a happinesse is all this to know Jesus Christ and as present in my soul To know the love of God in mine heart To know the exceedingly exceeding weight of glory prepared and prepared for me and to know all that God hath freely given me in order unto that exceeding glory This c. 4. He fits us for that salvation which Christ hath purchased for us As the He fits us for that salvation which Christ hath purchased for us blood of Christ did purchase our salvation so the Spirit of Christ doth fit us for the enjoyment thereof He makes us meet to â—e partakers of the inheritance of thâ— Saints in light The Apostle speaking of this salvation under several expressions in 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. he addes in the fifth verse Now he which hath wâ—oughâ— us for the self-same thing is God who hath given unto us the earnest of his Spirit And this fitting work of his upon us for the salvation purchased by Christ he doth execute Partly by cleansing and purifying ouâ— sinful hearâ—s and mortifying those lusts which otherwise would render us unfit and uncapable of that glorious salvation Partly by endowing and beautifying the soul with Christ and his righteousnesse and his graces that thereby an enterance may be made for us into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. Partly by leading and upholding us in all the wayes of Christ untill we come to receive the end of our faith even the salvation of our souls 5. I will adde but one work more of the Spirit on your behalf which is this He works all our works in us and for us He works all your works in you and for you Consider your works either of faith or obedience your works of faith in reference to the promises of God and your work of obedience in reference to the precepts of God although you are the persons who do believe the one and obey the other yet it is the Spirit of Christ which is the cause and the powerful principle of those in you He it is who doth make your hearts to believe and who doth cause you to walk in his Statutes and do them Ezek. 36. 27. 4. The Spirit is yours in respect of his help or vertue The Spirit helpeth our The Spirit is ours in respect of his help and vertue infirmities Rom. 8. 26. And there are six things wherein the Spirit is an help unto all the people of God 1. In all their Communions with God 2. In the weaknesses of all their graces 3. In the actings of every grace 4. In the conflicts of grace 5. In the darknesse upon their spirits 6. In the 〈◊〉 of their souls 1. The Spiri◠〈◊〉 them in in all their communions with God in their Meditations He help them in all their communions with God of God in their hearing of the Word of God in their addresses of prayer unto God and as to this the Apostle gives a special instance in that Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered When we are to pray there is in us sometimes an infirmity of ignorance we know not what to pray for either for the matter or for the manner and there is in us sometimes an infirmity of deadnesse and dulnesse we cannot pray with that fervency as we should or as we would But now the Spirit helps these infirmities by way of instruction Teaching us what especially to pray for and by way of causation in making intercession for us that is in quickening and enabling us to pray with groanings that is with such full and strong affections of heart as cannot be uttered or expressed by words Our streightened and narrow and barren hearts are many times by the influence and assistance of Gods Spirit enlarged and opened and filled with a Spirit of supplication with such an ardency with such an earnestnesse with such a copiousnesse that after we have long insisted with God yet we have not opened half our minds and desires unto God it excites all our graces and sets them a work such an help is the Spirit unto us in praying unto God 2. The Spirit helps them in the weaknesse of their graces He waters the plants In the weakness of their graces and blows upon the buds and draws on his works of grace towards perfection He doth as it were Nurse them up and breed and brood them up He helps your â—imme knowledge by adding light unto light and opening more and more the eyes of your understanding to know the things of God in Christ He helps the weak and staggering faith by adding faith unto faith in answering your doubts and evidencing your grounds and interests in Jesus Christ He is the wind which blows upon your garden and makes the Spices there of to flow out Cant. 4. 16. 3. The Spirit helps them in the actings of every grace You know In the actings of every grace the distinction of gratia praeveniens gratia subsequens gratia operans gratia cooperans It is the Spirit which works grace in us and it is the Spirit which makes grace wrought in us to work You are not able of your selves to use the graces given unto you when you please without the influence and assistance of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 15. 10. By the grace of God I am that I am and his grace bestowed upon me was not in vain I laboured yet not I but the grace of God in me Can you trust when you will and mourn when you will and fear when you will and command your thoughs and passions when you will and patiently bear the hand of God when you will The light if it were cut off from the influence and presence of the Sunne would not be light nor give light at all The arme if it were cut off from the body it could not stirre at all Though the arme be grafted into the body yet it stirres by influence from the head No grace that we have could move or act at all were it not acted and moved by the Spirit of Christ and therefore when you are to believe he helps you to believe and when you are to repent he helps you to repent and when you are to blesse he helps you to blesse and when you are to suffer c. His hand is upon your hand his strength is upon your strength his grace is upon his own grace As all your graces have their being from his power of life so they have their working from his power of influence too He it is who worketh in you to will and to do 4. The Spirit helps them in the conflicts of grace when inward temptations arise In the conflicts or grace out of your own hearts and when outward temptations 〈◊〉 in from
by the Grounds By the grounds and causes and order of attaining that certainty and Causes and Order of attaining unto that certainty of knowledge and perswasion that Christ died for him For your help in this take notice of three Particulars 1. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for us hath two sure Grounds One is the Testimony of the Word the other is the Testimony of Conscience renewed The Word saith Whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life Renewed conscience saith but thou believest yea thou believest aright thy faith work by love Ergo. 2. A right and undeceiving knowledge it hath very choice causes it ariseth from Faith and it ariseth from the Spirit of Christ no man can give himself this assurance or certain knowledge that Christ died for him As no man can say that Christ is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost So no man can say Christ is my Lord and my Saviour but by the Holy Ghost 3. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for me is attained in an orderly way It is not the first work to be found in us but it follows many precedent works in the soule as the sealing follows the writing viz. it follows 1. Deep sense of sin and misery 2. A Spiritual Conviction of our own impotency and insufficiency and absolute need of Christ 3. Earnest desires after Christ and for faith to lay hold on Christ 4. Many conflicts 'twixt weak faith and doubtings and fears 5. Peculiar supplications for the evidencing of the love of Christ and for particular perswasions of our interest in him and in the benefits of his death 6. Attendance upon God in the Ordinances of Christ c. Seventhly You may know that Christ died for your sins by the concomitant presence of some choice qualities in every person rightly assured of Christs dying By the concomitant presence of some chief qualities for him v. g. 1. A tender mournfulness of heart Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourn as a man mourns for his only child Never did the child mourn more c. There is a two-fold mourning and both necessary one from sense of sin as grieving God the other from the sense of love in pardoning sin 2. An exceeding joy Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the Atonement 3. An inflamed love Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much For is not Causal but Illative q. d. therefore she loved much None so loved as this loving Christ 4. A sweet Peace and Tranquillity Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ when we know that our peace is made by Christ presently peace ariseth in the conscience the storm is over and we are at land Now conscience excuses comforts supports answers c. all is well the Sword is sheathed 8. Lastly you may know that Christ died for you by the fruits and effects By the fruits and effâ—cts which flow from it which do flow from that certaine knowledge and that particular assurance v. g. 1. Singular loathings of sin Rom. 6. 1 2. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein 2. Utmost service for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth us acts us fills us carries us on as men possessed or as a ship with the winde Act. 21. 13. I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus 3. Special delight in Christ and in the word of Christ 1 Pet. 2. 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious as if he had said the man that knows that the Lord is gracious and gracious to him and hath tasted of the sweetness of his love to his soul must needs delight in and long after the Word as the Babe doth after the milk of the breast 4. Yet more desires to partake of more from Christ Phil. 3. 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death verse 12. Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus 5. Watchful fear by no means to offend or displease Christ so loving a Christ so kind so good a Christ so unwilling and so affraid is the assured person to sin against Christ any more that he could be content presently to dâ—e and to be with Christ where there is no more a possibility to offend him c. 6. Answerable returns unto Christ who suffered and died for me v. g. He loved me and I therefore love him He abased himself for me and I abase my self for him He gave himself for me and I give my self to him He obeyed his Fathers will for me and I obey his will He suffered for me and I am willing to suffer for him in my name in my body in my life He rose for me and I live to him He justified me and I justifie him He pleades foâ— me in Heaven and I plead for him on Earth He hath purchased glory for me and I give glory to him c. Thus have you heard the Decision of this great Practical Question how a person may know that Christ died for him Now beâ—â—re I shut up this Discourse I will propound and give answer unto some Cases of Conscience in relation to this Point in which I am â—iscoursing 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Conscience that Christ dyed for him 2. What one should do who as yet cannot certainly affirm that Christ died for him 3. Whether every one for whom Christ effectually dyed doth sometime or other in this life attain unto the certain evidence thereof 4. Whether a person having attained to the certain knowledge of Christs dying for him may ever after that doubt and question the same again and whether new doubtings overthrow a certainty of knowledge 5. What advantage any Christian hath by the certain knowledge that Christ died for him as his Mediatour Case 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Confidence that Christ How one may know he is deluded in his confidence of Christs dâ—ing for him A twofold confidence dyed for him There is I confess a two-fold confidence about the Application of the Death of Christ One arising from Faith and the Spirit of God who beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God The other ariseth from presumption and the spirit of Delusion wherein a person dreams that he eats but he is empty and dreams that he
2 Pet. 1. 4. They are in Christ and new creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. They are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People 1 Pet. 2. 9. A peculiar treasure unto him Exod. 19. 5. A people from whom he will with-hold no good thing Psal 84. 11. Therefore unquestionably he will bestow upon them spiritual gifts and blessings and doth so or else none of these things could be affirmed of them Fifthly God will do more for his people in Covenant then he will for any out of God will do more for his people in Covenant than for any Covenant else what is the advantage of being in Covenant or where is the strength of Argument to perswade any man to disanul all other inconsistent Covenants and to submit unto the Covenant of God if he cannot better himself by being in this Covenant Now God doth give other things temporal things the things of and for this life many times to wicked men to men out of Covenant Thou fillest their bellies with thy hid treasure And if his children if the people of his Covenant who stand in near relation unto him should not have spiritual blessings and mercies given unto them if they should have after all but a common portion gain little more then what the worst of men wicked men his enemies have what advantage should they have yea thus it should be all one with them who love and fear God and with them that hate him and fear him not Sixthly Whatsoever Jesus Christ hath purchased for the people of Gods Covenant What Christ hath purchased for them God will give them that will God give unto them the purchases of Christ and the promises and performances of Gods Covenant are parallel but Jesus Christ hath by his death purchased all spiritual blessings you cannot think of any one of them which Christ hath not purchased they partake of Christ and with and by him partake of all spiritual blessings 1 Cor. 1. 30. Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Seventhly His people are to differ from all other people in the world in their His people are to differ from all other people present disposition and frame of heart as Joshua and Caleb had another spirit different from them who brought a false report upon the Land of Canaan but unlesse the Lord did give unto his people spiritual blessings there would be no intrinsecal difference as to the frame of heart 'twixt his people who are in Covenant and other people who are not in Covenant for without the reception or participation of these blessings their hearts would still remain wicked and unconverted and they would lie in the same state of condemnation with others for only spiritual blessings do make the difference Now this would be exceedingly absurd that the people of God in Covenant with him should remain in the same state of wickednesse and curse as people out of Covenant this would be 1. A dishonour to God that he should be a God in Covenant with ungodly and wicked persons and so continuing 2. A dishonour to his Covenant which is a Covenant of love and mercy and peace and life that God should in a singular manner love the wicked and assure mercy to them and make peace with them and give assurance of life and blessednesse unto them Vse 1 Are spiritual blessings promised expresly by God unto all his people in Covenant with him why this is wonderful comfort and encouragement unto any of the Comfort to the people of God in Covenant people of God being sensible of their spiritual wants and oft-times fearing and doubting and questioning spiritual helps and supplies O say we if they were lesser matters and ordinary mercies then we should not fear to go to God and rely on him and expect from him but our greatest wants are of the greatest mercies a Christ forgivenesse holinesse heaven it self and what shall we do in this case But I beseech you hearken and consider four things First Spiritual blessings are promised as well as temporal that God who Spiritual blessings are promised as well as temporal promiseth health doth likewise promise grace that God who promiseth food convenient doth likewise promise Christ and that God who promiseth deliverance from trouble doth likewise promise deliverance from hell and wraâ—â— and that God who promiseth outward peace doth likewise promise forgivenesse of sins and peace in conscience and that God who promiseth to subdue enemies doth likewise promise to subdue iniquities and that God who promiseth to give earth doth likewise promise to give heaven Is it nothing unto you that the great blessings which your souls do need are laid up and are to be found in Gods promises if you had more faith those spiritual blessings which you find in Gods promises you might quickly feel in your own hearts Secondly All spiritual blessings are promised there is not any one spiritual blessing All spiritual blessings are promised which any of the people of God do need or may need but God hath promised the same Consider spiritual blessings as in the end and means and causes God hath promised all of them He hath promised glory and he hath promised grace and he hath promised himself the cause of all He hath promised all that belongs to faith to Christ to Justification and he hath promised all that belongs to Conversion to Sanctification to Obedience and to Comfort and to Rest Thirdly God himself hath promised them If Men or Angels had promised God himself hath promised them them it were nothing for none of them are able to give any one spiritual blessing the collating of the least drop of grace and mercy and inward peace is above the power of any creature but this is the comfort that God himself hath promised to give all spiritual blessings unto his people I say God himself 1. Who is able to performe and make good whatsoever he hath promised Is any thing too hard for him is not his power more then commensurate with his Word is he not sufficient to do what he speaks he is mercifulnesse it self and holinesse it self and life it self and blessednesse it self is not the God of all grace able to give you grace is not the God of all power able to subdue your iniquities is not the God of all mercy able to forgive is not the God of all comfortable to comfort you is not the God of peace able to speak peace 2. Who is willing to do good in his promises I beseech you what are Gods promises but the expressions of his gracious will concerning us in all the good which he purposeth to confer upon us I will blesse I will heal I will shew mercy I will save I will pardon I will give grace and glory I will hear and help I will do you good these
omit all needless disputes I humbly conceive that there may be three reasons why forgiveness of sins is one of the first mercies mentioned in the promise Three reasons of it It doth most of all set forth the glory of God First Because it is one of the mercies which doth most of all set forth and illustrate the glory of God the greatest appearing of God in his glory in his love and in his grace and in his mercy to forgive sins Exod. 34. 6. The Lord proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Ver. 7. Forgiving iniquity transgressions and sins In this Proclamation the Lord opens and shews his glory unto Moses and one of the first sights of that is this that he is the Lord God merciful and gracious and that appears by this that he forgives iniquity transgressions and sins and indeed this is the glory of his Throne that it is a Throne of grace where sinners may finde mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Hebr. 4. 16. Hence is it that his grace and mercy is so often called his glory Ephes 3. 6 According to the riches of his glory i. e. of his grace and mercy see Rom 9. 23. That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of mercy see 2 Cor. 3. 18. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord i. e. the glory of his mercy and love in Christ Jesus therefore the Prophet saith Micah 7. 18. Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage as if Gods forgiving of sins were one of the greatest demonstrations of his Deity Though his Godhead doth appear in other of his Attributes and in other of his Works Rom. 1. 