THE CARNAL PROFESSOR. Discovering The woeful slavery of a man guided by the flesh. Distinguishing A true spiritual Christian that walks close with God, from all Formalists in Religion, rotten hearted hypocrites, and empty powerlesse professors whatsoever.  
BY That faithful Servant of Christ, Robert Bolton, B. D. late Preacher in Northhampton Shire.  
LONDON, Printed for R. Dawlman, at the Brazen Serpent in Paul's Churchyard. 1634.   

TO THE GODLY WELL AFFEcted Reader.  
Christian Reader.  
THe Father of all Spirits having taken this worthy Author to himself, pity it were to entomb his labours in the grave of silence together with him; the rather considering how useful a member he hath always been to the Church of God, and what prosperous success his endeavours have found in the hearts of Christians. The thing he chiefly aimed at, was fruitfulness in the place wherein God had set him; which oft he enjoyed experiment of (to the cheering of his spirit) in no small measure. It cut the very heart strings of his righteous soul, to see many dry & withered branches (fit for nothing but the fire) cumbering the precious ground of the Almighty's garden; and possessing the room of more growing plants. He was wonderful active in the cause of Christ, and desired as well to do good as to be so, where ever he came. It was not the least of his care, not to live unto himself: He knew he served a good Master, which made him studious of improving every talon for the best advantage; well may he be called good, that makes others far the better for his goodness: And indeed setting this aside, what hath the creature to commend him to God, or relieve his soul in any distress?  
Thou hast here in brief the soul of man unboweled before thine eye, and that mass of corruption lodging in a carnal heart (together with its power and plague) discovered unto thee, wherein is plainly demonstrated the miserable condition of a man guided by the flesh, and the happiness attending such as are led by God's Spirit; as also the bitter conflict of these two opposite inmates in a believing soul, with the means of victory.  
Our life is nothing but a daily warfare, every moment we are more or less to encounter with adversaries; Satan always labours the destruction of the Saints, though his ways to effect it are not one & the same; sometimes he enticeth men to sin by allurements, sometimes by vexing and disquieting their inward peace, at least he aimeth to make the life of a Christian uncomfortable by his manifold assaults; he is vigilant to corrupt upon all occasions as he can espy opportunity, and will not cease to assail, though he be overcome; when he cannot prevail by flatteries, he seeks by force and violence to overthrow the poor servants of Christ.  
Amongst his many snares to entrap our poo●e souls, this is not the meanest, that he labours to divide the kingdom against itself, and to use men as his instruments for their own destruction; Satan well knows that coming in his own likeness, he would seem very odious and soon be resisted, therefore he masks under a veil of humility that he may the more securely withdraw us from our hold in God.  
But we have a valiant leader, let us stick unto him, even jesus Christ the righteous, who is a Lion of the tribe of juda, a mighty Prince able to tread all our enemies under foot; well may Satan bark and roar but he can stir no further than God gives him liberty; he cannot tempt whom he will, nor when he will, nor how he will, without permission from above; he may desire to sift us as wheat, but the Lord will make choice of the temptation, and set bounds to our enemy's malice, thus far you shall go and no further.  
If a child have his father by the hand, though he be in the dark, or sees any danger approaching yet he fears no hurt; neither shall we be dismayed with any temptation, whilst by the eye of faith we see that invisible one ready to support us; the chiefest strength of soldiers lieth in their captain, who yet must fight for themselves and him, but our whole strength lieth in Christ, who by his Almighty power subdueth all things for us; of ourselves we have no ability to prevail against the strong one in the world, all our victories come from God; we are too weak to withstand the least temptation through our own strength, but relying upon the Lord we shall be more than conquerors over the greatest.  
It had been much to be wished that this holy man had survived the publishing the residue of his worthy labours, that so they might have come more refined & polished into the world's view, however, pity it is that goodly children should be brought to the birth, and there perish for want of help to bring them forth. These things in their delivery found much acceptance and wrought effectually in the hearts of many, who knows whether a further blessing doth not yet attend them?  
Dear Christian next unto the glory of God, thy good was chiefly aimed at in bringing this work to light; be not therefore wanting to thyself, and thy soul's bliss. Remember the day cannot always last, the night will come, and thou knowest not how soon: This may be the last book that ever thou shalt read, and this the last hour that ever thou shalt spend here on earth; Oh use it conscionably, and bless God for any furtherance in thy way to happiness. While thou hast the light believe in the light, and walk in the light, that then mayst be the child of light. Occasions are headlong, being once past, they cannot be recovered. The five foolish virgins came too late, and were shut out of heaven. Thy time is short, the art of well doing long: on this moment depends eternity, of blessedness if it be well, of misery if it be ill employed. He that is not ready for God to day, will be less sit to morrow. It is no time to begin to live, when thou art ready to dye; then to seek after heaven, when thou comest to thy Crutches; At length grow spiritually wise, let the best things have the best place in thee. It will be too late when thou art in hell to say, oh that I had been more religious and provided better for my soul; be exceedingly abased for thy former neglects; let it wound thy soul that thou settest out no sooner, and art yet no further in the race of godliness; get ground of thy corruptions now daily; count that a lost day, in which thou art not somewhat bettered, and labour for such infallible evidences of God's love, that no reprobate under heaven 〈◊〉 possibly attain unto▪ get such truth of grace in thy inner man as may distinguish thee from all outside professors (mere empty casks of Religion) and such as is not common to hypocrites, and castaways together with thyself. To which end seriously peruse this following treatise, wherein thou shalt find sufficiency of real worth to commend itself. Look up to heaven for a blessing upon it, and desire the Lord to go along with thee in it, and prosper the same for thy souls good, which he heartily desireth who rests,  
Thine in the Lord Jesus, I. T.   

THE CARNAL PROFESSOR.  ROME 8. V. 13. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if through the Spirit, ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
IN the Chapter going before, the Apostle having delivered the double use of the Law: first, the proper use to show men the way to live, if in case they were able to fulfil and keep it: Secondly, the accidental use by reason of Sin, which is employed in condemning us, by discovery of our transgression, to comfort the distressed heart of a poor sinner: he describeth in the latter end of the former Chapter a special means to shun this inevitable danger; namely, the righteousness, obedience, and sufferings of Christ: And in this Chapter further enlargeth the same by way of confirmation unto the 5. verse. After which lest it might be thought that a Christian may live as he list, being freed from sin by the merits of Christ's death, or that a profane person should claim any interest in that blessed sacrifice of Christ, he further proveth by many pregnant reasons, that every Christian ought to endeavour after holiness, that thereby he may prove himself to be truly engrafted into Christ, by participating of the fruit of his Spirit, and that he is in deed (and not in word only) a true Christian by his unblameable life and conversation, as the goldsmith is known by his costly pieces, or any mechanical artificer by the works which his hands accomplish.  
In the verse I have read unto you, the Apostle concludeth very effectually amongst the rest of his arguments, that we must live according to the spirit, and not according to the flesh; seeing the one designeth and noteth unto us life, the other death, both most infallible tokens of our future estate and condition: So that if any man or woman be desirous to know what shall betide them after this life, If any be desirous to know even the secrets of God▪ I mean his determination as touching themselves, their wives, their children, friends or foes after death, let them resort to the Holy Ghost speaking in this place, and converse with their own hearts, if they find the quickening spirit but as a lively spark raked up amongst the great heap of their own corruptions, they shall assuredly live for ever. If they find only mere flesh and blood to be their guide, than woe to them, they are in the state of castaways and lost creatures, be they Prince or Peer▪ noble or ignoble, rich or poor, there is no difference nor exception with God; and therefore they ought speedily to sue for their deliverance through favour by the Son of God, lest death prevent them to their everlasting misery.  
But it may be these titles of Flesh and Spirit are unknown, or at least not observed through the subtlety of Satan, thickening the eye of dexter and right discerning; & therefore that we may throughly ken the flesh in despite of the flesh, and judge in the spirit of the spirit, let us for our furtherance herein consider these six profitable observations.  

