CHAP. 60. Use 9. If there be so much Evil in sin, this should be a loud cry to stop men, and turn th
souls. Now it is just with God, when he shall come and force the weight of sin upon you, and lay the burden of it upon your spirits, then to let you sink under the burden of it, for God to behold you sweltering under the burden of it without pity and compassion; and your own conscience will be ready to tell you so; yea, now the weight of sin is upon me, but is forced whether I will or no.
Now God may justly let it lie: This is a sad and a sinking thought; and if any thing let sin lie upon the soul, that it shall never be purged, it will be this; When the Spirit would have brought sin in the weight of it upon my conscience, I put it off, and now God puts it upon me, and therefore it troubles me thus. Therefore be willing to be humbled, and know, if you be willing, Jesus Christ is appointed for that end to raise you up; and there is as much power in the Gospel to raise your heart, as there is in sin to press down your heart, if you be rightly burdened with it.
CHAP. LX.
Use 9 If there be so much evil in sin, this should be a loud cry to stop men, and turn them from sin.
Use IX. Another Use is this, If there be so much evil in sin, Then the consideration and meditation of all that has been said, should be a mighty cry unto all, to turn back, and stop in the ways of sin. Oh thou sinner, whosoever thou art, in whatsoever place of the Congregation thou art; God has brought thee by his providence to hear or read these Sermons concerning the evil of sin; know that all these Sermons that have been preached unto thee, they be all but as one loud, loud cry to thy soul, stop, stop; Oh sinner in thy sinful courses, stop here, turn, turn; Oh sinner out of thy sinful ways,
turn, turn, why wilt thou die? why wilt thou die? Oh wretched, sinful soul, thou art lost, cursed, undone, and wilt perish eternally in that way thou art in; turn, turn, while thou hast time.
God cries, his Word cries, his Ministers cries, conscience cries, all those that have known what the evil of sin means, cry to thee, unless thou wilt destroy thy self, undo thy self eternally, stop in that way, for it is a dangerous desperate way thou goest in, the very road way to the Chambers of eternal Death.
As ever thou wouldest be willing God shall hear thy cry upon thy sick bed, in the anguish of thy soul; thou wilt then cry, now Lord have mercy upon a poor, wretched, sinful soul: Thou wouldest be glad (I say) that the Lord should hear thy cry upon thy sick bed and death bed: Now then, as ever you would have God hear your cry, when you are in the greatest anguish of your souls upon your sick bed, and see death before you, be willing to hear the cry of God to your souls at this present: and know, if you do not hear the cry of God that cries to you, to stop you in sinful ways; then these very words I have spoken to you at this present, may come in your mind, when you cry for mercy; and then you may think, Oh wretch, now I cry to God for mercy, but do I not remember such a time? was there not a loud cry in my Ears and conscience, as from God, that I should stop in my sinful ways and courses? and was not I then charged as in the Name of God, and as ever I expected God should hear my cry in such a time, that I should hear his voice?
Oh it will be dreadful for you to hear such a voice as this, Because you would not hear me, therefore I will not hear you. Therefore behold, I cry again in the Name of God, stop, stop, turn thee; Oh sinful soul; alas! whether art thou going? from God, from Comfort, from Life, from Happiness, from all good whatsoever, thou art going!
I call Heaven and Earth to record, that these things that I have delivered to you concerning the evil of sin, are the Truths of God,
and have been the Truths of God: And certainly what I have delivered, and you read, concerning the evil of sin, it will come and rise up one day against every sinful man and woman that does go on in any known way of sin; and it will prove as scalding lead in thy conscience: Every Truth thou hast heard, and every Chapter thou hast read, concerning the evil of sin, I say, if yet thou goest on in any one known way of sin, it will one day be as scalding lead in thy conscience; the dropping of scalding lead in the eyes of a man, will not be more terrible to him, than the droppings in of these Truths will be in thy conscience another day.
Now it will be a sad thing, my Brethren, if God should send me amongst you by his Providence, only to aggravate any of your
Condemnations: God forbid, there should be this errant sent amongst you, that any of his Messengers should be sent for this end, to aggravate your condemnation: this is that which is the prayers of my soul, that this may not be the errant I am sent for, if possible; not to seal the condemnation of any one soul: But this I know, except there be great reformation among many, certainly the very Errand God intended in the conclusion (though I do not say that is the primary, and first end, but it is that which will prove so in the conclusion) through the stubbornness of the hearts of sinners, that will prove the Aggravation of their condemnation.
