more, God would take care of my comfort: but when I mind myself, and my condition so much, and his service, glory and honour so little, no wonder that I am so much discouraged. Therefore, labour more and more to mortify self-love, and so shall you never be discouraged, whatever your condition be. ; 6. In case that temptation press in upon you, and urge you to sad discouragements, speak to this purpose unto your own soul. Why should I buy my repentance at so dear a rate? There is none of all these doubtings, unbelieving fears and discouragements, but you will be ashamed and repent of afterwards. You know how it is with the traveller, he thinks the sun is not yet up, and so he loiters and sits down ; but the sun creeping up behind the cloud, at last breaks out upon his face, and is got before him, and then he says, O what a fool was I, to think the sun was not up, because I saw it not, what an unwise man was I thus to loiter and sit down! So it will be with you you now lie down upon the earth, and your belly cleaves to the dust by reason of your discouragements; but the grace of God and the love of Christ, is creeping up behind the dark cloud, and it will break out at the last upon you, and shine into your face with the golden beams of mercy; it will prevent you, and be before you; and then you will say, Oh, what a fool was I to be thus discouraged, what an unworthy creature I, to doubt thus of God's love; I have sinned, I have sinned by all my unbelief: now the Lord pardon me all my doubtings, I am, O Lord, ashamed of these my doubtings and questionings of thy love, pardon them, O Lord, unto my soul. This is that which you must come to, you must at last be ashamed and repent of these your unbeliefs, doubtings and fears, and therefore whenever they press in upon thee, say at the first unto thyself, Why should I buy my repentance at so dear a rate, by yielding unto these discouragements? And for this very reason, because that discouragements are to be repented of, therefore the saints and people of God have no reason to be discouraged, whatever their condition be. And thus have I spoken to this truth under a more general consideration; through grace I shall labour to clear it further to you by particulars. SERMON IV. A LIFTING UP IN CASE OF GREAT SINS. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me, &c".-Psalm xlii. 11. THE doctrine or observation that now we are pressing from these words, is this: That the saints and people of God, have no reason for their discouragements, whatever their condition be; no just, true, scripture reason, for their discouragements, whatever their condition be. It is clear by the words, and proved the last day by some general considerations. Now more particularly, to make it out by divers instances. Nine things there are, which usually are the grounds and occasions of the discouragements of God's people. I. Sometimes their discouragements are drawn from their greater and grosser sins. II. Sometimes they do arise from the weakness of grace. III. Sometimes they are taken from their failing in and non-acceptance of duty. IV. Sometimes they are drawn from their want of evidence for heaven, and non-assurance of the love of God. V. Sometimes they do come from their temptations. Sometimes from their desertions. VI. VII. Sometimes from their afflictions. VIII. Sometimes from their unserviceableness. Now if in all these respects, the saints and people of God have no reason to be discouraged, then we may safely conclude, that a godly man should not be discouraged whatever his condition be. I shall labour, therefore, through the grace of Christ, to make out this great truth unto you in all these respects, and begin with the first at this time. I. Sometimes the discouragements of the saints and people of God, are drawn from their sins, their greater and grosser sins: the peace and quiet of the saints and people of God is many times interrupted by their sins. Oh, says one, I am a man or woman of a rebellious heart, I have so slight a spirit, so unholy and uneven a conversation, that when I reflect upon my heart and life, I cannot but be discouraged. I know, indeed, it is a great evil for a man to labour under a sore temptation, or a sad desertion; but were my heart good, my life good, my conversation good, I should not be discouraged; but as for me, I have committed and do commit such and such great sins, have I not reason, and just reason now to be discouraged? No, for discouragement itself is a sin, another sin, a gospel sin; now my sin against the law, is no just cause why I should sin against the gospel. I confess, indeed, there is much evil in every sin, the least sin is worse than the greatest affliction; afflictions, judgments and punishments are but the claws of this lion; it is more contrary to God than the misery of hell: Chrysostom had so great a sense of the evil of it, that when the empress sent him a threatening message, Go, tell her, said he, Nil nisi peccatum metuo: I fear nothing but sin. And, in some respects, the sins of the godly are worse than the sins of others, for they grieve the Spirit more, they dishonour Christ more, they grieve the saints more, they wound the name of God more, they are more against the love, and grace, and favour of God than other men's sins are. And the Lord doth see the sins of his own people; yea, so far he sees sin in them, that he doth chastise and afflict them for it; not only from their sin, but for their sin; and therefore, saith the apostle, in 1 Cor. xi. 30, speaking of the unworthy receiving of the Lord's supper, "For this cause many are sick and weak among you." And he doth not speak only of saints in appearance, and in church estate, but of such also as were saints indeed, and therefore he saith, "We are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." He puts himself in; We are judged that we may not be condemned with the world. Our Saviour Christ saith, Rev. iii. 19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent."