Chap. 19 The Fifth Corollary. Hence see a way to break your hearts for sin: And also to keep you fro
right himself, so far he could not bear the wrongs done to him: But now God shews himself here to be infinite in patience and longsuffering, as well as infinite in any other attribute of his.
Brethren it will be an especial part of the glory of the great day of judgment, that when all the wrong that ever was done to God from the beginning of the world by sinners, shall then be opened at the day of Judgment: Alas, we see but little wrong done to God now; we look upon notorious wretches and think they wrong God; now we see but little, but at the day of Judgment, then all the secret villanies and wickedness that ever was committed in secret places, since the beginning of the world, in all places of the world; then shall it all appear: And then how will it appear to men and angels how God was wronged by his creature? and then there will be the patience of God seen that he should be so patient so many thousand years together, notwithstanding there was so much wrong done to God and never discovered to man, but God sees it all this while.
This will be a great part of the glory of the day or Judgment. If our hearts were enlightened we would begin now to give God the glory of His Patience which we shall see at that day.
CHAP. XIX.
A Fifth Corollary.
Hence is this, if sin be so much against God as you have heard, then here you may find a means and way to break your hearts for sin.
And also to keep you from Temptation.
Fifthly, A fifth Corollary. Hence is this, If sin be so much against God as you have heard, then here you may find a means and way both how to break your hearts for sin, and how to keep yourselves
against temptation for the time to come: I put them both together for brevity. This is the strongest way and means I can shew you to break your hearts. Would you fain break your hearts for sin? Oh said some, what a hard heart have I? Many put up papers complaining of the hardness of their hearts, and desire the Minister and Congregation to seek God to break their hearts: well, Would you fain have broken hearts? have your hearts troubled in such a manner as you may give glory to God? This is the way.
There is two ways to humble the heart for sin, There is looking upward unto God, and seeing whom it is thou hast sinned against:
And looking downward to thine own misery, and what thou hast deserved by sin. Now many altogether pore downward, and look nothing but downward to sin, and what is the desert, and punishment, and misery; but their hearts though they be troubled and vexed, yet they are not kindly broken (as I shewed before) but now if you would have your hearts kindly broken for sin (for this is one use of Direction, that we may get our hearts broken for sin) look upwards and behold him whom you have pierced: That is, behold, 1 God in his infinite Glory, and what an infinite blessed Being God is, and how worthy of all the honor the creature can give: set this before your Eyes in a fixed and settled way.
2 Look upon God, in all the relations God has to you, as your Creator from whom you had your being; as he that preserves your being every moment; look upon him as your Lord, infinitely above you, at whose mercy you wholly lie: Thus view God, and see him in his glory, and the relations he has to you; and thus by beholding
God in such a manner is an especial way to work strongly upon the heart. For hereby I come to see, as it were, the present evil of sin; the other is but only a sight of the evil of sin to come; as when a man or woman looks upon sin as bringing Hell, that is but only to look upon that evil of sin that is to come hereafter. But we know
that present things do most affect; as now any good thing, if it be to come, it does not take the heart so much as a present good.
As when the soul makes the good of the Promises to be present, then they affect the soul; but if the soul look upon them as to come, they do not so much affect: So if the evil of sin be look't upon as bringing Hell and misery, this is looked upon as to come hereafter, so that it may be avoided; but if I look upon sin as against God, then
I look upon sin as a present evil upon me, that flows from the very nature of sin, and cannot be avoided, and this evil is even now upon me, and does as immediately flow from the Nature of sin, as light does from the Sun it self: And now looking thus upon sin, is a mighty means to break the heart.
And then for avoiding sin for the time to come; when Temptation come, you say it is strong, and overcomes me: Now would you avoid sin for the time to come in temptations? then do as we read of Joseph; you know how he beat off the strength of the temptation, and when he might have done the evil in secret; see what prevails with him, Oh how shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
Not, How shall I do this great wickedness, and bring danger and misery upon me? but, How shall I do this and sin against God? So if you can have your Eye upon sin, and remember what especial things you have heard of the evil of sin, and when temptations come, you can say, how shall I do this, and sin against God? Oh remember this you Servants that have opportunity in secret to do evil.
Joseph was a Servant, and yet this kept off that temptation from him, when he was a young man, that is the honor of Joseph, a young man and a Servant, when the temptation comes, Oh this breaks his heart, How shall I do this and sin against God?
So you young ones and Servants go away with this lesson, when any temptations to sin comes, think, Oh! I have heard in such a Point,
and out of such a Text, how sin makes against God, strikes at him, wrongs him, How shall I do this and sin against God? impossible, unreasonable it should be done upon any terms.