1. What Flesh is.  
2. What it is to live in the flesh.  
3. What that death is▪ which is here threatened as a just punishment to such as live after the flesh.  
4. What the Spirit is.  
5. What it is to mortify the deeds of the flesh.  
6. What is meant when he saith they shall love.   
1. The word [Flesh] is sometimes taken for the body, as 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; that is, of soul and body.  
2. For the humane nature of Christ, 
1 Pet. 3. 18  who was put to death concerning the flesh.  
3. For this present life, If thou take a wife thou sinnest not, 
1 Cor. 7.  nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh.  
4. For the outward aspect and appearance, 
Gal. 1. 13.  Ye know how through the infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel.  
5. For the ordinary course of nature, Gal. 4. 29. He that was borne after the flesh, etc.  
6. For whole mankind, All flesh is grass, etc. 
Esay 44. 7.   
7. For natural corruption, and inclination of the mind, will, and affections to that which is against the Law, and so it is taken in this place.  
The reason why the holy Ghost termeth this natural corruption inherent in the soul as well as the body; by the name of flesh▪ 
Reas.  is, because so strict is the Union betwixt the one and the other in an unregenerate man, that as a loving couple they seek the preservation of each others estate, and like Hypocrates twins, they laugh together, they weep together, and are alike affected: A bloody heart, and a bloody hand, a false heart and a false tongue, a lascivious mind, an adulterous eye; yea and which is more, so strangely sometimes is the soul overcome with the love of the body, that whereas by nature, reason should command (and rule the flesh▪ as the weaker vessel) the belly and back so subtly insinuate and creep into favour with the understanding, that as the foolish wife with her beauty and composed devices, over-ruleth her husband, though a man of understanding; So these importunate cravers never give over their suit unto reason, they make it a drudge to sensuality, and an attorney to solicit the cause of mere gross and carnal pleasure.  
In consideration whereof (I mean because of this mutual intercourse of the soul and the body in accomplishing of sin,) many learned Divines have made this a question, Whether the soul be first infected with the contagion of the body or no? but of that I will not stand, it being besides our present purpose, only thus much I note, that therefore the Holy Ghost nameth the flesh to intimate the mutual confederacy betwixt the soul & body of man, how that by reason of sin he is now wilfully made a slave and vassal to fleshly desires.  
And therefore likewise it may be supposed that the Holy Ghost nameth the flesh only, as a man that blameth the provoking Wife for the lewd action done by her husband. For albeit, sin lieth principally, in the soul as poison in the teeth, yet it sheddeth and disperseth itself at his pleasure actually into the members of the body, of whom it is aptly accomplished as occasion is offered. And as the whole toad is called a venomous creature because of some one part preserving poison, (the rest being capable of the same virulent infection:) So the whole man is said to be sinful; not as if the body of itself, as it consisteth of bones & sinews and living arteries can properly be said to be sinful otherwise then as the house is said to be wicked because of the wicked dwellers. Albeit I grant as the serpent was a fit instrument for the devil because of his subtlety, so the body and all the parts thereof being corrupted, are become unto the wicked soul, as the convenient tools for the artificer, or as a picklock, or fitted weapon in the hand of a thief, & therefore Paul calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Weapons of unrighteousness; or as a shrewish servant to an upright Master 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Servants to uncleanness.  
For the soul sealing up every evil action with voluntary consent, may be said to be the thief and the body the receiver, both alike culpable before God, seeing each in his nature & place hath stricken a stroke in the committing of sin.  
That our whole man is naturally corrupt appears by the verdict of God himself, who saith, that he is but flesh, 
Gen. 6. 3.  a very heap, and lump, and bundle of iniquity. 
Genes▪ 8.  The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and so accordingly his whole disposition and estate even from his subsisting to th●s present. I know that in me (that is in my flesh, or nature) dwelleth no good, saith the Apostle. There is not so much as a thought of time betwixt a man's natural being, and his sinful being. So soon as ever we are borne, we are borne sinners, being guilty of Adam's transgression before God, which is therefore called Original sin in regard of the ancientness of it, continuing eversince Adam's fall, accompanying the nature of man from his very first being, and having the source and fountain of all sinful practices in it. Our first parents being once corrupt, how could any clean thing be brought out of their filthiness? 
John 3. 6.  Of flesh nothing could be borne but flesh; Adam begat children in his own likeness; If the root had been holy so had the branches been, but the tree being once corrupt the fruit could not choose but be according.  
How should this startle and affright the secure worldlings of our time? sawest thou ever a leprous person whose body is bespread with sores and scabs: Such and a thousand times worse art thou in the sight of God. Knewest thou at any time a man in debt for some hundreds of pounds more than he is worth, for whom the Bailiffs and Sergeants lie in wait at every corner: see the shadow of thy own estate in him. A world of actions hath the Lord against thee, and his justice is ready to attach thee, and seize upon thee every hour. Could we seriously think on this, it would make us unsatisfied in abasing ourselves, and cause us never to rest, till we have made our peace with God. Thou beholdest abroad a vain person, fairly set out to the eye, tricked and trimmed in the best fashion, and it may be thou knowest of some secret foul disease he hath, or of some great debt he is in: Dost thou not in thy thoughts now scorn such a one of folly; Dost thou not say to thyself, no marvel (sure) he should be so proud, that hath such a deal of filthiness underneath his gayness, that lies in every body's debt, and owes more than he is able to discharge. Turn this home to thine own soul and wonder as much at thyself that can be so careless, so fearless, so presumptuous, when thy soul hath such need of washing, and there are against thee such Bills of iniquity, and for aught thou knowest not yet blotted out before the Lord. Canst thou think well of thyself that hast by nature such a filthy soul? Oh bewail that spiritual thraldom wherein thou art plunged, common with thine own heart and say, Into what misery & bondage have I brought myself? Thou Lord madest me holy, pure, and upright; but by sin I sold myself unto the service of Satan, from which to this day, I cannot get deliverance. My mind is blind, vain, foolish, my will perverse and rebellious, all my affections out of order, there is nothing whole or sound within me. Night and day I am pestered with sinful motions. The desires of my deceitful heart be so strong and prevailing, that I am carried headlong to that which is evil. The cursed earth is not so apt to be overgrown with weeds, briers and thorns, as this soul of mine with lusts, passions, distempers, worldly cares and sinful thoughts, the law of the flesh rebelleth against the law of my mind, and diffuseth its venom into every action I perform, and carrieth me violently to the committing of sin against knowledge and conscience. The Galleyslaves condition is very hard and miserable, but mine is far worse! No drudgery so base as the service of sin. No Tyrant so cruel a● sin, which allows no respite, or time of refreshing. 
Rome▪ 7.  O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death? I have deeply defiled myself by transgression, but have no power to cleanse my heart O Lord. I have defaced thine image, but cannot repuire it. I have yielded the powers of my soul to the obedience of sin, and now I would cast off that subjection, and break those snares, I am altogether unsufficient for it. 
Rom. 7. 21.  When I would do well, evil is present, and I know no means to perfect my desire. I want no strength to perfect that which is evil, and I am ready and apt upon all occasions to go astray, but I am not able to do any good, such is my feebleness. I am environed and beset with sin on every side. Oh when shall I be set at liberty, that I may run the ways of God's commandments?  
Hitherto of the phrase of speech used by the Holy Ghost, namely, the flesh for the whole man body and Soul, the particular corruption of either: which that we may shun as far as we may we must learn to know them in their special heads, that so with some certainty we may ken our own steps and discern our own hearts whether we walk according to the flesh, yea or not.  
Concerning the corruption of the soul and first as touching the fleshly understanding.  
As the fierce dragon bringeth not forth the innocent dove, or the roaring Lion, the harmless sheep; no more did Adam in the state of his impurity beget children suitable with his condition in the state of innocency, but having defiled the holiness of his nature by eating the forbidden fruit (as a little levin levineth the whole lump so) he imparted the same nature to his son, as most evidently appeared in Cain, and from him to all the rest of his posterity, even unto ourselves, being all of us begotten in sin and conceived in iniquity.  
So that whereas before the mind was endued with a perfect actual knowledge of God, (so far as the humane nature may be supposed capable) yea and which is more, was enriched with power and ability of knowing more than as yet he had actually attained: Now as the clear sunshine overwhelmed with a cloud; so is the mind of man overcast with palpable darkness, being destitute not only of all real knowledge excepting that natural knowledge he hath of God taught him by the creatures (which is rather a light and wavering opinion, than a grounded and settled persuasion) but also of all ability, of attaining the true knowledge of God by any faculty, virtue, industry, or means whatsoever inherent in himself.  
That the Mind is thus fast bolted up in the dungeon of ignorance appeareth plainly by the Apostle, which affirmeth, 
1 Cor. 2. 14.  that the natural man perceiveth not the things of God: and that The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God. 
Rome▪ 7. 45.  Nay, reason & experience manifests this truth, for as the birds behold not the things which betide in the depths nor the fishes acquainted with the dwelling in the air: No more doth a poor natural man go beyond the compass of his sense, or know further with any certainty than experience (the mistress of fools) directeth him. And therefore howsoever by reasonable discourse he may gather as Paul speaks, The invisible things of God, 
Rom. 1. 19  as his eternal power and Godhead, from the consideration of the creatures, yet little or nought doth he truly know either concerning God or his worship, as appeareth by all ages, and nations who have acknowledged as much, and yet every one have chosen a God of their own making, and worshipped him also in their own manner.  
Moreover, that man by nature hath disabled himself & is become impotent, indocible, and not capable of instruction, appeareth by the Apostle who affirmeth that we are not (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) sufficient of ourselves, 
2 Cor. 3. 5.  to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, and therefore our Saviour Christ opened the understanding of his disciples that they might understand the Scripture. 
Luk. 24. 45  From hence it cometh that the pictures in the Church are as much affected▪ and taught by the Word, as the common sort of hearers, which areas a goodly company of images in a carvers shop, having eyes and▪ see not, ears and hear not, beholding the Preacher with outward reverence & attention, and yet not able with all their wit and endeavour to perceive any thing that is spoken, if it contradict sense, or to conceive it, if it seem impossible in nature.  
It is observed in the Church of England, that many thousands have lived twenty years together under a preaching Minister, yea and that minister sometimes very painful and diligent in the discharge of his calling; yet scarce a man among them all able to give an account of his faith in any one article, otherwise than he hath learned it by roate out of his English Credo in Deum; or to give any testimony of his profiting more by the Word, then in the time of that Popish and blasphemous Idolatry. The reason whereof is, that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or, inability of nature before spoken of, through which he is as unable to conceive of the incarnation of the Son of God, the miraculous conception of Christ, the spiritual regeneration of the faithful, the resurrection of the body, eternal glory, and the like; as an horse to fly in the air, or a dead man to rise out of the grave by his own power. If your apprentice in ten years being actively taught, be not able to attain the mystery and science of his trade, you count him an ass or blockhead; why then may we not term the master an uncapable sot in the mysteries of God, which hath spent twenty or thirty years in the knowledge thereof, Sabbath upon Sabbath, Sermon after Sermon, and yet like the mill wheel turning all the year, is yet in the same place where it was in the beginning.  
It may be you will ask me, 
Quest.  what is this to the purpose, or at all concerning my text?  
It is very material if you mark it: 
Answ.  for you must know, that to be fleshly minded, is not only to be a whoremaster, or an adulterer, as the world imagineth; Oh say they, he is a man given to the flesh, he is a bad liver, as if there were no fleshly corruption but that; Yes beloved, if thou be ignorant of God and his worship, walking after thine own inventions, dead-hearted, secure, and careless, vain in thy imaginations, content with thy natural estate, etc. thou art as fleshly as the wretchedst whoremaster, and as carnal as the most wicked liver, in God's account: Remember that flesh is here opposed against Spirit; whatsoever is not Spirit is flesh, and therefore ignorance is flesh, unless thou wilt blasphemously affirm that it hath his original from the Spirit. Now as he that is desirous to seat in his mind the true frame of the body, must view it in an anatomy consisting of bones and sinews: so he that would learn the true description of the body of sin, must see it in his original, both in the mind, will, and affections, after this he shall easily perceive how by veins▪ it disperseth itself like a net over the whole soul, and distils into act both inward and outward, to the final destruction of the whole man. Thus much of the Understanding.  
2. Concerning the Conscience.  
In the next place we are to consider of the Conscience, which is a part of the understanding in all reasonable creatures, determining in all particular actions either with or against a man. This in the state of innocency did only excuse, to accuse is a defect in the Conscience following the first Creation. Now the fleshy infection of the Conscience is the impurity thereof. 
Tit. 1. 15.  Either it is dead, or living and stirring▪ The dead conscience hath two degrees, either of slumber, 
What a dead conscience is.  which doth not accuse a man for his sin unless it be capital, and not for that always, unless in some grievous calamity. S●ared, which accuseth not for any sin, and this is compared in Scripture to that part of the body which is without sense, life, or motion, scared with an hot iron, 
1. Tim▪ 4.  this comes not to a man by nature, but by increase of the corruption of his nature.  
These two are caused 1. Chiefly through defect of reason in all crazed brains. 2. Through the strength of affections overcasting the mind and swallowing up judgement. 3. Ignorance of Gods will and error in judgement.  
The stirring Conscience, 
What a stirring conscience is.  which doth sensibly either accuse or excuse hath these differences. 1. To accuse men for doing evil. 2. To excuse for doing well in some particular actions; this being in a man without Christ, as also sin, for all the virtues of carnal men are Splendida peccata, glistering or shining sins.  
3. Concerning Memory.  
As a loving father setting his son to school, giveth him a chest to lock up his books and whatsoever he hath, of price and value, that he may there preserve them till need requires: So the Lord in the state of innocence, revealing himself and his will unto man, gave him a good memory & strong treasury, wherein he might lay up whatsoever his mind truly conceived, and fetch it again to be meditated and thought upon as occasion was offered. But this also being tainted with the flesh in spiritual matters, will hold nothing; but being already furnished with diverse impressions of worldly matters, is no way able to embrace the principles of God's truth, or to retain that which may be his only comfort longer than a dint struck in the water; from whence it cometh that a carnal man entertaineth the word at one ear and letteth it out at another, his whole religion consisting in hearing, not binding himself firmly and effectually to remember any thing, unless it be a matter which he thinketh either cleareth him in his sin, as, God is merciful, and, at what time soever a sinner repenteth: or else that toucheth his neighbour in the next seat, but as for the knowledge of God and his nature, a saving faith in Christ, or the like, teach him every week, nay every day for the space of twenty years together, he will not remember so much as a beast may be taught in some active sleights in an hour. I know what I say, a dog or horse may sooner be taught to remember a toy whereof his nature is capable in one hour, than a mere natural man the true substance of religion all the days of his life.  
4. Concerning the Will.  
The former faculties of the soul are called speculative; there is another kind called practical, which are, the Will and affections, and these are exercised in action, as the other in Contemplation. The Will is the absolute Monarch in a man, and the Understanding is his Counsellor. Now whereas before the Will was counselled and guided by true reason and understanding and so was both able and willing to be conformable unto God▪ now it is both impotent (as was said of the understanding) not able in any sort to desire or will heavenly things, 
Phil. 2. 3.  as also rebelleth against that which is good, and willeth that which is evil. And no marvel, for if the understanding, which should be the guide thereof be gross and carnal, the Will cannot be spiritual. It must needs be a miserable State where the Prince wanteth wisdom, and the people due moderation.  
5. Concerning the Affections.  
The affections likewise which are diverse dispositions of man's soul stirred up by diversity of objects, are more stained with fleshly corruption than any other part of the creature beside, which in regard of their violence, make a carnal person to be carried like a mad man upon a wild horse, so as he can neither stay himself, nor be stayed by others. Which fleshly corruption consisteth in this, that they are moved unto contrary objects; for those which should be stirred up by the evilness of an object to abhor it, do in that respect, embrace it and move towards it; and those which should be moved by the goodness of an object to embrace it, do in that respect abhor and shun it. For which cause they may fitly be compared to a bedlam, who rageth and raileth against his keeper, or unto a sick body, which loathing that which would work the cure, hankereth still after that which engendereth corruption and increaseth his disease. For example, whereas man should love God, and embrace each thing as incites thereunto; chose he hateth God and his Ministers, yea and embranceth from his heart each thing which may most sound and effectually kill and slay that affection in him, soft apparel, sweet meats, fair building, outward pomp, rich coffers, merry company, sleep, ease, (what if I say whores and harlots) these be his loves, these be his mistresses, these be his Paramours, and all these in a carnal man are like enticing minions, labouring to divorce his affection from his maker. You cannot love God and Mammon, 
Luke 15.  God is a jealous husband, he will not communicate the pleasure that he taketh in an honest heart, married to himself, unto any stranger.  
Again, whereas at the first, man joyed in the fruition of the presence and favour of God, in serving and meditating of him and his works; now he taketh no pleasure therein at all, but if by the Law, or for shame he be drawn to some spiritual exercise, nothing is more tedious unto him, his body is imprisoned in a seat, his mind walketh about all the while, either he climbeth up unto one of the scaffolds, viewing his friends, defying his foes, or else is in his shop counting his ware, plotting some bargain, or the like.  
Moreover, whereas we should be sorrowful for our sin, we are sorrowful that we cannot sin, poverty, sickness, danger, prison, displeasure, strike us down dead: but the poverty of the soul stripped naked of God's graces, the sickness of the mind, able neither to see nor know the Almighty, grieveth us not at all. Whereas in the time of innocency man relied himself upon God for an happy estate, and gave credit to his promises; now though he protest and bind it with a solemn oath, no man believeth him; though he hath sent his beloved Son from his own bosom to ransom us out of our spiritual captivity, and left it for ever in perpetual record, witnessed by men and Angels, yet who regardeth it in his heart? or blesseth God in his soul for the same? jesus Christ of Nazareth the Carpenter's son, was too base a fellow to gratify the stately personages of our times: No, the Gods of England shall deliver us, wit, learning, beauty, strength, friends, riches, nobility, sin, Satan, this present world, any thing save Jesus Christ. So that hereby it is manifest that man is so far from having affiance in God, that he is at defiance with him, refusing and renouncing his patronage and protection.  
By this therefore which in cursory wise hath been uttered, you may easily perceive how fearfully this fleshly poison hath dispersed itself, over our whole man, and made every faculty of soul and body swell with pride, and ambition against God; yea and like a mad dog, to bite and snatch at every hand, even them of his own nature. As a light Chariott drawn with wild horses, and driven with a blind man (willing to give the reins whither soever the horses will run) must needs be in great danger of shattering all to pieces; So the understanding being deprived of light, which should give notice to our blind will, and wild affection, must needs in the end overthrow both soul and body, with the final calamity of the whole man; unless the Lord give a better guide, and take the whip out of the hand of our corrupt will, and govern the affections & faculties of our souls, with the restraint of his saving Spirit.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Original sin is an hereditary disease, which in time breaks out in whole mankind, it is the match that dischargeth the pealing pieces of all our infamous actions; It is the husband which begetteth on us his wife (the faculties of our souls and bodies) many bats, many actual transgressions, as Paul notably allegorizeth; 
Rom. 7▪  which that I may more fully lay open and work your hearts to a holy indignation against and detestation of, consider (but in a few particulars) the many and great evils which accompany the same.  
1. It is an universal corruption, wholly stripping thee of all that righteousness and holiness, wherein at first thou wert created, like a disease overspreading the whole man, filling thee with a general pravity to all that is good, and a constant propensity to all that is evil.  
2. It cleaves as fast to thy nature, even as blackness to the skin of an Ethiopian, which cannot possibly be washed out; thou mayest lop the branches, but the root will never die, till thou expirest with it. As long as corn is in the field, it will have chaff about it; so, as long as thou continuest in this miserable world, the remnants of old Adam will still abide in thee: A man may as easily shake off the skin from his back, as rid himself of this evil inhabitant, we bear our snare with us, and carry our enemy about us where ever we go.  
3. Consider the great contagion and pestilential humour that follows this sin, it derives venom upon every action that comes from us. Sin in the soul, is as poison in the fountain, that sheds infection into every performance we take in hand. 
Rom. 7.  Whensoever thou art going about any good, this evil will be present with thee. This is that which in thy prayers deads' thy Zeal, humiliation and importunity with God, causing thee to rest in the work done, never enquiring after the truth of thine own heart, or God's blessing thereupon. This is that which fills thy mind with impertinent thoughts, and wrong ends in religious duties. This is that which in thy calling makes thee so unmindful of God and his service, so froward, vain, and unprofitable in thy Christian course, aiming at nothing but thine own advantage.  
4. Consider the temptations that arise from this sin, the daily and hourly solicitations wherewith it sets upon the soul, to withdraw it from good things, and incline it to evil. A man is tempted of his own lusts▪ (saith S. james) when he is drawn away and enticed. 
james 1. 14.  If a man shoot an arrow against a rock, it may be broken but can never enter; No more can Satan's temptations prevail against the soul, without something within to give them admittance; when he tempted Christ he could not hurt him, because he found nothing in him to receive his darts; 
Joh. 14. 30.  but in us the flesh holds treacherous compliance with Satan, and this wicked world, and is ready to let them in at every assault. Seed will never grow in any creature, without a womb to foster it; temptations may vex, but they cannot defile us, without our own sinful entertainment. It may grieve a chaste woman to be solicited by base Ruffians, but it cannot corrupt her whiles she retains her chastity. If we can keep in our hearts from embracing Satan's offers, and show our distaste of them, the sin is his then, & not ours: but here is the misery, Satan knows how our inclination stands, he searcheth out our dispositions, and thereunto frameth his temptations; therefore we have great need of spiritual wisdom, to observe where we lie most obnoxious, where Satan doth most plant his forces, and ever to apply our strongest watch, our most importunate prayers to those gaps.  
5. Consider the war, and rebellion of this sin, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, 
Gal. 5. 1 Pet. 2.  and fleshly lust's war against the soul, saith the Apostle; whilst we are in this militant condition we shall have hourly experience of this traitor in our bosoms. And this war is not at a distance, but an intimate and close contrariety in the same part, the same soul that commands obedience doth itself resist it; in the same will there is a delight in the Law of God, and yet a counter-motion to the law of sin; In the same heart singleness and sensibleness of sin, and yet much secret fraud and hardness in the apprehension of wrath. In the same affections love of God and love of the world, fear of God, and fear of men, trust in God, and doubting of his favour. 
Mar. 9 24.  Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief, was the cry of the poor man in the Gospel, and such must be the complaint of the best of us. Lord I remember thee, help my forgetfulness; Lord I press towards thee, help my weakness. Lord I rejoice in thee, help my heaviness. Lord I desire to have more communion with thee, help my strangeness. I am dull and dead hearted, do thou quicken me. I desire to please thee, help my failings; We must not only wrestle with God, by strong and importunate prayers, but with the lusts and frowardness of our own hearts.  
6. Consider the strength and power of this sin, to bring about what ever it hath projected for the advancement of Satan's kingdom, 
Rom. 6.  it reigns like a King, and hath the strength of a law in our members, 
Rom. 7. 23  and a law without strength is no Law, for Laws are made to bind and keep men in order; therefore the wicked are called servants to sin, 
Rom. 7.  and the best of us all are captives, that is, unwilling servants. So much flesh as remains in any man, so much disability he hath to withstand sin. The choicest vessel of mercy and most peculiar Saint of God, is no way able to keep his standing as of himself, for this is certain, that to be preserved from the strength of our own lusts, we have not only use of the good graces which God hath given us already, but of a continual support and underpropping. Grace in the best (here) is but like the putting of hot water into cold, which may be warmed for a time, but yet presently returns to its former temper, cold is predominant, however the preserving of fire under it keeps it hot for the present. It is not the Grace which any of us receive can overcome sin in us, if God should there stop, and leave us to ourselves, without a fresh supply; that which preserves us is his promise of never failing us of healing our back slidings, 
Heb. 13. 5.  and following us with his mercy all our days. 
Host 14.  For grace doth not only prevent a wicked man to make him righteous, but follows him, lest he become wicked again.  
7. Consider the indefatigableness of this sin, how unwearied it is in every mischief it sets about. If we resist the devil, 
James 4. 7.  he will fly from us, but this fleshly heart of ours will never sound a retreat, it is like a wounded wolf that runs up and down to do mischief; a man that hath in some measure overcome his lusts, will be far more sensible of their stir and struggle, than another in whom they rule without disturbance. Sin is kindled by that which quencheth all other fires, and surely grace which extinguisheth other temptations doth occasionally enrage the flesh, though in regard of exercise and actual power it die daily.  
The reason is, because a thing in its proper motion is never tired; who ever knew the Sea give over raging, or the stream grow weary of running? Now corrupt motions are as natural to a man as the course of a river. Though there may be difficulty in fulfilling lusts, there can never be any in the rising and sprouting of lusts. It is no pains to conceive seed, though it be to bring forth a birth; the longer any man lives in sin, the sweeter it is to him. 
Eccles. 1. 8.  The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing; no more is a sinner with his deeds of darkness, if he should live for ever, he would sin for ever. Evil comes out of the heart, as sparkles out of the fire, which never cease while the fire continues. Lust is like a furious rider, never weary of the way, he may have enough to load him, but can never have enough to weary him; he may quickly have enough to sink him, but can never have enough to satisfy him.  
Lust itself grows never old nor weary, when adultery in the heart hath worn out the body, so as it strength withereth, yet even than it will find a vent in a wanton eye, unchaste speeches and thoughts full of uncleanness. Though a man may weary himself in the acting sin, yet lust is never satisfied in conceiving sin.  
Lastly, consider the propagation of this sin, which may well therefore be called an old man, because it dies not, but passeth from one generation to another. A man's actual sins are personal, they both begin and end in himself. But original sin is natural, and therefore together with our nature it passeth over to our posterity. It is an entail that can never be cut off, it hath held from Adam, and so will continue to the world's end. Every parent is the channel of death to his posterity. Adam diffused damnation to all mankind. Neither is it any wonder that from a cursed root, should proceed branches fit for nothing but the fire.  
What a watch than should we keep over our evil hearts, 
Use  what pains should we take by prayer and unweariedness of spirit to suppress this enemy? If there were any time wherein the flesh did sit still and sleep, wherein the water did not run and seek for vent, we might then lessen our care, but since it is ever stirring in us, we should be ever stirring against it, using all means to diminish and abate the same. Since the heart is unwearied in evil, we should not faint nor be weary of well-doing. Since the heart is so abundant in evil, we should abound likewise in every good work.  
Retain in thy freshest memory such quickening thoughts as these: If I commit this sin, it will cost me unvaluably more heartbreak and spiritual smart, before I can purchase assurance of pardon and peace of conscience, than the sensual pleasure is worth. If I never repent it will be the ruin of my soul for ever. When thou goest to buy a commodity, if the price be great, thou forbearest, and wilt thou venture up on sin, knowing what it will cost thee? If judas had known as much before he betrayed his Master, as now he feels, he would never have committed that villainy. Alas, thy soul is incomparably more worth than the whole world, and wilt thou for a little paltry pleasure of some base and rotten lust, which passeth away in the act, hazard the loss of so precious a jewel?  
Do not consider the smallness of thy sins, but the greatness of thy God, who is displeased with them. Mortification is tedious, but heaven is sweet, men are content to go all day after their hawks and hounds, enduring hunger and thirst, for a little pleasure not worth the enjoying, why then should we refuse any labour for the obtaining so rich a reward?  
In lust a man wearieth himself and hath no hope but here our labour is not in vain in the Lord, we shall reap if we faint not. A little glory in heaven, nay a little comfort in earth, will plentifully recompense all our travail and pains in this kind. Look not always on Satan's temptations, the world's solicitations, and thine own sinful inclinations, these as clogs will press thee down and much dishearten thee in thy Christian course, but look unto jesus the author and finisher of thy faith, who will carry through all difficulties, and overcome sin in thee by his grace; call therefore to him, he is within the voice of thy prayers, and will come to strengthen thee.  
How jealous ought Christians to be over themselves, having so dangerous an enemy nigh unto them; 
Job 31. 1.  job would not trust his eye without a covenant, nor David his mouth without a bridle, 
Psal. 39  so strangely & unexpectedly will nature break out. Venture not on any temptation presumptuously; be not confident of any grace received so as to slacken your zeal. 
Gen. 39  joseph flung out and would not trust himself in the company of his Mistress, company might easily have kindled concupiscence, and a little of Satan's blowing might have carried the fire from one stick to another. David would have no wicked thing to abide in his sight, 
Psal. 101.  he knew how full of ill humours his heart was, how apt to catch every infection that came near it, and therefore took special care to decline the very objects and examples of sin. When men think there is least danger, than the danger is greatest; sin and Satan are ever watching their opportunities, which is, when we watch not. Security will rust us, undo us, and eat out all that good is in our souls, if any thing will awaken the dead and drowsy heart of man, it is some vexing sin or other.  
Me thinks the consideration of this thorn in our flesh, 
Use 3.  (which we daily carry about us) should much humble and abase our spirits; Alas, how long have we lived in an empty fruitless manner, barren of grace and goodness, spending our precious days in folly and vanity, dedicating the flower of our age to sin and Satan? How oft have we despised mercy, and cast the precepts of the Almighty behind our backs? What little growth in holiness have we? What little improvement in the ways of God? How much weariness and revolting of heart? How evil and unprofitable in regard of the means we have enjoyed, and what we might have been? How many notorious visible sins hast thou committed, to the scandal of the Gospel and the wounding of thine own soul? How should the consciousness of this humble thee in secret before God?  
Brethren, think of this, the more vile any man is in his own eyes, the more precious he is in Gods. And the best way to bring a man to a base esteem of himself, is to reflect his thoughts seriously upon his own estate, to view himself in his natural condition; There is no good, so truly good but his heart abhors it; No evil so extremely wicked, but there is an inclinableness in him to embrace it; no servant so ready to do his masters will, as he is to do the works of the devil, no rebel so desperately adverse to his lawful sovereign, as he is to God. Oh that men were truly sensible of their carnal condition.  
The want of this, is the cause of all that security and deadness of spirit, which sears up the heart of many thousands of people. This makes so little care of being saved. Hence it is that the Gospel preached is so smally reckoned of, the name of Christ is no more precious, the word of grace no more honoured, the promise of salvation no more laid hold on, and harkened after, the threatenings of hell no more stood in fear of then they be; it is indeed one and not the smallest part of our native wretchedness, that our eyes are so holden with self-love that we cannot perceive our misery, nay, we are pleased with it, and think it a piece of our happiness to continue in it. We have not only no disposition to go from it, but which is worse, a strong desire to remain still therein. Where is the man that truly discerns he is lost and undone, that sensibly groans under the weight and burden of sin, that cries out with the Leper, I am unclean, I am unclean, I have not in me by nature so much as a grain of goodness, I am a very lump of corruption, I am an enemy to God, and to my own soul: I cannot so much as frame a thought tending to the furtherance of my best good, Every thing I meddle with, is defiled by me, the very earth is weary to bear me, and according to the kind thereof, both it, and all the creatures complain to God against me, I am a burden to the times and places wherein I live, every man I converse with is the worse for me, etc.  
Lastly, to prevent surprisals by this cruel enemy, study his policies before hand; for howsoever the strength of the flesh be very great, yet the policy thereof doth far exceed it: for being not a professed enemy, but a secret traitor, it is more exercised in cunning undermining of our safety, with subtle slights, and politic stratagems, then in assaulting us after an open and hostile manner. Satan cannot deceive us unless our own flesh assisting him, do first deceive us. The danger whereof is so much the greater, because it is so deep and disguised, that it can hardly be discovered and found out: it displays not its colours in open field, but lies hid in secret ambushments, mingling itself with our own forces, and making a show of simplicity, and sincerity, when there is nothing but craft and, deceit in it, persuading us that we are nothing so evil and corrupt as indeed we are, and that those good things which we seem to have are of far more excellency then in truth they be, that our little mite is a great treasury, that we are in an happy and blessed condition, whereas we were never nearer unto death and destruction; that surely God loves us because we prosper in the world, and live civilly and quietly amongst our neighbours, wronging no man, that so much zeal and strictness is more than need, that the best have their failings, that great sins are very small ones, and little sins are none at all, etc.  
Infinite are the windings and labyrinths of the heart of man, the counsels and projects of this flesh of ours to establish the kingdom of sin in itself: What man is there who will not outwardly seem to spit at Satan, and defy his works of darkness, and yet what man is there in whose bosom secretly Satan doth not plot & devise wicked enterprises. The more time a man spends to make himself acquainted with himself, and begs of God to reveal the hidden corruption of his evil nature to him, the more abhorrency and condemnation will he have of himself, and the more adoration and wonderment, at the infinite mercy of God, that he is not consumed; when once a man hath his evil ways discovered to him by God's spirit, he will be abased and confounded in his own sight. It is nothing but ignorance that keeps men in pride. If to be wise to do evil, and foolish to do good, if to plead for sin and Satan, If to receive good parts and abilities from God, and to fight against him with the same, be matters to be boasted of, then there is a great crop of pride in every man's nature, else we must all conclude that he which glorieth in any thing merely in himself, hath chosen nothing to glory in but his own shame. Alas, the best of our wisdom is but sensual and devilish, fleshly deceit as the Scripture speaks, a man may be very wise, and yet employ the same upon nothing but mischief.  
You have heard the lineaments of original corruption, which in the wisdom of the Holy Ghost is called flesh. Now as a body infected with the plague, doth not presently complain, or show the disease till afterward: So this venom in children lieth lurking, and worketh not till the faculties of the soul are prettily well hatched up, and then like a charmed cup it fumeth up into the brain, and fills it with idle thoughts; it enchanteth the conscience, invenometh the affections, and maketh the heart like a tippling house, full fraught with ruffianlike passions Such strange and total disorder, such contention betwixt the heart and the conscience, such raging in the affections, such desperate unruliness in the will, such error and staggering in the understanding; that a man may well be compared to a rude family consisting of treacherous servants, all false and idle, of equal authority, being subject to none, but Lords of themselves.  
Understanding directed by the law of nature, attempteth to advise, the will saith she will not yield, but do as she lists; Affections prevail with Will, and overcast judgement. Conscience cryeth out upon them all, and threateneth the Law: Fair spoken pleasure entreateth it to be quiet, and that all villainy may be committed without check. Lust by degrees entreateth the will to put out the candle and light of knowledge; then when ignorance, as dark as hell, hath invaded and overshadowed the whole man, the minions of Venus' court may walk dismasked without kenning; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, envy, murder, drunkenness, gluttony, etc. and the whole Crew of fleshly works may creep out of the heart, 
Gal. 5.  like the serpent and her brood in the night, or as the Grecians out of the Trojan horse, and go hand in hand securely and without reproof, seeing Conscience being drowsy, through the strong wine of voluptuousness is laid asleep, and therefore will not awaken unless the sins be too great and prick him sore; or else dead & feared, being deprived of understanding, as the body of vital spirits, which should quicken and direct her in both her actions of testimony and judgement.  
The whole man is full of disorder; trust not therefore any of thy members alone without making a covenant with it. 
job 31. 1.  If thou hast occasion to use thine eye, take heed unto it, it is full of the seeds of adultery, pride, envy, covetousness, there are lusts of the eye. If to use thy tongue, set a door before thy lips, there is an hell within thee that can set it all on fire, 
James 3. 6.  and fill it with rotten and stinking communication. 
Psal 39 1.  If to use thy hands or feet, watch carefully, for there are seeds of more sins, theft, bribery, murder, uncleanness in them, than there are joints and sinews in those members. Original sin is an universal corruption, it makes us all over flesh, the mind a fleshly mind, the will a fleshly will, the affections and lusts all fleshly, so that it is more difficult to root out this one sin, then to overcome many actual transgressions.  
That man or woman therefore of what estate or degree soever they be, noble, or ignoble, bond or free, which are not transformed by the renewing of their minds, 
Rom. 12. 2.  but have their hearts full fraught with unbelief, and ignorance; whose Consciences are benumbed, or dead, not able to accuse, or (if to accuse) yet not able to excuse through the righteousness of Christ: They whose wills are perverse and immeasurably unruly, not subject and conformable to the will of God; whose affections are like to the Chameleon, ready to turn themselves upon every object, into any estate, except that which is holy: Lastly, those whose bodies are the hardy executioners of every wicked practice, given out in charge by these corrupt guides (the faculties of the soul) they most assuredly without all contradiction, walk and live as yet after the flesh.  
If therefore thou art 
Use.  desirous to know in particular, whosoever thou art in this present assembly, whether thou be carnal or no, inquire of the word of God, what thou art by nature in all the parts of soul and body, how unapt and uncapable of all holiness, how prone and disposed unto all manner of wickedness.  
Secondly, examine thy thoughts, how thou hast conceived of God and his incomprehensible nature, how acute and sharp sighted in his ways. Harken to thy conscience, (if thou hast any) and hear it speak, or if thou hast none at all, so set it down in thy examination. Summon thy will and affections also, to be tried by the same word; if thou perceivest no difference in these from the common estate of most men, no alteration from former times, it is suspicious thou art carnal. But if thou find by the guide of the word (by the word I say, for thou being blind canst not see where thou art) that yet thou remainest ignorant, and still walking in thy erroneous and presumptuous course, both towards God and men, if thou find in thy mind these or the like thoughts:  
That there is no God.  
No providence, or presence of God.  
If thou thinkest thyself safe from all peril, and art rocked asleep by the tempest of other men's judgements.  
If thou thinkest thyself a very wise man and far exceeding others.  
If in deed, notwithstanding thy outward holiness, thou thinkest the Gospel and the sufferings of Christ to be mere foolishness.  
If thou thinkest perversely and basely of them that worship God truly.  
If thou thinkest death will not come yet, nor yet, and so livest as if thou hadst made a covenant with the grave.  
If thou thinkest God is as man, that he will pardon thee howsoever thou livest, and that the punishment of hell may easily be shunned.  
If thou thinkest the day of judgement to be far off.  
And upon these corrupt imaginations, not only findest check (for that may be performed in some men by the light of nature, enforcing the conscience to accuse thee, yet thou never the nearer) but also no positive thoughts utterly opposite, but rather growest resolute therein, committing all to thy will and affections to conclude of thy spiritual estate. If thy mind be full of vanity, wasting itself in childish and unprofitable notions, slippery & unstable in all good matters, full of ignorance and darkness, so as thou seekest not after God in the way where he will be found, full of curiosity, foolish and impertinent questions, full of pride and contradiction against the word of truth, having fleshly reasonings against the spirit of God, full of carnal wisdom, humane inventions, methods of its own to serve God, and come to happiness by, thou mayest then assure thyself, thy mind is mere flesh, thou being dead in thy understanding through the vanity, impotency andignorance thereof.  

