other) for choice ends of good unto you. Though you walk in darkne&s;s and have no light, yet this may be for your in|tere&s;t exceedingly.</P>
<P N="1">1. God may do it <HI>to fetch &s;ome &s;in out of thee.</HI> There is &s;ome evill way in thee, &s;ome way of lying, &s;ome way of fal&s;e gaine, &s;ome way of pride, humour&s;omene&s;s, in|dulged pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>&amp;c:</HI> no marvell if thou he one of a troubled &s;pirit. Much if not mo&s;t u&s;uall trouble of &s;pirit is ob&s;erved to ari&s;e (as occa&s;ioned at lea&s;t) either,</P>
<P N="1">1 Out of melancholly as one in that bodily di&s;temper (Mr. <HI>Baxter</HI> &s;ays) one may as well cure a man of a pal&s;y by a Ser|mon, as &s;uch a man.</P>
<P N="2">2. Or out of ignorance of the nature and my&s;tery of Grace by Chri&s;t the tenour of the Go&s;pel covenant.</P>
<P N="3">Or 3. From &s;ome di&s;obedience now, it may be for &s;ome thing of this la&s;t kind, and it is fatherly in him to withold from thee till this <HI>evill way</HI> be rooted out.</P>
<P N="2">2. It may be to fetch <HI>thee on to &s;ome fur|ther degree of Holyne&s;s.</HI> There are <HI>after work</HI>
<PB N="152" REF="94">of <HI>conver&s;ion.</HI> And the change they make are as con&s;iderable almo&s;t, as if never any work had preceded. The di&s;ciples who had left all for Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma. 18.3</NOTE> yet they mu&s;t be <HI>converted againe,</HI> and more converted to this grace of humility, which yet was wan|ting in them. God will afford comforts at fir&s;t on tho&s;e terms, on which after he will not continue them. He will bear with that in a beginner, that after he will &s;tand upon to have it mended. He will not carry al|waies towards us as babes, he looks we &s;hould grow towards &s;trong men in Chri&s;t. <HI>New wine mu&s;t not be put in to old Bottels.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.17.</NOTE> At fir&s;t he would have thee &s;pared in &s;ome things, but he expects that thou &s;hould&s;t in time get thy bottles &s;o renewed, as to hold the &s;tronge&s;t Wine he hath for them: And &s;o he withdraws from thee now; <HI>not becau&s;e</HI> thou art <HI>wor&s;e then formerly</HI> but be|cau&s;e thou art <HI>not better.</HI> He hath a de&s;ign not to ca&s;t <HI>thee of,</HI> but, <HI>to put the forward</HI> by this withdrawment. Some after work is on &s;o t, It is not if I am to be converted now, o I had nothing before; thou art mi&s;|taken. Some may have been before, and &s;ome may be to be added &s;till; God will have thee of the fa&s;hions of the world, more humble, clo&s;e and &s;erious then formerly, nothing &s;o like to make thee a right mor|tified Chri&s;tan, as terrours are.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>He may de&s;ign thou &s;hould&s;t be more e&s;ta|bli&s;hed
<PB N="153" REF="94">and &s;etled then heretofore.</HI> He that hath his comforts deare&s;t, u&s;ually hath them &s;ure&s;t. Thou knowe&s;t how thou came&s;t by Chri&s;t, and &s;o art like to keep thy hold of him. The &s;pou&s;e that had lo&s;t her beloved when &s;he found him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 2.6.</NOTE> &s;he would not let him go, &s;he charges by all <HI>the Hinds and Roes of the field,</HI> that they &s;hould beware of awa|king him. Chri&s;t is gotten into the beleevers heart, he charges the affecti|ons to keep the lumber of the world, and the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h at a di&s;tance, that they awaken not Chri&s;t, nor di&s;turb his &s;oul and him together. O &s;uch a one came not &s;o ea&s;ily by him, as to give way to Lu&s;ts, to loo&s;e him for trifles as many doe. Thou art like of any one,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 8.6.</NOTE> <HI>To go through the Wilderne&s;s leaning on him.</HI> Thou ha&s;t come to Chri&s;t &s;o importantly that thou can&s;t not trifle with him. Thy ter|rors are like the wind that &s;hakes the tree to make them more rooted. The winter fro&s;t nips the trees at pre&s;ent to make them more fruitfull: So the&s;e troubles of thine will tend to thy greater &s;ettle|ment and make thee more &s;tedfa&s;t in the Lord.</P>
<P>If thou ha&s;t brought the matter to wai|ting thou &s;halt never loo&s;e the thing, nor yet thy waiting for it. If thou ha&s;t &s;earched thy heart for &s;in, and about duty, and putte&s;t thy &s;elfe to God to be &s;earched,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 34 32.</NOTE> and &s;ay&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB N="154" REF="95">thou &s;halt <HI>&s;earch and find none,</HI> no &s;in that I love and delight in.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 34.32 P&s;a. 17.3.</NOTE> but had rather have it taken away, then to have it tarry, you &s;hall find you &s;hall be con&s;idered herein. Now as long as any &s;in remains in this kind that the &s;oul retains and from which it will not part. Chri&s;t may an&s;wer &s;uch a one, the matter &s;tickes not at me. Thou art not yet prepared thou art not yet re&s;olved on the match for thine own part. But if it be come clearly to this, that the matter is at waiting, thou wilt finde that either 1 Chri&s;t will come &s;peedily; or 2, make it ea&s;y to thee to wait for him, (as if he doe either, it will &s;erve thee, and be a great mercy to thee.) and 3. When he comes he will abundantly recompence his delay, a &s;mall moment I have for&s;aken thee, but <HI>with everla&s;ting kindne&s;s</HI> will I gather thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Es. 54.</NOTE> And therefore &s;tudy to bring it to this and thou wilt have no rea&s;on to cea&s;e from ho|ping in &s;uch a way.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider you are not alone of Gods children in this affliction. God hath had many of his children in this wilderne&s;s, hath made their valley of <HI>Achor</HI> their door of Hope. <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Heman,</HI> and <HI>Hezeki|ah.</HI> &amp;c, now this &s;ure might &s;tay thy heart a little in this condition of thine, to think,</P>
<P N="1">1. That many of Gods eminent &s;ervants have been thus heretofore. 2. That many of Gods children be&s;ides thee are &s;o now or have been.</P>
<PB N="155" REF="95">
<P N="3">3. That it is a condition many have e&s;|caped from, many have ble&s;&s;edly been de|livered out of this &s;tate. A di&s;ea&s;e many have been recovered from, and few have peri&s;hed of: a curable, a comfortable di|&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. It is the condition, which God hath &s;til cho&s;en to lead his be&s;t children through; eminente&s;t Chri&s;tians, for life, and expe|rience, God hath thus trained them. There|fore this might &s;tay thee at pre&s;ent, thou art under the cha&s;ti&s;ement of Sons, the di&s;|cipline of Children, in the&s;e bittere&s;t con|flicts thou can&s;t be in, as to in&s;tance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jon. 2.4.</NOTE> <HI>Jonah</HI> &s;aid, he was ca&s;t out of Gods &s;ight, <HI>yet he would look again towards Gods holy Temple.</HI> He thought in the Whales belly he &s;hould never have been &s;een nor found out more, but he would have the other look at Chri&s;t (for the Temple was a type of him) before he quite gave up all, and you know he was brought out of that mi&s;erable deep, and manifold pri&s;on againe. <HI>Ephraim</HI> is be|moaning him&s;elf.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.18.19.20.</NOTE> For afflictions that &s;tuck by him, <HI>God cha&s;ti&s;ed him, and he was cha&s;ti|&s;ed.</HI> God makes afflictions to tarry if he &s;ets them on,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lan. 3.3.54.</NOTE> he was likewi&s;e troubled with an unruly heart, <HI>Was like a Bullock un|accu&s;tomed to the Yoke.</HI> Yet he begs of God to turn, and <HI>this bemoaning Ephraim</HI> is <HI>a plea&s;ant Child</HI> in Gods eies and <HI>he remem|bers him &s;till,</HI> nay <HI>earne&s;tly</HI> remembers him
