4. The Best Men’s Sins

The fourth Device that Satan hath¹⁰⁹ to draw the ſoul to ſin, is, by preſenting to the ſoul the beſt mens ſins, and by hiding from the ſoul their virtues; by ſhewing the ſoul their ſins, and by hiding from the ſoul, their ſorrows, and repentance; as by ſetting before the ſoul the Adultery of David, the Pride of p. 33 Hezekiah, the Impatience of Job, the Drunkenneſſe of Noah, the Blaſphemy of Peter, &c. and by hiding from the ſoul the tears, the ſighes, the groans, the meltings, humblings, and repentings of theſe precious ſouls.

1. 109. 4 Device. [dropped from the edition]

THe firſt Remedy againſt this Device¹¹⁰ of Satan, is, ſeriouſly to conſider, that the Spirit of the Lord hath been as carefull to note the Saints riſing by repentance out of ſin, as he hath to note their falling into ſin; David falls fearfully, but by repentance he riſes ſweetly. Blot out my tranſgreſſions, waſh mee throughly from my iniquity, and cleanſe me from my ſin; for I acknowledge my tranſgreſſions, and my ſin is ever before me. Purge me with Hyſop, and I ſhall be clean, waſh me, and I ſhall be whiter then ſnow; deliver me from blood-guiltineſſe, O God, thou God of my ſalvation. ‘Tis true, Hezekiah’s heart was lifted up, under the abundance of mercy, that God had caſt in upon him; and ‘tis as true, that Hezekiah¹¹¹ humbled himſelfe, for the pride of his heart: ſo that the wrath of the Lord came not upon him, nor upon Jeruſalem, in the p. 34 dayes of Hezekiah. ‘Tis true, Job curſes the day of his Birth, and ‘tis as true, that he riſes by repentance. Behold, I am vile (ſaith he) what ſhall I anſwer thee?¹¹² I will lay my hand upon my mouth, once have I ſpoken, but I will not anſwer, yea, twice, but I will proceed no further. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye ſeeth thee: Wherefore I abhor my¹¹³ ſelfe, and repent in duſt and aſhes. Peter fals dreadfully, but riſes by repentance ſweetly; a look of love from Chriſt, melts him into tears; he knew that repentance was the key to the Kingdome of Grace. As once his Faith was ſo great, that he leapt, as it were, into a ſea of waters, to come to Chriſt: ſo now his repentance was ſo great, that he leapt, as it were, into a ſea of tears, for¹¹⁴ that he had gone from Chriſt. Some ſay, that after his ſad fall, he was ever and anon weeping, and that his face was even furrowed with continual tears; he had no ſooner took in poyſon, but he vomited it up again, ere it got to the vitals; he had no ſooner handled this Serpent, but he turned it into a rod to ſcourge his ſoule with remorſe, for ſining againſt ſuch clear light, and ſtrong love, and ſweet diſcoveries of the heart of Chriſt to him. Clement notes, that Peter ſo repented, that all his life after, p. 35 every night, when he heard the Cock crow, he would fall upon his knees, and weeping bitterly, would beg pardon of this ſin; Ah ſoules! you can eaſily ſin as the Saints, but can you repent with the Saints? Many can ſin with David and Peter, that cannot repent with David and Peter, and ſo muſt periſh for ever. Theodoſius the Emperour preſſing, that he might receive the Lords Supper, excuſes¹¹⁵ his own foul fact by Davids doing the like, to which Ambroſe replies, Thou haſt followed David tranſgreſſing, follow David repenting, and then think thou of the Table of the Lord.

1. 110. 1 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 111. 2 Chron. 32. 25, 26.
3. 112. Job. 40. 4, 5. ch. 42. 5, 6.
4. 113. Tertullian ſaith that he was (Nalli rei natus niſi penitentiae) borne for no other purpoſe, but to repent.
5. 114. Luther confeſſes, that before his converſion, he met not with a more diſpleaſing word in allhis ſtudy of Divinity, then Repent, but afterward he took delight in the work (poenitens de peccaio dolet & de dolore gaudet) to ſorrow for his ſin, and then to rejoyce in his ſorrow.
6. 115. Theodorit. hiſt. l. 4. c. 17.

