66 6 as miserable offenders." Praying him "pitifully to behold the sorrows of their hearts. "2 And that being tied and bound with the chain of their sins, the pitifulness of his great mercy may loose them:"The remembrance of their sins being grievous; the burden of them intolerable:" Yet let them wait on the Lord, as David saith; let them but wrestle like Jacob, crying, I will not let thee go unless thou bless me:5 Though sorrow endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning. Indeed, all that are truly of a broken and contrite spirit, ever do, and ever will cry out thus to God for help. If any do not, they are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and taken captive by the devil at his will. For never did the mariner long with greater desire for the haven, the drowning man for the shore, or the parched ground for the early and the latter rain, than a truly awakened soul for a saviour: And whoever feels these desires, can never cease from crying out till the Deliverer come." P. According to you, this painful estate is preferable to the quiet of those who never felt such heavy distress. D. Greatly to be preferred to the careless and deluded condition of many, whose false se and sickness: If they deny this, they mock God in using the words: to acknowledge it, is to prove the necessity of that redemption by Christ Jesus, which has been described. 1 Confession. 2 Litany. 3 Prayers. 4 Communion confession. 5 Gen. xxxii. 26. 6 Ps. xxx. 5. 7 Heb. iii. 13. 82 Tim. ii. 26. 9 Is. lix. 20. curity is their destruction.1 Our Lord saith, blessed are they that mourn; and the wise man, it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. That they never felt godly sorrow, is no proof they are to be envied, or their case to be preferred to the penitent. The only difference is, one is in the sure way to true peace; the other, is deceived by Satan, sin, the noise, hurry, and trifles of a vain and short life-in danger of going on till it be too late to recover. And besides, to condemn this godly sorrow, is to condemn scripture, and my exhortation to make confession. And let me tell you, that our reformers have gone the way I have described, and tell us plainly, that "when men feel in themselves the heavy burden of sin, and see damnation to be the reward of it, and behold with the eye of their mind the horror of hell; they tremble, they quake, and are inwardly touched with sorrowfulness of heart for their offences, and cannot but accuse themselves, and open their grief unto almighty God, and call upon him for mercy. This being done seriously, their mind is so occupied, partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink is laid aside, and they loath all worldly things, so that they like nothing more than to weep, lament, mourn, and with words and behaviour of body to show themselves weary of life.”5 1 See page 11. 2 Matt. v. 4. 3 Eccl. vii. 2. Ivii. 21. 5 First homily on fasting. 4 Is. P. Amazing! Surely this doctrine has no foundation in scripture? D. If so, you ought not to have subscribed this doctrine, but verily, the inspired writers expressly affirm it. Thus David: thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Again: Innumerable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up: they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart faileth me." Thus Heman, I am afflicted; and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off. Thus the three thousand, when they were pricked in their heart, cried, men and brethren, What shall we do? The publican smote on his breast, saying God be merciful to me a sinner.5 The jailer cried out, What must I do to be saved?6 The prodigal was perishing, and said, I will arise, and go to my Father, and say, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. A sinner in this state may be called a true penitent. P. It is a painful situation, how is it likely to end? D. It is written, Ask and it shall be given 9, 17. 1 Ps. xxxviii. 2, 4. 8. 2 Ib. xl. 12. See also li. 1, 8, 3 Ps. lxxxviii. 15, 16. 4 Acts ii. 37. 5 Luke 6 Acts xvi, 30. Luke xv. 18, 19. xviii. 13. you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened. He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. P. And is there no other way to heaven? D. "No other way but what is found in the word of God: And what I have described is that high way, the way of holiness. The Holy Ghost first convinceth of sin,+ and the soul being unenlightened, generally makes many hard, ineffectual efforts to deliver itself, and procure a righteousness of its own; but being baffled and tired out by vain endeavours, and despairing of all help, Christ is then pleased to make their despondency the time and occasion of drawing them to himself: And to these he gives power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believe in his name." P. Are you sure this will be the happy issue of all that are thus humbled before God, and seek his favour? D. When the wicked man turneth from his wickedness, he shall save his soul alive. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Again: Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. And how sweetly, and according to scripture, do I minister salvation to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? For 1 Matt. vii. 7. 5 John xii. 32. 9 Is. xxvii. 5. 2 Ps. xxxiv. 18. D while they are prostrate before the Lord, I enjoin, in the Rubric, the minister to arise, and declare, not like my brother Pulpit, who, making light of sin, pronounces absolution, and safety, to all the impenitent that come within the sound of his voice, but to the poor in spirit, that "He pardoneth all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel." And lest the adversary should discourage the penitent by false reasoning and subtle temptation, to question the truth of this doctrine, I prove it from the creed, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." And from the liturgy, grant us thy peace." "Give us that peace which the world cannot give. "1 66 "Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Lord."2 "Grant we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people, pardon and peace." "Give him unfeigned repentance for all the errors of his life past, and sted fast faith in thy son Jesus, that his sins may be done away by thy mercy, and his pardon sealed in heaven before he goes hence and be no more seen. And from the communion. 'Almighty God, our heavenly father, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and, strengthen you in all goodness, and bring 66 1 Second collect for evening prayer. 2 Collect for Ash-Wednesday. 3 Twenty first Sunday after Trinity, and twentyfourth, to the same effect. 4 Visitation of the sick. |