<PB N="156" REF="96">&s;till, <HI>and will have mercy on him.</HI> The Church concludes her &s;elf to be cut off, <HI>and laid</HI> in the dungeon and <HI>a &s;tone upon her,</HI> made &s;ure for coming forth, yet &s;he thence cryed to God; and though none el&s;e could hear her where &s;he was, yet &s;he got the Lord to hear in that place, and he drew neer to her, notwith&s;tanding the dungeon and &s;tone, and &s;ays, <HI>fear not.</HI> Nay the Church is gotten into further mi&s;ery,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 37.11. to 16.</NOTE> &s;he is not only in the grave, but rotten, come <HI>to dry bones,</HI> and &s;ays her hope is lo&s;t, and &s;he <HI>is cut off for her part,</HI> Whatever the Lord will do with others, &s;ays many &s;uch a &s;oul, I think <HI>for my part</HI> I may as well &s;it &s;till as &s;tir any further, I am gone I think for one. But God &s;ays, he would come to their very graves and <HI>open them,</HI> and <HI>call them</HI> forth and put his &s;pirit into them, <HI>and make the&s;e very dry bones to live.</HI> The &s;oul in a very far gone condition, the Lord will make it to live again. He will fetch it out of the grave and bring it back from corruption, when it &s;ays, it is <HI>cut off, for its part.</HI> The &s;oul now in this condition from the&s;e con|&s;iderations, may move the Lord as <HI>David;</HI> Deal with me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.132.</NOTE> <HI>as thou u&s;e&s;t to do to tho&s;e that love thy name,</HI> or according to thy cu&s;tome to tho&s;e that love thy name. Men that give freely at their doors &s;hall not want cu&s;tome, and &s;o if they intend not to be troubled, they will &s;ay at fir&s;t, If we
<PB N="157" REF="96">u&s;e them to this we &s;hall never be without &s;uch gue&s;ts; now God hath a de&s;ign to &s;hew mercy, and &s;o he hath &s;till u&s;ed poor people to his doors. They can challenge nothing at his dole door, but only his cu&s;tome of giving. He hath alwaies been wont to &s;hew favour to tho&s;e that were di&s;tre&s;&s;ed; and thou maye&s;t hope he will be no wor&s;e to thee then to another, and thou maye&s;t be well a&s;&s;ured of it. It is a good hou&s;e, very good to the poor, and therefore if thou be needy call at it, and hope for re|lief.</P>
<P N="4">4. In this very condition thou art in.<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s; 57.15.16. &amp; 66.1.2.</NOTE> The Lord hath tender thoughts towards thee. <HI>The Lord, the high and lofty one, who&s;e name is Holy,</HI> &amp;c. The&s;e are attributes that fright a poor &s;inner, of any, <HI>The Lord, the high and lofty one.</HI> If I were righteous I would make <HI>Petition</HI> my only plea, &s;o infinite is he, and I am nothing before him. But then he is, <HI>an holy God, and dwells in the holy place.</HI> I, &s;ays the &s;inner, this affrights me, for he will not endure &s;in, I am unclean, I am a &s;infull man, my hope is gone to deal with &s;o pure a God; God hath mentio|ned the&s;e affrighting attributes on purpo&s;e, and this high God, this holy God, will &s;in|gle out this man al&s;o, will look at him, <HI>dwell with him that is of an humble and con|trite &s;pirit,</HI> that is broken in peices for
<PB N="158" REF="97">&s;in, <HI>and that trembleth at his word.</HI> His great|ne&s;s will conde&s;cend to thy meane&s;s, his purity to thy &s;incetity, and to thee of all other will he look. And &s;o h&egrave; &s;peaks affectionately of a bemoning <HI>Ephraim,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.20.</NOTE> &s;ince <HI>I &s;peak again&s;t him, I earne&s;tly remember him &s;till.</HI> The child cries in &s;ecret, and the mo|ther that hath beaten it, is ready to cry too. <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> Brethren are pitifully troubled and <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> gets into his chamber and weeps too, one would have thought they had beene of no kinne to hear them talke together, but <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> did but this to bring them to repentance, <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> chides to their faces, and weeps in a corner, and at la&s;t weeps on their neck as their dear Brother <HI>Jo&s;eph.</HI> The Lord hides great bowels from you all this time of your correction, but you will know he is choice of you while he &s;peaks bittere&s;t unto you, &s;ure thou art one very gratious with God. An eminent di|vine &s;ays, if he were to choo&s;e a mans pray|ers he would de&s;ire the prayers of &s;uch an one above any mans,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54, 11.</NOTE> <HI>O thou afflicted to&s;&s;ed too and fro, and not comforte&agrave;,</HI> &amp;c. The Lord takes notice of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, can call her by the name of all afflictions and &s;ufferings, which &s;hews how much his heart is toward poor reatures in this condition. Nay he &s;ays plainly in all their afflictions he was afflicted.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 63.9.</NOTE> Why thou wilt &s;ay then why did he not &s;pare him&s;elf and me too; prethe
<PB N="159" REF="97">why doth the mother whip the child whil&s;t at the &s;ame time &s;he could cry ra|ther then &s;trike it, but &s;he will rather grieve her &s;elf then undoe the child, and &s;o is thy fathers Wi&s;dome and affection tem|pered towards thee.</P>
<P N="5">5. Soules in this condition, &s;hould not untowardly put off comforts, when they are offered unto them, &s;ometimes the word brings &s;omething neare you, you know not how fairly you can put it off. And yet you do not take it, you are affraid of applying any comfort. Take heed you be not wil|full in your trouble.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Corruption and Satan is often grati|fied in</HI> a de&s;pairing humour in the hearts of Gods children: &s;ome they &s;tudy indu&s;triou|&s;ly to evade comfort. Set them&s;elves to doubt, think it good for them, count all them unfaithfull, that would tender any comfort unto them. Alas corruption hath gotten an end in the&s;e troubles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a 77.7.8 9. ver&s;. 10</NOTE> and this pevi&s;h di&s;contented &s;adne&s;s plea&s;es thee, and thou art therefore thus re&s;olved on it. Now <HI>this is thy infirmiti.</HI> So <HI>David</HI> compla|ned of &s;uch an humour in him, he de&s;cribes <HI>how he &s;aid God had forgotten to be gracious,</HI> &amp;c. After he cen&s;ures it, &s;ays, <HI>This was his infirmity.</HI> And &s;o this is thy infirmity and corruption in thee, thou &s;tuddye&s;t to be &s;ad. Never did carnall man &s;tudy &s;o to pre|&s;ume as &s;ome troubled Soules in a right|hand-extreame,
<PB N="160" REF="98">&s;tudy to de&s;paire.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is <HI>a great &s;in for</HI> thee to do on this fa&s;hion.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>It brings up an evill report on the good Land:</HI> It is not only thy own &s;uffering or &s;elf deniall, but Religion &s;uffers herein. Alas, what will carnal men &s;ay of Religion? but that it makes folk mad? makes them mopi&s;h, and they will ble&s;&s;e them&s;elves from Religion. As indeed who would not be di&s;couraged from putting him&s;elfe into that Phy&s;itians hands, if all his patients lay langui&s;hing, and pining in a pittifull con|dition. Certainly our &s;orrow is better then their carnall mirth, but our cheerfulne&s;s would be better then our &s;orrow. I can|not but think &s;ome of you that are dejected and re&s;olvedly &s;orrowfull out of hatred to your &s;elves, yet you would be loath to be &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, out of your love to Religion, if you knew you prejudiced others by it.</P>
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Jo. 3.23.</NOTE> <HI>It is di&s;obedience.</HI> It is the command of God that <HI>we &s;hould believe.</HI> Yeild to Chri&s;t and lay hold of him, have honourable thoughts of Gods tenderne&s;&s;e and mercy, and readily ca&s;t your &s;elves upon him. Though I judge that in believing there is more then affiance, yet I think affiance is not excluded.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Jo. 5.10.</NOTE> <HI>He that believeth not,</HI> that God will accept of a poor &s;inner, that de|&s;ires to come to him, in his way, <HI>hath made him a lyar.</HI> And therefore this unbelief is
