theus's vulture, that lies ever a-gnawing. Judas found it so, and Spira found it so, and Blair, a great councillor of Scotland, found it so. I have read of one John Hofmeister, that fell sick in his inn, as he was travelling towards Auspurge in Germany, and grew to that horror of conscience, that they were fain to bind him in his bed with chains, where he cried out, that he was for ever cast off by God, and that the promises that were set before him would do him no good, and all because he had wounded his conscience, and turned a deaf ear to conscience.1 Well! young men, if you will not betimes hearken to conscience, you shall at last hear conscience saying to you, as the probationer disciple said to Christ, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest,' Mat. viii. 19; so saith conscience, Sinner, I have called upon thee many a thousand times, and told thee, that I must by commission be thy best friend, or thy worst enemy, but thou wouldst not hear; and therefore now I will follow thee whither ever thou goest ;2 fast, and I will follow thee, and fill thee with horrors and terrors; feast, and I will follow thee, and shew thee such a handwriting upon the wall, as shall cause thy countenance to change, thy thoughts to be troubled, the joints of thy loins to be loosed, and thy knees dashed one against another, Dan. v. 5, 6; stay at home, and I will follow thee from bed to board; go abroad, and I will follow thee into all places and companies, and thou shalt know that it is an evil and a bitter thing, that thou hast so often and so long neglected my calls, and disobeyed my voice, and walked contrary to me; how thou shalt find a truth in that saying of Luther, una guttula mala conscientiæ totum mare, &c., one drop of an evil conscience swallows up the whole sea of worldly joy. Well! young men, there is a day coming wherein a good conscience will be better than a good purse, for then the Judge will not be put off with a suit of compliments or fair words, nor drawn aside with hope of reward; and therefore, as you would be able to hold up your heads in that day, make conscience of hearkening to the voice of conscience in this your day. Direction (5). Fifthly, If you would be good betimes, then you must know betimes wherein true happiness lies. For a man will never begin to be good till he begins to understand wherein his happiness consists. The philosophers, speaking of happiness, were divided into two hundred and eighty-eight opinions, every one intending something, and yet resolving nothing. Therefore the man in Plutarch, hearing them wrangle about man's summum bonum, chiefest good, one placing it in this, and another in that, he went to the market and bought up all that was good, hoping, among all, he should not miss of it, but he did. Many look for happiness in sin, others look for it in the creatures, but they must all say, It is not in us, Isa. lvi. 12, Job xxviii. 14: Nil dat quod non habet, nothing can give what it hath not. If the conduit pipe hath no water, it can give no water; if a man hath no money, he can give no money; if the creatures have no happiness, they can give 1 Jo. Wolf. lect mem. To. II. ad. an. 1547. [Augsburg.-G.] Tolle conscientiam, tolle omnia, take away conscience, and take away all, said the heathen. 8 Quot homines, tot sententiæ: so many men, so many minds. awing. Judas found it so, and Spira ncillor of Scotland, found it so. eister, that fell sick in his inn, as he in Germany, and grew to that horror to bind him in his bed with chains, or ever cast off by God, and that the would do him no good, and all beence, and turned a deaf ear to con ot betimes hearken to conscience, you coming wherein a good conscience ld be good betimes, then you must ess lies. e good till he begins to understand opiness, were divided into two hunyone intending something, and yet - man in Plutarch, hearing them m, chiefest good, one placing it in the market and bought up all that hould not miss of it, but he did. ers look for it in the creatures, but If the conduit sa. lvi. 12. Job xxviii. 14: Nil dat hat it hath not. ater; if a man hath no money, he [Augsburg.-G.] nscience, and take away all, said the In so many minds. no happiness. Now this jewel, this pearl, in the breast, in the bosom of creatures. hasten to a close, man's happiness lies, First, In his communion with God, a demonstrates. 'Happy is that people that me that word again), yea, happy is that pe Ps. cxliv. 15. A man whose soul is in com more pleasure in a desert, in a dungeon, i in the palace of a prince, than in all wo &c. Secondly, In pardon of sin. Blessed forgiven, whose sin is covered: blessed is t imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit 1, 2. It is not, blessed is the honourable doned man. It is not, blessed is the rich doned man. is not, blessed is the lear pardoned man. It is not, blessed is the p It is not, blessed is the vi pardoned man. It the pardoned man. Do with me what the doned my sins, saith Luther. Thirdly, In a complete fruition and shall be here no more. 