Conscience.  
If thy conscience (which God hath placed as a sentinel or watchman in thee to observe thy dealings) be full of impurity, and disobedience, full of dead, rotten and unsavoury works, full of false and absurd excusations. If it be either so be numbed, and insensible, that it will not accuse (unless it be for murder, adultery, the every or such like gross offences) or dead as a limb taken with a gangrene, that it cannot accuse at all; Or if it have life, yet if it apply itself corruptly, as to acquit thee for doing evil, or to condemn thee and hang thee up for doing good, fearing thee where no fear is, then hath the flesh prevailed over thy conscience, and thou art wholly carnal.   

Memory.  
Further, if thy memory be so decayed, that if one would give thee a thousand pounds, thou art not able to imprint the doctrine of salvation were it never so often taught thee, and yet able upon a speedy rehearsal to repeat a tale of an hour long, with every circumstance concerning any thing done in such a King's days or reported to be done, as the tale of Robin Hood, Guy of Warwick, and I know not what paltry stuff, thou mayst assure thyself, that flesh also is the guide of thy memory, and that it is void of all holiness. For as clay will not cleave to iron or brass; So the fleshly memory will retain no spiritual memorandum, but that which is fleshly, agreeing with his nature, and therefore the story of Gods will offered to the memory is like to quicksilver poured upon a plain table which never resteth running and dispersing itself till it be harboured in a concavity fit to retain its substance: So the principles of Christian science will not stay in a carnal memory no more than an honest man in a brothel Inn or Alehouse; and therefore no marvel that they light at the foregate, and take horse at the postern, come in at one ear and out at another.   

