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.

5. Sinne is a monstrous foule thing, defiling euery thing it toucheth, so that our holy God can vpon no condition ioyne with it.

OH▪ my soule! when shall I begin to know what sinne is? Beleeue me, could I be perswaded to know sinne to be that which my blessed God by Scripture cleares sinne to be, neuer Pilot was more carefull to haue his ship kept from a rocke or sand, neuer wayfaring man was more warie to haue himselfe preserued from the hands of robbers▪ then thou, ô my soule, wouldst be to haue thy selfe kept from sin. Would subiects, being Dukes, Marquisses, Earles, and so ••orth, refuse to lay aside that which they were resolued by the Kings patent vnder his great seale, would de∣priue them of his loue, countenance, com∣panie, and maintenance? Now sinne, saith my blessed God, speaking to me by Scrip∣ture, is that onely foule thing, vnto the which that cleane God of heauen cannot draw neare, is that onely foule thing

which cannot possibly draw neare him, which cannot possibly abide where he is, which cannot possibly enter where he is. Shalt thou neuer begin grauely to consi∣der with thy selfe, ô my soule, what things blessed Iesus, clothing himselfe with the nature of man, was heartily content to take vpon him, and what that was which he would no wayes vpon any condition meddle with? A soule, with all the powers of it, like vnto thee, ô my soule, Iesus will take on, a bodie in all the members of it like vnto this my bodie, he will not refuse to put on. Yea, am I subiect vnto anie in∣firmitie vnto the which he did not wil∣lingly subiect himselfe? Yea, what shall I say, did he not contentedly vndergo pin∣ching pouertie in his birth, in the whole course of his life, and in his death? Did he refuse to be banished and exiled from his natiue countrey, while he was yet in his swadling cloathes? Did he not endure ha∣tred and fearefull contempt, often wee∣ping, but neuer laughing, for any thing we can reade? Yea, did he refuse to be be∣traied by one who did eat in the dish with him, to be deliuered to a strange Iudge by those of his owne nation, whom he came

to saue, to be accused by them, he many a day trauelled to haue wonne to God, to the end that through faith in him they might haue bene excused before his barre? And finally did he refuse to haue his righteous soule propined with the bitterest cup of Gods wrath, and his sacred bodie to be scourged, crowned with thornes, pierced with nailes, yea with the speare, in the end yeelding vp his holy blessed soule vpon the very cursed tree, and that betwixt two malefactors? And yet when all this is done and suffered by him, ô my soule, will he be a sinner as I, alas, am a sinner? No, no, a sinner as I am, he will not be. He will be content to be conceiued in the bosome of a woman, to be borne of a woman, to liue a man a∣mong men, to dye as a man in the sight of men, to the end that he may saue sinfull man; but he will no wayes be conceiued in sinne, be borne in sinne, liue in sinne, or dye a sinner,* 1.1 but separate from sinners. And therefore he is conceiued without sinne of the holy Ghost, borne without sinne of the virgin Marie, liued so without sinne, that none of his enemies could accuse him of sinne; yea he dyeth so for sinners that

he who condemned him, behooued to absolue him,* 1.2 saying, I know no fault in him, I am innocent of the bloud of this iust man. Must not sinne then, ô my soule, be a vile foule thing, yea be that onely foule thing which that cleane God of heauen abhor∣reth, and which should be abhorred by all those who would proue themselues to be∣long to God; truly seeing holy, wise, hum∣ble, Iesus would no wayes meddle with it, as with that which is not only worse then any thing, but the onely euill? O when shall Kings, Princes, great men, meane men, yea beggers, thinke sin to be worse then pouertie, then banishment, then ha∣tred, then contempt, then scourging; yea then crucifying, and that in leud compa∣nie? Could this onely euill thing sinne be seene by men, as it was seene by sweet Ie∣sus, sinners would be rarer, who now be so fearefully frequent. Beside this, ô my soule, sinne is that which cannot vpon any condition abide where the God of hea∣uen abides. Tell me, tell me, must not those Angels who sometimes possessed the hea∣uens, Gods dwelling place, be cast out of them, so soone as this onely euill thing sinne lights vpon them? Must not Adam

