is ever before him. As David said, 'For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me,' in mine eye, and sticketh fast in every one of my thoughts. Ps. li. 3.

to look any ways, and tliat on purpose to divert commands homewards all the faculties of the soul. their minds, and to call them off from thinking on No man can go out or off now. Now he is windwhat they have done; and by their thus doing, bound, or as Paul says, caught. Now he is made they bring many evils more upon their own souls: to possess bitter days, bitter nights, bitter hours, for this is a kind of striving with God, and a shew-bitter thoughts; nor can he shift them, for his sin ing a dislike to his ways. Would not you think, if when you are shewing your son or your servant his faults, if he should do what he could to divert and take off his mind from what you are saying, that he striveth against you, and sheweth dislike of your doings. What else means the complaints of masters and of fathers in this matter? I have a servant, I have a son, that doth contrary to my will. O but why do you not chide them for it: The answer is, so I do; but they do not regard my words; they do what they can, even while I am speaking, to divert their minds from my words and counsels. Why, all men will cry out this is base, this is worthy of great rebuke; such a son, such a servant deserveth to be shut out of doors, and so made to learn better breeding by want and hardship.

But the Publican would not divert his mind from what at present God was about to make him sensible of, no, not by a look on the choicest object, he would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven. They are but bad scholars, whose eyes, when their master is teaching of them, are wandering off of their books.

God saith unto men, when he is a teaching them to know the evil of their ways, as the angel said to the prophet, when he came to shew him the pattern of the temple; Son of man,' says he, 'behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee, art thou brought hither.' Eze. xl. 4. So to the intent that God might shew to the Publican the evil of his ways, therefore was he brought under the power of convictions, and the terrors of the law; and he also like a good learner gave good heed unto that lesson that now he was learning of God; for he would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven.

Looking downwards doth ofttimes bespeak men very ponderous and deep in their cogitations; also that the matter about which in their minds they are now concerned, hath taken great hold of their spirits. The Publican hath now new things, great things, and long-lived things, to concern himself about: His sins, the curse, with death, and hell, began now to stare him in the face; Wherefore it was no time now to let his heart, or his eyes, or his cogitations wander, but to be fixed, and to be vehemently applying of himself as a sinner, to the God of heaven for mercies.

Few know the weight of sin, and how, when the guilt thereof takes hold of the conscience, it

He would not lift, up so much as his eyes to heaven. THIRD, BUT SMOTE UPON HIS BREAST. This was the third and last of his gestures. He smote upon his breast; to wit, with his hand, or with his fist. I read of several gestures with the hand and foot, according to the working and passions of the mind. 'Tis said Balak smote his hands together, being angry because that Balaam had blessed and not cursed for him the children of Israel. Nu. xxiv. 10.

God says also, that he had smitten his hands together, at the sins of the children of Israel. Eze. xxii. 18. God also bids the prophet stamp with his feet, and smite with his hand upon his thigh, upon sundry occasions, and at several enormities, but the Publican here is said to smite upon his breast. ch. vi. 11; xxi. 12. And,

1. Smiting upon the breast betokeneth sorrow for something done, this is an experiment common among men. And indeed, therefore as I take it, doth our Lord Jesus put him under this gesture in the act and exercise of his repentance, because it is that which doth most lively set it forth.

Suppose a man comes to great damage for some folly that he has wrought, and he be made sorrowful for being and doing such folly: There is nothing more common than for such a man, if he may, to walk to and fro in the room where he is, with head hung down, fetching ever and anon a bitter sigh: and smiting himself upon the breast in his dejected condition; But smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.'

2. Smiting upon the breast is sometimes a token of indignation and abhorrence of something thought upon. I read in Luke, that when Christ was crucified, those spectators that stood to behold the barbarous usage that he endured at the hands of his enemies, smote their breasts and returned.'

And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smotc their breasts, and returned.' Lu. xxii. 48. smote their breasts; that is, in token of indignation against, and abhorrence of their cruelty, that so grievously used the Son of God.

Here also we have our Publican smiting upon his breast, in token of indignation against, and abhorrence of his former life. And indeed without indignation against, and abhorrence of his former life, his repentance had not been good. Where

negligence, carelessness, foolishness, or the like, | Atheist, or an Epicurean. Therefore the nonand this is the way in which men do lose their praying man is numbered among the heathens, souls. Now to lose a thing, a great thing, the and among those that know not God, and is only choice thing that a man has, negligently, care-appointed and designed by the sentence of the lessly, foolishly, or the like, why it puts aggrava- word to the fearful wrath of God. Ps. lxxix. 6. Je. x. 25. tions into the thoughts of the loss that the man has Conclusion Second, A second conclusion is, That sustained; and aggravations in the thoughts of the man that prays, if in his prayer he pleads for them go out of the soul, and come in upon a sud-acceptance, either in whole or in part, for his own den, even as the bailiff, or the king's sergeant at arms, and at every appearance of them makes the soul start; and starting, it smites upon the breast. I might multiply particulars; but to be brief, we have before us a sensible soul, a sorrowful soul, a penitent soul: one that prays indeed, that prays sensibly, affectionately, effectually. One that sees his loss, that fears and trembleth before God in consideration of it, and one that knows no way, but the right way, to secure himself from perishing, to wit, by having humble and hearty recourse to the God of heaven for mercy.