Will.  
Moreover, if thy will be full of loathing, and aversation, so as it cannot endure to hear or see any thing that is good, but plucks in the shoulder, and casts it behind the back: If it be full of enmity against holiness, slighting and neglecting the best things: If it be full of obstinacy against religious courses, thwarting and crossing the strict ways of God: If full of disability to any good, so as it cannot hearken nor be subject to the Law of God, but rebels against his blessed truth: If thou art resolute to commit the wicked purposes of thy heart, stout and stubborn against admonition, turning the deaf ear to the preaching of God's word, loath to intermeddle with matters of the Spirit, but willing to fulfil the lusts of the flesh, having thy hand in every impious action, with this imperious style, sic volo, sic jubeo, I will and command it to be so, not respecting whether the thing be crooked or strait, right or wrong, good or bad; then is thy will merely carnal, and doth domineer like a blind King, or ignorant Pilot sitting at the stern of the whole man, and yet not skilled in one star, nor knowing one point of the card, nor respecting the Compass, nor regarding the point of the diamond, but down the river with the full sail of affections, and tempests of sudden passions, no regard to the country whither we sail, no respect of the hidden rocks, no consideration of fearful gulfs, no casting of anchor, no notice of the Climate, etc. no marvel then if blind will make in the end a sudden and fearful shipwreck both of soul and body.   

