-- CHAPTER VIII: Two corollaries and monitories drawn out touching the subject in hand
in the last conclusion of all, 'They sought out many inventions,' spoken as well of himself as of all mankind; and then by bringing both together, that dark riddle we at first observed in Solomon's words, is unfolded; for this last expresseth and brings to light in plainer terms, the reason why he had said, He found he could not find, namely, because they are many, an infinite multitude and variety of them.
Which secret affinity and correspondency that is betwixt these two sayings, the vulgar translation upon the latter words helps forward the discovery of, in rendering the many the infinite, that is, for number; whilst on the other hand the best commentators (as I observed) cast the same light of interpretation upon that other saying in ver. 28, paraphrasing that clause 'but I find not,' to be all one as to say, 'It was infinite,' and infinite for number; and so both agree in the sameness of language and sense. And by thus comparing both, we come to know what it was that made that account of sin, in ver. 28, to be infinite and past finding out, namely, the number and multitude which this word many, in ver. 29, suggests and supplies, and puts us out of doubt that to have been his intendment. All which arrives at the very point I have thus largely been steering unto, the subject that is to follow.
CHAPTER VIII:
Two corollaries and monitories drawn out touching the subject in hand 1st, That the account of every man's actual sins is infinite and numberless at well as Solomon's.—2dly, That for every man to know and be convinced of the innumerableness of his sins is a matter of greatest weight and moment
The fruitful field of this one scripture, as it hath been opened, yields many wholesome, though sour herbs, concerning conviction of sin, and humiliation for sin. And perhaps the most of what are the object matters of our sinfulness in true convictions, and also the most of the genuine dispositions of heart in humiliation and repentance, might all, without straining, be extracted from hence alone. Many of both these may have been observed already, to grow above ground scatteredly here and there in the exposition, as it hath been given. I forbear at present to recollect them, or gather them up together into a bundle; my scope is about this one particular as my subject.
That the account of each man's actual sins, who is grown up to years, is infinite and numberless, as well as Solomon's was.
I. Of each and every man. For it was one great scope of Solomon here to propose his own example in the case, with a behold and proclamation made to every man that should read this. And what, to that end only that they might know historically that the account of this individual person, Solomon, his sins, who lived so many thousand years ago, did amount to this infinity? &c. No, surely, this was not all, or the main of his scope; but that every man (and every man is called upon to behold it) should understand and consider what his own condition is, if he would but come to understand himself, and what his heart and ways aright are. Neither is Solomon's instance single or extraordinary in the case, or alone recorded for this thing; but the like verdict is given in, in the Scriptures, by a multitude of other saints greater than Solomon, of their own accord, as touching this innumerableness of their own sinfulness (which I shall in the treatise that follows add by way of demonstration of it).
And surely both one and the other were written for the instruction of all others of mankind; and they therein set themselves out to us as general measures of what is of the like innumerable sinfulness in us all, in some proportion or other.
But that Solomon should here, in proposing his own example, in a special manner have aimed at this, is evident. For, after his own
example given, in his winding up at the last, ver. 29, he wraps up all of actual sinners under this same guilt in this very respect, 'they have sought out,' &c. And they imports not a mere indefinite, as that many of them have many sins, or that the whole bulk and body of them
(take them all, collectively, together) have an infinity of sins amongst them; but is partitive as well as universal, that all, and each one personally, for his own part and share, hath. And for the conviction of every such son of Adam, and for the humbling of every soul it is that he pronounceth this of them, having first propounded his own conviction (in the verses before) for an instance and example unto all the rest of the truth of it.
And again, look as his forepart of that general conclusion, 'God made man upright,' is true of every particular individual soul (as in Adam's creation they were considered), so likewise this other part, 'they sought out,' &c., is true of all and each of such of mankind now fallen, that live to years, and are capable to behold and to consider it.