20. yet it doth most clearly and most comfortably appear in this merciful Attribute and work of forgiveness of sins his wisdom and his justice and his power have put forth themselves as it were in a way of subserviency to the glory of his mercy he found out by his wisdom a way to satisfie his justice by Christ that so he might bring glory to his mercy in the forgiveness of our sins Secondly Because it is a mercy transcendently excellent a mercy which excels It is a mercy transcendently excellent It excels the mercies of men most of the mercies which we do receive there are 1. The mercies of men they do sometimes pardon offences committed against them but Gods forgiving mercies far exceed this e. g. First When man hath forgiven you yet God may call you to an account and question and condemn you Secondly Mans forgiveness may acquit you from some temporal punishment due unto you by some humane Lawes by you transgressed but Gods forgiveness reacheth to the discharge of you not only from temporal but also from eternal punishment Thirdly The mercy of man in forgiveness looks only at outward offences but it meddles not with inward sinnings with those of the heart but Gods forgiving extends to internal invisible obliquities as well as external and invisible transgressions Fourthly When men forgive us this perhaps may be some lesser offences but no great and capital or if these then the benefit of this forgiveness is lost and forfeited by the next offence as in the case of Shimei but when God forgives a sinner he forgives all sorts of sinnings and will never remember those sins again any more 2. The mercies of God whereof some are corporal and some are spiritual now forgiveness of sins doth excell First All the corporal mercies or blessings which possibly can be enjoyed in It excels corporal mercies this world for 1. One may enjoy all corporal blessings in greater abundance and this may be all his portion they have their portion in this life said David Psal 17. 14. but forgiveness of sins is a mercy which never goes alone but hath the concomitancy of all choice blessings it is a better portion and yet not all 2. The outward blessings respect only the condition of the body the preferment delight ease relief support and safety of that and notwithstanding this preheminence the soul may be in a most miserable condition but forgiveness of sins hath a special respect to the soul and the welfare and everlasting good of it and happiness of it it makes us truly blessed 3. Notwithstanding the presence of outward blessings the spiritual misery of man is nothing altered they cannot release you from the wrath of God nor deliver you from that curse which the Law pronounces against you for your transgressions but when God forgives sins then the forgiven person is freed from wrath and curse and condemnation and God is pacified and reconciled 4. One may possibly enjoy them and yet never enjoy God nor Christ nor peace in conscience nor glory in heaven nay his enjoyment of these may accidentally cause a farther distance from God and Christ as in the young man whose riches and possessions kept him off from closing with Christ but forgiveness of sins necessarily involves all these grand enjoyments if sins be forgiven unquestionably God is your God and Christ is your Redeemer and heaven is your inheritance Secondly It excells if not all yet certainly most of Gods spiritual mercies I It excels most of Gods spiritual mercies am unwilling to make comparisons between them yet with reverence I speak it that forgiveness of sins in some respects excells all the graces in man 1. For the perfection of the work the change of the soul by grace is indeed an For the perfection in the work excellent work nevertheless it is imperfect therefore it gets on by degrees but the forgiveness of sin is a perfect work when God sanctifies a man he doth it so that the person needs yet more holiness but when he forgives us he doth it not so that those sins need more of forgiveness when he sanctifies a man there still remains some corruption but when he forgives a sinner you cannot say there remains yet something behind of condemnation God can find enough in our graces to except against but nothing in his forgiveness of sins 2. For the causality in the work Compare your graces and your forgivenesses For the causality in the work together there are several choice effects in the soul which you cannot affirme of your graces as their cause yet you may safely affirm Gods forgiveness of sins to be their cause e. g. peace in conscience you cannot say that any holiness or righteousness in you is the cause of this for conscience cannot be quieted by any thing in us but forgiveness of sin is a just cause of peace in conscience being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. I will say no more at present but that all the springs of joy and peace and comfort are in your justification Rom. 8. 11. Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee Matth. 9. 2.
Rom. 16. 25 26. even the Mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest unto his Saints Col. 1. 26. Though others sit in darknesse and see no light yet unto you through Christ there ariseth light in darknesse and your eyes shall and do see the salvation of the Lord and the glory of the Lord the light shines in your hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. he makes known unto you the true life and the true way of life the mystery of salvation 2. He hath it in his commission to instruct and teach you the whole minde and will of To instruct and teach us the while mind and will of God God in every thing which concerns your salvation all things that I have heard of the Father I have made known unto you Joh. 15. 15. As he discovers unto us infallibly the reality and the quality of our salvation so there is not any one truth nor any one path necessary unto that salvation but he opens it and reveales it whether it respect our faith or our obedience he is the annoâ—nting which teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye 1 Joh. 2. 27. 3. He is that Prophet who doth teach not only by his word but also by his Spirit others can speak only to the eares of men but he can speak to the hearts of He teacheth not only by his Word but by his Spirit men he can imprimere in mentem as well as mentem exprimere write his Law in the heart as well and as easily as he can deliver and make it known to our mindes when he teacheth you that you must believe he doth by his Spirit cause you to believe when be saith that you must be born again he doth by his Spirit make you new creatures there is not any one grace or duty or path of liâ—e which he sets before you who are in covenant with God but he works in you those very graces and puts forth a strength to perform all those duties and to walke in those paths 4. As a Prophet he is annointed to preeah good tydings Isa 61. 1. the Apostle calls it preaching of peace Ephes 2 17. and not only the Prophet Isaiah in that He is anointed oâ— preach good tidings place but also Christ himself in Luke 4. 18. tells you what those good tydings are what that Gospel is namely to hinde up and heale the broken-heared liberty and deliverance to the captives sight to the blinde to give beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse O what comfort is here for you who are the people of God and have Christ to be your Christ and your Prophet Here are glad tydings for you and your Christ is annointed to preach them unto you when your hearts are broken and bruised you have a Christ to binde them up and to heale them with his own precious blood I dyed for you saith Christ this is my blood which was shed for you for the remission of your sins to reconcile you to make peace for you saith Christ and when you finde your selves captives and as it were shut up on prison Christ your Prophet comes to you by his Spirit and breaks open the prison doores and sets you at liberty from your sins from Satan from your fears and tears and all the powers and chaines of darknesse and when your soule sits in darkness and sees no light when they feed on tears and are overwhelmed with sorrows and heaviness your Christ who is your Prophet can and will speak words of life unto you and words of joy unto you why are your hearts troubâ—ed said he to his Disciples woman why weepest thou said he to Mary daughter go in peace so to another son be of good comfort There is no Prophet like your Prophet who knows so much of the minde of God who reveals it so fully so faithfully so infallibly so powerfully so sweetly so savingly Christ is a Priest and your Priest Jesus Christ is a Priest and he is annointed to be your Priest Psal 110. 4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck vide Heb. 6. 20. Heb 7. 17. Cap. 4. 14. we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God I shall not insist on this Argument to tell you how Christ was called and qualified for his priestly Office nor of the differences 'twixt him and all other Priests nor how that his Sacrifice was his humane nature and the Altar was his Divine Nature and himself according to both these natures was the Priest My intention is only in few words to touch at this Office of Christ as our Mediatour and then to expresse unto you the chief comforts from your interest in him as to this his Office of Priesthood There are two Acts wherein his Priestly Office consisteth Two acts of his Priestly Office Oblation 1. One was the oblation of himself once for all as a perfect Sacrifice for the expiation of sin and reconcilâ—ng us to God Heb. 9. 14. Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God verse 26. he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Rom. 5. 10. when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20. He made peace though the blood of his Crosse Heb. 2. 17. a merciful and faithful High Priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people 2. The other is His Intercession for us This man saith the Apostle because Intercession he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Heb. 7. 24. wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them and therefore as to this interceding part of his Priestly Office Christ is said to appear for us in the presence of God Heb. 9. 24. as the Atturney appears for his Client in Court to answer for him and likewise he is called our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. to plead for us and to obtaine for us c. But some may now reply We know all this that Christ is a Priest and a Mediatour of Redemption and of Intercession that he offered up himself that he died shed his blood was sacrificed and that he ever lives to make Intercession Quest But where lies the comfort of this to them that are in Covenant with God and have Christ to be their High Priest Sol. What câ—mfort we have by this I will shew you what comfort you have by this and I pray you mark it There are four unspeakable comforts unto you who are Christs from this that he is