<PB N="161" REF="98">a matter of high concernment, &s;ure thou would&s;t not &s;in, if thou knewe&s;t it, &s;hall I tell thee thy great &s;in at this day, is thy &s;tudied drooping, thy invented tricks to put off the Lords con&s;olations. This is thy &s;in.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>It hinders thy Chri&s;tian cour&s;e.</HI> Thou crye&s;t, O I could be cheerfull if I could but doe &s;uch and &s;uch duties. Labour to be cheerfull, and that were the next way to be able to doe tho&s;e duties. Thou talke&s;t of deadne&s;&s;e and unaptne&s;&s;e to any thing that is good, why alas, thy &s;oul is under a generall di&s;couragement, and this mu&s;t needs make thee unactive, but if thou had&s;t comfort, this tree would thrive in the warme &s;un, and on the back of the chim|ney if any where,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh 8.10</NOTE> <HI>The joy of the Law is our &s;trength,</HI> Our joy in God puts us on and makes us much more able for &s;ervice, then otherwi&s;e we could be.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>It is a di&s;honour to God not to tru&s;t him upon his word:</HI> not to beleive him further then we &s;ee him. We will believe nothing he hath &s;aid further then we can find it evi|denced upon our own hearts. The vile&s;t u&s;urer will tru&s;t when he hath a pledge as good or better then the thing he lends,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.29</NOTE> &s;o thou wilt tru&s;t God if he lay in a pledge with his word. <HI>Thomas</HI> would believe if he might &s;ee. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed &s;aies Chri&s;t is he that hath not &s;eene yet hath beleived.</HI> Herein is the
<PB N="162" REF="99">Lord glorified when we beleive his word, and re&s;t in that, though we find not things within our &s;elves as we could de&s;ire. In the&s;e re&s;pects it is thy &s;in to put off com|forts.</P>
<P N="3">3. Put not off comforts, <HI>for cheerfull holy|ne&s;s is better then &s;inning &s;orrow.</HI> Thou thin|ke&s;t thou doe&s;t well to be &s;ad: I tell thee no &s;orrow, even not holy &s;orrow, is a con|dition to dwell in, but only to pa&s;s tho|rough. Our <HI>aim</HI> &s;hould not be at it, though we &s;hould be <HI>content</HI> in it, but the height of Chri&s;tianity is holy rejoycing in the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a 37.4.</NOTE> <HI>To delight in God.</HI> Our very &s;orrows are better then the worlds joys, but our joyes are better then our &s;orrows. This is not the condition we &s;hould re&s;t in. To take plea&s;ure in God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58.14.</NOTE> to ble&s;&s;e him, to &s;erve him in Holine&s;s <HI>without fear,</HI> is that the Lord delights mo&s;t in. The Lord taketh plea&s;ure in them that fear him <HI>in tho&s;e that hope in his Mercy.</HI> He takes delight to be hoped in as well as feared.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 147.11.</NOTE> Cheerfulne&s;s &s;hould be aimed at: &s;orrow is oft our way but not our choi&s;e, proper or chiefe work.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Remember and trea&s;ure up comforts formerly received,</HI> As Mr. <HI>Baxter &s;ays,</HI> what are our memories for, if we will beleive Gods kindne&s;s to us no longer then he is ju&s;t telling us of it? <HI>David</HI> remembred the days of old. Art thou in trouble, hath the
<PB N="163" REF="99">Lord never comforted thee! is there never a piece of a ring, nor old Gold, no to|ken of love a great while &s;ince given thee? whome he loves once he loves for ever, and therefore think of what is pa&s;t for thy comfort.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>In this very condition thou art in, Ble&s;s the Lord</HI> Surely, there is very much in this thing. Thou can&s;t not pray, it may be, thou art &s;o dark-hearted, &s;o overpre&s;&s;ed with fears, &s;ee whether thou can&s;t not <HI>prai&s;e him.</HI> Prai&s;e him &s;ay&s;t thou, how! Or for what?</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>For thy life.</HI> Though thou art a trou|bled &s;oul ble&s;&s;e him thou art a <HI>living &s;oul.</HI> Thou migh&s;t have been dead and out of all Hopes, and at the farthe&s;t of thy fears.</P>
<P N="2">2. That <HI>thou ha&s;t an healthfull body,</HI> if it be &s;o with thee that thou art not taken off the means of thy &s;oules good.</P>
<P N="3">3. That God hath &s;hewed <HI>many Mer|cies to thee of old.</HI> For all the&s;e troubles, tho&s;e old favours mu&s;t not be forgotten.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 45.5.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord girded thee when thou did&s;t not know him.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. That he &s;till <HI>doth provide outwardly for thee.</HI> Many a one is poore and hath much adoe to live. If thou wert &s;o it would be a great addition to thy pre&s;ent trouble. If thou wert in doubt about thy &s;oul, and put to it for thy body too. We count oft our troubles great becau&s;e no greater are upon us. <HI>Job</HI> was &s;adly deprived of all, and not
<PB N="164" REF="100">&s;pared in <HI>&s;oul</HI> neither, &s;urely the Lord is good in this to thee.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>That thou art out of Hell.</HI> Many it may be of thy companions are in the con|dition which thou feare&s;t, and are pa&s;t fear and hope too. That thou art &s;pared out of hell for a time (if it mu&s;t be but a time) thou mighte&s;t do well to thank God for that. The Devils and damned are not &s;pa|red a minute from their torture.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>That thou art kept from gro&s;&s;e &s;in</HI> That thou art troubled <HI>rather then wicked,</HI> better God trouble thee then thou trouble the World as many a Drunkard, Swearer, Chea|ter, and prophane Per&s;on doth. Ble&s;s God thou art not one of tho&s;e.</P>
<P N="7">7 <HI>That thou</HI> ha&s;t <HI>the prayers and pitty of Chri&s;tians,</HI> and thy <HI>Mini&s;ters.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>That Chri&s;t hath not left off treating with thee,</HI> but is dealing with thy Soul and upon tearms with thee. That thou art troubled, art &s;ick of Love, he hath left thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.4.</NOTE> yet <HI>&s;uch mirrh is on the handles of the door, that thy Bowels are moved for him.</HI> It is a Mercy that thou art not &s;ecure, if thou bee&s;t all out as bad as thou talke&s;t of.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides take notice of his hearing thy prayers, &s;aving thee from trouble, his daily pa&s;&s;ages of pre&s;ervation towards thee. For all this fancyed unkindne&s;s take notice of his love and ble&s;&s;e his name. And I tell you, you little think how near a way this is,
<PB N="165" REF="100">and of how excellent an u&s;e this may be to the recovering of thee from thy trouble of mind.</P>
<P N="1">1. It may help thee <HI>by diver&s;ion,</HI> variety of Work may help much under di&s;courage|ment. Thou art all for numbling, and this hath quite dulled thee, turn thee to the duty of prai&s;e, and it may call up other affections, which may change the current of thy heart, and work an alteration.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>It may affect thee and let thee know all is not wanting:</HI> though I have not all, yet I have &s;ome. I have a great deal to prai&s;e God for, for all my troubles, now thou carrie&s;t like one utterly de&s;titute.</P>
<P N="3">3. It might <HI>&s;ecretly afford &s;ome evidence of thine own &s;incerity.</HI> If thou can delight to &s;et up God, though thou feare&s;t thy &s;hare in him, &s;ure this is not of the damned kind that is in thee, there is cur&s;ing God, but no prai&s;ing in Hell. There is ingenuity in thy pray&s;es, and enough it would &s;hew thee of Gods grace upon thee.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>It might affect others with Religion,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant 5.10.</NOTE> The &s;pou&s;e that wanted her beloved and &s;pake &s;o in his commendations, it drew the daughters of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> to de&s;ire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 6.1.2.</NOTE> <HI>to &s;eek him with her.</HI> If a Chri&s;t wanted be thus lovely, what, is a Chri&s;t enjoyed, may the &s;tander by &s;ay? And &s;ure in this very fit, thou ha&s;t much to &s;ay in Chri&s;ts commendations.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>This Service would be hugely well taken
