A69449:65
The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behaviour of a man in the act of the new birth A treatise by way of appendix to the former. By Isaac Ambrose, minister of Christ at Preston in Amounderness in Lancashire.The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behavior of a man in the act of the nevv birth A treatise by way of appendix to the former. By Isaac Ambrose, minister of Christ at Preston in Amounderness in Lancashire.
London: printed by J.F. for Nathanael Webb and William Grantham, 1650
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now are we to observe the disposition of the soul on mans part, which God works on the hearts of whom he draws. It is known in two works:
NOw are we to observe the disposition of the soul on mans part, which God works on the hearts of whom he draws. It is known in two works:
Contrition, whereby the soul is cut off from sin. Humiliation, whereby the soul is cut off from it self.
For so it is, that either the soul seeth no need to depart from sin, or else it thinks it can help it self out of sin; the first is called Security, when the soul being blind, takes rest, and seeing no need to be better, desires it not therefore: Against this the Lord sends Contrition, causing men thereby to know the misery of sin, and to see need of a change: The second is Carnal Confidence, ⟨p. 17⟩when a sinner begins to seek succour, and to scramble for his own comfort in his self-sufficiency; against this the Lord works Humiliation, causing the soul hereby to see the weakness and emptiness of its Duties, and that there is enough in its best services to condemn him for ever. Before we speak of the works, it is not amiss to begin with the lets.
For so it is, that either the soul seeth no need to depart from sin, or else it thinks it can help it self out of sin; the first is called Security, when the soul being blinde, takes rest, and seeing no need to be better, desires it not therefore: Against this the Lord sends Contrition, causing men thereby to know the misery of sin, and to see need of a change: The second is Carnal Confidence, ⟨p. 17⟩when a sinner begins to seek succor, and to scramble for his own comfort in his self-sufficiency; against this the Lord works Humiliation, causing the soul hereby to see the weakness and emptiness of its Duties, and that there is enough in its best services to condemn him for ever. Before we speak of the works, it is not amiss to begin with the lets.
The first is Security: When the soul is taken up with a secure course, and rests it self well apaid in his own practises, and therefore it never seeth any need of a change, nor ever goes out for a change: Now while a man lives thus, and blesseth himself in his sin, it is impossible that ever he should receive faith, or by the power of faith repair unto Christ: where faith comes, it ever works a change, Old things are done away, and then all things are become new; the Lord therefore to remove this let, he burdens the soul extremely, and says, You will live in drunkenness, in covetousness; you will have your sins, then take your sins, and get you down to hell with them. At this voice the Sinner begins to see where he is: Is this true? (saith he) then I am the most miserable creature under heaven; therefore as they said, Men and 1brethren, what shall we do? We have been thus and thus, but if we rest here, it will be our ruin for ever, O what shall we do? So the soul comes to a restless dislike of it self, and saith, I must either be otherwise, or else I am but a damned man for ever.
The first is Security: When the soul is taken up with a secure course, and rests it self well apaid in his own practises, and therefore it never seeth any need of a change, nor ever goes out for a change: Now while a man lives thus, and blesseth himself in his sin, it is impossible that ever he should receive faith, or by the power of faith repair unto Christ: where faith comes, it ever works a change, Old things are done away, and then all things are become new; the Lord therefore to remove this let, he burthens the soul extremely, and says, You will live in drunkenness, in covetousness; you will have your sins, then take your sins, and get you down to hell with them. At this voyce the Sinner begins to see where he is: Is this true? (saith he) then I am the most miserable creature under heaven; therefore as they said, Men and 1brethren, what shall we do? We have been thus and thus, but if we rest here, it will be our ruine for ever, O what shall we do? So the soul comes to a restless dislike of it self, and saith, I must either be otherwise, or else I am but a damned man for ever.