Heart.  
To conclude, if in thy heart, as in a cage, thou find the unclean birds of adultery and fornication, the viper of malice, and cockatrice of envy, the hydra of covetousness consisting of many heads, having in their fronts the superscriptions of thee very, violence, perjury, murder, and idolatry: If in thy heart thou find infidelity, security, pride, confidence in the creature, etc.  
If it be full of hardness, so as no sins, no judgements, no hopes, no fears, no promises, no instructions are able to awaken and melt the same: If it be full of impotency, not altered by the invitations and entreaties of God to return unto him: not persuaded by the fruitlessness of all sinful lusts to forsake them: If it be full of folly and madness, so as all the creatures in the world are not able to cure it, full of infidelity ready to depart from the living God, under-valuing his precious promises, and mistrusting his power, full of pollution and uncleanness, full of unsearchable deceit and wickedness, a very forge and mint wherein all manner of sins are framed in secret purposes and desires, from whence they spring forth into life and action, then is thy heart also nothing but flesh, & thy whole man nothing but rottenness and corruption.  
If it be asked herein, how I distinguish betwixt the Elect and the Reprobate, for albeit God's children be purged through the blood of Christ, yea and the force of sin in some measure weakened in them, 
Ephes. 4. 23  and inherent sanctity begun in all the parts of their souls by the holy Ghost even in this life; yet fleshly corruption is still harboured, and the root of every sin remains in the best, putting forth the hemlock of a wicked practice in their Christian course.  
I answer, yet can they not be said to live according to the flesh, seeing the substance as it were and principal tenor of their lives is directed according to the Spirit. As the air in the dawning of the day is not wholly so dark nor wholly so light as at night and noon day: So is the estate of the regenerate, not all flesh, as the wicked, nor all Spirit as them that are glorified, but partly flesh and partly spirit, grace and corruption, not several in place, but in reason to be distinguished: yea the flesh is more in measure than the spirit, and therefore Paul calls the Corinthians, otherwise justified and sanctified, yet carnal, 
2 Cor. 3. 1 Rom. 8.  and we are said to receive but the first fruits of the Spirit whilst we are here. Notwithstanding for all this, such is the power of the Spirit, that albeit it be small like David, yet it is able ordinarily to prevail against that uncircumcised Philistim the flesh. And further it is of such inestimable virtue, that as one grain of musk giveth a stronger perfume than many other gross smells: So doth that sweeten all our actions in the nostrils of God. And as a man albeit all the parts of his body be dead, so that he neither knows nor sees, nor can speak, yet if he have any life in a corner of his heart, any breath, or any motion remaining, none will be so hard hearted as to pull him out of his bed and bury him as a dead man: So although in this life we have many a dead palsy; many a dint, many a dry buffet by the hand of Satan; yet so long as the breath of God is in us and we keep the truth of the spirit, like the star of a diamond, it will cause us to shine in this darkness of our corruption, and like an antidote, preserve us against eternal death.  
A word of application to two sorts, and I proceed.  
First, 
Use. 1.  to the Ministers of God's word, let me speak my thoughts with grief of heart: Such is the universal impiety of this decayed age, so apparent to the spiritual eye so weighty in the hand of him that wisely pondereth it, that I fear me the Lord is near, and the day of visitation approacheth. Is it not a strange thing to consider our Ministers, how ignorant, how arrogant, how dissolute and careless many of them are? (to omit the empty cask the idol minister) what strange children doth our mother the University nourish in her bosom, how wanton, how unbroken, proud, and licentious? Theologie a science of living well and blessedly for ever, is made a stepping stone to promotion, a matter of disputation and idle speculation, and the mere stuff wherewithal to make a sermon: Practice and obedience is commended to the people, but as for the Clerk that belongs not to him. It is well if he reprove sin sound in the pulpit, though he be utterly dissolute in his own person: Beloved, to speak according to the spirit, and yet live after the flesh, is an infallible note of an hypocrite; let men make what they can of it. Not that I bite the faithful shepherds of God's flock in any place whatsoever seated in this our Church, so far is it from me to touch the Lords anointed, or to harm his Prophets: But the licentious preacher is the man I tax, as being the shame and discredit of the Lords Ministry.  
As concerning the people, 
Use 2.  to undertake to single out all the fleshly and carnal professors of the Gospel, were to number the drops of the great Ocean, to tell the stars, and to cipher the sands of the sea shore: The sons of Adam have so covered the earth, that a righteous man is scarce to be found, a man that indeed warreth against the flesh, grieveth at the times, and sigheth for our sins. Are there not many among us which begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh? that faint in the race and embrace the world? hot in the beginning, key-cold in the ending, staining their names and defiling their souls? I speak of the better sort which (as it seems) think the Lord too long a coming, and therefore will fall too, and stay no longer. Is it not a grievous thing to behold many an ancient in Israel to be so sowly overseen, as to sell their birthright for a mess of pottage, their God for a piece of bread, and the unspeakable peace of a good conscience for outward peace, liberty and freedom?  
Where is the spirit of Paul become, which esteemed all things as dung and dross to win Christ? 
Phil. 3. 8.  Are we yet children, to be won with a toy, and lost with a trifle; are we no more faithful in our love towards God then to prostitute ourselves at the entice of the world, and to become a fitmate for every fleshly companion? Christ pronounceth them blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
Mat. 5.  not they that hunger and thirst after good cheer, gay apparel, fair houses, outward pomp, and fleshly vanities. Christ forbiddeth us to love the world, or the things of the world, because the fashion thereof passeth away; and yet how many have plighted their hearts to the world, as if it were the only good and true felicity. O fearful times, O fleshly corruptions, O the lamentable estate of this our land and country. Is there never a watchman to discover this danger? Or prophet left to bewail our transgressions? The gap is great who can stand in it! The breach is like the breaking out of the Seas, and the noise of our sins like the roaring of many waters: The atheism and the hypocrisy of our land, her pride, covetousness, and adultery, shall justify the spiritual whoredom of Spain and other Countries which never enjoyed those means, and mercies as we have done. Oh how that outward peace and abundance which we have had lulled us asleep in sinful security!  
We go to Church, pray, 
Quest.  and hear, I hope that is sufficient.  
Yea 
Answ.  (enough indeed to one whose stomach is scarce able to digest that) but where is the man that in all the ways of his ordinary calling labours to walk in obedience and fear of God, to carry always the affection of a servant, as considering he is doing the Lords work? That consecrates and sanctifies all his courses by prayer, that beggeth strength, presence, and supplies of the spirit from God, to lead him in the ways which he ought to go, and to preserve him from those snares and temptations, which in his calling he is exposed unto? That is careful to redeem all his precious time, and to make every hour of his life comfortable and beneficial to himself and others? where is the man whose particular calling doth not trench and encroach upon his general calling, the duties which he owes to God? That spares sufficient time to humble him to study Gods will, to acquaint himself with the Lord, and keep a constant communion with his God? Nay, that doth not steal from the Lords own day, to speak his own words, to ripen and set forward his own or his friends advantages? where is the man whose heart is ready pressed to obey every of God's Commandments as well as any of them? That cleaves to Christ and his blessed truth, when they go alone severed from all outward credit, pleasure and profit whatsoever? where is the man that denies himself in his most beloved sins, that bears wrongs and injuries patiently, that is willing to be trampled upon, and to be set light by, for the cause of Christ, and the testimony of a good conscience? Ah fearful times, what last and worse age of the world is this we are fallen into? Kill and slay, whore and tavern, swear and game, revel and rout, live as we list, do any thing, so it be done manfully, warily, and with the mind of a gentleman, who dares control it? Yes hear what the Spirit saith, Ye shall die.  
But I am free from any gross enormity, 
Object.  happily some small sins may cleave to my nature, but these I cannot avoid nor shake off so long as I continue in this earthly tabernacle.  
True it is, 
Answ.  that heinous sins are more terrible, because they waste and destroy the conscience at once, and cast men into hell with headlong fury: but little sins unrepented of are no less dangerous, seeing they cause a consumption of piety, & bring men by degrees to eternal condemnation. Do but gather the least things together, and they will make a great heap. Drops are but small, yet they fill great Rivers; though thou lightly esteemest them, while thou dost weigh them, yet fear when thou beginnest to number them. Though thou contemnest small sins, yet fear the great punishment which attends them; Doth not every sin by prevarication, dishonour the Lord, how dares then a sinner call any sin small? A little thing is little, but yet faithfulness or unfaithfulness in a little, is a great matter. 
Acts 5.  Ananyas and Sapphira told but a lie, and were presently struck dead in the place in a fearful manner. Vzzah put forth his hand but to stay the Ark, and was smitten with sudden death. We must not consider what we have done, but how great he is whom we have offended. It is not the least thing in man's life, to neglect such things as seem to be least, and I know not concerning what faults we may be secure, seeing we must be judged even for sins of ignorance, and give an account of our idle words and thoughts. The less discernible a vice is, the greater care we should have to avoid it. We soon come to the sight of great sins, and so to repentance for them, whereas we persist and go on in the lesser without control. It is good therefore to take heed of the least, as though they were the greatest; for so much the more easily shall we abstain from any offence, by how much the more we are afraid of committing it: that man seldom falls foully, that is fearful of falling at all; sin is Satan's livery, which who so ever willingly wears, acknowledgeth his sovereignty, and their own servitude. Though the most sanctified men have still their imperfections and frailties, yet to live in the least offence against knowledge and conscience, is an evident sign we are in the devil's bondage, for he that truly hates one sin, will hate all of the kind. There is not any sin committed but leaves a poison in the soul behind it. If the gate be set open the enemy will soon enter in. Witness the many experiences of God's children, who winking at smaller sins, have been plunged into greater. If once thou givest leave to thy corrupt affections to play their parts, thou shalt hardly make them give over. Little sins usher great ones and bring them into the closet of thy heart. How dares then a sinner call any sin small, when as the Son of God gave his life for it, above which nothing in the world can be esteemed?  
The holy Ghost uses the future tense here, Ye shall die, to intimate thus much, that albeit for a season the theatre of iniquity is much frequented, the actors favoured with great applause, and every carnal man playeth his part with grace, to the admiration of the beholders, although the wages be not paid so soon as the work is done, nor the dislike which God hath of sinners declared presently by the execution of his fearful judgement upon them, yet shall they escape no more than a beast taken in a trap, or the prisoner included in a strong tower. When the Lord shall come in the clouds with his holy Angels, the assizes shall be kept in the air, the prisoners of the earth, notwithstanding their boasting among their fellows shall all be arraigned before him, and then shall ensue the verdict of the conscience upon them, even that fearful sentence of death, 
Mat. 25.  Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and 〈◊〉 angels. This may teach us to give small credit to the glittering face and flattering countenance of outward things. Let us cheer ourselves never so much in our youth, and walk forthright in the ways of our own hearts, and sight of our own eyes, yet for all that God shall bring us to judgement. 
Eccles. 11.  The waters are deepest where they are stillest, upon a hot gload there followeth a violent storm; the terrors of God's wrath shall assault the wicked man, as a sudden tempest, and carry him away by night. 
Job 27.   
In this one word Ye shall die, is contained the infinite volume of all misery; the great Ocean of all sorrow, it being an Epitome of man's future calamity. Did a man certainly know that he should lose all his goods, friends, honour, and credit, if he committed this or that particular action. I suppose he would shrink from doing it. If the adulterer should know that he was watched, and that one behind the door stands ready with a polaxe to chop off one of his legs or arms, me thinks the fear of that mischief should be too strong for his brutish affections, and conquer his lustful passions. If the drunkard should know, that in such a tavern whither he usually goeth posting with his cup companions, there standeth in one of the drinking places a man with a pistol charged with white powder of purpose to shoot him through; I imagine how gladly he would leave his wine and sugar and betake himself to his heels, yea and account him his friend that would push him over the threshold and thrust the door after him. And this not without reason; for as a man would be willing to give all that he hath, yea and to lose some of his limbs to redeem his life. (Skin for skin and all that a man hath will be give for his life) 
Job 2.  So will he be contented to deny his pleasures, and profits, if in case they prejudice that; unless it be those, wherein the temerarious rashness of affection preventeth reason, and enforceth the body to commit the action before the mind hath given any counsel.  
Now if reason can thus prevail against corrupt passions when hurt is intended against the body, why should it not much more persuade the understanding, conscience, and will to endeavour themselves against fleshly corruptions, which are pernicious to the soul, and not only temporal, but eternal death to the whole man.  
By death, in this place is understood, not the first but the second death, as appeareth plainly by the antithesis and opposition of eternal happiness against this everlasting death and misery: And so it is taken in many places of scripture: 
Rev. 2. 11.  He that overcommeth shall not be hurt of the second death. 
Rev. 21. 18  The fearful and unbelieving, etc. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. What need many proofs as if every scripture were not given by divine inspiration? Here we see the Tragedy, that must follow the pleasant Comedy of worldly joys, and the hard reckoning that is given after all the junkets of fleshly pleasure.  
If you ask me what this death is, 
Quest.  I thus define it?  
When the aforesaid ignorant and unconscionable wretch hath played his pageants in City and Country, 
Answ.  upon the scafffold of this present earth, and perhaps hath gotten him wealth, wife and children, builded a fair house, borne office in the parishwhere he dwelleth, purchased much land, engrossed sundry commodities, and mounted upon the proud foaming steed of all stumbling vanity; of a sudden, when he most wisheth and hopeth to live; as a fish taken with a hook, or a bird with the snare, he shall be entrapped with death: His fleshly body shall be cast into the earth for a time, and his soul into the bottomeless pit of hell.  
Now after that the soul and body hath for a certain season made their abode in the said places of the grave and hell, as a Malefactor in the prison until the Law day; then shall they by the unspeakable power of God be united again into one man, at the voice of an Archangel and trumpet of God, 
1 Thes. 4. 16.  and be summoned together with the rest of the dead to make their appearance before the Almighty, to hear that fearful sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. Depart from me ye cursed, 
Mat. 25.  etc. This is the truth which the Lord hath spoken; let all flesh cover their faces, lay their hands on their mouths, and stand aghast hereat. Mock not at God's judgements as commonly thou dost at the devil in a play. It is fearful jesting with thy maker, or playing the fool with edged tools.  
If further you demand what shall be the state of this creature, 
Quest.  thus cursed of God and condemned to death?  
I answer, 
Answ.  if men may be deceived in judging of the creature subject to sense, and outward being; much more hardly are they able to conceive of things invisible, and made purposely of God in his wisdom to exceed the apprehension of any creature. For which cause as the joys celestial do far surpass all earthly melody (and therefore cannot be conceived truly, because man wanteth a clear spectacle wherein to behold them) So the sorrows of everlasting, torment being transcendent, all the glass of humane misery cannot be sufficient in full conceit to express it, or come near it, neither can it be known of any fleshly creature, saving only of such as feel it.  
Yet lest any man herein should be utterly ignorant, and so wax secure, esteeming death eternal as a poetical fury or vizard to be played withal, thereby fearfully derogating from God's power, wisdom, and glory in inflicting justice; the holy Ghost hath given us some secret items concerning this point, and slightly, in comparison run it over, as a Painter with a little white lead drawing forth the great Elephant; not so much teaching us what it is, as what indeed it is not.  
The first thing touching this matter to be considered briefly, is, the separation of these carnal men before spoken of, from the presence and glory of God; whose communion, as it is the head and heart of all felicity, so to be deprived of his favourable presence is the very sum of all misery. For as a grievous malefactor once in favour with his Prince, bound in chains of iron, hung up on the top of an hill, debarred of all mortal help, set apart to be consumed with famine night and day, filleth the hills and dales with his restless moans, and stayeth the most speedy passengers with the hollow cries of his extreme misery. Or as a Prince's daughter set on shore by a perfidious shipman, where is nought but trees and wilderness, lions, bears, and antilopps, debarred of all comfort, within the hearing of the grovelling dens, compassed about with seas: So and much more fearful is the state of that man whosoever he be, that is banished from the presence of God in regard of the graces of the spirit, which are the infallible pledges of his love and favour, however he enjoyeth many outward good things, as the stranger in a Prince's Court may make himself glad with his wine, though altogether unknown, or at least without any special notice taken of him by the Prince.  
But when God shall 1. strip him of all temporal blessings, as riches, honour, health, wealth, friends, peace, etc.  
2. When he shall make himself known to his blind soul with a more manifest and apparent resemblance of his glory in justice, declaring the detestation he hath of his supposed knowledge, his unconscionable conscience, his devilish will and corrupt affections.  
3. When he shall first shut the door upon him that leadeth unto life, and then also for ever cast him out of his presence, as a man that throws a toad or serpent out of his garden, and that into the place of everlasting torment (Lord) what tongue can express, or heart conceive the heavy estate of this forlorn or abject creature? To be out of favour with a Prince is much, but to be out of favour with God, who can abide it? There is no man living unless he be desperate, but either he thinketh himself high in God's favour, and therefore is still peaceable within himself, or else is possessed with such a spirit of slumber, that the faculty of due pondering the preciousness of God's presence is taken from him; as in a drunkard which neither regardeth his frendnor his foe, but when the drink shall be out of his head, as at the departure of his soul, then shall he strike his knees together, & his heart shall be cold as a stone; like that of Nabal, when the feast was past, and he had heard the judgement denounced: then shall he open his eyes as the man which hath been blind from his birth, and behold the vengeance of God upon him.  
By the Presence of God in this place I do not understand a bare local residence with God: 
Job 1.  so Satan may stand before God; neither can any thing created go from his presence, he being in heaven, 
Psal. 139.  in hell, and in all places: but by his Presence I understand as the holy Ghost teacheth me, the comfort, the joy and bliss which betideth the Creature through his presence. Now what the loss hereof may be, I leave to thy own heart: and yet it being fleshly, may happily err, or not esteem so highly as the thing requireth. To help thee in a word; Adam after his offence fled from God's presence, and the Lord ratified it, for indeed he cast him out of the garden where he had communion and fellowship with God, yet so, that he left him certain signs and tokens of his former dignity both spiritual and temporal in soul and body: from whence it cometh that we his children do yet retain some resemblance of our former happiness, though our holiness is quite lost: We have Lordship over all the creatures, we are fed with the fruits of the earth, we have some comliness of person, and impression of majesty, beyond the beasts, yea we have a smack of God: And in political matters, yet preserve some slender and slight footings of his wisdom and providence: the King ruleth, the people obey: the heaven, the earth, and the stars yield themselves according to the will of the Creator, propitious unto man, he enjoyeth their light, their influences, their fruits, & sundry commodities: And all this because man (albeit out of the garden of Eden the place of delight, yet) is still as long as he liveth in the Cook's garden: being thrust (as it were) out of a most pleasant parlour, where God appeared in glory, into a more obscure place of less communion with him.  
Now when the first death cometh as a sore-runner to the last judgement, man is deprived in an instant, of all pretended comforts and outward favours, and plunged into an infinite depth of woe and bottomless gulf of wrathful misery, his body strangely altered, being severed from his soul which gave it both life and reason, yea and deprived of all earthly succour excepting a ditch in the earth to preserve his bones and Cinders unto the time of the resurrection. All which (mark it) by the decree of the just Judge of heaven, shall for ever be deprived of all show of favour, or the least drop of mercy, and be exiled the Courts of the Almighty, world without end.  
Here the Kings of the earth shall be degraded, the Lords and Ladies of the Court abashed, and each rich & stately person utterly disherited of all his substance.  
To be out of favour with the world is troublesome to weak flesh, but to be discountenanced with God, this is the Ocean of all misery: Every creature than beholdeth with a threatening face, the heavens lower, the earth frowns, and withdraw themselves from our comfort. For as he that loseth the good will of the Master, loseth also the heart of the true and trusty servant; So he that is once discountenanced with God, all creatures in heaven and earth make head against him. Oh that our great landed men (as we call them) which have seated themselves for ever (as they suppose) would consider of this tragical ruin; they are so shamefully beguiled with the composed countenance of the harlot voluptuousness, the strength of pleasure, arising from worldly wealth hath so dispossessed them of their wits, that they rave in the pride of their hearts, not considering their latter end. Out beggar, I scorn thee, my land is worth three hundred pounds by the year, and wilt thou presume to keep me company, etc. Ah consider that thou art carnal, and livest according to the flesh, and therefore must dye. All outward things shall forsake thee, thy wealth and credit, thy pastime and acquaintance, all shall be abandoned, God himself will strip thee of these robes, and cloth thee with shame for ever; In vain dost thou presume of mercy, thou caryest the bag for a season, but it shall one day be rend from thy side, and God shall be glorified in leaving thee naked.  
The second thing to be considered is that great reproach which shall seize on the carnal man after this life, by reason of the clear revealing of all his hidden sins.  
Little Children abide in him, 
1 Joh. 2. 18.  that when he shall appear we may be bold, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If a man come and publish a hidden crime, we are ready with our action to clear our honesty, and defend our reputation by challenging the benefit of the law, in a case not sufficiently proved against us. But at this time the skirts of thy pollution shall be discovered before the sun, and though thou wipest thy mouth (like the harlot which Solomon describeth) yet thy sin shall be written in great Characters in thy forehead, so as he that runs may read thy chambering and wantonness, thy whoredom and uncleanness, thy thievery and oppression, yea all thy cradle sins, which never yet were set on foot, (thy wicked and abominable thoughts I mean) which lie lurking in thy heart as in a den, not daring to come abroad, for fear of losing thy credit. Oh the fearful reproach ensuing hereupon, when many a sober man and virtuous matron, so falsely esteemed of in the world, shall have their vizards plucked down from their faces, the ulcer of their hearts lanced, and all the buried corruptions of their childhood, of their youth, and riper age, plainly before men and Angels, Saints and blessed Spirits, devils and reprobates laid open, to their eternal shame. Imagine that thou being a man of great credit and esteem, shouldest have all the vanities of thy heart, whereunto thy conscience giveth testimony, and all the night practices of thy youth commenced against thee, even in the high Court of Parliament, before thy Prince and nobles, how couldst thou show thy face? Now thou pluckest thy garment about thee to cover thy shame, but then thou shalt be stripped naked and unclothed, to the reproach of thyself and thy whole family: now thou shelterest thy iniquity in a closet or secret chamber from the eyes of him that cannot pierce the walls: then shalt thou stand before the face of the heavens, in the presence of him whose eyes are as a flaming fire, knowing the secrets of thy parlour and polluted bed, thy words, thy thoughts, the place, time and every circumstance of thy sin: Now thou overlayest the dross of thy heart with a guilded outside of joy and merriment, but then the Lord shall blow upon the paint of thy face, thy withered deformity shall then be espied: now like jeroboams wife, thou disguisest thyself with pretended holiness; but at that time the Lord shall defeat thee, and display thy hypocrisy.  
To conclude, what causeth a man having one foot on the earth, and another in the grave, half dead and half alive, to acknowledge some capital sin, which in his health he would not for all the world? The Lord will make thine own conscience impeach thyself, and discover thy transgressions: Thou thinkest not so, so thought judas, but as then with him, so also with thee, the case will clean be altered.  
The third appendix of their death, is their society with the devil and his angels; Mat. 25. we account it a fearful thing to see a Spectrum or diabolical delusion, and so it is to our weak nature; but to be really present with Satan world without end, a companion in torment, what earthly man can abide it. To be in a prison full of Murderers, it is horrible, but in that bottomless pit with thousands of condemned spirits abject and forlorn creatures, a heavy hearing. The thief before he be attached and carried to the gaol, perhaps he frequenteth the house of many a worthy person. It is not thy stock and kindred, thy pomp and outward bravery that will serve thy turn when thou art arrested with death, all the world will not be of sufficient credit to bail thee. Think seriously of this and lay it to heart: To be taken out of the fields of pleasure, and to be thrown into the dungeon of hell, there to be guided with that cursed crew is no jesting-matter; Oh that all carnal livers of our age would consider hereof; no doubt it would somewhat restrain them in their wilful course, and gash their hearts amidst their pleasures. O that that the curious and nice women that cannot abide the noise of a canon, or the sudden flashing of fire, could ponder the misery whereunto they are born, namely to▪ dwell in darkness with those blasphemous spirits world without end. In the night season or in a dark place, thou art ready to run away at the sight of a shadow, or at the reciprocal imagination of thy own thought, upon the noise of a Screech owl▪ or the like; and thinkest thou that thou canst abide the sight, nay the company, and continual familiarity of that hellish Cave? The Lord give thee a heart to consider of this fearful horror before it betid thee, and to go out of thyself to behold the strange change which is wrought by the grave and sepulchre.  
The fourth is, the incredible horror and distress of conscience which the carnal liver sustaineth by the sense and feeling of the whole wrath of God poured upon him for ever. They shall go forth and look upon the carcases▪ of men which have transgressed against me, 
Esay 66.  for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh. In respect whereof the punishment of the damned is likened in holy Scripture to fire, 
Rev. 22. 8.  to a Worm, 
Mat. 13.  to gnashing of teeth, to utter darkness and the like. Not as if these were sufficient to describe it, for what can declare the depth of that which hath no bottom; but only by these most fearful creatures in a superficial manner to proportion that which nothing favoureth. For as the joys of heaven are unspeakable; So are also the torments of hell, and therefore why doth my barbarous tongue endeavour to decipher them? Dear Christian, esteem of my words not as the full size of the thing itself, but as a slight picture, or a brief draught of that unutterable volume of all misery. I am not able possibly herein to show the mystery of this wonderful work made by the Lord, of purpose to set forth his glory in justice. Yet to help thy consideration, which is nothing serious in regard of the thing (I speak it also to the shame of myself) I would fain imprint some conceit hereof in my heart, that might make way to a second thought.  
We esteem horror of Conscience a matter of great importance, because the most of us in these fearful times▪ are possessed with secure hearts and benumbed spirits. But when conscience shall once be throughly wakened, like a wild beast it will then show his fiery eyes, and take thee by the throat. No torment of ten thousand tyrants like unto it. Do but remember in what fear and dread sometimes thou seemest to be, when in a sleep or vision, a glimpse of hell flashings are presented unto thee, oh how thou strivest and strugglest, how thou criest and ravest with pain? Nay, how glad art thou thou awakest and findest it to be but a dream, how thou tellest thy friend as much as thou canst, (but alas, nothing in respect of what thou feltest) what thinkest thou this to be? Certainly the grovelling of the Conscience, stirred up by Satan of purpose to overwhelm the godly, to solicit to despair, and in the wicked to torment them before their time; yet in respect of God, a most friendly admonition for by this a man is suffered in a vision to see and feel the torment of hell, to know the price of Christ's blood, to labour by all means possibly to make sure his election. In the wicked also it hath this use. I could never have thought it possible for a mortal man to have been capable of that measure of distress, had not the Lord in his mercy, for the further subduing also of my bedlam flesh, suffered me sometimes to behold and feel the flashings of hell through his grace, causing me as a child to be stilled by the view of fearful beasts. If then in a dream, or in a man's life time there may be such an incredible horror, that it may cause the eyes to stare, the tongue to rave, the hair to stand an end: How much more hideous will it be when really and in deed with perfect knowledge & sense broad waking, we shall feel the strokes of the Almighty, the terrors of God shall lay hold of us. In consideration whereof, in the name of God, as you tender your eternal welfare, enter into the examination of yourselves, and discern of your estates whether they be carnal or no; cry out for the spirit, you hear what the Holy Ghost saith, If you walk after the flesh, ye shall dye, How strangely doth the sentence of Corporal death appall a man though pronounced by a wretch like himself, and shall not the doom of death eternal, given out by the Holy Ghost at all astonish you?  
Oh let not Satan harden your hearts, resist the devil, and he will fly from thee: It is a Commandment and a promise; What fair warnings doth God give unto men by himself and Ministers, by the motions of his Spirit, and checks of our consciences from time to time, and shall we be so void of grace as to make ourselves a booty for Satan, to stand still while he deprives us of our lives and souls and all? Me thinks reason should something prevail with us in things so nearly concerning our best good: But alas, a hardened heart like Pharaohs, a flint, an adamant, a marble spirit: no admonition will serve its turn, where grace is wanting, no impression takes any root: Men will make trial and then believe. A fearful experience this is, thou mayst first try in an earthly cause and then be warned; but from hell thou canst not return. Remember Dives, credit not the multitude, Old Tophet is wide and large, humble thyself therefore betime, and repent of thy grievous sins.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. But if ye mortify: As before the Apostle described an infallible token of death; so here he proceedeth to show in like manner a teckmerion or a certain sign of life, and that is the kill and slaying of sin, which is called Mortification. 
1 Cor. 15.  For as seed which thou sowest is not quickened before it die: or, this corruptible body glorified before it be for a season dead and buried: So neither is the man●ramed ●ramed in us, which according to God is created in righteousness and true holiness, until the old man be wounded and laid for dead in us; which like a giant standeth up to expel and oppose the prosters and means of all holiness.  
And this is the cause that the holy Ghost maketh mention only of this weakening of the force of sin, through the death and burial of Christ, not excluding the other part of sanctification, which is vivification, 
What vivification is.  viz. a virtue flowing from the resurrection of Christ, causing us also to rise to newness of life. It were to small purpose to bring place upon place to prove that, which through the whole book of God is so clearly apparent. 
Rom. 6.  How shall we that are dead to sin live yet therein? 
Gal. 5.  They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof. What can be plainer than this? As the Physician first purgeth before he giveth a restorative, so every one that shall be saved hereafter, must first receive an allayer of his corruption here; he must first be lanced before he can be healed.  
You may know the body of sin in all his particular members, by that which hath been spoken touching the Flesh. Let every man & woman here present examine himself from top to toe what cure is wrought by the spirit in his soul, whether the kingdom of sin and Satan be demolished and weakened, and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ advanced and built up in him; whether corruption dies, and grace lives in his heart, I beseech you deal faithfully with your own souls, and answer me directly to these interrogatories. Are thy words which heretofore have been full of profaneness and worldliness, now directed to God's glory, and the good of those among whom thou livest? Are thy thoughts which heretofore were loose and ungodly, now bounded within a sacred compass, and spent wholly on heavenly things? Is thy understanding informed of the mysteries of Christ's Kingdom? Is thy memory which heretofore hath been stuffed with trash and toys, now capable and greedy of divine knowledge? Dost thou order every passage of thy life, by direction out of God's word? Art thou inwardly conscionable in the performance of holy duties? Doth the tenderness of thy conscience smite thee, not only for gross and open sins, but even for vain cogitations, and the least appearance of any evil? Art thou watchful against all occasions and temptations of sin? Dost thou feel thyself grow and increase in the ways of holiness? Hast thou such a gracious taste of the glory of God, and eternal life, that thou desirest to meet thy Saviour in the clouds, not so much to be rid out of the miseries of this life, as to be freed from the heavy burden of sin which hangs so fast upon thee? In a word, dost thou so judge of things now, as thou wouldst do hereafter, when thy soul is best able to judge, as in the hour of death, and the day of distress? Dost thou approve of things as they further thy last account? as they commend thee more or less unto God, and will bring true peace or sorrow to thy soul at last and no otherwise; then blessed and happy is thy condition, and know this for the comfort of thy soul, that thou art dear beloved of God, yea his peculiar one, and precious in his eyes; Satan and all the powers of darkness are fast chained up for ever doing thee any hurt; Thou shalt never more be afraid of evil tidings, though the earth be moved, and the mountains fall into the midst of the Sea, yet thy heart shall abide strong and comfortable; I dare boldly pronounce that God is reconciled unto thee, and that his sweet love which never changeth hath seized on thy soul.  
What will it avail a man to say he is rich (like the bragging Laodicean) and yet be extreme miserable, 
Revel. 3.  poor and naked? what will it further any of us to say we feel the decaying of sin, when as the Kingdom of Satan still flourisheth in us? Away with this glozing and deceitful dealing, hypocritical holiness, is worse than professed wickedness; this, it is so odious in God's eyes that he will plague those in whom it ruleth, with his severest judgements, those very good works wherein the hypocrite seemeth to make haste to heaven, carry him post to hell. Nothing brings the soul more into a general consumption than this sin; it deprives a man of true peace of conscience, hardens his heart, and fills him with such inward perplexity that he dares not look God in the face with any comfort.  
The deeds of the body.  
The meaning of the holy Ghost is not, that we should cut off the outward acts of sin only (like many a dissembling hypocrite which hath the gift of restraining his affections that they break not out) but that we should kill sin at the heart and in the cradle, then shall we make sure work and never hereafter stand in fear. The next way to drench the conduit, is to dry up the fountain: In vain dost thou lop sin unless it be deprived of its master root. It may be thou wilt say, that is a thing impossible. Indeed to thee which art wholly evil it is, mark therefore what followeth.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. By the Spirit: This is that little David which taketh the Goliath of our corrupt nature and choppeth off his head: this is he that bringeth light out of darkness, life out of death, which shineth as a star through the watery clouds of humane infirmity.  
As there be diverse acceptations of the word flesh, so also of the Spirit; sometimes it is taken for the soul, sometimes for natural reason; but that is not here meant. To omit all other constructions, the word Spirit in this place is taken for that created quality of holiness which by the holy Ghost is so wrought in the mind, will and affections of a man whereby the power and force of sin comes to be abated, & the faculty of holiness & inherent sanctity is renewed in us.  
But why doth the Apostle say if ye mortify, 
Quest.  is it in our power to deprive sin of its life and being?  
It pleaseth God to speak of things, 
Answ.  as done by us, when as indeed they are wrought in us. Such is his fatherly wisdom that oft he ascribeth those things to us, which he himself secretly effecteth. We mortify the deeds of the body, but it is by the spirits help: the strength to subdue sin is put into us from heaven. We are as able to shake the foundation of the earth with our little finger, as to shake our sin by our own strength. Nature will not slay our lusts, it must be the Spirit of Christ: corrupt nature labours by all means to preserve its own being.  
He that goes among Lions must needs be torn in pieces; sins are Lions and will soon destroy us, if God help us not. Mortification of sin is possible, through the Spirits assistance, otherwise impossible. When therefore thou feelest pride, covetousness, lust, growing upon thee, look for power from above or else thou art undone. Pray in the words of jehosaphat, 
2 Chro. 20  Lord there is no strength in me to stand against these sins, neither do I know what to do, but mine eyes are towards thee. Alas, how are we overcome of evil, whereas we should overcome evil with good; we shake at the very noise of temptation, and give in presently, we have power over our eyes, tongues or thoughts, but let sin pass in and out at pleasure: All which shows how nothing we are in ourselves, Satan and the world are too strong for us, standing in our own might, but by leaning on the power of God we remain invincible, whatsoever inordinateness a true Christian espies, he presently endeavours the kill through the efficacy of Christ. Indeed passions are not so bridled, nor corruptions so quelled, that they do not stir, but the force and power of them is so far subdued, that they shall not reign, or hale us ordinarily to that which is evil. Hast thou been long kept under by some customary vice, against which thou hast resolved, and resolved, but canst not prevail? Get thee to Christ by the help of his Spirit, thou shalt get victory over all thy infirmities. Die to thyself, renounce the broken reed of thine own freewill, which hath so often deceived thee, and put all thy trust in the grace of Christ, that will crucify thy old man and give him his death's wound, be weak in thyself, and strong in the Lord, and through his might thou shalt be more than conqueror. As faith increases, the power of corruption will decay and languish; this fires the heart with such an unquenchable love to God, that in comparison of obedience, it contemneth the whole world beside. It puts into us both courage and constancy, to fight against the strongest lusts, and set upon the practice of the most difficult duties, notwithstanding all opposition from the world and devil; yea though we have been foiled, or taken the repulse. He will not fear the subduing of the most headstrong passion, who resteth upon God for power and ability: nor be dismayed because once he hath received a foil, who depends upon God for strength to recover: nor dread the might of his greatest adversary, who knows that God will be at his right hand to sustain him, nor start aside in the most difficult duty, whose heart is fast linked unto the Lord, and relieth upon his grace to be enabled to whatsoever he is pleased to call him. In the affairs of this life we love to excel, and outstrip others: and in matters of Religion to be dead and lumpish, is it not abominable? would we reign with the Saints hereafter, and not labour with them now? receive the price and not run the race? divide the spoil and not fight the battle? The Merchant undertakes dangerous adventures to raise his estate; yet alas what is the gold of India to the joys of heaven? a fading possession to an eternal weight of glory?  