'Blessed are the see God, Mat. v. 8; 'Now they see him bu shall see him face to face; they shall know xiii. 12. But of these things I have sp therefore shall satisfy myself with these hi Direction (6). Lastly, If you would be g break your covenant with sin betimes. You must fall out with your lusts betim yourselves against sin betimes, Isa. xxviii. to fall in with Christ till he begins to fall and the soul be two, Christ and the soul ca your hearts to this, you should always notions: Notion (1). First, If you would have t sin and your souls betimes, then look upon enemy betimes. 'Dearly beloved, I beseech you as str from fleshly lusts, which war against the viper is killed by the young ones in her trayed and killed by their own lusts, t bosoms.1 Pittacus, a philosopher, challenged Phl in their wars against them, to single comb so caught him, and overcame him; so do dangerous, pernicious, malignant nature o story of the Italian, who first made his 1 Sins, especially against knowledge, are peccata and wasting. 2 Rather, Phrynon; the above feat is recorded by 94, 95, &c., &c.-G. stabbed him to the heart, and so at once murdered both body and soul. Sin betrays us into the hand of the devil, as Delilah did Samson into the hands of the Philistines. Sugared poisons go down pleasantly. Oh! but when they are down, they gall and gnaw, and gripe the very heart-strings asunder; it is so with sin. Ah! souls, have not you often found it so? When Phocas the murderer thought to secure himself by building high walls, he heard a voice from heaven telling him, that though he built his bulwarks never so high, yet sin within would soon undermine all.1 Ambrose reports of one Theotimus, that having a disease upon his body, the physician told him, that except he did abstain from internperance, drunkenness, uncleanness, he would lose his eyes; his heart was so desperately set upon his sins, that he cries out, then, Vale lumen amicum, farewell, sweet light. Ah, how did his lusts war both against body and soul! The old man' is like a treacherous friend, and a friendly traitor. Though it be a harder thing to fight with a man's lusts, than it is to fight with the cross, yet you must fight or die; if you are not the death of your sins, they will prove the death of your souls. The oracle told the Cyrrheans, noctesque diesque belligerandum, they could not be happy, unless they waged war night and day; no more can we, except we live and die fighting against our lusts.2 Ah! young men, can you look sin under the notion of an enemy, upon and not break with it, and not arm against it? Well! remember this, the pleasure and sweetness that follows victory over sin, is a thousand times beyond that seeming sweetness that is in sin; and as victory over sin is the sweetest victory, so it is the greatest victory. There is no conquest to that which is gotten over a man's own corruptions. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty: and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city,' Prov. xvi. 32. It is noble to overcome an enemy without, but it is more noble to overcome an enemy within; it is honourable to overcome fiery flames, but it is far more honourable to overcome fiery lusts. When Valentinian the emperor was upon his dying-bed, among all his victories only one comforted him, and that was victory over his worst enemy, viz., his own naughty heart.3 Ah! young men, young men, your worst enemies are within you, and all their plots, designs, and assaults are upon your souls, your most noble part. They know if that fort-royal be won, all is their own, and you are undone, and shall be their slaves for ever; and therefore it stands upon you to arm yourselves against these inbred enemies; and if you engage Christ in the quarrel, you will carry the day; and wher you shall lie upon your dying-beds, you will then find that there is no comfort to that which ariseth from the conquests of your own hearts your own lusts. Notion (2). Secondly, If you would break covenant with sin, if you The 'monster' emperor of Constantinople, A.D. 602–610.-G.. 2 As one of the dukes of Venice died fighting against the Nauratines, with his weapon in his hand. • Rom. vii. 22, 23; 2 Cor. x. 3-6; Gal. v. 17. at once murdered both body and soul. he devil, as Delilah did Samson into antly. Oh but when they are down, e very heart-strings asunder; it is so ou often found it so? nought to secure himself by building heaven telling him, that though he yet sin within would soon undermine imus, that having a disease upon his at except he did abstain from intemss, he would lose his eyes; his heart ns, that he cries out, then, Vale lumen Ah, how did his lusts war both against herous friend, and a friendly traitor. pon sin under the notion of an enemy, ure and sweetness that follows victory or was upon his dying-bed, among all your' worst enemies are within you, ople, A.D. 602–610.