II. Of actual sins. Which (1.) the phrase 'one and one,' ver. 27; (2.) 'inventions,' ver. 29; (3.) and which 'they sought out,' or, which themselves have acted, do all manifestly argue; and this in a distinction from that body of original sin that is derived to all infants, and to themselves when such. I added, therefore,
III. Of men grown up, &c. For he speaks of them that seek out for themselves, and seek out inventions, and so act reason in sinning; and the word inventions is translated by some ratiocinia. And it is necessarily to be understood of such as are capable to behold and consider of this thing, and of all such; and he twice calleth upon all such to do this: 1. when he propounds his own example, ver. 27; and,
2. here again in this passage, ver. 29, and thereby in both calleth upon every man to lay his hand upon his own heart, deeply to consider and search into this.
IV. That the many inventions imports an infinity of sins, as likewise his I find not, ver. 27, doth, I shewed before.
There is one other observation:
That for every man to know and be convinced of the innumerable number of his actual sins is a matter of greatest weight and moment.
All the former streams do contribute to this assertion; his solemnity of proclaiming it, behold, &c.; his prefacing what his pains, &c., had been, set also before it, do fully argue this. But beyond all, that whenas he, a penitent, doth take on him to declare his best knowledge from, and what that utmost lesson of wisdom he had found in his searching this account should be, he should choose to single out this one thing alone as the great result of all, 'I find it is past finding out;' and to say no more of it, nor no other thing about the whole matter, what was this other than to declare that the great product of this his repentance was the mighty impression and sense which this thing, above all other, had left upon him, and had been experimentally learned by him? And the mind thereof is, that if he were to leave upon record but one reflection or memorandum, which had been the fruit and result of his casting up this account, unto the rest of his brethren, the sons of men, it was and should be this, merely for the grand importance and usefulness of the knowledge of it; which usefulness lies in these things following.
1. Which himself gives, to awaken all sorts, both good and bad, to look about them, and seriously to consider what an infinite account, in point of sinning, they are all and each to give at that day, when every work shall be brought to judgment, whether good or evil, and therefore to set upon this great and absolutely necessary work of selfjudging and humiliation for sin; and to that end as diligently to 'count and cast up one and one to find out the account,' as himself had done. For that this was indeed a matter of such moment in his esteem, there is this further remark at last set upon it by himself, in that he should shut up this his whole book of repentance with that very adviso and admonition now mentioned, chap. 12 ver. the last, he there reducing the conclusion of the whole matter of his aim in this book to two things: 1st, To 'fear God, and keep his commandments;'
2dly, 'For God shall bring every work to judgment,' that is the other.
Hereby provoking all the sons of Adam, once created upright, and fallen in him, to search into their ways, and turn unto the Lord; and to continue so to do (as he professeth of himself here that he had done), and so by judging themselves, to prevent their being judged and condemned of the Lord, who hath the accounts of all men in his divine understanding, though men cannot find out in this life the sum of them.
2. The moment of it lies in this, that the searching into, and a true conviction of this innumerableness of sins, conduceth to, and helps forward all the gracious workings of the Spirit in us. (1.) It brings in the materials for the deepest humiliation, which when true and spiritual, is sensible of, and bewails as much the multitude of lesser sins, specially contrarieties to spiritualness, as the heinousness of greater, which, in the ensuing treatise, I shall shew. (2.) It prepares for faith, and an admiration of God's free grace; for that speech,
'Where sin abounded,' Rom. 5:20, is manifestly spoken of sin's abounding in a true convert's sight and sense, as well as of its abounding in reality; for he had said just before, 'The law entered that sin might abound;' that is, in the discovery of the abundance of it; for 'by the law is the knowledge of sin,' chap. 3 ver. 20. Now, the abounding there spoken of also referreth to the multitude of sins,
'many offences,' ver. 16, and so his meaning must be, that where sin, thus in the sight and apprehension of an humbled soul, doth abound; there also, as it follows, in such an heart doth grace come to 'abound much more.' And it, by the law of opposition, must be understood to the same sense that sin's abounding was intended in; and so that in such a convert's heart as saw sin much to abound in himself, that heart comes answerably to apprehend the superinfinite abounding of God's free grace to him in pardoning. And in pardoning what? but the multitude of sins, as in vers. 15, 16, he had said, that 'the gift of grace had abounded to the pardoning of many offences to justification.' And so thereby comes to magnify and adore that pardoning grace the more. And then (3.), this sight of the innumerableness of sins conduceth to enlarge the heart unto new