When once we discern what love the Lord beareth to us, we cannot but return love for love; when a man considers, hath Christ given himself for me, forgiven me so many debts, conferred favours of all kinds upon me, what then shall I retribute to him again? O my soul, why dost thou not resign thyself to the pleasure of his will in every thing, run when he calleth, and do what he requireth at thy hands? what dost thou fear? wherewith art thou entangled? God is thy Father and Sovereign, to him thou owest thyself and all that thou hast, thy honour, wealth, life, or whatever is more precious than those. Thou canst not love thyself as is meet, if thou deny not thyself to follow the Lord in all things. Is there any thing too hard tobedone for his sake? too dear, or good for him? what hast thou in heaven or earth worthy to be affected but thy Saviour? What is to be dreaded but his displeasure? Is there any recompense to the joys of heaven? any danger to the torments of hell? any pleasure to the sense of God's favour? Resolve then with thyself, and say, I have fully purposed to observe thy commandments, for they are the joy of my heart, but Lord I lean not upon mine own strength, but upon thy grace, who givest both to will and to do; thou hast commanded me to keep thy testimonies, give me I pray thee to do what thou requirest. 
Psal. 119.  Teach me the way of thy statutes, and I will keep it to the end.  
Some understand by the mortifying of sin, not only the first wound which it receives at a sinners first conversion, but also the whole practice of repentance renewed thorough the whole course of a man's life, for a man after his conversion, is continually to lie in arms against his own flesh, and to stir up the spirit with the forces thereof, which otherwise will be overwhelmed with the adversary, not able to maintain the fight.  
For Christians (whilst they are here) are not wholly flesh, nor wholly spirit, but a part of each: God hath placed in our bodies two inmates of contrary dispositions, two strangers of diverse natures and qualities (not in the highest degree, for than they would utterly expel one another, but) in a remiss manner, which causeth this bickering and skirmishing in our inward man.  
Now whereas every one whose understanding is renewed, seeth the drift of his flesh (however thorough the deceit thereof he doth not always feel it) give me leave to prescribe some few directions whereby he may come to have his corruptions subdued, and temptations vanquished, that they triumph not over his spirit to the disquiet of his conscience.  
That which I shall principally commend to every Christian, is, that he buckle about him the complete armour of God; 
Ephes. 6.  we must not fly away. from Satan; a runaway never makes a good conclusion of his temptations. Some sins indeed are best conquered by flying, 
2 Tim. 2.  but from sathan it is neither possible nor lawful to fly. However stand it out, what if we quake? better tremble every vein than sin, better die in the place than fly from the place. Resist the devil and he will fly from you: 
1 Pet. 5.  we are sure to conquer if we keep our ground. Satan will play his part to hold his hold, and will never out unless he be forced. When a man comes to abhor his lusts, than he gives sin its death's wound. It is the nature of sin not to be driven away without force and violence. A few angry looks and sharp words will not do it: you may rate away your dog, but sin is not so easy removed, as appears in many who will speak bitterly against their lusts, calling themselves, beast, and wretch, but presently they return to their former courses. When thou hast therefore to do with sin, have no compassion, fight against it with all thy might, never leave till thou hast got the heart blood of it out; so much as thou sparest sin, so much thou hurtest thyself. Saul spared Agag, 
1 Sam. 15.  but it was his ruin; and if thou sparest sin it will cost thee the Kingdom of heaven: kill therefore thy sins or they will kill thee. It is a case of life and death; be careful, old wounds must have strong medicines. What ado have we to bring under our unruly lusts? he that favours these let him want favour: we weed our gardens, and are ever weeding: sins are ill weeds and grow apace: our hearts are a stepmother to goodness, and a natural mother to vice, therefore be always dealing with it. The Captain that batters the enemy's fort a day or two, and then gives over, gives the more courage to his enemy, and loses his labour. In this life thou shalt never want something to be mortified. Hast thou begun to repent? never give over so long as thou hast a heart to sigh for thy sins. Satan that strong man will not yield possession suddenly; look how much power we get to resist sin, so much power Satan loseth; there is never a prayer we make, nor act of resisting that we do use, but gives the devil a knock, and sin a mortifying blow, by fight against our lusts; what ever we see and feel at first, we do and shall conquer corruption at last.  
Repel evil motions at their first onset, if we resist at the beginning the work is half done, we shall find Satan a coward, but if we resist not we shall find him a lion; we must trust neither ourselves nor sathan with any temptation. Begin as soon as the temptation begins to peep, and where sathan begins do thou begin, despise not the least sin, a small wound may kill a man in time, little gashes make way for greater. If the enemy assault one way, and the garrison defend another way, the town is lost. Satan will try his skill, and do his uttermost to prevail against us, why should we not then improve our graces to make head against him? we may preserve ourselves from being conquered by him, though we cannot utterly subdue him. There is no possibility of remaining safe without resistance; they are much deceived who think though they have no spiritual armour upon them they may rest secure.  
Alas what can a naked man do? he can no more free himself from the power of the devil, than a poor silly lamb from a roaring lion: If we be foiled the fault is our own, for God gives us means to stand fast; Who would not be kept from spiritual wounds & hurts, from eternal bondage to sin and sathan?  
2. Beware of pride, swelling in the body is dangerous, so is it in the soul; when a man pleases himself with his own welldoing, his heart is soon puffed up. He that thinks to stand by his own strength shall suddenly fall; the weakest shall be able to overcome their greatest enemies being under-propped of the Lord. In every strong encounter we must look for supply from above. It is dangerous to look for that from ourselves, which we must have from Christ. All our strength lies in him, as sampson's did in his hair, therefore dependant spirits are always the best. Nothing is stronger than humility, that goeth out of itself, or weaker than pride that, resteth upon its own bottom. Satan knows that nothing can prevail against Christ, or those that rely upon him, therefore he labours to keep men in self dependency.  
If you would in truth mortify sin, represent it to your thoughts as the most hurtful, hateful and most loathsome thing in the world, and represent to your mind the obeying of Gods will, as the most sweet, profitable, and excellentest thing whatsoever, and then you cannot but shun the one and embrace the other: for,  
Sin is the only object of God's infinite hatred, he hates nothing at all properly but iniquity. Now what a bedlam is he who willingly commits any sin, which being once done is inseparably attended with the infinite hatred of so great a God, for which the pains of hell must of necessity be suffered; be suffered either by the party himself, or his surety.  
Sin is the most filthy thing in the world; even fouler than the foulest fiend in hell, or the devil himself; for sin made him a devil and sunk him into hell, and whatsoever maketh a thing evil, is itself much more evil, the Sun lightens all other bodies, is itself much more light. Hence it is that in Scripture it is compared to the filthyest mire in which a sow lies down and wallows, 
2 Pet. 2.  to the pollutions and impurities of the world singularly so called, sin being indeed the transcendent filth of the whole world; How are the bodies and souls of men stained and defiled with this gangrene?  
It is likewise very infectious, corrupting every thing comes near it. The first sin that ever the Sun saw, was so pregnant with soul-killing poison, that it polluted all the sons and daughters of Adam that ever were since: At the first breaking out thereof it suddenly blasted (as it were) both heaven and earth, staining the beauty of the one and the brightness of the other, so as from that hour the whole creation hath groaned under the same. If but one sin be doted upon and delighted in, like a lump of leaven it sours all the soul.  
Yea, it is the greatest ill that can befall the creature, greater than damnation itself. A man would think it a lesser ill to tell a lie, than to lie in hell. But what saith a Father; though we think hell to be the forest of all evils, yet I think it is far bitterer and more grievous to offend Christ, then to be tormented with the torments of hell. Who would for a space of pleasure here, deprive himself of eternal bliss hereafter? of the unknown pleasures of an appeased conscience, a jewel of such infinite value, as that all humane glory is but as dust in the balance to it? In the day of trial the comfort of a good conscience will be worth ten thousand worlds; never was any sound joy or sanctified peace without this.  
Who art thou that liftest up thy proud heart against the Almighty, a base & unworthy worm, the vilest creature that ever God made, next unto the devil, who when thy breath is gone (which may fall out many times in a moment) thou turnest to dust, rottenness, and filth. Oh let the consideration of the immortality and dearness of that precious soul that lies in thy bosom, curb thy corruptions and make thee startle at sin. Only sin wounds the soul, filling it with the pangs of death though it never dye, and with pain, not only above all patience, but all resistance.  
Consider the infinite and inestimable price that was paid for sin, I mean the heart blood of Jesus Christ, blessed for ever; and when ever thou art tempted to do wickedly, suppose thou seest thy Saviour coming towards thee, besmeared with gore blood, and speaking thus unto thee; Oh go not forward upon any terms, commit not this sin by any means, it was that which drew me down from the fountain of all bliss, to put on this corruptible and miserable flesh, to drink off the dregs of the bitter cup of my Father's wrath, to wrestle with all the forces of infernal powers, to lay down my life at the gates of hell with intolerable pain: what an heart hast thou, if thou darest go on against the sweet entreaty of so sweet a Saviour? in every sin thou committest, thou layest (as it were) the blood of Christ in one scale, and some worldly preferment, or sensual vanity in the other, and shall these things outweigh that?  
Moreover, labour for a tender and wakeful conscience, which may be sensible of the least offence, and apprehensive of God's wrath attending the same; what hope is there of his repentance whose conscience is seared? and yet how busy are many to increase their own woe, by putting sin out of their remembrance? Certainly, a lively conscience, that shall faithfully present us with an exact view of our estates, is a great blessing; if it were not so, why should God threaten the Israelites to smite them with blindness, 
Deut. 28. 18.  and with a stony heart, meaning, that he would inflict such a kind of brawny and insensible dulness upon them, that in doing evil, they should be utterly without any apprehension of their misdoing; well is he that hath a conscience stirring him upon the least sin, that will awake at the least blow; and perform its office. David could have no peace till he had made his peace with God, 
Psal. 51.  he did but cut off the lap of Saul's garment, 
2. Sam. 24. 10.  and his heart smote him and brought him upon his knees, and made him cry, Lord I have sinned exceedingly, take away the trespass of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly. Had his conscience been dull and hard, what security would have crept upon him? what carelessness to become a petitioner to God for mercy? Never therefore turn thine eyes from beholding that which conscience offers to thy view. Alas, conscience doth nothing of itself, but by special authority and commission from God, whose deputy it is.  
Yet it is possible to turn that which of itself is a blessing, into a curse: It is a blessing to live under a faithful Ministry, yet if a man be not a doer of the word, but a hearer only, he may increase his own judgement thereby. When men come to the Ordinance, their consciences are many times wrought upon more strongly than they would, now it is good simply for the conscience thus to run and it is a token of God's great love unto man to furnish his mind with such a reflecting faculty upon himself. But here lies the mischief, many deal with their consciences as rich men do with an earnest beggar, or as great men with an importunate petitioner, whom they will make as if they did not hear, and pass along by without regard, when their heart smites they will not answer, when it brings sin to their sight, they turn their heads aside and will not behold it. If they find by experience that when they are alone their conscience use to encounter them, they furnish themselves with vain and wretched company, such as will be sure to give conscience no leisure to speak. If the word of God any whit awakens them and stirs up conscience to do its office, they thrust it from their remembrance by worldly thoughts and cares, or sleep it out that they may not be disquieted. The poor conscience must be conscience off till another time, (as Paul was when he disputed with Faelix) 
Acts 24. 26  such variety of tricks doth the devil teach to decline and shun the workings of conscience upon sinful persons. By which means that which in itself is a great blessing, becomes a wonderful curse unto them, the using of conscience in this unkind manner, is the next way to move the Lord to silence it for ever. Look as God dealeth with whole societies of men in taking away the benefit of a powerful Ministry from them, when it is not harkened unto; So dealeth he with particular persons in striking a dumbness upon their consciences, when the voice thereof is not regarded. Listen therefore to its secret checks and smitings, though men will not be brought to repetition of sermons in their families, yet they have a repeater in their bosoms, that will be at private repetition with the in spite of their teeth, and tell them, This is not according to that you have been taught, you have been reproved and convinced of this sin in the public Ministry, why do you not leave it? for shame reform this pride, hypocrisy, lying, swearing, formality, if religious courses will bring true peace at last, use them to purpose, rest not in outside shows, without the power and life of godliness. How many times doth conscience press us to repentance and better obedience? How often doth it startle us in our postings to hell, and call upon us to settle to amend our lives? Conscience speaks to us, as the Lord to jonah, 
Jonah 4. 4.  dost thou well to be angry? Dost thou well to be thus carnal and earthly, thus eager upon the world, thus cold and indifferent in holy duties? conscience gives privy nips and secret checks. It 1. points with the finger and gives direction, if it be neglected, it smites with the fist and gives correction.  
Therefore if ever thou desirest that sin should dye, and grace flourish in thy heart, despise not conscience when it speaketh; doth it press thee to any works of piety, reformation of abuses, selfe-deniall, etc. in any case embrace his counsels. Harken to this preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partiality or ill will, conscience cannot be suspected to be set on by others. Doth it chide and reproach thee of thy ways? doth it punctually arrest thee of thy particular beloved sins, do not extenuate, much less defend thy crime, but accuse thyself as fast as that accuses, acknowledge thy folly, abase thy spirit, and covenant with thy conscience a full and speedy reformation. If this were done, how soon would Satan's kingdom be demolished, and all corruption weakened in us.  
But alas, how few regard the voice of conscience, or once hearken to it? the very want of this sets open a floodgate of wickedness in the world. If men cannot stop consciences mouth, they will at least stop their own ears. If Conscience offer to be talking with them, they shuffle it off till their better leisure. Alas poor soul, God will one day strip thee of all thy employments, and turn thee lose to thy conscience, and it shall have liberty to bait thee and bite thee at pleasure. How much better is it to be willing to hearken to the voice of conscience here, than be forced to hear it in hell hereafter? Harken to the reproofs and admonitions of it now and thou shalt not hear the doleful clamours of it then.  
Further, set faith a work to conquer your corruptions; that will do wonders if we apply the victory which Christ hath made for us: though we be cowards he was not, and what ever he did it was for us. He stood in our place & beat Satan to our hands. What if Satan beat me may a Christian say, since Christ in my stead hath beaten him all to pieces? I have long ago overcome Satan in my head: In Christ my Captain he is a vanquished enemy; faith makes his victory ours, and sets him against every tentation; we are not so weak in the hands of Satan, as Satan is in the hands of Christ; therefore is faith said to be our victory, 
1 Joh. 5. 4.  because it makes Christ ours, who is our victory. A Christian is never safe, except he can by faith lay fast hold on Christ, and set up him and his power against the gates of hell and powers of darkness. Faith must have one to side with it against Satan, who hath absolute command over Satan. If Christ do but say the word, the Devil is soon said, and his temptations die. To him then who is our refuge and strength let us repair in all perplexities, by applying him to ourselves by a lively faith, and making him our sword and bucklar: Say, I of myself am weak as water, not able to vanquish the least temptation, or subdue any fleshly lust or corruption whatsoever, but in Christ made mine by faith I am strong and can do all things. The promise is that if we resist Satan, steadfast in the faith, he shall fly. 
Rom. 4. 7.  Believe then that thou shalt overcome, and thou shalt overcome; war against sin and sin shall die; faith is our victory and nothing else, because that alone apprehends & applies the promise. Reason can do no good, because the temptation is spiritual and reason carnal, a natural thing hath neither stroke nor force against that which is spiritual; beside, Reason is a secret friend to Satan, and takes part with him against ourselves. Can a man conquer the devil with a wisdom that is devilish, that hath him for its dam? down with flesh and blood then, away with our own wit, let faith do all, else it will do nothing. Faith never works so well, as when it works alone; it is no more but believe the promise and Satan is gone.  
If Christians be not persuaded that God will mortify their corruptions, they will very much at their manifold slips, be off and on, and coldly embrace religious courses? Alas, our own strength is too weak for the work of holiness, to repress and vanquish the lusts of our rebellious hearts, which are by nature and custom so deeply polluted with sin. If we have not faith to believe that God will aid and bless our endeavours and do the whole work for us, what courage can we have to go about it? What shameful foils and repulses shall we sustain in it. He will manfully fight against his lust, that is assured of victory from God in the end. It is a great heartening to resist evil, or to do any good duty, when we believe God will be with us, and help us therein.  
Faith acquaints a man with his emptiness of grace, how unable he is to crucify his inordinate affections, or to repair the decayed image of God in him, and that he is in a woeful case, unless the Lord put to his helping. What profits pardon of sin, to one that lies under the power and dominion of sin? Therefore a true believer fights courageously against his corruptions, and cryeth instantly to the Lord for help: though the combat be never so hot, he will not yield, because he apprehends victory; for grace doth flow from Christ into our hearts more or less, as our faith is weaker or stronger, though we have no grace of ourselves, yet if we cleave to him we shall want none. Doth the streaming fountain deny water to the thirsty traveller? No more doth Christ to the empty parched soul, that comes unto him. He is an overflowing fountain, his grace is unsearchable, his store can never be diminished. He filleth the empty, and satisfieth the poor, that he might be acknowledged the wellspring of all grace and goodness.  
Lastly, be sure to keep the flesh under, by stopping all passages of provision for it, clear thy mind of sinful cogitations, blot out of thy memory ribald speeches, and obscene jests, preserve thy heart from unlawful lusts, wicked desires, and unruly passions. Keep thine appetite from intemperance and excess, thy tongue from corrupt communication, thine ears from ungodly and dishonest discourses, thine eyes from waton & wicked objects, and finally, thy body from sloth and idleness, effeminate delicacy and carnal pleasures. It fares with the flesh and the spirit as with two mortal enemies in the field, he that by any means aideth and strengtheneth the one, doth thereby make way for weakening of the other. He that joineth with the flesh doth oppose the spirit, and he that standeth on the spirits side, doth bring the flesh into captivity. Who would strengthen an enemy to oppugn himself? we give stings and weapons to the flesh, arming it against the spirit, when as we pamper the body with delicacy, inflame it with wine, handle it daintily, and nourish enticements and provocations to lust in it. If the flesh be full fed it will despise the Spirit, and commit many outrages in a Christian soul. Yea it will wax proud and insolent, foil the regenerate part, and force it to live in miserable slavery. Better to become a swineherd with the prodigal, than to be a servant to our base lusts. The heathen could say, he was borne to more noble ends, than to be a slave to his own body, and shall not our spirits be elevated to a higher pitch of excellency than his, as having God for our Father, and Christ for our elder brother? which of us ennobled by birth, and liberally brought up, being clothed with loathsome some rags, and defiled with noisome excrements, would not hastily strip them off, and with indignation cast them away? This flesh of ours doth us more mischief than the devil himself, alas, he could never hurt us, were we not first betrayed by this inbred enemy, yea it is worse than hell and damnation, as being the cause of both, without it hell were no hell, neither could destruction fasten upon us. All the outrages and horrible crimes which are committed in the world, may challenge the flesh for their chief cause and author. It was this that pierced our Saviour's hands and feet, & which moveth men daily to crucify him afresh, and trample his precious blood under their filthy feet; and can we find in our hearts to have any peace or truce with such a malicious enemy? shall we not rather with implacable rage, and constant resolution, assault, pursue, and wound it to the death? shall we not rather take part with the Spirit, in warring against the flesh, and disfurnish all provision and munition from the one, that the other may be furnished with all necessaries? Our spirit is the better part, and should be most regarded; Who would deprive his soul of so sweet a guest, to entertain inordinate lusts? The more familiar Samson was with Dalilah, the more was God a stranger to him. For the weakness of the flesh increaseth the strength of the spirit, even as contrariwise, the strength of the flesh bringeth weakness to the spirit, and indeed what wonder is it, for a man to be made stronger, by the weakening of his enemy? who would purchase the pleasure of a base sin at so high a rate, as to lose the comfortable society of God's blessed Spirit? what meanest thou to admit such a mate into thy heart with which Gods spirit cannot sort? It may be thou wilt not rudely bid him get out of doors, yet thou mayest weary him forth, by welcomming such guests into thy soul, as he can no ways brook. Oughtest thou not much rather to crucify the flesh, and walk in the spirit, that so thou mayest not fulfil the lusts thereof? doth not God call upon thee to slay thy corruptions, to do thy best, not only to subdue them, but to put them to death; encouraging thee thereunto by a gracious promise: that if through the spirit, thou dost mortify the deeds of the body, thou shalt live, both the life of grace here, and of glory hereafter?  
What is the use of all this but to stir us to look about us, 
Use.  seeing we have so secret and subtle and adversary to circumvent us. Think not the Christian combat ended when some few battles are fought, & that thou art now out of danger, rather expect and prepare for more. Many stout Captains have been overthrown, because after a conquest they feared no fresh assault. The flesh is restless in its assaults ever besieging us: we can neither fly from it, nor chase away that from us; it is not therefore sufficient to make good onsett, nor yet to hold out the brunt of some assaults, but all must be finished (how bitter so ever) ere we can look for victory. 
Heb. 12.  We must resist unto blood, and be faithful unto the death, if ever we expect the crown of life. He that prevaileth in some conflicts, and is at length vanquished, cannot be said to overcome. Saul fought many of the Lords battles valiantly, but he withdrew himself, and the Lord forsook him; though thou hast done much, yet give not over so long as there remains any thing to be done. Consider not what conflicts have been endured, as how many are still to be encountered: Regard what is to come, rather than what is past; timerously to cease from resisting temptation, is dangerous to ourselves, and dishonourable to God; it maketh Satan to insult over us, and get advantage against us; let us not think if we yield the field, the devil will be contented. It is not the glory of conquest that he seeketh so much as our destruction; which when I consider, I cannot but bewail the naked condition of many persons, who suffer their armour to hang on the walls and rust, never putting it on to any use. Alas, what benefit can come by a thing that lies dead? do we think we stand in no need of it? or that God made this defence in vain? experienced Christians find the contrary. 
Bellum est, non triumphans.  Our life is nothing but a continual warfare; so long as we are in this mortal body, carnal motions will rise in our hearts; though we cut them off they spring out again; though thou quench them, they are kindled again, will thou, nill thou, they soon return; they may be subdued, but cannot be rooted out. It is no easy work to lead a christian life, considering the continual conflict of these two parties (the flesh and spirit) of so contrary dispositions within us. It is impossible we should ever walk after the one, unless we resist the other. Satan will be sure to take part with corruption, and keep grace low, and look how much we detract from the flesh, so much our spiritual part will prosper and be in good liking.  
How may a man know that grace hath gotten the upper hand, 
Quest.  and that the power of sin is abated in him?  
Dost thou loathe nothing more than thy former spiritual bondage? 
Answ.  Hast thou a secret dislike of thy natural estate? seest a necessity of reforming it, and watchest over those things which are most pleasing to it, this cannot proceed but from a work of grace in thee; for Nature is a lover of itself, and seeks by all means its own preservation; when a man is come to this, that he doth not approve his sinful inclination, nor willingly give way unto it, but studies rather which way to curb and restrain the same, it is a manifest sign of some higher hand, by which the flesh shall be more and more over ruled. I doubt not but a man after there is some change wrought in him by grace, may in some particulars receive a foil by his own corruptions, and by that law of his members, which fights and rebels against the law of God; hardly may a man say he is truly changed, unless he be sensible of the struggling of nature against grace; but yet still it is a pledge of such a work begun, as shall never be broken off, when Nature in the proper disposition thereof is become a burden to the soul, and a man would fain be better, and have it otherwise with him than it is.  
Grace cannot stand with the regiment of sin: That person in whom grace is truly wrought, desires to be furnished with the complete armour of God, that he may resist the devil; the strength and bent of his will and affections are for God and goodness; he chooseth holiness with a full purpose and resolution to walk in it; he turns from his former evils with a detestation of them, and leaves them with a resolution never to take them up again; he daily prays, and cries earnestly to God for strength against corruption, and wisheth, O that my ways were so directed, that I might keep thy statutes. He is not for God to day, and the devil to morrow. He is no Morning Saint, and evening Devil, but desires continually to walk with God in all well pleasing. A Gracious heart keeps a constant war with his lusts, the law of his members is evermore rebelling against the law of his mind. 
Rom. 7.   
Howsoever upon the assault of some furious temptation, (haply) he may be wounded and taken prisoner by some raging lust, which imperiously treads and tramples upon him; yet doth he not yield and give himself over to the power of lust. Grace within bestirs itself, the heart sighs and groans and seeks to God for succour. If thy case be thus, that thou abhorrest Satan and his snares, that thou delightest in the law of God concerning the inner man, 
Rom. 7 22  that thou ponderest with care and diligence willingly and setledly to follow the things of the Spirit, (that is) such things as the spirit prompts and suggests? Do you grieve inwardly for that dominion which the flesh exerciseth over you, lessening the power and practice of sin all you can? not leaving the reins to corruption to carry you whither it will, but rather holding it in with a bridle of righteousness.  
Doth not the fear of God in you (though sometimes driven from its station) still dwell as controller in your soul, repress refractory thoughts and affections, and sway your heart against the natural inclination, that you may keep God's word, that though you be interlaced with the flesh, yet you give the guidance of your life to the holy Ghost, loving that he may have the principality in you? 
1 Pet. 4.  Do you chiefly attend your spiritual being, 
Col. 3.  and principally affect things in heaven, and not things on earth? Dost thou submit to the commandment with pleasure in it, so as thou canst truly say: 
Psal. 40.  I am content to do thy will, yea thy law is within my heart.  
Dost thou lay hold upon good thoughts and desires so soon as they offer themselves unto thee, welcomming them in the kindest manner into thy heart, and constraining them by a respective usage to stay still with thee? so soon as any good motion arises, dost thou (fear the deceitfulness of thy heart, and) pray with David, knit my heart; this fickle fugitive heart of mine is always ready to steal from thee, knit it O Lord, and tie it fast unto thyself, that as it is now with thee, so it may still continue. O Lord keep this frame of the thoughts of thy servants heart for ever.  
Are thy failings, matter of daily humiliation unto thy soul? Dost thou find and feel that nothing under the Sun, more stings and pierces thy soul, than to be now and then overtaken with sinful passions, or carried away with the swinge of any corruptions, against thy godly purpose and resolutions?  
Dost thou love righteousness itself, as righteousness, be the thing and subject of never so small a nature? And dost thou hate sin, as sin, be it never so little in thine eye? Is the one precious to thee for his sake whom it resembles, and the other loathsome because it opposes the Almighty? Dost thou obey God out of a love of goodness, seeing a beauty in the ways of holiness, being humbled when thou hast done thy best, that thou canst bring no more glory to him, & dost thou love righteous men for righteousness sake? Is thy service ready and cheerful, without repining and delay? Canst thou be content to obey against profit, pleasure, credit, liberty, ease, the liking of the world, or carnal friends, preferring Gods commandments above all things, yea life itself? 
Mat. 16. 25  Art thou sensible of the dishonour done unto God, and more vexed for that, than for any disgrace or injury offered to thyself? it is a good sign.  
But art thou quick sighted into the faults of others, and indulgent towards thine own, it is an ill symptom.  
The best men are most severe against themselves, and tender over others. A gracious heart dislikes sin in any, but in himself most of all. He is very backward in censuring others, but exceeding forward in accusing himself. None can say so much against him, but he is ready to say much more. He loveth goodness in the greatest enemy, and hateth sin even in the greatest friend.  
Art thou conscionable of the least offence, as well as the greatest, cherishing an universal hatred of all sin in thy soul, whether secret or open, without exception, and carrying a constant purpose and resolution in nothing willingly to sin against God; but whatsoever thou knowest to be a sin thou wilt not deliberately do it for all the world, at all times, and in all places, though no eye sees thee, and it may be beneficial unto thee? Here is a notable sign that grace hath gotten the upper hand, when as thou preferrest virtue before vice, even then when in humane reason, virtue will be the loser, and vice the gainer. An unsound conscience is large, and can swallow down any thing; the sincere conscience is straight, and the least bone, though but such as are in little fishes, will stick in her throat. Neglect of smaller matters may justly bring our obedience in greater matters in suspicion; the same God that requires our fidelity in the one, requires it also in the other. A gracious heart, is like the eye, troubled with the least more, & certainly he that is unjust in a little, will be also unjust in much.  
Is the uprightness of others of God's servants, more highly esteemed by thee than thine own? Dost thou see greater excellencies in them than in thyself? Feelest thou no bottom in other men's praises, when thy heart tells all is not well within. An humble Christian hides himself in the closet, and as in prayer, so in all good duties shuts the door, he is much affected with a sense of his own infirmities, resting itself wholly upon the power of God, to be perfected in her weakness, and is many times more humbled, for the mixtures and defilements of good works, than for some works simply evil in themselves; he desires to be good, rather than to be thought so.  
Are the sins of others, and the sorrows of the Church, as sensible and bitter to thy soul, as thine own? Canst thou forget thyself, and thy particular business to lay these to heart?  
Dost thou rejoice always to be crossing and thwarting thyself in those succours, and supports of sin which thy corruption suggests?  
Is that experience which thou hast of sin, and of grace, no dead but a stirring experience, quickening thee to duty, and mortifying corruption in thee, so as not only knowledge, but conscience also sways thee to Christian duties? and art thou as careful to persevere in grace, as once to embrace it, these are good signs.  
Cheer up therefore thy drooping spirit, the Lord by the power of his grace hath taken possession of thee. Nothing but grace alone, is able to keep the love of sin out of the heart, though peradventure some other thing may keep it out of thy hand. Civility and hypocrisy may a little snib sin, or bid it for a while stand aside, and give way to better things, but it is only grace that strikes this Goliath dead. It is only the spirit which subdues the flesh.  
But we must know, there is a great deal of difference, between forsaking of sin, through the strength and power of grace, and for other carnal ends and by-respects; for an hypocrite may sometimes forsake sin, (not out of any love to God, or hatred of ill, but) because sin leaves him, happily he fears it will be some loss or discredit to him, or else fit means and opportunity of committing it, serve not his turn, and therefore he forbears. It is nothing for a man to be chaste, where there is no provocation to uncleanness. Here was the trial of Joseph's integrity, that though the occasion were offered by his own Mistress to do the deed, in such secrecy and security that no eye perceived it, yet the fear of God overruled him. Many seem to be meek and moderate men, while they are well dealt with, but let some injury be offered and the contrary will appear: That we are indeed, which we are in temptation; Examine thy heart then in this particular, what is the ground of that divorce which seems to be betwixt thee, and thy old lusts? If it flows from any thing in the world, but the love of God and goodness, thou art in a wretched condition, be thy thoughts of thyself never so pleasing.  
Art thou one whose heart likes well of sin, though thou canst not or darest not commit it? Art thou one who when thou art convinced and rebuked of thy failings, thy heart riseth against the reproof, though for thy credit, and profit sake, thou seemest to welcome, and thankfully entertain the same. I tell thee thou art in a dangerous condition, thou hast but weak and slender evidence of the spirits prevailing in thy heart.  
But why saith the Apostle here, 
Quest.  ye shall dye, and not, ye shall be damned; in as much as that is chiefly meant?  
Because the Spirit of God would drive men from sin, 
Answ.  by that which is most fearful, to their present apprehension; the remembrance of death doth more forcibly move the mind, than the remembrance of Hell, though hell be a thousand times more grievous than death for our affection is moved according to our knowledge of the thing: that which most ways is known, affecteth most, we know hell only by faith, but we know death to be fearful by reason and sense, because we feel it growing upon us every day.  
The opposition made here by the Apostle warns us, that a necessity lies upon us to mortify our sinful lusts. It stands upon our lives, unless we slay sin, sin will not fail to slay us. It is like a Serpent in our bosom which cannot live, but by sucking out that blood whereby we live. What pitiful folly is this? we hate them which pursue our bodily life, we eschew them by all means that would spoil us of our worldly goods, only we cannot hate Satan to the death, who seeks by sin to spoil us of eternal life.  
That same commandment which was given to Adam and Eve, 
Every sin is as the forbidden fruit.  If ye eat of the forbidden tree ye shall dye, is in effect here given to us all, If you live after the flesh you shall dye; let not us make an exception where God hath made none; every sin to us is that forbidden tree to Adam, if we meddle with it, we shall find no better fruit than he found: Bitter death grows upon the pleasant tree of sin, for the wages of sin is death.  
It is therefore a point of great wisdom to discern between the deceit of sin, and the fruit of sin. He that would rightly know the face of sin when it stands before him, to tempt him, let him look back to the tail of that sin which he hath already committed, and the sting which it leaves behind it. The perishing pleasures of sin are paid home with everlasting perdition; it is done in a moment, but brings forth death, and breeds a worm that will never die. Men may sleep in their sin, but their damnation sleeps not.  
Every man's state in this life, is a prediction of that condition which he shall have hereafter. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall reap immortality and life. No man cometh to heaven, or hell, but by the way that leads thereunto. A wicked life is a thorow-way to the place of darkness. But a godly life is the direct path to salvation. As the tree falls, 
Eccles. 11.  so it lies, and it commonly falls on that side, which did most bend towards the earth before: if the greatest growth of our affections and actions, spring out after the spirit, no doubt, we shall fall on the right hand and be blessed; but if otherwise they grow downward, and thou live after the flesh, assuredly thou shalt fall on the left hand and perish irrecoverably.  
We shall not be judged according to the particular instant of our death, but according to our general course of life; 〈◊〉 according to our deeds in that present, but according to the desires of our hearts before.  
But seeing they who walk after the flesh are dead already, 
Object.  why doth the Apostle say, You shall die?  
I answer, 
Answ.  both are true, every ungodly person is now dead, but yet a more fearful death abides them. For albeit they be dead in sin, and deprived of the favour of the Creator, yet the vain comforts of the creature do so bewitch them, that they know not how miserable and wretched they are, but when the last sentence of damnation shall be pronounced against them, they shall not only be banished from the presence of God, into everlasting perdition, where the fire of the Lords indignation shall perpetually torment them, but they shall also be stripped of all comfort and refreshment from the creature whatsoever. The least degree of their punishment shall be a fearful famine of worldly supportments.  
He that knows any thing of the narrow way to heaven, of the nature of God's justice, and the cunning sleights of Satan, of the difficulty of true repentance, and how fearfully man's heart is hardened, by custom and continuance in sin, would not delay making peace with God, till his last hours, for ten thousand worlds.  
Which when I consider, 
Use.  I cannot but deplore the iniquity of our times, wherein not only carnal men have set themselves to work all manner of sin with greediness, but even they which heretofore have probably seemed to mortify the deeds of the body, do now renew the battle, and are in outward view reconciled and shake hands with the flesh: Now are the days wherein the love of many shall wax cold, when men shall be lovers of themselves, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Oh how is the Spirit quenched, and the flesh inflamed every where? show me the man that truly endeavours the suppressing of sin. Oh this is a hard task, it requireth much patience, and vigilancy, and will bring no small pain and sorrow to the flesh in the end. What then? be not dismayed, thy future peace will more than recompense thy present trouble. What avails a little outward flashy joy, when the conscience is disquieted and vexed within? who would redeem a moment of pleasure, with eternity of pain? All is but bitter sweets, so long as sin reigns. What is the reason of these fearful outcries, and desperate conclusions of Christians, concerning their spiritual estate? Whence is it that they taking Satan's part in accusing and condemning themselves, do utter such doleful exclamations as these; when conscience is throughly awakened.  
Alas, I have most wretchedly spent the prime and strength of mine age in vanity and pleasure, in lewdness and lust: The best of my time hath been woefully wasted in obeying Satan and serving myself, and therefore though I be weary of my former ways and look back upon them with a trembling heart, and grieved spirit, yet I am afraid God will never vouchsafe to cast his eye of compassion upon my soul. Though I have been a professor long, yet many times my heart is full of doubting when I call to mind the heinousness of my unregenerate life, and see since I was enlightened and should have behaved myself in forwardness and fruitfulness for God answerable to my former folly and licentiousness in evil, so many slips and imperfections every day, and such weak distracted discharging of duties commanded both towards God and man, that my very spirits sink within me. Many times when I reach out the hand of my faith to fetch some special promise into my soul, for refreshing and comfort, comparing advisedly my own vileness and nothingness, with the riches of mercy and grace shining therein, I am overwhelmed with admiration, and think with myself, how is it possible that this should be? Can such glorious things belong to such a wretch and worm as I am? I cannot deny but there is mercy enough in God, but for me, such a notorious wicked liver as I am, mercy for me, surely it cannot be. Alas; I have been no ordinary sinner, my corruptions have carried me beyond the villainies of the vilest creature you can name, the enormity of my ways have set an infamous brand upon me in the sight of the world, besides those secret pollutions and sinful practices which no eye ever beheld save God alone. Had I not been extremely outrageous, and gone on thus with a high hand, I might have had some hope, but now all expectation fails me; I despair of salvation, etc.  
Oh the fears and perplexities which pursue the soul when sin is once committed, conscience unpacified will rave, and drag a sinner before God's tribunal. The sting of an accusing conscience is like an Harlot, 
Prov. 7.  more bitter than death. Who so pleases God shall escape from it, but the sinner shall be taken in it. Conscience being disquieted, no earthly thing can assuage and mitigate it.   