Holy Ghost is the eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. and he abides with us for ever John 14. 16. 4. The mercy of God is everlasting Psal 100. 5. his mercy is everlasting and Psal 103. 17. it is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and Psal 136. from verse 1. to 26. six and twenty times it is there said his mercy endures for ever 5. The goodnesse of God is everlasting it endureth continually Psal 52. 1. 6. The love of God is an everlasting love Jer. 31. 33. I have loved thee with an everlasting love 7. The kindnesse of God is everlasting Isaiah 54. 8. with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer 8. The righteousnesse of the Covenant is an everlasting righteousnesse Dan. 9. 24. 9. The forgivenesse in the Covenant is everlasting Jerem. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sinnes no more Micah 7. 9. Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depth of the Sea 10. The grace or holinesse of the Covenant is everlasting it is called abiding seed 1 John 3. 9. and the immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. beiâ—g born agâ—in not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible it is living water John 4. 10. springing up to everlasting life ver 14. 11. The joy of it is everlasting Isa 51. 11. and none shall take it from us John 16. 22. 12. So is the Consolation of the Covenant 2 Thess 2. 16. Who hath given us everlasting Consolation and good hope throuâ—h grace 13. The life of the Covenant is everlasting Jâ—hn 3. 16. he that believes shall not perish but have everlasting life 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise which he hath promised us even eternal life For the opening of this excellent and comfortable adjunct of the Covenant remember 1. That the word everlasting hath two acceptions it doth denote Thâ— word everlasting aâ—eâ— for Aâ—ong duration A perpetual duration This Covenant is everlasting 1. Sometimes a long duration in which respect the old Covenant cloathed with figures and ceremonies is called everlasting because it was to endure and did endure a long time 2. Sometimes a perpetual duration and a duration which shall last for ever in this respect the new Covenant is everlasting it shall never cease never be broken never be altered 2. And it is an everlasting Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Ex parte faederantis in respect of God who will never break Covenant In respect of God with his people but is their God and will be their God for ever and ever 2. Ex parte confaederatorum in respect of the people of God who are brought In respect of his people into Covenant and shall continue in Covenant for ever and ever you have both these expressed in Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Mark the place it shews that the Covenant is everlasting on Gods part and also on our part on Gods part I will never turn away from them to do them good and on our part They shall never depart from me how so I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me even that fear spoken of in ver 39. that they may fear me for ever There are three things which I would deliver concerning the everlastingnesse of the Covenant 1. Some clear demonstrations of it from the Scripture 2. The reasons why the Covenant of grace is and must be everlasting 3. Some useful applications of this unto our selves 1. The demonstrations of the everlastingnesse of the Covenant in respect of the The everlastingnesse of the Covenant demonstrated From the consideration of God himself in relation to his people The election of God people in Covenant I shall present unto you four arguments to demonstrate that it is so 1. The first argument I will take from the consideration of God himself in relation unto his people as 1. his election of them 2. His love to them 3. His power for them 4. His presence with them 5. His promises to them 1. The election of God all the people in the Covenant are the elect of God thine they were and thou gavest them me saith Christ John 17. 6. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Acts 13. 48. Now there are three things in election 1. It is a gracious decree not depending on any forinsecal causes 2. It is an unalterable decree not raised on any mutable causes 3. It is an effectual decree letting forth and communicating all the things which will infallibly bring unto salvation Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate which if it be so then certainly the Covenant is everlasting forasmuch as everlasting life and all that conduceth thereunto is unalterably decreed in Gods election and from that effectually communicated unto all in Covenant 2. The love of God that God doth love his people is most clear in the Scriptures The love of God After what manner God loves his people As he loves Jesus Christ but after what manner doth he love them we read five things of Gods love to his 1. That God doth love his people after the same manner that he loves Jesus Christ himself and with the same love John 17. 23. That the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Ver. 26. I have declared unto them thy Name that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them 2. That God doth love his people with an insuperable and with and inseparable With an insuperable and inseparable love love Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakedness or perills or sword Ver. 37. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us Ver. 38. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nâ—r Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come Ver. 39. Nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 3. That God doth love his people with a most gracious love with a love With a most gracious love kindled only from love Deut. 7. 7 8. The Lord did set his love upon you because the Lord loved you Hosea 14. 4. I will love them freely that is upon the sole account and reason of my own love unto them yea his love was the only impulsive cause why he entred into Covenant with them and by oath engaged himself unto them Ezek. 16. 8. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee saith the Lord
to believe a falshood for verily Christ did not die for those who remain unbelievers and impenitent and the Gospel is so far from promising life by the death of Christ to impenitent and unbelieving persons that it threatens and seals death and wrath and condemnation on them Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him ver 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God 3. The immediate Object of that faith which God at first requires is not this Proposition Christ dyed for me But Christ who dyed And the first command of Faith in the Gospel is to accept Christ and rest on Christ and then follows a fiduciary perswasion that Christ died for me And indeed no man can come to that degree of Faith to be perswaded or confident that Christ died for him untill he first by faith receive Christ offered unto him Argument 2 Vnbelievers are damned for rejecting the grace of Christ offered unto them by the Gospel shall they be so punished if that grace were never purchased for them and never did belong unto them Answered Sol. To this I answer First That Christ with his grace of Redemption is Indefinitely offered unto sinners by the Gospel and that all who do by their infidelity refuse that grace are deservedly damned not because they reject the grace offered belonging to them as unbelievers and impenitent but because they neglect and despise that condition upon which grace was offered unto them Christ and his grace were offered unto them upon this condition If they would believe and receive him and it But they will not believe You will not come unto me that you might have life Joh. 5. 40. And though light be come into the world yet they will not receive it Secondly Unbelievers who do reject Christ with his grace offered unto them do not reject him and that grace because they know that neither Christ nor his grace do belong to them this neither is nor can be the reason à priore of their rejection because no particular sinner unto whom the Gospel comes can know that Christ hath simply excluded him and tends no good to him and he sees that to others in the same condition and depth of sin and unworthiness with himself Christ and his grace offered by the Gospel are effectual But therefore they do reject Christ because they love him not they love darkness rather than light Joh. 3. 19. and are led by their perverse will so as utterly to refuse communion with Christ and subjection to him for which they are deservedly punished Argument 3 Thirdly they argue thus That if Christ did not dye for all and eveâ—y man Then every man must remain in a doubtful suspence whether he be concerned to believe in Christ or not Answered Sol. 1. And why so I pray you Is this to be set up as the only ground why we must believe in Christ because Christ hath died for all and every man when yet themselves do say though Christ hath so died for all and every man yet no man is the better for this untill and unless he believe Or doth the Gospel when it calls upon sinners to believe on Christ propound this as the inducement unto the soul Christ died for all men and for every man therefore you should believe on Christ and untill you be sure that Christ did thus dye and obtain Reconciliation for all and every man and Remission of sins and eternal life for all you may not and must not believe When Peter called upon those Jews to believe Acts 2. and Paul upon the Jaylor believe and you shall be saved Chap. 16. did they usher this duty in with imposing this Precedent certainty to them that they must subscribe firist unto that Point That Christ dyed for all and every man therefore you should believe Secondly But there is no cause of this suspence or doubting at all whether a person should believe on Christ though Christ did not die for all men because the Gospel without that error affords Grounds or Reasons enough for any man to whom it is preached to believe on Christ 1. It reveals Christ as the Saviour of sinners 2. It offers this Saviour freely unto sinners 3. It commands him particularly to believe on Christ 4. It promiseth him life upon believing Is here now any reason to doubt whether I ought to believe 5. It assures him that Christ will in no wise reject him 6. But will accept and that it is so far from being a sin in him to believe in Christ that it is his great sin if he doth not believe on Christ who then graciously offers himself and Commands him to believe and assures him of Reconciliation and pardoning mercy and eternal life upon beleeving Argument 4 If Christ did not dye for all and every man then one of these Absurdities must necessarily follow either that those for whom Christ dyed not are free of Adams sins as the Angels in Heaven are and so have not need of Christ to be their Reconciliation or else they are in the same condition with the Divels and so must despair of all hope of Salvation Answered Sol. I answer neither so nor so neither the one nor the other absurdity will arise necessarily out of that Doctrine that Christ dyed not for all that some of Adams Posterity are no sinners and so need no Reconciliation by Christ or that else they must despair being in the same condition with the Divels themselves 1. For first most certain it is that in Adam all sinned Rom. 5. 12. And by reason of sin all do stand in need of Reconciliation by Christ but hence it will not follow because that all men are sinners and do stand in need of such a Reconciliation by Christ therefore God must and doth give Christ as a Reconciliation for them all No more then this will follow because that so many Malefactors are in peril of their life therefore the Prince against whom they have offended must either pardon or offer pardon to every one of them for though there be a common necessity of pardon as unto all of them because of their guilt yet the giving of pardon is an act of meer grace and therefore the Prince offended may bestow it on some of them only and not on all of them Thus stands the case 'twixt God and us we have all sinned against him and therefore come short of the glory of God and stand in need of mercy and Reconciliation by Christ and God saith I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy some of these sinners I will save by Christ namely all them that believe Joh. 3. 36. others of these I will not save namely those that believe not though there be a need of