2. When the soul is thus resolved that it must of necessity change, when it seeth his wound and his sin ready before him to condemn him, and it hath (as it were) a little peep-hole into hell; the soul in this distress sends over to Prayer, and Hearing, and holy services, and thinks by his wits and Duties, or some such like matters, to succour it self; and it begins to say, My hearing and my prayer, will not these save me? Thus the soul in conclusion rests on Duties: I will not say but these Duties are all good, honourable and comfortable, yet they are not Gods, but the Ordinances of God. It is the nature of a sinful heart, to make the means, as meritorious to Salvation: A man that seeth his Drunkenness and his base contempt of God, O then he voweth and promiseth to take up a new course, and he begins to approve himself in reformation of his ways, then he cries, Now I will have no more drunkenness, now no more scoffing and scorning at those that go to hear the Word: and then he thinks, What can I do ⟨p. 18⟩more? to heaven I must go. All this is but a mans self: Why so? Christ (who is the Substance of all) and the pith of a Promise is forgotten; a Christ in hearing, a Christ in praying is not regarded, and therefore the poor soul famisheth with hunger. Mistake not, I pray you, these Duties must be had and used, but still a man must not stay here: Prayer saith, There is no Salvation in me; and the Sacraments and Fasting say, There is no Salvation in us: all these are subservient helps, no absolute causes of Salvation. A man will use his bucket, but he expects water from the well; these Means are the buckets, but all our comfort, and all our life and grace is only in Christ: if you say, your bucket shall help you, you may starve for Christ, if you let it not down into the well for water: So though you boast of Praying, and Hearing, and Fasting, and of your Alms, and building of Hospitals, and of your good deeds, if none of these bring you to a Christ, or settle you on a Christ, you shall dye for Christ, though your works were as the works of an Angel. As it is with a graft therefore, first it must be cut off from the old stock; secondly, it must be pared, and made fit for implantation into another: so the soul by Contrition being cut off from sin, then Humiliation pares it (pares away all a mans privileges) and makes it fit for the engrafting into Christ Jesus.
2. When the soul is thus resolved that it must of necessity change, when it seeth his wound and his sin ready before him to condemn him, and it hath (as it were) a little peep-hole into hell; the soul in this distress sends over to Prayer, and Hearing, and holy services, and thinks by his wits and Duties, or some such like matters, to succor it self; and it begins to say, My hearing and my prayer, will not these save me? Thus the soul in conclusion rests on Duties: I will not say but these Duties are all good, honorable and comfortable, yet they are not Gods, but the Ordinances of God. It is the nature of a sinful heart, to make the means, as meritorious to Salvation: A man that seeth his Drunkenness and his base contempt of God, O then he voweth and promiseth to take up a new course, and he begins to approve himself in reformation of his ways, then he cryes, Now I will have no more drunkenness, now no more scoffing and scorning at those that go to hear the Word: and then he thinks, What can I do
Thus much of the lets, and of the works of Contrition and Humiliation in general.
But for a further discovery of these two necessary things, we shall now enter into particulars, and begin first with Contrition; which contains these steps:
BUt for a further discovery of these two necessary things, we shall now enter into particulars, and begin first with Contrition; which contains these steps:
A sight of sin. Sense of Divine wrath. Sorrow for sin.
The first step is A sight of sin; and sin must be seen Clearly. Convictingly.
First, Clearly: It is not a general sight, and confused sight of ⟨p. 19⟩Sin that will serve the turn; it is not enough to say, It is my infirmity, and I cannot amend it, we are all sinners: no, this is the ground why we mistake our evils, and reform not our ways; a man must search narrowly, and prove his ways, as the Goldsmith doth his gold in the fire: I considered my ways, (saith David) 1and turned my feet unto thy testimonies; in the Original, I turned my sins upside down, he looked all over his ways. And this clear sight of Sin appears in two particulars:
1. A man must see his Sin nakedly in its own proper colours, we must not look on Sin through the Mediums of profits, and pleasures, and contentments of this world, for so we mistake Sin: but the soul of a true Christian that would see Sin clearly, he must strip it of all content and quiet that ever the heart received in it; as the Adulterer must not look upon Sin in regard of the sweetness of it, nor the Covetous man on his Sin in regard of the profit of it: you that are such, the time will come when you must dye, and then consider what good these sinful courses will do you: How will you judge of Sin then, when it shall leave a blot on your Souls, and a guilt on your Consciences?
2. A man must look on Sin in the venom of it; and that you may do partly, if you compare it with other things, and partly, if you look at it in regard of it self. 1. Compare Sin with those things that are most fearful and horrible; as suppose any soul here present were to behold the damned in Hell, if the Lord should give any one of you a little peep-hole into Hell, that you saw the horror of the damned, then propound this to your heart, What are those pains which the damned endure, and your heart will shake and quake at it; yet the least Sin that ever you did commit, is a greater evil (in its own nature) then the greatest pains of the damned in Hell. 2. Look at Sin simply as it is in it self, what is it, but a profest opposing of God himself? A sinful creature joins side with the Devil, and comes in battle Array against the Lord, and flies in the face of the Lord God of Hosts. I pray you in cold blood consider this, and say, Good Lord, what a sinful wretch am I? that a poor damned wretch of the earth, should stand in defiance against God! that I should submit my self to the Devil, and oppose the Lord God of Hosts!