<PB N="166" REF="101">from thee. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 51.17.</NOTE> But &s;ure then the pray&s;es of a bro|ken &s;pirit would plea&s;e much.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>This might make way to Mercy</HI> more then any thing, nay may God &s;ay, If thou ble&s;&s;e&s;t me in this condition, it is pitty but thou &s;houlde&s;t be in a better, and then thou would&s;t ble&s;&s;e me more. The Soule re&s;olves to &s;erve him, if it may not have him, And to commend him to others if it mu&s;t never enjoy him her &s;elfe, this is great ingenuity, and this is the ready way to comfort. But thus let troubled &s;oules cheri&s;h and improve their hopes about their e&s;tate. And thus we di&s;mi&s;s this part of the improvement of this poynt to the Godly, both <HI>beginners and others,</HI> in re&s;pect of their darkne&s;s or <HI>want of comfort.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="167" REF="101">
<HEAD>CAP. XI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The truth improved to the Godly in re&s;pect of any prevayling Sin.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="2">2 MAke u&s;e of the duty of this doct|rine <HI>in re&s;pect of &s;in:</HI> And this wil. be of u&s;e <HI>in re&s;pect of comfort toe.</HI> And it may be &s;ome Souls &s;it down in this rece&s;s of &s;orrow, and de&s;pondency becau&s;e of &s;in, &s;ome prevalent &s;in is &s;till in them, and they think they &s;hall never get the better of it, that there is no hope about that veine and way of &s;in they find within them. But God hath not &s;hut you up in this thing.</P>
<P>Some &s;in that is prevalent, and you have long &s;triven again&s;t do not conclude that it will never be otherwi&s;e, and &s;o to de&s;pair about it, either
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Thence <HI>to give over &s;triving,</HI> and to make &s;ome di&s;honourable truce, to give &s;ome tolleration to that corruption, to <HI>&s;trike</HI> &s;ome way to ca&s;t that to the latter ends, to put it among thy nece&s;&s;ary infir|mities, as it is hard to fight long with a Sin. Or</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Thence <HI>to conclude thy e&s;tate to be car|nall</HI>
<PB N="168" REF="102">becau&s;e of the prevalency of that &s;in. Do not either conclude for <HI>the &s;in</HI> or <HI>again&s;t thy &s;elfe,</HI> becau&s;e it is &s;o with thee: <HI>there is yet Hope left thee about this thing.</HI> For,</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Thou knowe&s;t the badne&s;s of no bodys heart but thine own.</HI> It may be thou conclu|de&s;t thine to be de&s;perate becau&s;e thou thinke&s;t none like to it, but thou knowe&s;t none but it, that makes thee think &s;o. There are few of Gods children, but they can vye for thoughts with the wor&s;t thou ha&s;t; if thou knew as much as they know. Thou conclude&s;t if others knew thy heart they would abhor thee, when as they know e|nough of their own and cannot abhor them&s;elves, when a young Divine askt <HI>Luther</HI> what he thought by &s;uch a one <HI>that did not believe what he him&s;elf preached,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Melch. Adam.</NOTE> thin|king that <HI>Luther</HI> would have pronounced &s;ome dreadfull &s;entence on &s;uch a &s;tate. <HI>Luther an&s;wered, I am glad to hear there is &s;ome body el&s;e like me,</HI> which did immedi|ately much comfort the young Divine. Thou thinke&s;t no body el&s;e is like thee, when as the be&s;t of Gods Children, could &s;hew the &s;ame things thou &s;peake&s;t of, do&s;t not heare thy &s;ins &s;ometimes confe&s;&s;Ed in publick, and if none had them but thou how &s;hould others confe&s;&s;e them! It &s;eems by that the&s;e things are &s;tirring el&s;ewhere as well as with thee, many a one, whom thou thinke&s;t to be free, (or notwith&s;tan|ding
<PB N="169" REF="102">would&s;t not conclude that he wanted &s;incerity for &s;uch thoughts) hath the &s;ame things in him which thou ha&s;t, and thinks the like concerning thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Thou art the better for thy &s;triving,</HI> in that it would be wor&s;e with thee, if thou &s;trived&s;t not at al. Though thou ha&s;t not &s;uch &s;ucce&s;&s;e as thou would&s;t have, yet thy labour is not lo&s;t. For that corruption which re|mains notwith&s;tanding thy &s;triving, how would it prevail much more if thou &s;trived&s;t not at all? If the wind and water carry down thy ve&s;&s;ell notwith&s;tanding thy toile at the Oares, <HI>how fa&s;t,</HI> and <HI>how far</HI> would it carry thee if thou toyled&s;t not all. There|fore this conte&s;t of thine though it hath not a <HI>po&s;itive</HI> yet it hath a privative &s;ucce&s;&s;e. Though, it bring not that good thou would&s;t, yet it hinders a greater degree of evill. Thou art not <HI>&s;en&s;ibly better</HI> but thou art prevented of being <HI>&s;en&s;ibly wor&s;e,</HI> by this conte&s;t of thine. Here is the profit, that thou art kept from being wor&s;e hereby.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>This is thy work,</HI> this is the &s;tate of the Godly. The&s;e are the Cananites <HI>left in the land to prove thee</HI> The&s;e are to <HI>learn thee war,</HI> the&s;e are left in thee and mu&s;t be &s;o while here, there is much grace exerci&s;ed, and left on purpo&s;e for this end, <HI>viz:</HI> about the &s;in that remains in the Godly. The &s;in is evil but thy conte&s;t with it is part of thy taske, thy work which God requires and accepts of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t
<PB N="170" REF="103">thy hands,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.17.</NOTE> <HI>The fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the &s;pirit and the &s;pirit again&s;t the fle&s;h, and the&s;e two are contrary.</HI> Thou thinke&s;t that all &s;hould be of one &s;ide and one party in thee, but it is con&s;i&s;tent with the work of grace, to have twins &s;tirring in the wombe. The&s;e principles <HI>are contrary</HI> and no marveile if they &s;trive <HI>and lu&s;t</HI> one again&s;t another. This is the Me&s;&s;enger from Satan to buffet thee, to keepe thee from being exalted above mea&s;ure. The&s;e very corruptions keep thee out of harmes another way. The Canaa|nites remaine to put thee in mind of the na|tive inhabitants of the Land, that thou may|e&s;t be humbled notwith&s;tanding any bet|ter entrance that is made upon thee. <HI>Heze|kiah</HI> God left him in the matter of the King of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and it was not to let him know he was an Hypocrite,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 12.31.</NOTE> or becau&s;e he was one, (as thou art apt to conclude, if thou wert right God would not leave thee as he doth, &s;uch a &s;in &s;hould not Lord as it doth.) but it was <HI>that he might know all that was in his heart,</HI> might know what dangerous &s;eeds there were &s;till remaining with him, that he might under&s;tand what his heart might be tru&s;ted in, better then he did be|fore, which might make him carry humbly under the &s;ignall mercies the Lord had af|forded to him.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>There is roome for growth in the be&s;t of his Children!</HI> They are not &s;o good but they