time he gives faith and Christ and Justification and Sanctification all at once as soon as the person believes he is united to Christ and hereupon justified and sanctified And others of them are of a comfortable consequence as assurance joy peace c. God doth not give these blessings first of all but after he hath given the former Ephes 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise mark the sealing follows the believing 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory here rejoycing follows believing Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God peace with God follows justification and therefore is it a preposterous course for any troubled souls to presse God or to expect from God the comforts and joys and assurances promised before they have faith and are in Christ for though God doth promise these things yet he promises to give them in an orderly way the graces first and then the comforts of grace faith and union with Christ first and then the joys and peace depending upon that union 5. When God undertakes to give all blessings unto his people in Covenant this He gives according to the proportions and measures he knows best for us in our places and conditions must be understood according to the proportion and measure which he knows best for us in our places and conditions There is a measure of apprehension of Christ and of our justification by Christ and of our salvation by Christ God gives a greater and clearer and more fixed measure of the apprehension or reflexive knowledge of these to some of his people then he doth to others of them And there is a measure of holinesse some have higher and some have weaker degrees of grace now in Gods undertaking to give all spiritual blessings you must not think that God intends to give every measure or degree of grace at once nor yet the like degree of grace unto every one nor yet the like measure of comfortable evidences or apprehensions of interest in Christ and remission and salvation by him no but God will give all Covenant-blessings unto all his people in such a proportion and measure in this life as may conduce most to his glory and may most fit them in their private and publick conditions for his better service Vse 1 Strive to believe and acknowledge this truth that God himself doth undertake to give all the blessings of the Covenant which do concern his Believe and acknowledge this truth people Object Why will you say no man doubts it or scruples it but it belongs to God and to him alone to give all c. Sol. I wish that â—â—me were true but if indeed this were so then 1. Why do not we in all our wants and necessities make our prime applications unto God Why do we think least of him and last of him we run to this creature and to that creature set up one friend and look upon another try all the powers and abilities here below as if God were least of all concerned in the donation of our mercies and blessings if we did indeed believe that God himself undertakes all blessings for us then our first addresses would be unto him our first work and our great work would be with himself alone to do us good 2. Why do our hearts go and come rise and fall according to the presence and absence of visible means and helps in the prevalence of them our hearts are raised up with hopes and in the absence of them they are distracted and cast down with fears Would it be thus with us if we did indeed believe that God himself undertook to give us all our blessings certainly we place our hopes and expectations below and besides God himself when inferiour causes have such a command and such an influence upon our hearts If we did believe that God himself that he alone were sufficient and faithful it would be all one to us whether the creatures smile or frown incline toward us or fall from us 3. Why do we not only for temporal supplies but also for spiritual mercies undertake for our selves and as it were discharge God from undertaking for us How often do we undertake the spiritual charge of our hearts and to make our own hearts to repent and to believe and to subdue our own sins and to do such and such commands of God by our own free-will and by our own strength if we did believe that God himself undertakes for all these and that it belongs unto him alone to give them would we presume upon our selves thus would we take his work out of his hands 4. Why dare we not in our exigency commit all unto him and quietly rest on him but when our helps and hopes are reduced only unto him so that unlesse he himself appears we can cast Anchor nowhere else and although in such cases he doth plainly appear in his Covenant graciously undertaking and faithfully promising to help and blesse us yet this is nothing to us it doth no way affect or support us assuredly either we do not know this God aright or else we do not believe that he himself doth undertake for us or else that he will performe and Not to believe and acknowledge this truth is a great sin Wherein the sinfulnesse of it lies make good what himself hath undertaken Beloved Consider what I say this is a very great sin thus to fall short in the belief and acknowledgement of this truth for 1. You deny God to be God in the Covenant you do as it were shut him out from being a party there and concerned there though indeed he be the confederating party and we are the confederated party yet you include him and deny him to be so when that you believe not that it belongs to him to be the suscipient party and your selves to be the recipient party only for I beseech you what will you make of Gods covenanting with you more than a cypher if you do not grant and acknowledge him therein as engaging himself to give us all the good which we do need What other work is there which can or doth concern him 2. And you do hereby deny all homage unto him for how can you 〈◊〉 unto him for any one good that you want or trust on him for any one â—â—â—cy if you do not acknowledge this truth that he himself undertakes to give all blessings and mercies unto you and where will you put your mite of thankfulnesse for all your receits of blessings if God himself did not undertake to give you the blessings what ground have you to undertake to give him the praise of them Therefore earnestly strive by faith to assent unto this truth which I have delivered it is of more consequence than you are aware of it is that which gives life unto you in all your dealings with God and which may
Christ and why do you not go to God freely to give you Christ What can you say or object when God promiseth to give you all and to give you all upon gracious terms how would you have God to frame and form his Covenant better or otherwise to encourage your hearts to come unto him and rely upon him 〈◊〉 you be wholly beholding to God or would you not are you contented that God should have all the glory of mercies or are you not Is it any disadvantage to the working of your faith that God will pass by all your sins and unworthiness and will love you freely and justifie you freely and save you freely Is there any more reason to distrust God when he saith he will do you good for his own sake then when he saith I will be merciful to your transgressions and will freely bless you Had you rather be under a Covneant of works than of grace would it please you better to come by your mercies upon harder terms You find that you have nothing of worthiness and yet you are not content to receive all from Gods graciousness why do you pray that God would do you good for his own sake and yet you will not believe that that is reason enough to prevail and enjoy I will say no more but this 1. The blessings of the Covenant are worth our enjoying 2. God doth promise to give them 3. His own graciousness is the price or reason of it 4. Upon better or other terms it is impossible to attain them 5. It is for want of faith that we do not justifie this unspeakable loving-kindness of God towards us O beg for faith to believe a God Covenanting to give all good and all good though not for our sake yet for his own Name sake Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you HAving finished those four general Conclusions I shall now handle the Gifts of the Covenant in particular mentioned in this verse and in the subsequent verses In this verse there is promised unto the people of God the Remission of their sins concerning which you may observe 1. The Efficient I will c. 2. The Matter clean water 3. The Form or Manner I will sprinkle upon you 4. The Power and Efficacy And ye shall be clean 5. The Quantity or Extent from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you From these parts there are these four Points which do offer themselves to our consideration 1. That forgiveness of sins is promised and one of the first mercies promised by himself unto all his people in Covenant with him 2. Gods promise of forgiveness of sins doth extend to all the sinnes of all his people 3. Though the sins of people have been exceeding great yet when they become Gods people in Covenant even those sins also are forgiven 4. The blood of Christ is the cause and the only cause