Wherefore yet let me labor with your souls; who knows whether any of you shall hear me preach any one Sermon more? whether ever God will call after you any more? to stop or turn in the ways of sin? whether ever you shall hear the Word more? Perhaps God will sear your conscience, and say to him that is filthy, let him be filthy▪
God now speaks to you, and cries after you, if you harden your hearts now, it is more than Angels or men know, whether ever you will have one cry more. Therefore let me abide here; tell me Oh sinner what is it thou gettest in ways of sin that thou wilt dwell here? what is it the world has to draw thy heart from the strength of all these Truths delivered in these Sermons? Sure it must be some mighty thing when such Truths as these, backed with Arguments
from Scripture, strength of Reason (as all these be) cannot restrain thee. Sure it must be some wonderful thing, that must over balance all these Sermons, and all these things.
What hast thou such a heart, that is set upon any sinful way, any secret haunt of sin, that thou findest such good in it? that by it all these Truths are over balanced? Certainly there is no such good in the world, if all creatures in the world should join together, to give some comfort to balance these Truths delivered concerning the evil of sin, all the creatures in Heaven and Earth could not give such things as would balance it.
Therefore certainly thou art deceived; therefore return, return, Oh Shulamite, return▪ return. Oh that the Truths delivered in this Point might be as that sudden amazing sigh that came to Saul, when he was going on in courses of sin, Acts, 9. there was an amazing Light came and stopped Saul in his course. Oh that God would cause the light of these glorious Truths delivered concerning this Argument, to be as an amazing light to thy soul, to stop you in the ways of sin.
Object. Oh but you will say, We cannot stop, you put that upon our power, that God must do.
Answ. 1 First, For that act (I have told you) what power God gives, though you have none of your own; God gives power for the bare outward act; and do not say you cannot do this; you know what convincements you have had of that, therefore say no more you cannot: And though you cannot, yet God uses to convey power through the Word, while God calls upon sinners to stop and mend,
God's way is then to convey power: But in the mean time though there be no saving work of grace come in; yet thus much by an ordinary and common work of God's Spirit may be done, God may cause a sinner to resolve whatsoever come of it, that way of sin I dwelt in, I will never meddle withal; and so there may be a sequestration of the heart from sin, though not a full possession of God's Spirit come into the soul.
As thus, It is many times with God and the sinner, as with man and man; A man in debt, and not able to pay, an arrest comes on his goods, and there is a sequestration of the goods, but so as they are to lie in other men's hands; so as though they, be not quite taken away from the debtor, yet they be out of his power, he can have no use of them for the present, til the debt is paid; but whosoever will come & pay the debt, he shall have the goods.
So with the heart, when the sinner comes to venture on Christ for pardon of sin; the sinner sees I cannot over-rule my self, sanctify my heart, overcome my lusts; however, God sequesters the heart for the present so far from them, that I will not go on in these ways again, I will not follow that Company again; there is a forbearance of those acts of sin; that though the heart could not sanctify it self; yet it lies thus before the Lord, Oh Lord, do thou pardon, do thou come in, and Oh, let Christ pay the debt for my sin, and let him take possession of my heart, but in the mean time, Satan shall not use it, as before; and the ways of sin, those gross ways I will forbear, though I die for it: I will rather sit still all my days and never stir off my seat, than go to such wicked Company; and I will rather never open my mouth again, than swear, and speak so filthily; but Oh
Lord, do thou discharge my soul, and take it to thy self: and then comes in a sanctifying work of God, to sanctify the soul, and save it.
But Oh! that I might prevail thus far, That there might be but a Sequestration of the Soul from sin this day; though Sanctification come not in, though the holy Ghost come not to rule in thy Soul; yet that there might be a Sequestration, that the heart might come and lie down, and say, Lord, come thou in, and take Possession; but for those delights and contents, I took in sin before; I am resolved, though I perish for ever; I will not go on in them hereafter.
Here would be a good stop in the ways of sin; for a man that goes in a dangerous way, he must make a stop before he turns, and consider, Oh Lord, where am I? and whether am I a going? and is