The godly mans iourney to heauen containing ten seuerall treatises. Viz. 1. An heauenly chariot the first part. 2. An heauenly chariot the second part. 3. The blessed chariots man. 4. The lanthorne for the chariot. 5. The skilfull chariot driuer. 6. The gard of the chariot. 7. The sixe robbers of the chariot. 8. The three rocks layd in the way. 9. The only inne Gods babes aime at. 10. The guests of the inne. By maister David Lindsey Minister of Gods word at Leith.

26. Let Satan farde sinne as he pleaseth, let men couer sinne as they can, sinne is a monstrous cruell thing, there∣fore beware to commit it, to continue in it.

OH, ô my soule, when shalt thou find eye salue to cleare thy sight, to the

end that thou mayest once see sinne in the owne vile colour of it? When shall that deaw come downe from heauen, which may happily soften thy heart, and make it so dilicately tender, that thou mayst once feele sinne in the owne weight of it, and so be made at length to know it in thy owne horrible nature, with all it drawes after it, and hath ioyned vnto it; and all to the end, that I before I be made to lay downe this earthly tabernacle, may be moued to abhorre it; yea to hate it, and with the hazard and losse of all I haue, to arme my selfe against it. Stop thine eares, ô my soule, against Satan, and close thine eyes vpon him also, when he speaketh to thee touching sinne, when he bringeth thee before sinne, or sinne before thee: for beleeue me, he will colour and farde it so, that he will make thee take it for some sweet, pleasant, wholesome apple, while it is that onely bitter and destroy∣ing poyson, which slayeth bodie and soule. Open thy eares, ô my soule, to heare thy God: enlarge thy heart, ô my soule, to beleeue thy God when he spea∣keth to thee touching sinne, for he will tell thee, that sinne is an vgly defiling

thing, and a monstrous vgly defiling thing; yea, that sinne is a cruell, mon∣strous defiling thing. Sinne is an vgly de∣filing thing, making the sinner foule; yea, euen foule in his eyes, before whom alone he hath speciall neede to be cleane; and so in the eye of God his maker, and iudge. Sinne is a monstrous, vgly, defiling thing: for none can possibly wash away that filth which it draweth vpon man, beside that cleane one Iesus Christ by his owne hands. Sinne is a cruell, monstrous, vgly thing; for euen this cleane one Iesus, can∣not possibly wash away this filth with his hands, but onely by the lauers of his precious bloud. Thou thinkest, ô my soule, that it is a great miracle, when thou hearest that Naaman the Syrian was clean∣sed of his leprosie, by washing himselfe se∣uen times in the riuer Iordan. Thou thin∣kest much of that poole, which being troubled by the Angell, was able to cure that man who first stepped in into it of whatsoeuer disease he had. Yea, thou meetest (as thou must confesse) with a strange wonder, when thou seest thy Maister with his owne hands, powring out water in a bason, and washing his dis∣ciples

feete. But ô what a wonder doest thou finde, ô my soule, beside Matthew in his 27. Marke in his 14. Luke in his 22. and Iohn in his 19. for there thou mayest see blessed Iesus, not rising from any table, but fixed to a tree, not powring forth wa∣ter to wash the feete of any, but yeelding forth, out of vnspeakable loue, and with incomparable contentment, his very heart bloud for the washing of the soules of all such, who can by a true liuely faith receiue this his bloud, and retaine the same. The Papist mixeth this bloud, as not sufficient for him, and mocketh it, as not onely re∣quisite for him: yea which is more, he a∣uowedly controlleth this which we speake, (being so taught of God) tou∣ching his bloud, as not alwayes requisite for him. And which I must necessarily deplore and lament, ô my soule, a very world of Protestants, in this our time, abuse this bloud of blessed Iesus, one∣ly able to wash sinners, as if it were not so precious, so honourable as holy Scripture affirmeth it to be. The blind Papist mixeth this bloud (as not suffi∣cient to wash away his sinnes) with the milke of his mother Marie, but spake

Isaiah the Prophet so, when he affirmed that none beside Iesus was wounded for our transgressions, and that we are not o∣therwise healed but by his stripes? Spake Zachariah so, when he saw that great fountaine opened for the house of Dauid, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleanenesse? Did he who was sent before blessed Iesus (to shew what a one Iesus was) see this which the blind Papist seeth? No, no, ô my soule, for is not this his testimonie touching him, Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world: yea did that man, who lay nearer our blessed Sauiour then euer Saint Francis or any Papist did, per∣ceiue this? No forsooth, for speaketh he not thus, The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinnes. The blind Papist, ô my soule, mocketh this also, as if Christs bloud were not fit onely to wash away sinne, and therefore he dare maintaine that those villanous Poenitentiaries (who are accustomed, with the Priests of Baal, cruelly to launce thēselues to the effusion of their bloud) do not lyingly thinke, that thereby they deserue remission of sinnes at the hands of that great Maiestie. O vile