I should now come to speak something by way of use and application; but before I do that, I will briefly draw up, and present you with a few conclusions that in my judgment do naturally flow from the text, therefore in this place I will read over the text again.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican: I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.'

good deeds, is in a miserable state. This also is gathered from the Pharisee here, he prayed, but in his prayer he pleaded his own good deeds for acceptance, that is, of his person, and therefore went down to his house unjustified. Now to be unjustified is the worst condition that a man can be in, and he is in this condition that doth thus. The conclusion is true, forasmuch as the Pharisee mentioned in the parable is not so spoken of, for the only sake of that sect of men, but to caution, forewarn, and bid all men take heed, that they by doing as he, procure not his rejection of God, and be sent away from his presence unjustified. I do therefore infer from hence, that if he that pleadeth his own good doing for personal acceptance with God, be thus miserable; then he that teacheth men so to do, is much more miserable. We always conclude, that a ring-leader in an evil way, is more blame-worthy, than those that are led of him. This falls hard upon the leading Socinians and others, who teach, that men's works make their persons accepted of God.

True, they say, through Christ; but that is brought in as a *blandation, merely to delude the simple with, and is an horrible lie; for we read not in all the word of God, as to personal justification in the sight of God from the curse, and that is the question under consideration, that it must From these words I gather these several conclu- be by man's righteousness, as made prevalent by sions, with these inferences. Christ's, but contrariwise by his, and his only, without the deeds, works, or righteousness of the law which is our righteousness. Wherefore I say, the teachers and leaders of this doctrine have the greater sin.

Conclusion First, It doth not always follow, that they that pray do know God, or love him, or trust in him. This conclusion is evident by the Pharisee in the text; he prayed, but he knew not God, he loved not God, he trusted not in God; that is, he knew him not in his Son, nor so loved, nor trusted in him. He was, though a praying man, far off from this. Whence it may be inferred, that those that pray not at all cannot be good, cannot know, love, or trust in God. For if the star, though it shines, is not the sun, then surely a clod of dirt cannot be the sun. Why, a praying man doth as far outstrip a non-praying man, as a star outstrips a clod of earth. A non-praying man lives like a beast, nay worse, and with reference to his station, a more sottish life than he. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but [this man] Israel doth not know, [but this man] my people doth not consider.' Is. i. 3. The prayerless man is therefore of no religion, except he be an

Conclusion Third, A third conclusion is. They that use high and flaunting language in prayer, their simplicitly and godly sincerity is to be questioned, as to the doing of that duty sincerely. This still flows from our text, the Pharisee greatly used this; for higher and more flaunting language can hardly be found, than in the Pharisee's mouth; nor will ascribing to God by the same mouth laud and praise, help the business at all: For to be sure, where the effect is base and rotten, the cause cannot be good.

The Pharisee would hold himself in hand that he was not as other men, and then gives thanks to

* 'Blandation,' a piece of flattery. They flattered the Bishop of Ely with this blandation.'-Camden.

God for this: But the conclusion was most vilely | God. This is manifest by the condition of our false, and therefore the praise for it could not but Pharisee; he was a reformed man, a man beyond be foolish, vain, and frivolous. Whence I infer, others for personal righteousness, yet he went out that if to use such language in prayer is dangerous, | of the temple from God unjustified, his works, then to affect the use thereof is yet more danger- came to nothing with God. Hence I infer, that ous: Prayer must be made with humble hearts, the man that hath nothing to commend him to and sensible words, and of that we have treated God of his own, yet stands as fair before God for before, wherefore high, flaunting, swelling words justification, and so acceptance, as any other man of vanity becomes not a sinner's mouth, no, not at in the world. any time, much less when he comes to, and presents himself before God in that solemn duty of prayer. But, I say, there are some that so affect the Pharisee's mode, that they cannot be well if in some sort or other they be not in the practice of it; not knowing what they say, nor whereof they affirm; but these are greatly addicted to hypocrisy, and to desire of vain-glory, especially if the sound of their words be within the reach of other men's ears.

Conclusion Fourth, A fourth conclusion is, that reformation and amendment, though good, with, and before men, are nothing as to justification with

Conclusion Fifth, A fifth conclusion is, it is the sensible sinner, the self-bemoaning sinner, the selfjudging sinner, the self-abhorring sinner, and the self-condemning sinner, whose prayers prevail with God for mercy. Hence I infer, that one reason why men make so many prayers, and prevail no more with God, is because their prayers are rather the floatings of pharisaical fancies, than the fruits of sound sense of sin, and sincere desire of enjoying God in mercy, and in the fruits of the Holy Ghost.

The use and application we must let alone till another time.

A DEFENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION,

BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST;

SHEWING,

TRUE GOSPEL-HOLINESS FLOWS FROM THENCE;

OR, MR. FOWLER'S PRETENDED DESIGN OF CHRISTIANITY, PROVED TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN TO'
TRAMPLE UNDER FOOT THE BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD; AND THE IDOLIZING
OF MAN'S OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.

AS ALSO,

HOW WHILE HE PRETENDS TO BE A MINISTER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, HE OVERTHROWETH THE WHOLESOME
DOCTRINE CONTAINED IN THE 10TH, 11TH, AND 13TH, OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF THE SAME,
AND THAT HE FALLETH IN WITH THE QUAKER AND ROMANIST, AGAINST THEM.

BY JOHN BUNYA N.

Disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.'-1 PET. II. 4.

Printed for Francis Smith, at the Elephant and Castle; without Temple Bar, 1672.

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