for which many and great sins are pardoned 5. That God will make unto the Conscience of his people a particular application of forgiveness by the blood of Christ CHAP. II. Doct. 1 THat forgivenesse of sins is promised and it is one of the first promised mercies by God himself unto all his people in covenant with him I will sprinkle c. This is a very comprehensive Assertion Forgiveness of sins one of the first mercies promised by God to all his people in Covenant consisting of many Particular Branches For the opening of it I shall shew unto you 1. What forgiveness of sins is wherein it doth consist 2. That God himself doth make promise of it unto his people 3. That it is promised unto all and every one of his people 4. That it is one of the first mercies promised by God unto his people SECT I. Quest 1. VVHat is forgiveness of sins and wherein doth it consist Forgivenesse of sins described Sol. It is a gracious act or work of God for Christs sake discharging and absolving believing and repenting persons from the guilt and punishment of their sinnes so that God is no longer displeased with them nor will he ever remember them any more nor call them to an account and condemn them for their sinnes but will look on them and will deale with them as if they had never offended him Here we must pause awhile and consider six things First That forgivenesse of sinnes is a gracious act of God there be some acts It is a gracious act of God of God which have a special reference unto his power as the Creation of the world and the resurrection of the dead There be other acts of God which have a special reference unto his Justice as the condemnation and destruction of unbelieving and impenitent sinners And there are some acts of God which have a special reference unto his meer goodness and graciousness there being no Reason or Cause of them on our parts such an act is his Remission or forgiveness of our sins Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my Name sake Eph. 1. 7. The forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Psal 51. 1. Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Rom. 3. 25. Being justified freely by his grace Not that Repentance is not required in the sinner who is to be pardoned For the Scripture speaks expresly of a turning from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God that we may receive forgivenesse of sinnes Acts 26. 18. Not that Believing is not required in the sinner to be forgiven for the Apostle Peter saith also expresly Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 10. 43. but because these are not Reasons or meritorious causes for whose sake God doth forgive any man his sins they declare the effect who are pardoned not the cause why they are pardoned Secondly The forgivenesse of sinnes hath foundation in Christ and in him only It hath foundation in Christ as the Mediatour as the meritorious cause thereof Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood is no remission Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins Ephes 1. 7. In his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of sins 1 Joh. 2. 12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his Names sake Forgiveness of sins hath a double respect One unto our selves so it comes unto us freely from the grace of God as a free gift Another unto Christ so it comes by way of purchase and merit it doth cost us nothing but it did cost Jesus Christ his precious blood to obtain the remission of our sins and to make peace for us Now Christ comes in as the cause of
but unto our merits and deserts of forgiveness God forgives sins freely and graciously i. e. without any merit or desert of ours Isa 43. 25. I even I am be that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine name sake but God doth not forgive sins freely i. e. without our repenting and believing for these he doth require of us that we may receive the forgiveness of our sins Secondly When God is said to forgive sins freely the meaning is not that he forgives every sinner in the world freeness notes the means not the extent of forgiveness with such a free unlimited largeness he doth not forgive but the meaning is that all those sinners who are forgiven they are freely forgiven God doth not put them upon any personal satisfactions nor doth he agree with them for any work of theirs as a cause or desert of the forgiveness of their sins Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God c. Therefore take heed that you deceive not your selves with a confidence that your sins are forgiven because God is gracious and forgives freely for God is gracious to whom he will be gracious and they whom he graciously forgives are only the people of his Covenant even believers and penitents The death of Christ for all Thirdly A third false ground upon which some do absolutely conclude the forgiveness of their sins is the death of Christ that he shed his blood for the remission of sins and that he dyed as to that purpose for all and every one therefore their sins amongst the rest are unquestionably forgiven Answered Sol. That Jesus Christ did shed his blood for the remission of sins is most true he himself hath delivered it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins but that his blood did procure an actual remission of sins for every sinner in the world this is most false for Christ himself hath said Mark 16. 16. He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins and the Angel to Mary Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins But for your help and direction in this point take my mind in these three conclusions 1. That there was a necessity for Christ to shed his blood that so our sins might be forgiven Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission 2. His death did purchase the forgiveness of sins Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 3. This remission purchased though illimited as to the sins forgiven yet it is limited as to the persons forgiven 1. By the Decree of God to the Elect. 2. By the Covenant 3. And by the intention of Christ 4. And by the Gospel to whosoever believes that the shedding of his blood for the remission of sins did so illimitedly procure the same That every sinner in the world enjoys the fruit thereof whether he believes or not or whether he repents or not as I know no man living of so wicked an opinion so the Scripture delivers no such matter but the quite contrary Luke 24. 47. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. Then Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past It is true that remission of sins hath foundation in the blood of Christ as in a meritorious cause but our enjoyment of that merited and purchased remission takes in faith and repentance for neither God nor Christ ever intended nor promised the application thereof unto any but such as believe and repent therefore do not venture absolutely upon this that Christ dyed for the remission of sins therefore your sins are forgiven for as God did ordain the death of Christ as the meritorious cause of forgiveness of sins so did he ordain that all who have the benefit thereof should repent and believe Fourthly A fourth false ground from which some do absolutely conclude that their sins are forgiven is this their sins are but small and little sins which The smalness of sin God marks and regards not and will never take notice of but will pass them by indeed if they were guilty of great transgressions then they had reason to doubt whether they were within the compass of forgiveness promised but alas their sins are small c. Answered Sol. For answer unto this deceit remember these four particulars 1. No sin is simply little or small 2. Those sins are not little or small which people do ordinarily count so 3. God hath severely expressed himself against persons for those sins which we look on as small sins 4. This very conceit that sins are little and are past by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of his sins First No sin is simply or absolutely little or small though comparatively when we set on sin by another we find them to be of different magnitude some to be great abominations and others to be lesser transgressions yet absolutely no sin is little but as there is a greatness in the least mercy so there is a greatness in the least sin for every sin whatsoever is a transgression of the royal Law and it is committed against a great God sin is to be considered as to the object as well as to the act how were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses Every sin doth expose to a great curse even the curse of the Law Cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written to do it Is that a small offence which may cost a man his life nay it cannot be taken off but by the death and blood of Christ there is an infinite offence and merit in any sin you read in the Mosaical Law that the blood of the beast was to be shed for the expiation of sins of ignorance and inadvertency which did signifie the shedding of the blood of Christ for the expiation of the least sins and surely that offence may not be reputed little or small which cannot be put away but by the death of the Son of God Secondly Those sins are not little or small which people
