The fort-royal of the Scriptures, or, The vade-mecum concordance presenting unto the world an hundred heads of Scripture, most of them common-placed for publique use : wherein all (especially the weaker sort of Christians) may suddenly command most of all the rarities in the book of God / by an admirer of the word.

XCVI. SINNE.

Generals.

UNder sharp affli∣ctions sin is very troublesome unto us, Job 13.23.

We drink up iniquity like water, Iob 15.16.

It is a wretched thing, like Adam to cover our sin and our iniquity, Job 31.33

Our sinning hurts not God, nor our righteous∣nes gives nothing to him: but doth profit our selves, Job 35.6.

Sin is a most intole∣rable and heavy burden Ps. 38.4.

It is God who must cleanse us from our sin, and wash us from our iniquity, Ps. 51.7.

We were shaped in iniquity, and in sin our mother conceived us, Ps. 51.5.

Our sins are not hid from God, Ps. 69.5.

It is wofull to have our sins and our iniqui∣ties set before God, and our secret sins in the

light of his countenance Ps. 90.8.

If God should mark iniquities, none should stand before him, but forgivenes is with him that he may be feared, Ps. 130 3.

Wicked men make a mock at it, Pro. 14.9.

Such who cover a transgression, seek love, Pro. 17.9.

There is no just man that doth good upon earth, but he sinneth, Eccles. 7.20.

Both Jew and Gentile are all under sin, Ro. 2.9

It should not reigne in our mortal bodies, Rom. 6.12.

The best fruit thereof is shame and in the end death, Rom. 6.21.

Open sins must be open¦ly rebuked, that others may fear, 1 Tim. 5.20.

It is a high provoca∣tion of God, not to acknowledge our sin, Jer. 2.35.

Great punishments usually come for great sins, Jer. 13.22.

Multitude of sins bring multitude of crosses, Jer. 30.17.

Man suffers for his si••, Lam. 3.39.

In our sinful estate God sees nothing in us to pity us for, Eze. 16.45

Nature.

It is a most heavy and intolerable burden, Ps. 40.12.

It presses God, as a cart is pressed under sheaves, Amos 2.11.

Until washt away, it wil be stil before us, Ps. 51.3.

It is deceitfull and hardening, Heb. 3.13.

Until forgiven it lies stil at our door lurking and crying for ven∣geance, Gen. 4.7.

It cooles our love, Mat. 24.12.

It is insatiable, Pr. 30.15

It is ful of fear, wea∣rinesse, labour, vexation and toil, Ps. 38.3, 5.

It denies the God above Job 31.28. Ps. 53.1.

It delights to cover sin, Job 31.33. Ps. 32.3.

It causeth shame, Gen. 3.8. Rom. 6.21. Ier. 2.26

It benums and stupi∣fies us, Pro. 22.23.

It is a punishment unto it self, Ier. 2.19.

It makes us wise to do evil, but to have no knowledge to do good, Ier. 4.22.

It usually is bad, con∣fident and presumptu∣ous, Ier. 9.7.10.

It is of a beastly nature Ier. 8.14. Ps. 73.22.

To bring men low, Ps. 106.43.

What.

It is the trasgression of the Law, 1 Ioh. 3.4.

It is usually accompa∣nied with multitude of words, Pro. 10.9.

All unrighteousnes is sin, 1 Ion 5.17.

The cursing of God in our hearts is sin, Iob 1.5

The thought of foo∣lishnes, Pro. 24.9.

Danger.

It fils mens bones ful of the sinnes of their youth, which shal go down with them to the grave, Iob 20.11.

Heaven will reveal it and the earth rise up against such, Iob 20.27,

It indangers us to be cast out in the multi∣tude of our transgressi∣ons, Ps. 5.10.

Thereby our life is spent with grief, and our yeers with sighing, and our strength consu∣ming our bons, Ps. 31.10

It stops the hearing of our prayers, Ps. 66.18.

Continuance therein, incurably may wound us, Ps. 6.21.

Such who cover it shal

not prosper, Pro. 28.15.

Such sinners lurk pri∣vily for their own lives,

They lye in wait for their own blood, Prov. 1.18.

To be turned to hell with all the nations that forget God, Ps. 9.17.

Cure.

God subdues all our fins, and casts our ini∣quities in the bottom of the Sea, Mic. 7.19.