<PB N="171" REF="103">may mend, grace &s;hould encrea&s;e and thrive when it is in truth, now thou mu&s;t not take that &s;tature to be nece&s;&s;ary to denominate thee a true Chri&s;tian, that thou art to grow and thrive unto. The&s;e may be things to be endeavoured for; and not to be had at fir&s;t &s;etting out. Thou would&s;t have it all at fir&s;t. There is a kind of paine and lamene&s;s in young ones, that is called the <HI>thrift,</HI> which is not a down-right lamene&s;s. And &s;oe may this trouble of thine, not be &s;o much con|cerning the truth as the growth of thy grace: many of the&s;e things thou complaine&s;t of &s;hould rather be the <HI>matter</HI> of thy future en|deavours to overcome them, then <HI>markes</HI> to judge thy pre&s;ent e&s;tate by: rather things to be &s;triven <HI>again&s;t,</HI> then de&s;paired <HI>from.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. There is hope about this thing, for <HI>thou can&s;t not goe to God about a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that doth better plea&s;e him</HI> then this is. The Lord will give to his Children riches, and honour and health, <HI>&amp;c:</HI> which are not things im|mediately for their &s;ouls good, and yet he will not deny them the&s;e things, becau&s;e they are dear to him: now if thou goe to God for power again&s;t &s;in, and &s;trength &s;o duty, The&s;e are things the Lord delights in. <HI>In the&s;e things I delight</HI> &s;aith the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 9.23.</NOTE> and therefore &s;ure thou may hope this pe|tition of thine &s;hall in time find acceptance. It is a great advantage to petition a King
<PB N="172" REF="104">for that which he loves to be asked. Thou ha&s;t Gods will on thy &s;ide, thou can&s;t not be &s;o again&s;t &s;in, but God is again&s;t it much more. And therefore thou maie&s;t hope that in his own time he will help thee about it, and however that he hath his glory from it, or it mu&s;t not abide in thee &s;oe quite again&s;t thy will and his will too.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>The Lord can ea&s;ily help this thing,</HI> mat|ters are not &s;o farr gone in thy heart, but the Lord can with one touch of his hand cure all, If Chri&s;t do but looke back on <HI>Peter,</HI> he &s;hall leave his denying, and &s;wea|ring, and cur&s;ing, and fall a weeping. The Spou&s;e that will not &s;tirr to let in Chri&s;t, if he leave but the droppings of his fingers in the hole of the doo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e, her very bowels &s;hall be moved for him. Alas thou thinke&s;t this heart of thine is farr &s;unk, that it cannot be recovered, at lea&s;t in no &s;mall time, but thou art mi&s;taken, the Lord can mend all this with one glimp&s;e of his countenance, <HI>It is he that &s;trengtheneth with &s;trength in the Soul.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 138.3.</NOTE> He hath a notable hand at the&s;e inward cures, and indeed what cannot almighty|ne&s;s do? There is no &s;in &s;o enterwoven with thee in thy con&s;titution and by cu&s;tome, but the Lord can take thee off it, and no duty thou art &s;o aver&s;e unto, but he can bring thee on unto it. It is but the <HI>wakening of the wind,</HI> (and you know that
<PB N="173" REF="104">oft is on a &s;uddain) <HI>and the garden &s;pices &s;end forth their plea&s;ant &s;mell.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 4.16</NOTE> The power is in God there is a root in thee, It is but this power &s;tirring, and the root in thee &s;hall an&s;wer to it, and thou maye&s;t &s;oon be of a right temper, and in a right order before him. <HI>Saul</HI> per&s;ecuted <HI>David</HI> becau&s;e he feared his &s;upplanting him in the matter of the crown, and no doubt there was not a|ny thing in the world, that went &s;o again&s;t <HI>Sauls</HI> &s;tomach, he could down with any thing better then to let <HI>David</HI> be King. But yet <HI>Saul</HI> in a fit, when overcome with <HI>Da|vids</HI> kindne&s;&s;e, could yeild to this, and could covenant with <HI>David</HI> when he &s;hould be King, to &s;hew kindne&s;s to his family:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 24.20.</NOTE> now he could let <HI>David</HI> be King or any thing; and &s;o God can bring that temper upon thee that thou &s;halt yeild to any Duty. Nothing &s;hall be &s;tuck at by thee, how aver&s;e &s;oever thou &s;ometimes wert unto it. The Lord can change habits and cu&s;tomes in thy heart,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Davenant</HI> on Col. 2.2.</NOTE> he can take thee off. The mighty power of God can alter this heart of thine. The man in <HI>Ger&s;om</HI> that &s;tudied again&s;t athei&s;me, and could never get the better of it, at la&s;t he prayed that God would help him in it, and he was clean rid of all his horrid temptati|ons this way, and was as really per&s;waded of the truth of un&s;een things as of the chair he &s;ate in. The heart of man <HI>is deceitfull and de&s;perately wicked above all things, who can
<PB N="174" REF="105">know it?</HI> Wor&s;e then men can think, wor&s;e then we our&s;elves can di&s;cover, but he adds, <HI>Thou Lord knowe&s;t,</HI> &amp;c: Is this any comfort? yea &s;ure. The Lord can di&s;cover and cure this deceit to the very bottome, he knows the heart altogether, thy Soul it may be is like a curious Watch, that at pre&s;ent will not goe, the fault thou doe&s;t not know, but goe it will not, what cour&s;e is to be taken with &s;uch a peice? why take this heart this Watch to God. 1. Who made it. 2. Who is the be&s;t workman. 3. Hath alwaies men|ded it, and knows the cour&s;e of it, and he is like of any to &s;et it a going. An heart that hath &s;tood by thee a long time and hath not gone, this glorious arti&s;t can &s;et it a go|ing againe, make it as perfect and better then ever it was, He can &s;oone &s;ee what the matter is with it, whether the fault be in the &s;pring, whether any wheele wanting, whether any thing broken, whatever it is, he that made it, can &s;oone di&s;cover. It is but his touching it, and he can &s;et it &s;traight and put it into good order as ever it was, and much better: &s;o may thy heart be or|dered by God which thou &s;o much com|plaine&s;t of. There is hopes of getting the better of any of the&s;e &s;ins for all this.</P>
<P N="7">7.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.24.</NOTE> <HI>This is to make thee willing to dye. Paul</HI> crys out to be rid of <HI>this body of death.</HI> And &s;o &s;ome &s;in will abide with thee, while thou art here, to make thee willing to leave this
<PB N="175" REF="105">world to be rid of it. And there is hope we &s;hall one of the&s;e daies dye, and then all this &s;in &s;hall be parted with.</P>
<P>But in this labour of thine about thy &s;in thou maye&s;t &s;ee there is yet ground for thy hope.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. XII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Ob&s;ervation improved to the Godly in re&s;pect of their afflicti|ons.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe third and la&s;t improvement of the point to the Godly is, In re&s;pect of their affliction. The godly are apt to be di&s;couraged and dejected about their outward afflictions. We &s;hall make u&s;e of the doctrine as to them, that are in this e&s;tate. Doe not &s;it down di&s;conten|ted about your &s;tate whatever it is, there is yet hope in this thing whatever the trouble is, in&s;tead of concluding it remedy|les and letting down your heart about it.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Humble your &s;elves for the &s;in that you think brought this affliction on you.</HI> The Lord doth <HI>not willingly</HI> afflict, he doth not doe it
<PB N="176" REF="106">out of his heart (as the marg. nath it) out of his meer plea&s;ure as the phra&s;e el&s;where &s;ig|nifies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 6.8.</NOTE> when there is no ground for the thing doth not &s;trike,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.9.</NOTE> becau&s;e he will &s;trike as &s;ometimes our fathers of the fle&s;h, &s;trike children in tyranny, in pa&s;&s;ion, when angry with other matters, but he doth not &s;trike us &s;o, he doth not u&s;ually do it out of a will, though this were to be humbly &s;ubmitted unto, but he doth it out of &s;ome ble&s;&s;ed de|&s;ign upon you, &s;earch therefore thy heart for former &s;ins as the Church did.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3 40 Jer. 31.19.</NOTE> <HI>Ephraim</HI> is cha&s;ti&s;ed and bears <HI>the reproach of his youth.</HI> And &s;o God may bring thy youthfull &s;in to thy remembrance, or &s;ome other mi&s;car|riage, and it is rather thy duty to &s;earch for this, then to de&s;pair about thy affliction.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Labour to part with any &s;in your affliction di&s;covereth.</HI> If it be not <HI>the &s;in,</HI> yet part with that which comes next to hand, make clean work as you go, <HI>this</HI> is worth the finding, and this is the way to find out the re&s;t: God may &s;trike thee to have thee leave this &s;in, though thou thinke&s;t it is not the &s;in the Lord &s;trikes at in thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 27.9.</NOTE> <HI>This is the fruit unto Jacob to purge away all &s;in,</HI> part with all you can find; and then you may be &s;ure you &s;hal part with the right one. If God &s;trike at one, he intends thou &s;hould&s;t leave all thou finde&s;t. If the chiefe be not yet light on, deale with the&s;e thou meete&s;t, to be doing with.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Do the dutyes your affliction requires at