Papist! be ashamed here, is not thy bloud such a bloud as thou thy selfe art? Vile art thou, for thou art a sinner, and I must think that thy bloud is as vile, for is it not the bloud of a sinner? and can the vile bloud of a vile sinner possibly pacifie the wrath of that holy God, before whom the hea∣uens are not cleane, and who found no stedfastnesse in his Saints? O vile Papist! was it euer lawfull to sacrifice a man to God? O wilfull, malitious, ignorāt Papist! could the very bloud of Iesus haue bene a sufficient sacrifice for sinne, had it not bene the bloud of him, who was not man onely, but God and man also, and there∣fore hearest thou not the Spirit affirming, that euen God by his owne bloud hath purchased a Church to himselfe? This mo∣ued that Peter (shamed by the Pope Peter, his alledged, but Iudas his true successor) to affirme, that we are not redeemed by any bloud, But by the precious bloud of Ie∣sus Christ that Lambe of God, vndefiled and without spot. O heauens, will ye not take part with your holy maker here against the hellish Papists? Much bloud saw that Sunne, which enlighteneth this earth, shed betwixt that day that Cain slue Abel, and

that day in which the bloud of Iesus was shed on the crosse, not preassing to hide his face: but did he behold the bloud of his maker, with any kinde of countenance, when it was shed? No, no, for he couereth his face from the third houre to the ninth. But no wonder, for before that day he ne∣uer saw, sanguinem purum & purificantem, cleane and cleansing bloud shed. O hard earth, wilt thou not here take part with thy Maister also, against the indurate Pa∣pist? Much bloud drankest thou in betwixt that day in the which Cain slue Abel, and that day in the which Iesus his bloud was shed, abiding in the meane time firme and stable. But canst thou, ô hard earth, abide stable when this honorable bloud of Iesus falleth vpon thee? No, no, for the verie graues open their mouthes, when that bloud beginneth to bedeaw thee, so that a great number who were dead arose, and went into the holy citie. Yea the very har∣dest stones did cleaue asunder when this bloud was shed; albeit the flintie heart of the Papist, harder then the stone, cannot be moued to thinke honourably of this bloud. Alwayes, ô my soule, no wonder it is, that the hard earth with the hardest

stones were so moued: for to that day she neuer dranke in any cleane and cleansing bloud. The Papist also, ô my soule, con∣trolleth this, as a manifest vntruth; for he would hold vs in hand, that sinnes may be washed away where no bloud is shed, for he is afraid to auow that his reall, externall vnbloudie sacrifice of the Masse (as he ly∣ingly and shamefastly, misled by that old shamelesse lier Satan, and that for his foule particular speaketh) is a sacrifice propitia∣torie, for the sinnes of the liuing here on earth, and of the dead in his impure foule Purgatorie? O Paul, wilt thou (led by the good Spirit of truth) subscribe with the Papist to this point? No, no, Paul answers, I will neuer, either subscribe neare hand, nor hearken afarre off vnto that abhomi∣nable lye; for as Christ Iesus no otherwise purchased a Church vnto himselfe then by bloud, so without bloud there is no remis∣sion (saith Paul.) Our sensuall Protestants, alas, ô my soule, turning the grace of God into damnable wantonnesse in this foule age, abuse fearefully this onely honorable, and meritorious bloud of Iesus: for he holdeth not the shedding of it for sinne, to be a sufficient meanes to affray him

from the committing of sinne, yea from wallowing in vncouth sinnes, euen with delight, as if he were some filthie swine, made with his face downward, and not a man whom God hath honored with his owne Image. Tell me, tell me, ô my soule, if any man would either of purpose, or with pleasure, defile his outward garment with any kinde of filth, if he could be per∣swaded that nothing could cleanse it a∣gaine, but a vessell full of his owne best bloud. Now telleth not the Scripture thee, ô my soule, that thou being defiled with sinne, canst not possibly be cleansed frō it, but by the bloud of Iesus onely. Shalt thou then at any time attempt to commit sinne of purpose, and to continue in sinne of purpose? and if thou darest do so, canst thou think thy selfe to be one, who either esteemeth honorably of that honorable bloud of Iesus, shed to cleanse thee, or re∣uerently and honorably of that blessed God who shed his bloud for thee?

Notes

• 1. King. 5. 14.
• Iohn 5. 4.
• Ioh. 13. 4. 5.
• Isa. 53. 5.
• Zach. 13. 1.
• Io••. 1. 29.
• Ioh. 1. 7.
• Iob 1. 15.
• Iob 15. 15.
• Act. 20. 29.
• 1. Pet. 18. 19.
• Mat. 27. 4.
• Mat. 27. 51. 5••.
• Heb 9. ••2.