The ſecond Remedy againſt this Device¹¹⁶ of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, that theſe Saints did not make a trade of ſin, they fell once, or twice (and roſe by Repentance) that they might¹¹⁷ keep the cloſer to Chriſt for ever; they fell accidentally, occaſionally, and with much reluctancy; and thou ſinneſt preſumptuouſly, obſtinately, readily, delightfully, and cuſtomarily; thou haſt by thy making a trade of ſin, contracted upon thy ſoul a kind of curſed neceſſity of ſinning, that thou canſt as well ceaſe to be, or ceaſe to live, as thou canſt ceaſe to ſin; ſin is by cuſtome become as another nature to thee, which thou canſt not, which thou wilt not lay aſide, p. 36 though thou knoweſt, that if thou doſt not lay ſin aſide, God will lay thy ſoul aſide for ever; though thou knoweſt, that if ſin and thy ſoul doe not part, Chriſt and thy ſoul can never meet; if thou wilt make a trade of ſin, and cry out, did not David ſin thus, and Noah¹¹⁸ ſin thus, and Peter ſin thus, &c.? No, their hearts turn’d aſide to folly one day, but thy heart turns aſide to folly every day, and when they were fallen, they riſe by repentance, and by the actings of Faith upon a crucified Chriſt, but thou falleſt, and haſt no ſtrength, nor will to riſe; but walloweſt in ſin, and wilt eternally dye in thy ſins, unleſſe the Lord be the more mercifull to thy ſoul. Doſt thou think, oh ſoule, this is good reaſoning? Such a one taſted poyſon but once, and yet narrowly eſcapt, but I doe daily drink poyſon, yet I ſhall eſcape: yet ſuch is the mad reaſoning of vaine ſoules; David and Peter, &c. ſinned once foully and fearfully, they taſted poyſon but once, and were ſick to death, but I taſt it daily, and yet ſhall not taſt of eternall death. Remember, oh ſouls, that the day is at hand, when ſelf-flatterers will be found ſelf-deceivers, yea, ſelf-murtherers.

1. 116. 2 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 117. The Saints cannot ſin (voluntate plenâ ſed ſemiplena) with a whole will, but as it were with an halfe will, an unwilling willingnes, not with a full conſent, but with a diſſenting conſent.
3. 118. 2 Pet. 2. 14. Pro. 4, 14. 16. Though ſin doe (habitare) dwell in the regenerate, as Auſtin notes, yet it doth not (regnare) reign over the regenerate, they riſe by repentance.

