the confideration of our finnes difquiet us, and make us feek for cure. This is our duty from their example, and it is a good figne of diftination, to fhew us whether we be of the number of thofe that fhall be: faved whether of the good fish that fhall be gathered together, or the bad fish that fhall be caft out, Matthew the thirteenth chapter and. the fourty eighth verfe: So if we pertain to God, we shall feel this pricking at our hearts, after we have heard the word.

The caufe of this compunction is his auditis, that is, they had heard a fpeech of St. Peter, which did difquiet them, till they asked counfel of Peter and the reft. The word of God of its own nature, hath no fuch operation, for the Patriarch Job faith, Job the twenty third chapter, It was agreeable to him as his appointed food: And David, Pfalm the nineteenth, faith, The Commandements of the Lordrejoyceth the heart, and is sweeter than the honey and the honey-combe: But yet ic hath this effect in regard that it meeteth with that which is an enemy to our Salvation, that is finne,the deputy of Sajan,as the word is Gods fubftitute. Without the Law finne is dead; but when the Commandement came finne revived, Romans the feventh chapter and the eighth verfe; for finne is a fting, the first epiftle to the Corinthians the fif teenth chapter, which lyeth dead fo long as it is not reproved : Bur when it is reproved by the commandement of God, then it reviveth and ftings the heart; it makes men have a confcience of finne, He-. brews the tenth chapter, and when finne is difquieted, the heart alfo wherein it refteth is difquieted; For the words of the wife are as goads and pricks, Ecclefiaftes the twelfth chapters and Matthew the fift chapter, as falt and mustard feed; Matthew the thirteenth chapter, as wine; To a putrified fore, Luke the tenth chapter. So that whe ther we refpect the old or new Teftament, we fee the words have this effect to difquiet finne, efpecially fuch words as Peter spake to his Auditors out of the Prophet Joel, where he fheweth, that as Chrift hath a day of refurrection, which is paft; whereby he gave his ApoAtles thofe gifts of the fpirit; fo he hath another day, which is the fearfull and great day of Judgement; when the word of the Rulers fhall not be enough, for them that have killed the Lord of life, (though they promised to ferve them harmleffe, Matthew the twenty eighth chapter:) For here they fhall give an account of their cruelty to Chrift.

And thirdly whereas he moveth them to repentance, Firit, In this confideration of the day of Judgement Secondly, of the finne they committed, that they flue and crucified Chrift: Thirdly, of the grie voufneffe of their finne, that he was the fonne of God whom they dealt thus with; and every finne hath a fting, but especially murther: For the remembrance of it ftings the confcience fo as it cannot be quiet. Now in that they not only committed murther, but murthered fuch a one as was both a holy and just one, As the third chapter, and the bleffed fonne of God, this could not but difquiet their hearts; as we see the remembrance of the day of Judgement is fuch athing as made Felix tremble, Acts the twenty fourth chapter. And

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when we hear of the Judgement to come, it fhould bring out of us these questions Jeremiah the eighth chapter and the fixt verfe, Quid feci and Ifaiah the fifty feventh chapter and the fourth verfe, Cui fecifti upon whom have you gaped. To confider not only the finne we have committed, but the perfon against whom; that it is God of all Majestie and power: And Matthew the twenty first chapter, Quid faciam? that is, he confiders of the Judgments of God which belong to us: For thefe fo grievous finnes, these are means to prick our hearts at the hearing of the word. But yet we fay, though the word of God hath this nature, yet except the work of the fpirit doe concur with the word, the confcience is feared, the first epistle to Timothy and the fourth chapter, and cannot be touched with any thing: The foul is poffeffed with the gangrene, that is, without life and feeling, fo that it hath no fenfe, be it pricked never fo deeply, the fecond epistle to Timothie the first chapter; but he that feels himself pricked in heart for his finnes may affure himself his confcience is not feared, but hath a heart of flesh eafily to be touched with forrow for finne; and that his foul is not dead in finne, but liveth fpiritu ally.

In the Queftion we have to obferve, Firft, that this compunction made him fpeak; for, as the Wife-man faith, Qui pungit cor educit fermonem. So here when they were pricked, they faid Men and Brethren; as if the holy Ghost should fay, if a man lay nothing after he is pricked, it is no true compunction: For if when men are moved inwardly with a feeling of their finnes, for all that, they fay nothing, nor feck direction of them that are skilfull, they doe fmother and detein the truth, Romans the first chapter.