Set but this one Argument against the most powerful temptation, and certainly it will prevail. Psal. 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil.
What! do ye hear how sin is against God, strikes at God! that it is evil, not only against you, and endangers you, but strikes at God. Oh all you that love God, hate sin; let your hearts be set against sin, because so much against God.
Oh Brethren, there be many people do indeed avoid sin, but it is upon poor low grounds, very low and mean be the grounds of many people upon which they avoid sin: There be many, Oh they will not do such and such evils, they will resist a temptation to such and such a sin, why? mark the ground, according as the grounds of men and women are, upon which they do, or stay from doing of a thing; so judge of your hearts; if the grounds be high and raised, then their spirits are high and raised; if their grounds be but low and mean, then their spirits be low and mean.
As thus, many abstain from such and such sins, why? Oh if I do it, it will be known, and I shall be made ashamed, therefore I will not do it.
It is good to resist sin upon any terms, but if this be the chief cause, it is a poor low base thing, and argues a great deal of lowness in the heart, to resist sin upon this, Oh if I do this, I shall be known, and incur the displeasure of my Father, or Master, or such a dear Friend; it may incur punishment, or it may be I shall be turned out of the family, and such like arguments.
I say it is true, it is good to bring in all the arguments we can to oppose sin withal, but when these be the chief things, when these be the only Grounds, that keeps thee from such wickedness that thy
heart is set upon; and thou wouldest be glad to tamper withal: couldest thou be sure it should not be known, and thou shouldest not be brought to shame for it, and have the displeasure of such a friend, thou couldest find in thy heart to be meddling with it;
Couldest thou?
Oh! know thou hast a base heart that hast no other grounds to keep thee from sin withal. Whereas know if thou be a Christian indeed, and that God has aright made known sin to thee, thou wouldest rise higher, Oh I am to deal with God, an infinite glorious first-Being, and if it be sin only that strikes at this infinite glorious eternal firstBeing of all things, Then I will avoid sin whatsoever become of me; yea, whatsoever I suffer I will not have to do with it: this is a raised
Spirit; this heart is like to stand out against sin.
Alas! those poor low grounds upon which many resist sin; though they may stand out against sin a little, against a weak temptation, yet if there come a strong temptation, will quickly break through the hedge: Al those poor low grounds and Arguments, temptation will quickly break through them. But when the heart is raised to oppose sin, upon such high grounds as this is, Certainly this notes a true raised heart by God, and such an one is like to stand out against temptations, in another manner than others do.
And truly when the heart is possessed with this thought, it cannot perhaps parley and reason with the temptation as others can; yea, this one principle of sinning against God, will so fill the heart of a man or woman, that though it does not stand reasoning and answering every thing, yet it will even burst out, either in tears, and fail a lamenting that it should be pestered with temptation; or burst out into Resolution against it.
I remember an excellent Story reported in the Book of Martyrs, you may find it in King Edwards life; that young Prince, that died at some fifteen years of age, in his time, there were two Bishops
(otherwise good, and proved Martyrs, and yet you may see what the
best of them were in those times) they came to persuade the King to yield to a Toleration of the Mass, and it was but for his Sister neither, not for the whole Kingdom, but merely for his own Sister, to yield to a Toleration of it in her Chapel, he stood out against it though young, thought it a dishonor to God; well, they plead and Reason with him, telling him it was best in State Policy, and other grounds they use to persuade a Toleration of Popery, (thus you see what kind of men these in these ways are, and if you do not know, yet you are like to know more in this kind about these ways) but this I bring it for, when the poor King, though young, having his heart possessed with this principle, That he should not do any thing against God, he could not answer the Bishops that came so subtilely; but instead of Answering their Reasons, he burst out with tears, and then they were convinced, and confessed the King had more divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies.
`So I apply it to you young ones, perhaps temptations to that which is a sin against God, comes subtilely, strengthened with this
Argument, and the other Argument; but if you have your hearts possessed with this truth, it is a sin against God; Oh when you cannot Answer the particulars of temptation, burst out and weep, and cry either for your condition, or that you should be pestered with that you know is a sin against God, and say, I had rather lose my life, suffer any thing in the world, than sin against God.
If your hearts be filled with this Principle, when temptation to sin comes, you will be ready to burst out and weep before the Lord; and this will be as strong an Answer to temptation as can be, and Satan will quickly avoid, if you can when you find yourselves pestered with temptation, and it follows and dogs and pursues you, if you can being filled with this Principle, That sin is against God, if you can get alone, and fall a weeping, and lamenting, that your hearts are even ready to break, from the consideration of this Principle, this will be the strongest way and means to resist temptation that can be.