* It seems, then, it was for sin committed, else why should he say, Repent; and, repent therefore? Repentance is for sin committed already, and these were such as he loved too, whom * Όσους δε φίλω ελεγχω παιδευω ζήλωσον ουν και μελανόησον. he threatens thus to rebuke and chastise; and doth any father rebuke, chastise, or correct his child only from sin, and not for sin? Was not Moses a gracious and a holy man? and yet for his unbelief and sin he lost the land of Canaan. Was not Samson a good man? and yet by his sin he lost his eyes and his life too. Was not David a gracious and a holy man? and yet for his sin the Lord said, "The sword should never depart from his house;" and yet Christ had made satisfaction for his sin too, as well then, as for the saints now. But now, though there be never so much evil in the sins of God's people, yet they have no reason, no just cause or scripture reason to be cast down, and to be discouraged in that respect. But how may this appear; that notwithstanding the sins of God's own people do grieve the Spirit of God, are a dishonour to Jesus Christ, and do wound the name of God, and the profession of Christ so much; that yet the saints have no reason to be discouraged or cast down? 1. They know, or they may know, that they shall never be condemned for their sin, whatever it be. "There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus," saith the apostle. Christ was made sin for them; and if Christ be made sin for me, then my sin shall never hurt me. Luther is bold here, for saith he, Christ is made sin-damning, our sin is sindamned: I confess, indeed, said he, that I have sinned, but sin-damning is stronger than sin-damned, and Christ was made sin-damning for me.* The thing is true, though the expression be strange; Christ was made sin for saints, therefore their sin shall not hurt them. It stands not with the justice of God to exact the payment of one debt twice. Now the Lord Jesus Christ hath not only been arrested, but in gaol for the debt of the saints and people of God, and he hath paid it to the utmost farthing; he hath paid it better than they could have paid it themselves, if they had gone to hell: for if a godly man had gone to hell, and been damned for ever, he would have been always paying, but the debt would never have been paid: Christ paid it all down for the present. And if you look into Scripture, you will find, that * Fateor me peccasse, sed peccatum meum damnatum in Christo est, qui est peccatum damnans; est autem peccatum illud damnans, fortius peccato damnato.-Luther. the Lord doth not condemn a man, no not a wicked man, barely for the act of his former sin, but because he will not turn from it. Psalm vii. 11, "The Lord is angry with the wicked every day :" verse 12, "If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready; he hath prepared for him the instruments of death, he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutor." The Lord hath prepared instruments of death against every wicked man; but yet, notwithstanding, though a man be never so wicked, if he turn unto the Lord, God will not discharge those instruments of death upon him, yea, though his sins have been never so great; but, saith the text, "If he turn not," (not because he hath sinned before, only, but because he turns not from his sin,)" he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready." Now there is, always, in the saints and people of God, a turning disposition, although they do sin against God; there is always, I say, a turning disposition in them, and therefore the Lord will not discharge the instruments of death upon them: surely, then, they have no reason to be quite discouraged in this respect. 2. As godly men shall never be condemned for their sins, so their sins shall never part God and them. What is the seeming reason why some are so discouraged about their sins? but because they think they shall not only lose the face and presence of God by their sins, but that they shall lose God himself. But now, I say, the sins of the godly shall never part God and them; their sins may hide God's face: but as their sins did not hinder God and their coming together at first, so their sins shall never part God and them: their sins may cause a strangeness between God and them, but shall never cause an enmity; their sins may hide God's face from them, but shall never turn God's back upon them: those whom God loves, he loves unto the end: "I am the Lord that changeth not," saith he. And as the prophet Isaiah speaks: "As the covenant that the Lord made with Noah, such is the covenant that he makes with his people." Now look into Genesis, chapter viii., and you shall see what the covenant is that the Lord made there with Noah, and with the world by Noah. When Noah came out of the ark, he built an altar, and sacrificed; verse 21, "And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and the Lord said in his heart, I will |