Secondly, We muft obferve what they faid, and that was Quid faciemus? what shall we doe? As first the People, then the Souldiers, and after the Publicans,faid to S. John the Baptift, Luke the third chapter; which is the fecond thing to be noted; that as true compunction is not dumb, fo not idle, but would be doing fomthing: they fay not What fhall we fay? but What shall we doe? Quid faciemus? as if the fame fpirit which pricked their hearts had also taught them, that fomething must be done. The like queftion did St. Paul make, being pricked, Domine, quid vis me facere? Acts the ninth chapter and the fixt verfe; So the Angel faid to Cornelius, Goe to Foppa, and Simon shall tell thee what thou oughteft to doe, Acts the tenth chapter; So faid the Jayler to the Apostles. Acts the fixteenth chapter, What shall I doe that I may be faved, I and my boufhold, and that I may be rid of the pricking of my conscience? For as compunction must not be filent ; so neither muft it be idle or unfruitfull in the knowledg of the Lord, the second epiftle of Peter the first chapter.

Thirdly, Observe after what manner they said, What shall we doe? and that was not as Cain and Judas laid, Genefis the fourth chapter, and Matthew the twenty feventh chapter; Their what to doe, Quid faciemus? was a note of defparation : Nor as the Pharifees faid defparately in their fury and rage, What shall we doe? John the eleventh

chapter,

chapter. If fuch have their finnes laid before them, their hearts will not be pricked, but cleave afunder, as they to whom St. Stephen 1pake Acts the eighth chapter. The heart may be caft down with too much grief, fo as a man fhall fay with Cain, My finne is greater than can be forgiven; or elle moved with malice and be pricked, fo as they will prick again as they that being pricked with the reproof of the Propher, lay, Let us fting him with our tongues, as he hath ftung our hearts, Jeremiah the eighteenth chapter and the eighteenth verfe; for this is the effect which the word of God hath in many that are wicked. But that which Peters Auditors fay, is fpoken in heavineffe, and a defire to have finne that doth dilquiet them, (that which the Apostle calleth the fin that doth fe easily befet us, dagisatov ayaprian, Hebrews thetwelfth and the firft verfe) taken from them: This their heavineffe makes them conformable to Chrift, and therefore is commendable in them : For it is Gods will, that fuch as fhall be faved, be made conformable to the Image of his fonne, Romans the eighth chapter and the twenty ninth verie, for Chrift was pierced not only with a bodily fpear in his fide, but with grief of foul; And as he suffered of compaffion over us; fo we must suffer in compaffion with him.

Out of that which the ancient Fathers obferve in Sorrow, we have five things to note: First, That fomething may be done as a remedy against finne. For albeit we have finned never fo grievoufly, yet there is hope,tamen adhuc fpes eft, Efdras the tenth chapter and the second verfe; here is hope of fome means to be used; which if it be done, as Ezechiel the eighteenth chapter, privata veftra non erit vébis Domine fcandalum. Secondly, By that which they fay is to be gathered, that as fomething may be done, fo it ought to be done, that the terror of minde being removed, we may be affured of the favour and grace of God. Thirdly, They fhew they are ready to doe it, not like thofe of whom the Prophet faith, I know when I have fhewed you what you should doe, you will not doe it, Jeremiah the fourty third. But thefe are ready to doe whatsoever shall be appointed as a remedy for them. Fourthly, As they are ready, fo withall they confeffe their ignorance, that of themselves they know not how to rid themselves from finne : As the Eunuch faid, Acts the eigch chapter, How can I understand without an Interpreter? Fiftly, They feek to Peter and the other Apostles, becaufe God had lately enlightned them with the grace of his fpirit, and confequently were skilfull, and could tell them what to doe; and therefore they are bound to commit themselves to them, as to their Phyfitian, to doe whatsoever they fhall prescribe for the cure of their fouls. So that if there be any, that being in ftate of finne, doe for all that either think that nothing can, or that nothing ought to be done, but shall say defparately, Jeremiah the eighteenth chapter or, as if it were not needfull to be done, fhall refufe to doe it; or think they know well enough what to doe without direction, contrary to the Apoftles opinion, in the firft epiftle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter, Are all Apoftles? For though firft we fay meerely, We know we all have knowledge, the first epiftle to the Corinthians the eighth

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chapter and the first verfe; yet after he faith, every one hath not knowledge, and therefore mult ask counfell of thofe that can give it ş or elle thall refufe to be directed by fuch as doe know, therefore are not like to be eafed of the fting of confcience, but thall for ever have the worm of confcience gnawing them, and ever be difquieted.