<PB N="177" REF="106">your hands.</HI> You are willing it may be to think &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e helple&s;s, becau&s;e you have no mind to be at the co&s;t of u&s;ing the meanes for it; Conclude&s;t &s;uch a friend in|curable becau&s;e thou ha&s;t a mind to give o|ver praying for him, and dealing with him: the Church crys <HI>there is no hope,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he had another way to go, had other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;he minded more then deliverance this way. Thou lette&s;t this thing lye de&s;perately becau&s;e thou ha&s;t no mind to be importu|nate in prayer, unwearied in thy endea|vours about it, unle&s;&s;e it would come with ea&s;e, it will not come at all, as if nothing that is difficult were po&s;&s;ible. Come let this de&s;pair of thine &s;ave thee no labour take paines about this thing, cry mightily to God in it, leave it not off, unle&s;&s;e the Lord hath &s;aid to thee &s;ay, <HI>no more to me of this ma|ter,</HI> many would have matters with ea&s;e and it will not be.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Thou art not alone in thy trouble, There is no temptation hath taken you but that which is common.</HI> Many of the pretious &s;ervants of God have had their &s;ore afflictions and all Gods &s;ervants &s;till aile &s;omething this way. If you be without cha&s;ti&s;ement <HI>whereof all are partakers,</HI> then are ye Ba&s;tards and not Sons, would you be priviledged as none of Gods children are! Alas there are none but have their exerci&s;e, &s;ome one way and &s;ome another, every one mu&s;t have &s;omewhat to
<PB N="178" REF="107">balla&s;t an heart of vanity with, while&s;t he &s;ailes through this world. The parable of the hares being hunted on every hand and in continuall feares, in di&s;content they would goe together and drowne them&s;elves; but as they went to the bridge of the river the frogs at all adventure leap into the wa|ter before them, whereupon they tooke courage that they were not the mo&s;t mi&s;e|rable creatures in the world, in that &s;ome were more affrighted then they. And &s;o no doubt &s;ome are <HI>determinately</HI> mi&s;erable in the very ca&s;es, wherein you <HI>a little &s;u&s;pect</HI> your condition.</P>
<P>Doe not conclude any one child without affliction. For many one may have &s;ecret afflictions which they &s;peak not of, nay afflictions about &s;uch &s;ecret things as is not fit for them to &s;peak of, thou knowe&s;t not what &s;orrow they <HI>&s;up in &s;ilence,</HI> what they &s;uffer, and commit to God only, no friend hath the knowledge of it. And &s;o this way tho&s;e thou thinke&s;t to be mo&s;t free, may have a greater burther then thine is, becau&s;e they have no ea&s;e by complaining as thou ha&s;t. Do not &s;ay any one is free, unle&s;&s;e you hear any one complain for want of affliction. The&s;e are rare but if &s;uch a one &s;hould be, I would &s;ay to him, it is time enough yet. There is room for many afflicti|ons to &s;tand, betweene this and his latter end, and therefore this need not trouble,
<PB N="179" REF="107">he may meet with his childes part time e|nough yet.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Directi|ons for peace. p.</NOTE> Mr. <HI>Baxter</HI> hath communica|ted to us an experience concerning him|&s;elf this way. That he was &s;ufficiently hel|ped again&s;t &s;uch a temptation. But con|clude thou art not alone in thy trouble. <HI>So|crates</HI> u&s;ed to &s;ay, if all mens loades were laid in a common heap, each man would take up his own again.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plutarch.</NOTE> <HI>Pittacus</HI> when he had invited many &s;trangers to dinner and his &s;hrewd wife came among them, and overthrew the di&s;hes: he &s;aid, no man is without his cro&s;&s;e, were it not for this one thing I were the happye&s;t man.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 10.19.</NOTE> <HI>This is a grief and I mu&s;t bear it.</HI> Every one hath &s;ome, and this is mine. It is but one bundle and I mu&s;t make it part of my work to carry it as &s;trongly and patiently as I can, &s;ome men are of &s;ingular u&s;e who&s;e chiefe work is to carry burthens.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Thou ha&s;t cau&s;e to ble&s;&s;e God that it is neither carnall pro&s;perity, nor carnall adver&s;i|ty,</HI> the former would not have been &s;o good as affliction, the latter much wor&s;e. As long as thou art in the &s;tate of a Child no mat|ter what thy condition is. If thou had&s;t the world at plea&s;ure, and wanted&s;t grace what would it avayle thee, and if thou bee&s;t in adver&s;ity, and yet art not wicked, withall, it is &s;ome ea&s;e to thee. There are many that are godly may be in pro&s;perity, and &s;o there are many wicked men that are afflict|ted
<PB N="180" REF="108">and wicked too, and therefore herein thy condition is better, thou beare&s;t fruit in this affliction of holyne&s;s which is better then pro&s;perity, like the flower in <HI>china</HI> that in Winter loo&s;es its leaves yet hath a|nother flower though not &s;o beautifull, yet &s;weeter then the &s;ummer flower was. So though not &s;o fair in the out&s;ide yet thy winter fruit may be more &s;avory, but thou beare&s;t fruit all along.</P>
<P N="6">6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 116.6. &amp; 25.17.</NOTE> <HI>Many of Gods children have been brought out of their afflictions. David was brought low and the Lord helped him. The troubles of my heart are inlarged, O bring thou me out of my di&s;tre&s;&s;es.</HI> The P&s;almi&s;t when his troubles increa&s;ed upon him, yet the Lord could free him out of them all. Many of Gods children have been brought off in harder ca&s;es then the&s;e are. <HI>Cum duplicantur lateres tunc venit Mo&s;es.</HI> The <HI>Hebrews</HI> have a pro|verb, <HI>When the Bricks are doubled then Mo|&s;es comes,</HI> when things are at the wor&s;t, they may then begin to mend; God hath u&s;ed to help his Servants in the very time of their extremity, and &s;o he may helpe thee.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>As much as thou art troubled the Lord could cure thee at an Ordinance.</HI> And that ei|ther 1. <HI>By diver&s;ion,</HI> to &s;et thy heart on the&s;e great things before thee here. One great thing in affliction is we &s;et our heart on it, pore upon it are alwaies about it and this increa&s;es it much, but now
<PB N="181" REF="108">at an Ordinance thou may&s;t have thy mind taken up with &s;ome greater thing, that this pane &s;hall be &s;wallowed up in it.</P>
<P N="2">2. By &s;hewing thee <HI>the example</HI> of the affliction and patience of the Saints, <HI>Rom.</HI> 15.4.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Or by ca&s;ting in &s;ome better comforts.</HI> The Lord can &s;oone <HI>give you much more then this,</HI> One glimp&s;e of his face, like wine to the man with an heavy heart, <HI>would make you forget your &s;orrows,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 31.7</NOTE> <HI>and remember your mi&s;e|ries no more.</HI> This might make us think our afflictions to be le&s;&s;e, and Ordinances to have more in them then ordinarily we think at. But the Lord can &s;et thee free in a great mea&s;ure here.</P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>There is help for thee in thy God. David</HI> never feared till the Enemy began to &s;ay there was <HI>no help for him in his God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 3.2.</NOTE> But the child of God hath this &s;ure enough. The Lord can, and the Lord will help.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The Lord can.</HI> And 1. The Lord can help <HI>in kind</HI> there is nothing can hinder his almighty power when meanes are mo&s;t un|likely he is not at all re&s;trained hereby, <HI>when there is neither wind nor water the Lord can &s;end rain. Their &s;trength is to &s;it &s;till;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 K<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">: 3.17 1 Chro. 20.17. P&s;a. 112.4.</NOTE> when they can do nothing, let them &s;it &s;till, and God may then &s;hew his power for them. To the upright there &s;hall ari&s;e <HI>light in darkne&s;s</HI> when it is lea&s;t looked for, the Lord can for his own children make light