The third Remedy againſt this Device¹¹⁹ of Satan, is, ſeriouſly to conſider, p. 37 that though God doth not (nor never will) diſinherit his people for their ſins, yet he hath ſeverely puniſhed his people for their ſins. David ſins, and God breaks his bones for his ſin. Make me to¹²⁰ hear joy and gladneſſe, that the bones which thou haſt broken, may rejoyce. And becauſe thou hoſt done this, the Sword ſhall not depart from thy houſe, to the day of thy death. Though God will not utterly take from them his loving kindneſſe, nor ſuffer his faithfullneſſe to faile, nor breake his Covenant, nor alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth, yet will he viſit their tranſgreſſions with a rod, and their iniquity with ſtripes, Pſal. 89. 30. 35. The Scripture abounds with inſtances of this kind; this is ſo known a truth, among all that know any thing of truth, that to cite more Scriptures to prove it, would be to light a Candle to ſee the Sun at noon. The Jewes have a Proverb, that There is no puniſhment comes upon Iſrael, in which there is not one ounce of the Golden Calfe: Meaning, that that was ſo great a ſin, as that in every plague God remembred it, that had an influence into every trouble that befell them. Every mans heart may ſay to him in his ſufferings, as the heart of Apollodorus¹²¹ in the kettle, I have been the cauſe of this. God is moſt angry, when he ſhewes no anger, God keep me from this p. 38 mercy; this kind of mercy is worſe then¹²² all other miſery. One writing to a ſick friend, hath this expreſſion, I account it a part of unhappineſſe not to know adverſity, I judge you to be miſerable, becauſe you have not been miſerable. ‘Tis mercy that our affliction is not an execution, but a correction; he that hath deſerved hanging, may be glad if he ſcape with a whipping. Gods corrections are our inſtructions, his laſhes our leſſons, his¹²³ ſcourges our School-maſters, his chaſtiſements our advertiſements; and to note this, both the Hebrewes, and the Greeks expreſſe chaſtening and teaching¹²⁴ by one and the ſame word (muſar paideia) becauſe the latter is the true¹²⁵ end of the former, according to that in the Proverb, Smart makes wit, and vexation gives underſtanding; whence Luther fitly calls affliction, The Chriſtians mans Divinity:¹²⁶ ſo ſaith Job (Chap. 33. 16. 19) God ſpeaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not, in a dream, in a viſion of the night, when deep ſleep falleth upon men, in ſlumbrings upon the Bed: then he openeth¹²⁷ the ears of men, and ſealeth their inſtruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpoſe, and hide pride from man: he keepeth back his ſoule from the pit, and his life from periſhing by the ſword. When Satan ſhall tell thee of other mens ſins, to draw thee p. 39 to ſin, doe thou then think of the ſame mens ſufferings, to keep thee from ſin; lay thy hand upon thy heart, and ſay oh my ſoul, if thou ſinneſt with David, thou muſt ſuffer with David, &c.

1. 119. 3 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 120. Pſalm 51. 8. Joſephus reports, that not long after the Jews had crucified Chriſt on the croſſe, ſo many of them were condemned to be crucified, that there were not places enough for croſſes, nor croſſes enough for the bodies that were to be hung thereon
3. 121. ἐγώ σοι τούτων αἰτία.
4. 122. Qui non eſt crucianus non eſt chriſtianus, ſaith Luther, there is not a Chriſtian that carries not his croſſe.
5. 123. Pſal. 94. 12. Pro. 3. 12, 13. ch. 6. 23. 26. Iſaiah 9.
6. 124. מוסרΠαιδεία.
7. 125. Job 36. 8, 9, 10.
8. 126. Theologiam chriſtianorum.
9. 127. Afflictiones benedictiones. Ber. Afflictions are bleſſings.

The fourth Remedy againſt this Device¹²⁸ of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, That there are but two main ends of Gods recording of the fals of his Saints; and the one is, to keep thoſe from fainting,¹²⁹ ſinking, and deſpaire, under the burden of their ſins, who fall through weakneſſe and infirmity; and the other is, that their falls may be as Landmarks, to warn others that ſtand, to take heed leſt they fall; it never entred into the heart of God to record his Childrens ſins, that others might be incouraged to ſin, but that others might be warned to look to their ſtandings, and to hang the faſter upon the skirts of Chriſt, and avoid all occaſions and temptations, that may occaſion the ſoul to fall, as others have fallen. When they have been left by Chriſt, the Lord hath made their ſins as Land-marks, to warn his people to take heed how they come near thoſe ſands, and rocks; thoſe ſnares and baites that have been fatal to the choyceſt treaſures, to wit, the joy, peace, comfort, and glorious enjoyments of the braveſt ſpirits, and nobleſt p. 40 ſouls that ever ſailed through the ocean of this ſinfull, troubleſome world; as you may ſee in David, Job, Peter, &c. There is nothing in the world, that can ſo notoriouſly croſſe the grand end of Gods recording of the ſins of his Saints, then for any from thence, to take incouragement to ſin, and where ever you find ſuch a ſoul, you may write him Chriſtleſſe, Graceleſſe, a ſoul caſt off by God, a ſoule that Satan hath by the hand; and the eternall God knowes whether he will lead him.

1. 128. 4 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 129. I have known a good man, ſaid Bernard, who when he heard of any, that had committed ſome notorious ſin, he was wont to ſay with himſelfe (ille bodie & ego cras) he fell to day, ſo may I to morrow.