Ye shall live.  
After that God hath called, justified, and sanctified a poor sinner, he glorifieth him at last with himself in eternal bliss. Death is but a sleep to such as are in Christ, wherein the body is separated from the soul, rotting in the earth a while, that it may be the more capable of glory hereafter; but the soul is immediately transported into heaven, and there remaineth unto the last judgement, praising God, and expecting the consummation of the Kingdom of glory.  
Before the coming of Christ, the powers of heaven shall be shaken; Sun and Mooone shall suspend their light, the stars shall seem to fall from heaven, the Elect shall rejoice, the reprobate shall tremble; the whole universe shall be consumed with fire, and depart with a noise of the chariot wheels, the earth and elements, with the works thereof, shall be consumed in a moment, and brought to nothing. At the same time shall the trumpet be heard, sounded by an archangel, & Christ shall come in the clouds with great power & glory, with a troop of angels. Then the Elect which were dead, at the hearing of the trumpet, shall rise with their bodies, and the rest alive shall be changed in a moment, and all of them shall be made like the glorious body of Christ. After which, they being gathered before the throne of God, shall be separated from the reprobate, and carried in the air, & set upon the right hand of God, where they shall hear this sentence; Come ye blessed, etc. After which they shall enjoy everlasting happiness: the parts whereof is eternal life and perfect glory. This eternal life is that fellowship with God, whereby God of himself is life unto the Elect. They shall not need meat, drink, sleep, air, heat, cold, breath, physic, apparel, the light of the sun, or moon; for the spirit of God shall be instead of all these, from whom immediately they shall be quickened for ever. Their glory consisteth in this that they shall continually behold the face of God. 2. They shall be like unto Christ, just, holy incorruptible, glorious, honourable, beautiful, strong, nimble. 3. They shall possess the new heavens, and the new earth, they shall joyfully praise and laud the name of the Lord world without end.  
FINIS.    