They are to be done away by righteousnes,

And our iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, for lengthe∣ning out of our Peace, Dan. 4.27.

By washing to be cleane, and petting a∣way the evil of our do∣ings, Isa. 1.17.

By reasoning of the matter with God, by consenting and obeying being willing to be re∣formed, Isa. 1.18.

He blots out all our transgressions like a thick cloud, Isa. 44.22.

It is he who blots them out all for his own sake, & wil not remem∣ber our sins, Isa. 44.22.

By confessing and forsaking of them, we come to have mercy, Ps. 28.13. Ps. 32.4, 5.

By mercy and truth they are purged away, Pro. 16.6.

By not walking with nor consenting to sin∣ners, Pro. 1.10.

God is the best washer away of sinne, and the blood of Christ the best water to wash it away, Ps. 51.7. 1 Ioh 1.7. Ps. 130.8.

To stand in awe, commune with our own heart upon our bed, and be still,

To offer up to God Sacrifices of righteous∣nes, and to put our

trust in the Lord, Psal. 4.4, 5.

Multitudes of tender mercies removes the blots of them, Ps. 51.2.

End.

The end is death, with forgoing shame, Rom. 6.14.

The wages thereof is death, Rom. 6.21.

It is the sting of death, 1 Cor. 15.56.

It brings men from the first to the second death, Rev. 14.20.

Comforts against it.

That it shal not have dominion over the Saints, they being not under the Law, but un∣der Grace, Rom. 6.14.

That God hath made him sin, which knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him, 2 Cor. 5.21

That our redemption, is the forgivenes of sins Eph. 1.17.

That he who is born of God, sinneth not, neither can he sin, for he is born of God, and his seed remaineth in him, 1 Joh. 3.9.

That God would have us return to him, though we have played the har∣lot with many lovers, Jer. 3.1.

That God after ma∣ny sins is willing to receive us, if we return, Jer. 3.7.

It is his will and Pro∣clamation, that backslid¦ing siners may return, to have their backslidings healed, &c. Jer. 3.12.

He only would hav us to acknowledge our sins, Jer. 3.13.

That there is a foun∣taine opened dayly, to wash away sins and un∣cleanness••s, Zech. 13.1

When God pardons sin, & cleanses iniquiy, it is to him a name of

joy, praise and honour, through all the Nations of the earth, Jer. 33.8.

That God hath no delight in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turne from his evil wayes and live, Ezek. 33.11.

When God pardons and puts away sin, it is so done, as if sought for, yet never to be found again, Ier. 50.20

Assurance of forgivenes.

When not hid, sound∣ly confessed with true sorrow, and left off, Ps. 32.5. 1 Ioh. 1.9.

When it hath lost its dominion, and Regal commanding power, be¦ing now an entruding usurper, Rom. 6.12, 14.

When we have washed us, & made us clean, cea¦sing to do evil, learning to do wel, &c. Isa 1.16.

When we find sinne more sowre and bitter then ever we found it sweet, having our fruit in holines, becoming servants of righteous∣nes, Rom. 6.18.21.

When our chief sin, most predominant, stri¦ving for dominion, is subdued & vanquished 2 Sam. 22.24.

When the Lord shall have washed away all the filth of our iniquity, by the Spirit of Iudge∣ment and by the Spirit of burning, Isa. 4.4.

When we have been soundly convinced of the out of measure sinfulnes thereof, filth, horror, danger,

And thereupon ap∣prehend and apply unto our souls, Christs ever∣lasting righteousnes, &c Ioh. 16 8, 9.

When we have been soundly beaten & frigh∣ted from it, our greatest care now being what

to do for salvation, Acts 9.6. Acts 16.26.

When God hath plan∣ted in the soul a sound hatred and resolution against all sin, allowing themselves in no evil action whatsoever, Rom 7.16, 17.

When we endeavour constantly to purifie our selves, even as Christ is pure, 1 Iohn 3.3.

When we are dead to sin, and live unto righte∣ousnes, 1 Pet. 1.24.

When in the constant temper of a waking ten∣der conscience, the accu∣sations, clamours, hues & crys of sin, have ceas∣ed as formerly to fright & torment us, Rom. 5.1.

When we have truly mourned over Christ whom our sinnes have pierced, Zech. 3.12.

When the command∣ing power of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus, hath freed us from the commanding pow∣er of sinne and death, Rom. 8.3.