2. A man must look on Sin in the venom of it; and that you may do partly, if you compare it with other things, and partly, if you look at it in regard of it self. 1. Compare Sin with those things that are most fearful and horrible; as suppose any soul here present were to behold the damned in Hell, if the Lord should give any one of you a little peep-hole into Hell, that you saw the horror of the damned, then propound this to your heart, What are those pains which the damned endure, and your heart will shake and quake at it; yet the least Sin that ever you did commit, is a greater evil (in its own nature) then the greatest pains of the damned in Hell. 2. Look at Sin simply as it is in it self, what is it, but a profest opposing of God himself? A sinful creature joyns side with the Devil, and comes in battel Array against the Lord, and flies in the face of the Lord God of Hosts. I pray you in cold blood consider this, and say, Good Lord, what a sinful wretch am I? that a poor damned wretch of the earth, should stand in defiance against God! that I should submit my self to the Devil, and oppose the Lord God of Hosts!
Secondly, Convictingly, that Sin may be so to us, as it is in it self; and that discovers it self in these two particulars:
1. When we have a particular apprehension in our own person, that whatsoever Sin is in general, we confess it the same in our own souls: It is the cursed distemper of our hearts, howsoever we hold the Truth in general, yet when we come to our own Sins, to deny the particulars. The Adulterer confesseth the danger and filthiness of that Sin in gross, but he will not apply it to himself: The Rule therefore is, Arrest thy soul (whosoever thou art) of those sins particularly whereof thou standest guilty; To this purpose, say, Is Murder, and Pride, and Drunkenness, and Uncleanness such horrible sins? O Lord, it was my Heart that was proud, and vain; it was my Tongue that did speak filthily, and blasphemously; my Hand that wrought wickedness; my Eye that was wanton, and my Heart that was unclean and filthy; Lord, here they are: Thus bring thy Heart before God.
1. When we have a particular apprehension in our own person, that whatsoever Sin is in general, we confess it the same in our own souls: It is the cursed distemper of our hearts, howsoever we hold the Truth in general, yet when we come to our own Sins, to deny the particulars. The Adulterer confesseth the danger and filthiness of that Sin in gross, but he will not apply it to himself: The Rule therefore is, Arrest thy soul (whosoever thou art) of those sins particularly whereof thou standest guilty; To this purpose, say, Is Murther, and Pride, and Drunkenness, and Ʋncleanness such horrible sins? O Lord, it was my Heart that was proud, and vain; it was my Tongue that did speak filthily, and blasphemously; my Hand that wrought wickedness; my Eye that was wanton, and my Heart that was unclean and filthy; Lord, here they are: Thus bring thy Heart before God.
2. When the soul sits down with the audience of Truth, and seeks no shift to oppose Truth revealed: when the Lord comes to make racks in the hearts of such as he means to do good to, the Text saith, He will reprove the world of sin; that is, He will 1convince the world of wickedness: he will set the soul in such a stand, that it shall have nothing to say for it self, he cannot shift it off. The Minister saith, God hates such and such a sinner; And the Lord hates me too (saith the soul) for I am guilty of that sin. Thus many time, when a sinner comes into the Congregation (if the Lord please to work on him) the mind is enlightened, and the Minister meets with his corruptions, as if he were in his bosom, and he answers all his cavils, and takes away all his objections: with that the soul begins to be in a maze, and saith, If this be so (as it is for ought I know) and if all be true that the Minister saith, then the Lord be merciful unto my soul, I am the most miserable sinner that ever was born.
2. When the soul sits down with the audience of Truth, and seeks no shift to oppose Truth revealed: when the Lord comes to make racks in the hearts of such as he means to do good to, the Text saith, He will reprove the world of sin; that is, He will 1convince the world of wickedness: he will set the soul in such a stand, that it shall have nothing to say for it self, he cannot shift it off. The Minister saith, God hates such and such a sinner; And the Lord hates me too (saith the soul) for I am guilty of that sin. Thus many time, when a sinner comes into the Congregation (if the Lord please to work on him) the minde is illightned, and the Minister meets with his corruptions, as if he were in his bosom, and he answers all his cavils, and takes away all his objections: with that the soul begins to be in a maze, and saith, If this be so (as it is for ought I know) and if all be true that the Minister saith, then the Lord be merciful unto my soul, I am the most miserable sinner that ever was born.