-G.. hting against the Nauratines, with his weapons would arm and fence yourselves agains sin as the soul's bonds, Gal. iii. 10, John For as bonds tie things together, so d curse together. It binds the sinner and sinner and hell together: 'I perceive tha ness, and in the bond of iniquity,' Acts w bond. Now, bonds and chains gall the b and as poor captives are held fast in their sins; they cannot redeem themselves b ii. 26. Ah! young men, young men ! no bonda to soul slavery. The Israelites' bondage tians' bondage under the Turks, is but th baser and ignoble part of man; but you slavery, which is the saddest and greatest Ah, friends! you should never look u look upon them as your bonds; yea, as t All other chains are golden chains, chair chains of iron and brass, those chains of lu Ah! who can thus look upon his chains, and not labour for freedom from them? was Libertas res inestimabilis, liberty i be, surely spiritual liberty is much more once in a state of bondage, but are now you so. It was a good observation of Chrysos man and his mistress was the servant, wh own lusts, when she tempted and he refus sin and temptation, are the greatest free the power of their lusts, are but slaves, an and talk of freedom, Titus iii. 3. Notion (3). Thirdly, If you would br and fence yourselves against it, then loo notion of fire. And others save with fear, pulling t Oh, snatch them out of their sins, as you out of the fire, or as the angel snatched 1 with a holy violence. Natural fire may treasure, the servant, the child, the wife, the soul, it destroys and consumes that n than all the treasures of a thousand wor and a heart to quench the fire which bur few men have either hands or hearts to q neighbour's souls; this is, and this shall I have read of one who, upon the viole would lays hand upon burning coals, a would say to himself, Oh, how unable sha 1 Augustine saith of Rome, that she was the grea drudge of sin. 2 Chrysost. Hom. xix. i 3 ágrálovis signifies a violent snatching, as the life of her child, pulls it hastily, and with violence, hell! and this restrained him from evil. But what is the fire of hell to the fire of sin? Now, to provoke you to look upon sin under the notion of fire, consider with me the sundry resemblances between material and immaterial fire, between corporeal common fire and between this spiritual fire, sin. As, [1] First, Fire is terrible and dreadful. A ship on fire, an house on fire, oh how dreadful is it! So sin set home upon the conscience is exceeding terrible and dreadful. Mine iniquity, so the Hebrew, 'is greater than I can bear.' Sin or iniquity is often put for the punishment of sin, by a metonymy of the efficient for the effect; for sin is the natural parent of punishment. Mine iniquity,' saith Cain, is so great, and lies so heavy, so terrible and dreadful upon my conscience, that it cannot be forgiven,' Gen. iv. 13, and thus, by his diffidence, he stabs two at once, the mercy of God, and his own soul. So Judas, ‘I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood; and he went and hanged himself,' Mat. xxvii. 3-5. As there is no fighting with a mighty fire, so there is no bearing up when God sets home sin upon the conscience; a man will then choose strangling or hanging, rather than living under such wounds and lashes of conscience. Histories abound with instances of this nature; but I must hasten to a close. [2] Secondly, Fire is most dangerous and pernicious when it breaks forth of the chimney, or of the house; so it is with sin. Sin is bad in the eye, worse in the tongue, worser in the heart, but worst of all in the life. Fire, when out of its proper place, may do much hurt in the house, but when it flames abroad, then it doth most mischief to others, 2 Sam. xii. 9–15. Sin in the heart may undo a man, but sin in the life may undo others as well as a man's self. Set a guard upon the eye, a greater upon thy heart, but the greatest of all upon thy life, Job xxxi. 1, Prov. iv. 23, Eph. v. 15. Salvian relates how the heathen did reproach some Christians, who by their lewd lives made the gospel of Christ to be a reproach. Where,' said they, is that good law which they do believe? Where are those rules of godliness which they do learn? They read the holy Gospel, and yet are unclean; they hear the apostles' writings, and yet are drunk; they follow Christ, and yet disobey Christ; they profess a holy law, and yet do lead impure lives." But the lives of other Christians have been so holy, that the very heathens observing them, have said, Surely this is a good God, whose servants are so good. It is brave when the life of a Christian is a commentary upon Christ's life. One speaking of the Scripture, saith [Augustine], verba vivenda, non legenda, they are words to be lived, and practised, not read only. A heathen [Plutarch] adviseth us to demean ourselves so circumspectly, as if our enemies did always behold us. And said another [Epictetus], For shame, either live as Stoics, or leave off the name of Stoics; sirs, live as Christians, or lay down the name of Christians. 1 Dr Denison's Threefold Resolution,' par. ii. sect. 2. Mentiris, Cain, Thou liest, Cain, saith one on the text. Salvianus, de G. D. 1. 4. |