<PB N="182" REF="109">appear. The thing is not out of Gods reach nor pa&s;t his power to be effected whatever it is.</P>
<P N="2">2. He can do it <HI>in equivalency,</HI> he can help you <HI>again&s;t it,</HI> and he can help you <HI>with it.</HI> It is po&s;&s;ible for thee to make a &s;hift to live though this affliction &s;hould tarry The Lord can turn it into good for thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.9</NOTE> If this me&s;&s;enger depart not <HI>my grace is &s;uffici|ent for thee.</HI> God can make a change in thy mind as well as thy condition, and all may yet be well with thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 3.1.</NOTE> <HI>David</HI> might well &s;ay, Lord <HI>how are my foes increa&s;ed!</HI> when his Son for lack of wor&s;e enemies mu&s;t ri&s;e again&s;t him, for the P&s;alm was penned when <HI>he fled from Ab&s;olom.</HI> This &s;ure was a grievous affliction, many of you think if your children are not dutifull, if they deny you the comfort you look for from them, it is a &s;ore tryall, but if they be rebellious and &s;eeke to do evill to you, you would count this grievous indeed. The affliction of a childs &s;in, the parent knows not of any thing how to take, yet <HI>David,</HI> the Lord had dealt with him, that he could take a nights re&s;t in the mid&s;t of this trouble, <HI>The Lord &s;u&s;tained him and he would lay him down</HI> to &s;leepe for all this.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 3 5</NOTE> The Lord can come in, and &s;tay the heart under the &s;ore&s;t troubles. To read <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 89. <HI>ult.</HI> How the P&s;almi&s;t complaines all along of their afflictions and mi&s;eries, and yet concludes with, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed
<PB N="183" REF="109">be God for evermore Amen, and Amen.</HI> Sure the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;aw &s;ome what el&s;e then a|fflictions, that could make him conclude the&s;e complaints with thanks-giving.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cleark</HI> in the life of Mr. <HI>Dod.</HI></NOTE> But take notice of it, this the Lord can do, he can &s;atisfie thee with it whatever it is. It is reported of Mr. <HI>Dod,</HI> that when &s;ome ve|ry &s;ad newes was brought him, That fetcht Tears out of his eys, he &s;aid notwith&s;tan|ding <HI>he would go ble&s;s God for this affliction, for the good he believed it would doe him, though at pre&s;ent he did not &s;ee it.</HI> God can &s;o deal with thy heart for thy ea&s;e under afflictions, as <HI>Antipater</HI> that was blind, and one pitty|ed him, he &s;aid, could there be no delight in the night? and another that was working when his gangred leg was cutting off,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neirenber<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. de ante vo|lunt.</NOTE> That one &s;aid <HI>Tam aberat a dolore quam ab otic.</HI> As if indeed much of our troubles aro&s;e from our &s;etting our whole mind on &s;uch pa&s;&s;ages. As he that &s;aid his paines were great even to &s;houting, but although I feele them in the greate&s;t extremity, yet I <HI>yeild not</HI> my &s;elf <HI>to them but unto God.</HI> If God thus take the heart of thy &s;orrow it is as much as to take thy &s;orrow off thee, as one &s;ays, The fire may be put out as well by withdrawing fuell as ca&s;ting on water. This God can do in thy ca&s;e of affliction. Thus God <HI>can</HI> help.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>God will,</HI> He is gracious and mercifull though thou ha&s;t &s;inned thy &s;elf into afflicti|on, yet he will remember thee in the mul|titude
<PB N="184" REF="110">of his tender mercies. <HI>Though we have &s;inned again&s;t thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">&acirc;er. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.6 P&s;a. 86.5.14.15.16. &amp; 106.43.44.45.46. P&s;a. 69.32</NOTE> <HI>yet do thou it for thy own names &s;ake. He de&s;pi&s;eth not his Pri&s;oners.</HI> We u&s;ually when men get low in the world are apt to vilify them and de&s;pi&s;e them. If a man get poore, this of all afflictions is u&s;u|ally looked on as a fault, and men are apt to look &s;trangely at &s;uch per&s;ons. If a &s;in be vi&s;ible they may have repented of it, and we &s;hould hope they have, and be glad to be reconciled to them, many a one may have committed the like &s;in, yet if not brought down by it we do not de&s;pi&s;e them; well God wil not de&s;pi&s;e them, though men do, the Lord will look at them though they are in affliction and that for &s;in too. Yet he wil have thoughts of pitty towards them, hath he forgiven thee &s;ins without afflicting! and will he not forgive though he doth afflict! <HI>I am poor and needy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">B&s;a. 40. ul.</NOTE> <HI>yet the Lord thinketh up|on me.</HI> God hath a pitifull heart towards thee whatever thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">dition is. <HI>Ephraim</HI> &s;aw his &s;in under his cha&s;ti&s;ement, and yet even then God looked at <HI>Ephraim</HI> as a plea|&s;ant child,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam 1.5.</NOTE> <HI>and earne&s;tly remembred him &s;till. If any man lack wi&s;dome let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it &s;hall be given him.</HI> This wi&s;dome is to be able to &s;uffer, to have patience un|der afflictions. If any man know not how to &s;uffer, and carry not as they &s;hould do under affliction, let him go to God for wi&s;|dome.
<PB N="185" REF="110">I but it may be this affliction comes on me for my &s;in, and how can I for &s;hame aske the Lord wi&s;dome to help me to &s;uffer for the puni&s;hment of my &s;in. Yea that thou maye&s;t, thou may a&s;ke wi&s;dome of him in this very ca&s;e; <HI>For he giveth liberally, and upbraideth not.</HI> He will not da&s;h thee in the teeth with the occa&s;ion, he will not up|braide thee but will give thee the wi&s;dome thou neede&s;t, whatever the occa&s;ion of thy need is.</P>
<P>Thou may&s;t thus comfort thy &s;elf in God.</P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>Thy affliction is not great all things con|&s;idered.</HI> Alas thou that de&s;erve&s;t hell, to complain of a temporall burthen. <HI>Mephi|bo&s;heth</HI> never grieved to part with half the land, when <HI>David</HI> before had given it him all, when he con&s;idered he could not have claimed his life nor any thing at the fir&s;t. Alas, &s;ays he, what &s;hould I trouble my Lord the King any more with the&s;e matters. I con&s;ider not what I would have, but what I could claime, and I am well content, <HI>half the land is better then dying.</HI> When <HI>Ba|ruch</HI> was complaining, that he had no lar|ger a portion, God takes him in hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 45 5.</NOTE> and &s;chools him, and tells him, when God was pulling down, <HI>did he &s;eek great things for him&s;elf.</HI> Let him not do it, come. &s;ays he, I mu&s;t take thee down a little, I will offer thee fair, <HI>Thou &s;halt have thy life for a prey,</HI> in all places whither thou goe&s;t and that is