possessing Paradise, defiling himselfe with sinne, be put out of doores presently with his sinne? Neither shall euer sinne, ô my soule, be able to enter where God is; for that Ierusalem which is aboue,* 1.3 can admit no vncleane thing. As sin is a foule thing, ô my soule! so sinne is a defiling thing. But what doth it defile? The soule of the sin∣ner, the bodie of the sinner, his hall, his chamber, his boord, his bed, his meate, his drinke, his clothes; yea the very stones and timber of his house, and so all which belongeth to him. Hearest thou not the Spirit saying vnto thee, ô my soule, Vnto the pure are all things pure,* 1.4 but vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure, but euen their minds and consciences are defiled. Hearest thou not the Spirit saying to thee againe,* 1.5 He that coueteth an euill co∣uetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, to escape from the power of euill, thou hast consulted shame to thine owne house by destroying many people, and hast sinned a∣gainst thy owne soule, for the stone shall crie out of the wall, & the beame out of the timber shall answer it. Finally, sin is a fearefully and monstrously defiling thing, for it defileth not onely sinfull man with all that which

belongeth vnto him, but it defileth euen the very cleane things of God, when they are handled by man being defiled: first thereby making those cleane things of God not onely to be foule, but to be ab∣homination before his Maiestie, who o∣therwise hauing commanded them doth take speciall delight in them. What cleane thing is more cleane then prayer is in it selfe, and yet hearest thou not Salomon say∣ing to thee,* 1.6 ô my soule, He that turneth a∣way his eare from hearing the Law, euen his prayer shall be abhominable. Yea, hearest thou not Isaiah bringing in the Almighty God speaking thus in the eares of the Princes of Iudah, and people of Ierusalem, What haue I to do with the multitude of your sacrifices,* 1.7 saith the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and of the fat of fed beasts, and I desire not the bloud of bullocks nor of lambes, nor of goates. When ye come to ap∣peare before me, who requires this at your hands, to tread in my courts? Bring no moe oblations in vaine: incense is an abhomination vnto me, I cannot suffer your new Moones, nor Sabbaths, nor solemne dayes (it is iniqui∣tie) nor solemne assembles. My soule hateth your new moones, and appointed feasts, they

are a burthen vnto me, I am wearie to beare them: and when ye shall stretch out your hands I will hide my eyes from you, and though ye make many prayers, I will not heare, be∣cause your hands are full of bloud. What if this could be seene and considered by men, ô my soule, ô with what an hatred would sinne be hated, ô with what a care would sinne be eschued! While I am without the house of God, sinne defileth me with all belongs to me, and when I enter within the house of God, it maketh me, alas, euen there to defile the very cleane things of God. Thy God, ô my soule, may abide to looke vpon the co∣lour of any thing, may suffer the smell and fauour of any thing, but the colour and smell of sinne he may no wayes abide. And ô would to God that man could learne in this point to resemble his holy maker. The basest begger cannot abide the sight and smell of a priuie, for when he drawes neare vnto it, he withdrawes his face from it, and closeth vp his nosthrils: and yet, a∣las, euen the brauest courteour can abide the sight and smell of idolatrie, blasphe∣mie, oppression, murther, adulterie, drun∣kennesse, &c. The men of this world con∣fesse,

ô my soule, that such and such things haue their owne colour, their owne smell, but when shall they learne out of that blessed and onely worthie booke of God (alas in this dead age drowned in A∣theisme, scoffingly and disdainefully cast behind backs with this prophane speech, It is but the Bible) to know, and knowing to perceiue, that sinne and righteousnesse want not their owne colour, want not their owne smell? Those who haue read and considered that heauenly sweetest booke of the Canticles, must know that pietie and righteousnesse be white and fa∣uourie, and that sinne and iniquitie be blacke and loathsome, before him who commands the one and condemnes the o∣ther. Out of this sense Bernard could say, being carefull to informe vs, heartily wil∣ling to reforme vs:* 1.8 Habent & mores colores suos, habent & odores, vitia sunt nigra, virtus est candida. Euen manners haue their owne colours, and haue also their owne smell, for vices be fouly blacke, and vertue shining white. This moued old Isaacke, speaking of his blessed sonne, enriched with grace and clothed with righteousnesse, thus to speake:* 1.9 Behold the smell of my sonne is as the

smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. This moued our God, as hath bene alled∣ged, looking vpon the foule praiers of the foule Iewes, thus to reiect them both. When you shall stretch out your hands,* 1.10 I will hide mine eyes from you, and though ye make many prayers, I will not heare, for your hands are full of bloud. Could these things be duly weighed, ô my soule, ô how reue∣rently & greedily wouldest thou hearken vnto, & ô how carefully wouldest thou o∣bey that wholsome exhortation giuen lo∣uingly by the God vnto the Iewes, pollu∣ted with sinne, and by sinne polluting e∣uen his whitest things? Wash you, make you cleane,* 1.11 take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes: ceasse to do euill, learne to do well. But what must thou do, ô my soule, to the end that this so profitable a coun∣sell may be followed by thee? The Spirit clearing this point to me, saith: Let vs change our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit, and grow vp to full holinesse in the feare of God.* 1.12 And againe, Change your hands ye sinners: purge your hearts ye waue∣ring minded. Bernard considering this, can thus resolue me: Duo nobis purganda sunt, intellectus & affectus: Intellectus vt nouerit,

affectus vt velit. We haue two things which we must change, our vnderstanding and our affection: our vnderstanding to the end that it may know, our affection that it may learne to will well. Knowest thou, ô my soule, what maketh men to commit sinne with plea∣sure, and what is that which moues them first to neglect, and then to despise holi∣nesse? Surely nothing beside the want of true heauenly light in their mindes, and the want of true loue and hatred in their hearts: for if they could see sinne to be sinne as it is, and perceiue holinesse to be holinesse as it is: would they not, seeing sinne thus, hate sinne, would they not per∣ceiuing holinesse thus, loue holinesse? And if their heart could truly hate sinne, would their hand attempt to commit sinne? If their hearts could truly loue holinesse, would their hands be stayed from the ex∣ercising of holinesse? The sense hereof moued Bernard to say:* 1.13 Non parum profecit anima tua cuius immutata voluntas, cuius il∣luminata ratio est, vt bonum & velit & no∣uerit. In altero vitam, in altero visum rece∣pit. Nam & malum volendo mortua erat, & bonum ignorando coeca. Thy soule hath not profited a little, whose will is changed, whose

reason is enlightened, so that it both knoweth and willeth that which is good. By the one it hath receiued life, and by the other sight. For by willing that which is euill, it was dead, and by being ignorant of that which is good, it was blind. Could this be considered, ô my soule, ô then that wholesome counsell lo∣uingly giuen to thee by that meeke Lambe, who came to saue thee, would heartily be embraced by thee:* 1.14 I counsell thee to annoint thine eyes with eye-salue, that thou mayest see. Yea could this be well re∣garded by thee, thou wouldest alwayes crie with Dauid:* 1.15 Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law, giue me vnder∣standing and I shall keepe thy Law, yea I shall keepe it with my whole heart.* 1.16 Create in me a cleane heart ô God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Heb. 7. 26.
• * 1.2

  Ioh. 18. 38.
• * 1.3

  Reuel. 20. 27.
• * 1.4

  Tit. 1. 15.
• * 1.5

  Haba. 2. 9. 10. 11. 12.
• * 1.6

  Pro. 28. 9.
• * 1.7

  Isai. 1. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
• * 1.8

  Bern. in Cant.
• * 1.9

  Gen. 27. 27.
• * 1.10

  Isai. 1. 15.
• * 1.11

  Isa. 1. 16. 17.
• * 1.12

  Iam. 4. 8.
• * 1.13

  Bern. ser. 58. Cant.
• * 1.14

  Reuel. 3. 18
• * 1.15

  Psal. 119. 18. 34.
• * 1.16

  Psal. 51. 10.