ordinarily do count so people do look on it as a very small offence 1. To omit praying and reading in their Families but God threatens to poure out his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his Name Jer. 10. 25. Though this be spoken of the Heathens yet it is much more true of Christians 2. To pass by Christ offered unto them but the Scripture saith He that believes not shall be damned and that he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Mark 16. 16. 3. To despise the Ministers of Christ but Christ saith He that despiseth you despiseth me Luk. 10. 16. 4. To come unworthily to the Lords Table but the Scripture saith He that eats and drinks unworthily doth eat and drink damnation to himself 1 Cor. 11. 5. To be proud and speak lies but the Scripture saith that a proud look and lying tongue are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 6. 16 17. 6. To speak idly and vainly but Jesus Christ saith Matth. 12. 36. That every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned 7. To wound the name of others behind their backs whisperingly and cunningly and privately but the Scripture saith Deut. 27. 24. Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly 8. To give way to wicked thoughts and sins of heart but the Scripture shews that these are no small sins Acts 8. 22. Pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee 9. To make mention of the Name of God vainly and rashly and irreverently on any occasion in ordinary discourse O God! O Lord but the Scripture doth not look on this as a small sin Exod. 20. 7. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his Name in vain 10. To profane the Sabbath by buying and selling but God threatens to send a fire for this Jer. 17. 27. Thirdly God hath expressed himself very severely against persons for those sins which we perhaps look upon as small Adam eating of the forbidden fruit it lost him Paradise and brought an exceeding misery on mankind Vzzah did but put out his hand to stay the Ark and he dyed for it on the place Vzziah would be medling with the Priests office and he was immediately struck with a leprofie to the day of his death 2 Chron. 26. 19 21. Korah Dathan and Abiram misliked the authority of Moses and Aaron and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up Ananias and Sapphira for a lye are struck dead Fourthly This very conceit that sins are so little and small that God will pass them by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of sin for it is a means 1. Of carnal security 2. Of impenitency 3. Of neglect of Jesus Christ 4. To implore God by prayer for the forgiveness of sins like the proud Pharisee who sought not for mercy and missed of mercy because he took no notice of his sins at all the greatest sin is pardoned upon repentance the least sin will damn without repentance Secondly I now come to the second position which is this That some do put Some put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins and there are eight sorts of these persons 1. They who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost 2. They who will not repent and forsake their sins 3. They who delay and defer Repentance 4. They who do repent feignedly and hypocritically 5. They who do not believe on Christ and refuse to be his 6. They who do absolutely despair 7. They who do rest on their own works as reasons and causes of the forgiveness of their sins 8. They who are unmerciful and unplacable and will not forgive others who trespass against them They who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost First They do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness of their sins who do sin the sin against the Holy Ghost Matth. 12. 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men Ver. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Here you find it expresly and peremptorily delivered from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven Quest But will some of you say What is this sin against the Holy Ghost What that sin is which never shall be forgiven Sol. It is a wilful and malicious and reproachful opposition of the Gospel attended with a total and final Apostacy from it after and against the clear convictions of the Holy Ghost First It is an opposition of the Gospel the Gospel must be preached and the Gospel must be opposed by such as hear it else it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost they therefore who are charged with this sin are said to hate the light Joh. 3. 20. and to hate Christ and to hate the truth Joh. 15. 25. and to be disobedient unto the Gospel and to be a gain-saying people Rom. 10. 21. and to reject the Corner stone Acts 4. 11. and to refuse to hear Acts 13. 46. and to put the Word from them who resist the truth and contradict it 2 Tim. 3. 8. as you may read of the Pharisees and other of the Jews Secondly It is a peculiar kind of opposition not of ignorance not of inadvertency not of passion but 1. A wilful opposition therefore they who commit this sin are said to sin wilfully Hebr. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin A man sins wilfully when the reason of his sinning rests solely in the perverseness of his will though his judgement be disarmed of all Apology and his conscience be convinced yet he will sin and oppose the Gospel because he will do so 2. A malicious opposition it ariseth from a bitter hatred against Christ and rage against the truth therefore they who sin this sin are said to offer or do despite unto the Spirit of grace Hebr. 10 29. as if they did sin on purpose to vex and affront the Spirit of God 3. A reproachful opposition hence it is affirmed of these sinners that they speak evil of the ways of Christ and blaspheme his Word The Jews were filled with envy and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming Acts 13. 45. that they mock at Jesus Christ Matth. 27. 41. The chief Priests mocking him with the Scribes and Elders c. Ver. 29. When they had
either the power or else the purpose of Gods mercy but this dark and sad conceit falls off again from the soul upon conference upon better information upon prayer upon hearing the Word and upon clear consideration of the Covenant of grace and the terms of it and of the riches of Redemption by Christ this kind of despair doth not prejudice you in the capacity of forgiving mercy but then there is a setled and permanent despair which is total and final wherein the soul is swallowed up and for ever lies under water and never riseth more with any hope of possible mercy conceiving of the guilt of sin so superlatively that neither the merits of the blood of Christ nor the riches of mercy in God can or will reach to the forgiveness of it This poor sinner puts himself out of all capacity of forgiveness and that upon a treble account 1. The infinite dishonour which he puts upon Gods throne of grace and mercy he gives reproach and the lye unto God who saith he is rich in mercy and delights in mercy 2. His utter incompliance with Christ and riches of all Gospel invitations promises and assurances 3. The confirming of his heart in impenitency seeing there is no hope of mercy Seventhly they likewise do put themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness They who rely upon their own righteousnesse as the cause of fornesse of their sins who do rest and rely upon their own righteousness and good works as the cause of forgiveness 'T is true that you must be holy and righteous and do good works and walk in them and abound in them But if you rely on them as the reasons and causes why God will forgive your sins you will certainly lose the forgiveness of them For 1. What is this but to set up a Covenant of Works and to look for life by the Law and Justification by something of our own and what says the Scripture to this Rom. 3. 20. By the deeds of the Law there shall be no flesh justified in thy sight Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he hath saved us Gal. 3. 10. As many as are of the workâ— of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one c. 2. This is to take away the Crown from Christ and it is to make Christ to die in vain to lose the end of shedding his blood for the remission of sins the Scripture saith Acts 4. 12. There is no salvation in any other for there is no other Name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but you will have it in your own name Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which was shed for the remission of sins 1 Joh. 2. 2. He is the propitiation for our sins Eph. 1. 7. In his blood we have redemption the forgiveness of sins Gal. 5. 4. Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from grace therefore take heed what you do and how you place your confidences for the remission of your sins you must neither renounce good works nor must you rely on them but only on Christ for pardon else you debar your selves of all benfit by Christ Eighthly Lastly they do put themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins who are unmerciful implacable revengeful and will not forgive others They who will not forgive others their offences done against themselves their offences and trespasses or wrongs done against themselves Quest You will say this is strange Doctrine that God will not forgive me if I do not forgive others Sol. 1. Nay it were more strange that thou shouldest expect forgiveness who wilt not forgive thy brother but peruse the Scriptures Matth. 18. 32. O thou wicked servant I forgave thee all that debt ten thousand talents ver 24. because thou desiredst me ver 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant even as I had pity on thee ver 34. And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormenters till he should pay all that was due unto him v. 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you if you from the heart forgive not every one his brother their trespasses Math. 6. 15. If you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly father forgive your trespasses 2. Again see the express command for this by Christ in Luke 17. 3. If thy brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him ver 4. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him Thirdly I now proceed unto a third Position and Conclusion viz. That there Who are in a right capacity of pardon Such as do truely repent Four things demonstrate this Scripture exhortations are some who are in a right capacity and may safety lay hold on and own the promise of the forgivenesse of their sins First All who do truely repent of their sins there are four things will demonstrate this unto us 1. Scripture exhortations to repent that so our sins may be forgiven Ezek. 18. 30. Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine Acts 2. 38. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins Act. 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out 2. Expresse promises that our sins shall be forgiven upon our repentance Expresse promises 2 Chro. 7. 14. If my people shall turn from their evil way then will I forgive their sin Prov. 28. 13. Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins which he hath committed and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die ver 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him 3. Assurance of the forgiveness of sins upon repentance though they have been Assurance of the pardon of great sins upon repentance very great and hainous Isa 1. 16. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings cease to do evil ver 17. learn to do well ver 18. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wooll 4. Expresse Records and Instances of forgiveness unto such as have repented Express instances 2 Sam. 12. 13. And David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan said to David the Lord hath also put away thy sin Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself and Turn thou me and I shall be turned c. Ver.