The Apostles answer to this question is, in the fifty eighth verse, Refipifcite, &c.that is, there is fomething to be done, which is an argument of the great Mercy of God, and the virtue and power of the Sacrifice of Chrift, notwithstanding the greatneffe of their finnes. Here are two things fet down, Firft, By way of precept, Repent and be baptized. Secondly, Things by Chrifts promifes, Yee shall have your finnes forgiven, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Fitft, Peter prefcribes them what to doe, and fo fhewes that their finnes are remitted, which is a figne of Gods great mercy, though their finnes were grievous: For he that fhall offend his better, a man of fome credit, can hardly hope for pardon, much leffe if he offend the Prince or fome noble Perfon; But thefe offend the Majefty of God himself, which doth farre exceed the Majefty of earthly Princes: For of Chrift the elect Sonne of God they faid, in the twenty fixth chapter of Matthew, His blood be upon us, and they wrong ht defpight to the Spirit of Grace, Hebrews the tenth chapter; when they blafpheme the Holy Ghoft, accufing them of drunkenneffe, which were infpired with the Holy Spirit, Acts the fecond chapter and the thirteenth verfe: Yet the Apoftle telleth thefe grievous finners, there is hope of forgiveneffe, that to them which are yet fcarce cold from the flaughter of the Sonne of God, there is a remedy to help them. Wherein the Apostle followeth the rule which Chrit had before given the Apostles, in the twenty fourth chapter of Luke, To preachrepentance and remißion of finnes to mankinde, beginning at Ferufalem: If the doctrine of remiffion of finnes be firft to be preached to them, a mong whom Chrift was crucified, much more to the ends of the world: and that likes us well:

But fecondly, He tells us what we muft doe; he faith not, you shall live to doc nothing, but repent and be baptized. It is not enough to be pricked in the heart for finne past, but we must doe fomething. And he fpeaks first by way of precept, Repent, and that is, reft not in that paffive part, but know that when you are pricked in your hearts, repentance must be fhewed in your life: Wherewithall he fheweth, that compunction is not repentance; for here to these that were already pricked, he faith, Repent; and Feremie the thirty first chapter, After I converted, I repented; fo in the third chapter of the Acts of the Apofiles, Repent and turn, that your finnes may be done away fo it was given in charge to St. Paul, Acts the twenty fixth chapter, Repent and turne, and doe workes worthy of eternall life: Sothefe men fhewed forth thefe workes; for, as followeth.they were devout and liberall, distributing to all as they had need; the principall actions, either removing of the ill, that is, finne, which did difquiet their confciences, or the pofitive benefit, that is, the gift of the Holy Ghoft, which fhould

work

work in them the fruits of the spirit, meeknesse, parience, Galatians and be unto them an earnest and pledge of their Redemption and Salvas tion, in the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians, the firft chapter, and the fifth verle, Ephefians the first chapter and the thirteenth verle.

Tum alter ad alterum dixerunt, Nonne cor nostrum ardebat in no- Luke 24, 32. bis, dum loqueretur nobis in via, & dum adaperiret nobis

Scripturas?

HICH is another, or fecond paffion that com- April. 10. meth unto men at the preaching of the word; for 1600. as Acts the fecond chapter and the thirty feventh verfe, there were fome that fuffered a pricking at the heart upon the hearing of the word; fo here are others that fuffer an inflaining or burning in the heart: For if we look in verse the twenty firft, these two difciples with whom Chrift travelled, were dead in fpirit and cold in faith before the word was fpoken, for they confeffed nos antem sperabamus; But after our Saviour Chrift had spoken with them and opened the Scriptures, their hope revived, and their hearts waxed warme: Which, as it is a fruit and effect of the word in the hearts of the hearers; fo is it a certain figne and argument of the efficacy and operation of Chrift, which he fheweth in the miniftry of the word, as the Apoftle fpeakes, in the fecond epifle to the Corin thians, and the thirteenth chapter, Quärițis experimentum qui in me loquitar Chrifti, fo when we feel this burning in our hearts, it is a great comfort to us, and a figne that Chrift fpeakes in us and we must in fuch a cafe pray to God, that he will oftablish in we the good things that he bath begun, Pfalm the fixty eighth, if it work no fuch effect in us, we muft fufpe& our felves, and pray that we may have a feeling of the word when wee hear it, that whereas St. Peters Hearers, in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, had a pricking at their hearts, and those of Chrift felt a burning; we may be in the number of those hearers and not of those, of whom the Prophet teftifieth, in the fixth chapter of Ifaiah, and the ninth verfe, That have eyes, but fee not, eares, but such as are heavy and hear now, and a wardned bears, fo as though they bear, yes they understand not, because they should not convert and be faved: Which is a grievous curse and judgement pronounced and executed upon the unworthy hearers of Gods word, as Chrift fheweth, in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, and the eighth chapter of Lake: And therefore both our Saviour Chrift, in the twelfth chapter of John, and St. Paul, in the twenty eighth chape ter of the Acts of the Apostles, to conclude their preaching, fheweth this as a reason why their preaching was not received, because God

had