<PB N="186" REF="111">faire for thee, we are &s;o tender and dilicate we complaine and murmure, if every thing be not fine about our homes, but the time may come when we may be thankfull if we can &s;ave our lives, and not be kept to any certain place neither. Thou maye&s;t be re|moved and be in many places, a &s;tranger here and there, but in all places, if thou can e&s;cape with life it is well for thee, when we complain under pre&s;ent burthens, God &s;hews us greater, and lets us &s;ee how little we can claime, and how glad we may be of lower terms before we part. Come this is well for thee whatever it is, Thy ve|ry life thou maye&s;t be glad of, ere thou dy, and let all thy great things go, men may be high in their demands, but the market may bring them down.</P>
<P N="10">10. <HI>The&s;e afflictions make work for heaven.</HI> Then will Chri&s;t <HI>wipe away all tears.</HI> One would not want them when Chri&s;t &s;hall come to wipe them off,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.4.</NOTE> &s;urely thy glory will be the more for the afflictions thou ha&s;t gone through unto it, and it is enough, that they &s;hall end in glory whatever they are. Alas this is but <HI>a &s;ick fit for heaven,</HI> it may well be born. One day in etrenity will make amends for all.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4, 17</NOTE> <HI>The&s;e light afflictions which are but for a moment work for us a far more ex|ceeding and eternall weight of glory.</HI> Ma&s;&s;y glo|ry, glory that you cannot bear no more then the weak eye can bear the glory of the Sun,
<PB N="187" REF="111">under which it doth <HI>&s;uccumbere,</HI> ly down, as the back or body &s;hould bow under an in|tolerable burthen; even &s;uch &s;hall this glory be, <HI>a weight</HI> not conceiveable by us. And therefore the thoughts of it &s;hould keep us quiet, and much &s;atisfied under our pre&s;ent afflictions, you may <HI>hope</HI> under all your a|fflictions &s;ince heaven is before you. And till the true Chri&s;tian &s;hall have attained <HI>to the end of his hope,</HI> to this glory where hope &s;hall be &s;wallowed up in fruition: Let him make it his &s;tudy to <HI>cheri&s;h,</HI> and live upon <HI>the hopes that God hath left him about his e&s;tate</HI> in the &s;everall changes of it, according to this Doctrine.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="112">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>IN Mr. <HI>Angiers</HI> Ep: <HI>for</HI> Shepheards v. Sheapherd. <HI>In the Ep:to the Reader</HI> p. 4. l. 22 <HI>r.</HI> abler. p. 5 l 29 potior pars. p. 6. l. 18 <HI>dele</HI> when.</P>
<P>P. 7. l. 22. <HI>r.</HI> &s;ave p. 10 l. 6. <HI>r.</HI> &s;lew. l. 23. <HI>r.</HI> into p. 62. l. 1. <HI>r.</HI> letters of credence. l. 9. <HI>r.</HI> heard, p. 65. l. 9. of. be it known <HI>add</HI> to you. p. 69. l. 15. admirable. p. 75. l. 9. <HI>r</HI> mo&s;t. p. 77. l. 5. <HI>r</HI> mu&s;t <HI>after</HI> thou. p. 85. l. 4. <HI>a pa|renthe&s;is to begin at</HI> (<HI>as if the&s;e words &amp;c. to end in</HI> 16 <HI>line. after the word but</HI>) p. 87. l. 5. <HI>r.</HI> old and ignorant p. 91. l. 18. <HI>r.</HI> and you have cau&s;e p. 93. l. 9. <HI>for</HI> for faith <HI>r.</HI> for &s;ailing. p. 114. l. 11. <HI>r.</HI> doubte&s;t p. 138. l. 21. <HI>r.</HI> thy. p. 139. l. 4. <HI>r.</HI> bids him pray. In the title of ch. 10. for di&s;tre&s;&s;ed. <HI>r.</HI> di&s;cu&s;&s;ed. p. 155. l. 30. <HI>r.</HI> to turn him. p. 158. l. 27. <HI>r.</HI> all her afflictions. p. 161. l. 18. <HI>r.</HI> Lord. p. 175. l. 25. <HI>r. in the marg.</HI> Lam. 3.33.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's note">
<PB REF="112">
<HEAD>Books printed and &s;ould by <HI>George Ever&s;den</HI> at the <HI>Maiden-head</HI> in St. <HI>Pauls Church-yard.</HI></HEAD>
<P>AN Expo&s;ition with practicall Ob&s;ervations upon the IX. fir&s;t Chapt of the <HI>Proverbs</HI> Grammatical, Rethorical, Logi|cal and Theological; By <HI>Francis Taylor, B. D.</HI> Late Mi|ni&s;ter of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> in 4.</P>
<P>An Expo&s;ition on the whole book of the the <HI>Canticles</HI> by <HI>John Robotham</HI> late Mini&s;ter of <HI>Dover,</HI> in 4.</P>
<P>A form of <HI>Church Di&s;cipline</HI> by <HI>John Rogers</HI> Mini&s;ter at St. <HI>Thomas Apo&s;tles. London,</HI> in 4.</P>
<P>The Cen&s;ures of the Church revived, and wherein, Fir&s;t, The danger of admitting moderate Epi&s;copacy is &s;hewed; Secondly, The <HI>Jus Divinum</HI> of the Ruling Elders Office is a&s;&s;erted and clea|red; Thirdly, the a&s;per&s;ions of Schi&s;me and Perjury are wiped off from tho&s;e that di&s;own Epi&s;copacy: <HI>&amp;c.</HI> by the Mini&s;ters of the fir&s;t Cla&s;s of <HI>Manche&s;ter</HI> in <HI>Lanca&s;hire,</HI> in 4.</P>
<P>The Natural mans ca&s;e Stated, or an exact map of the little world Man: In XVII <HI>Sermons:</HI> by <HI>Chri&s;topher Love,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The doctrin of Mortification with the hearers Duty, by <HI>Chri&s;topher Love,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The divine Right and Original of the civil Magi&s;trate from God as it is drawn by the Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul; Rom:</HI> 13: 1. <HI>There is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God;</HI> Illu|&s;trated and Vindicated by <HI>Edward Gee,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell at <HI>Eccle&s;ton</HI> in <HI>Lanca&s;hire,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P><HI>A</HI> treati&s;e of Prayer and of divine Providence as relating to it, by <HI>Edward Gee</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at <HI>Eccle&s;ton</HI> in <HI>Lanca&s;hire</HI> in 8. The 2. Edition corrected and amended.</P>
<P><HI>A</HI> comment on the II fir&s;t <HI>ver&s;es</HI> of the 4 Chap of St. <HI>Matthew</HI> concerning Chri&s;ts temptations by <HI>Tho: Fuller, B. D.</HI> and Mini&s;ter of <HI>Waltham Abby</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A</HI> comment on the Fir&s;t, and Second chap: of <HI>Ruth</HI> by <HI>Tho: Fuller,</HI> Mini&s;ter of <HI>Waltham Abby</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Culpeppers</HI> treati&s;e of <HI>Aurum potabile</HI> being an univer&s;al reme|dy for all di&s;ea&s;es, in 8.</P>
<P><HI>Sion</HI> and <HI>Perna&s;&s;us</HI> being divine <HI>Eppegrams</HI> on &s;everal, Texts of Scripture by <HI>J. H.</HI> Gent. in 8.</P>
<PB REF="113">
<P>The Life and death of Sir <HI>Tho: More</HI> &s;omtime Lord Chancel|lour of <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>The My&s;tery of rethorick unvailed, wherein above 130 Tropes and Figures are &s;everally derived from the Greek into Engli&s;h, toge|ther with lively di&s;tinctions, and variety of Latine, Engli&s;h, and Scriptural examples pertinent to each of them apart, by <HI>John Smith</HI> Gent: in 8.</P>
<P><HI>Enochs Walk;</HI> being the &s;ub&s;tance of &s;undry Set: dige&s;ted into a Treati&s;e by <HI>William Bell M. A.</HI> and Pa&s;tour of the Church at <HI>High|ton</HI> in <HI>Lanca&s;hire,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The Grand Tryal of true conver&s;ion, a Treati&s;e of the thoughts by <HI>John Bi&s;co</HI> late Mini&s;ter at <HI>Thomas Southwark,</HI> and now Mini&s;ter of <HI>Abbington</HI> in <HI>Oxford&s;hire,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The Lords prayer uncla&s;ped, or a Vindication of it again&s;t all Schi&s;maticks, and Hereticks, by <HI>Iames Harwood B. D.</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The my&s;terie of the two witne&s;&s;es unvayled by <HI>Iohn Robotham,</HI> late Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at <HI>Dover</HI> in <HI>Kent,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>The chri&s;tians Diurnal or daily dutys to be practized towards God, our Neighbours, and our &s;elves; by <HI>Anthony Morgan D. D</HI> in 8.</P>
<P><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> Biceps,</HI> or &s;everall choyce pieces of Poetry compo&s;ed by the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> that were in both the Vniver&s;ityes before their di&s;&s;olu|tion collected and publi&s;hed by <HI>Abraham VVright</HI> Fellow of St. <HI>Johns</HI> Colledge in <HI>Oxford,</HI> in 8.</P>
<P>Gods Glory in mans happine&s;&s;e, with the freene&s;&s;e of his grace in electing us altogether with many Arminian objections an&s;we|red by <HI>Francis Taylor B. D.</HI> and late Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell in <HI>Can|terbury,</HI> in 12.</P>
<PB REF="113">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