A Table of the principal heads.  

A  
DIsorderly Affections discovered. Page 41  
Misery of being guided thereby. 47  
Antidotes against sin. 65   

B  
BEginnings of sin to be resisted. 190  
Better be in hell than offend Christ. 197  
Body not to be pampered. 220   

C  
HOw a man may know whether his heart be carnal. 87  
Conscience corrupted, and how. 33  
What a stirring conscience is. 35  
Carnal men indocible. 38  
Corrupt motions natural to a carnal heart. 61  
A fleshly conscience described. 93  
The distress of conscience that betides the wicked. 154  
The estate of a creature cursed of God. 131  
Rejoicing to cross a man's self a sign of sincerity. 244   

D  
DEath, what is meant by it here. 127  
What the first death is. 141  
The second death described. 133  
Then the most secret sin shall be discovered. 149  
Danger of being unarmed. 191 & 218  
Discovery of a true Christian: or, infallible marks to try himself by. 236  
Christians should discern betwixt the deceit of sin, and the fruit of sin. 252   

F  
FAith a special means to overcome temptations. 212  
How it doth this. 213  
Nothing hurts us so much 〈◊〉 our own flesh. 220  
Forsakings of sin different. 246  
Fl●sh, what it signifieth. 7  
It disperseth sin into the whole man. 11  
Why natural corruption is called by the name of fl●sh. 8  
It cleaves close to our nature. 50  
What it is to be fleshly minded. 31  
It derives venom upon every action. 51  
It tempts daily. 52  
It continually wars against the spirit. 55  
It is unwearied in sinful follicitations. 59  
It reigns in natural men. 57  
Not so in the godly. 100  
They are part flesh, and part spirit. 101  
We must fight with Satan, if we would overcome him. 186   

G  
GRace abides not in a carnal memory. 96  
How a man may know whether grace hath got the upper hand in him. 230  
Grace cannot stand with the Regiment of sin. 232  
Nothing but grace can subdue sin.  
To be deprived of God's favour, an unspeakable misery. 141 246   

H  
HEart narrowly to be watched. 64  
An unsound one discovered. 99  
The thorn in our flesh should humble us. 70  
Want of Humiliation very prejudicial to the soul. 73  
Symptoms of a good heart. 237  
Hypocrites speak after the spirit, and live after the flesh. 107  
Hypocrisy, the danger of it. 170   

L  
LAw hath a double use. 1  
Little sins very dangerous. 117  
Lust grows never old. 62  
Loss of God's presence, what it is. 138  
loathsomeness of sin described. 194   

M  
MIsery of being under the flesh. 16  
Memory corrupt through sin. 36  
How discerned. 94  
No member to be trusted alone. 85  
Man by nature uncapable of goodness. 27  
He hath nothing in himself to glory of. 80  
Mortification described, discovered. 165 & 183  
How we are said to mortify sin. 174  
Means to subdue the flesh. 185  
Marks of a spiritual Christian. 239  
Jealousy over our hearts, a means to keep out sin. 69  
Licentious Ministers reproved. 106   

O  
Original sin a hereditary disease. 48  
It overspreads the whole man. 88 & 49  
It is full of propagation. 63  
Its manner of tempting us. 81   

P  
FLesh powerful to bring about its projects. 57  
Policies of the flesh, to be studied. 76  
Pride, disableth to resist temptations. 192  
Provision for the flesh must be hindered. 219  
Peace with the flesh dangerous. 226  
Carnal Professors reproved. 109  
Discovered. 112  
Our present condition, a prediction of our future. 253  
Price of sin infinite. 199   

R  
SInners shall be exceedingly reproached at the day of judgement. 146  
Root of sin must be killed. 171  
Reason, a weak thing to expel temptations. 214   

S  
Soul, corrupted by sin. 23  
Sin must be slain, or it will slay us. 250  
Signs of a fleshly mind. 50  
Sin the greatest ill. 197  
Heinous sins waste the conscience. 116  
To live in any sin, a sign we are under Satan's bondage. 120  
Many begin in the spirit and end in the flesh. 109  
Impenitent sinners shall surely be damned. 122  
Society with the devils, every sinner's portion. 151  
The Spirit only can mortify the flesh. ●5  
Sin is not driven away with an ●●gry lock. 186  
Signs of the Spirits prevailing in us. 235  
A Christians strength is in God. 216 & 193  
Severity against our own sins, a blessed sign of grace. 240   

T  
TEmptations of the flesh undiscernible. 77  
Tenderness of conscience a special preservative against sin. 201  
It is a great blessing. 202  
Yet may be turned into a curs. 203  
Trial of a true Christian. 166   

V  
Voice of conscience to be harkened to. 206  
Universal hatred of sin, discovers a gracious heart. 241   

W  
WIll since the fall corrupted. 39  
A corrupt will discovered. 96  
Men weak in themselves. 176  
Every sinner underualues the blood of Christ. 200   
FINIS.