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven But this cannot possibly be if all his sins be already pardoned in heaven for then he is alwayes loosed and never bound in heaven This Argument is of that strength that I do not see how it can be answered for if upon the right sentence of the Church of Christ the offender is bound in heaven as well as on earth in respect of his sins then his sins are not all pardoned at once and if upon repentance he is loosed in heaven i. e. absolved and forgiven as well as loosed on earth thence also it follows that all his sins past present and to come are not at once forgiven in heaven take the one or the other or both still it shakes that Opinion of a forgivenesse of all sins at once Sixthly If all sins past present and to come are forgiven at once before they are repented of then a Regenerate and a justified person in the midst of his grossest sins as suppose Davids adultery and murder may joy and rejoyce as much in God and look on him as well pleased as when they do humble their soul and repent and seek his face To this one Francis Cornwell answers freely and plainly When sin is most In lib. of the difference between Legal and Evangelical repentance p. 54. prevalent and the heart is most hardened he speaks expresly of Regenerate and justified persons yet then can they glory in Christ Jesus with a large heart breaking forth into thanksgiving as Paul did Rom. 7. 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yea and he that commits a gross sin and doubteth the pardon of it committeth a double sin the one against his Sanctification and the other against his Justification And what though a believer usually upon the pag. 56. committing of gross sins doubts of his estate this is from a defect in faith and not from any Rule and Precept of Gods Word And that it is all one and alike unto God when a person is humbled or not humbled and when he repents and forsakes his gross sins or repents not of them but continues in them for all is already pardoned on Gods part c. But these strange deliveries are contrary 1. To the Word which in case of gross transgressioâ—â— calls for humbling and mourning and repenting of the heart and weeping anâ—â—â—plication because God is dishonoured and displeased 2. To the exigence in all the children of God so fallen who thereupon have broken their peace and lost their joy and exceedingly interrupted their confidence with fear 3. To the Assertion of these very men who do hold that in case of gross transgression there must be deep humiliations to get assurance and joy Seventhly To these another Reason may be added and is added by some that forgiveness of sin is a judicial act in God as the contrary act of condemning is now the Judge neither condemns nor yet forgives offences which are not extant and which cannot be proved upon the Offender that ever he was guilty of them But when they are charged and pleaded then doth he condemn or acquit so it would be strange for a Judge to condemn one for faults not committed and so acquit a man for sins never in being and so not deserving punishment Eighthly Lastly the great and continual work of Christ in heaven as our Intercessor and Advocate 1 Joh. 1. 2. and the daily suing out of pardon in his Name and for his sake seems to carry much in it for the acquiring of daily pardon and continued forgiveness of sins His great work of Intercession and Advocater-ship surely it contains in it something more than to obtain an assurance that all is still pardoned Thus have I delievered unto you the two different Opinions with their several Arguments concerning this great Question whether all the sins of believers past present and to come are pardoned by God at once Now I shall make bold to deliver unto you my own thoughts concerning it and those different Opinions about it The truth concerning these different Opinions They agree in five particulars First I do observe that they do both agree in five particulars e. g. 1. That as to Gods eternal decree or purpose of forgivenesse all the sinnes of his people are forgiven God did not intend to forgive some of their sins and not the rest but an universal and full and compleat forgiveness was fixedly purposed and resolved on by God 2. That all the sins of his people in their absolute number from first to last were laid upon Christ who in the dayes of his suffering did meritoriously purchase perfect Remission of all their sins to be applied in future times to them and by them 3. That as soon as ever any person is brought into the Covenant by believing on Jesus Christ all his sins past whatsoever they have been they are actually forgiven unto him and God will never remember them any more 4. That as to the state of Justification there is a full and perfect remission of all sins considered under the differences of time past present and to come As in the state of condemnation there is not any one thing pardoned so in the state of Justification there is not any one sin but is pardoned for the estate of Justification is opposite to all condemnation and curse and wrath 5. That no Repentance or work of ours is a meritorious cause neither God nor any true believer looks on it as so of Justification or pardon of any sin neither the repentance which we call Initial neither that which we call Renewed we acknowledge no meritorious cause of pardon of sins but the blood of Christ Secondly The maine differences which I doe observe do rest in two The differences betwixt them things 1. One is that sins not yet committed are actually pardoned and we are to believe so say the one party not so say the other party untill committed or repented 2. Repentance is required say both of them but with this difference because sin is pardoned say the one but the other say that sin may be pardoned That we may have the comfortable sense and experience of pardon say the one that we may have the◠〈◊〉 forgiveness as well as the comfort of it say the other In this difference my own judgment inclines to that Opinion which holds That all the sins past of a Believer are at once forgiven and all his future sins are remitted unto him upon renewed acts of believing and repenting for Christs sake If that Opinion be true that Justification be one continuing or continued act this would reconcile all To me this Opinion 1. Hath clear grounds in the Scripture 2. Doth best suit with the Covenant which in this case still suits Faith and Repentance together 3. Doth best agree with the wayes which God still hath put his people upon in relation to forgiveness 4. And with the practice of the
Saints all along 5. And it seems to be a strong Guard against presumption and carnal security and looseness 6. And hath no direct natural appearance of inconveniencies in or from it Object Whereas they say this is Popish and Legal Sol. They speak ignorantly if not maliciously for they know that Jesus Christ in the Gospel-Commission joyned Repentance and Remission of sins It is as Popish to say Repentance is required for Assurance as for Remission for both are acts of grace Object But what if one should die before he repents Sol. And what if he should not dye That God who hath promised renewing mercy hath likewise promised renewed repentance Object But a man may be damned for the sinnes committed if all be not forgiven at once Sol. 1. As if a particular sin destroyed the state of Justification 2. What a sin deserves is one thing what it shall redundantly and eventually bring on the person is another thing 3. Though God doth not forgive all the sins at once yet he will certainly forgive them unto his people when committed and when repented of for God hath promised so to pardon them And no one promise of God can be shewed to the contrary It was Fulgentius his prayer Domine da poenitentiam postea indulgentiam Object But God justifies the ungodly therefore no need of subsequent repentance in relation to forgivenesse Sol. 1. Nay and put in too any Repentance or Faith at all for God justifies the ungodly 2. But he justifies the ungodly i. e. a man stands before God when he justifies him as a poor undone sinner having no righteousness of his own nor is Repentance required as the meritorious or as the material cause of Justification but as a meanes to enjoy what God hath pâ—omised to the believer Having thus waded through this great Controversie I shall now proceed unto the useful Application of the Doctrine That God doth promise to forgive all the sins of his people SECT III. Use 1. THe first Vse shall be of Information It may informe us of five Information things 1. Of that exceeding greatness of mercy which is in God 2. Of that exceeding love and kindness which is in God unto his people 3. Of what a heavy weight did lie upon Jesus Christ 4. Of the high Obligations which rest upon us who do enjoy this promise of universal forgiveness 5. Then multitude of sinnes is not absolutely inconsistent with pardon First In that God engageth himself by promise to forgive all the sins of all That God is a God of infinite mercy his people This doth manifestly declare unto us that he is a God of infinite mercy must he not needs be so who forgives such a number of sins and transgressions There are two things which discover unto us the infinite fulness and depth of mercy in God One is that vast Title attributed unto him and his mercy He is said to be of great mercy Psal 105. 8. and to be rich in mercy Ephes 2. 4. and to be plenteous in mercy Psal 86. 15. and to pardon abundantly Isa 55. 7. 1 Pet. 1 3. according to his abundant mercy and to keep mercy for thousands Exod. 34. 7. and to be of everlasting mercy Psal 100. 5. and to be of transcendent and incomparable mercy As the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him Psal 103. 11. In like manner there are ascribed to his mercy and mercies a multitude Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy tender mercies A depth Mich. 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea Not only an abundance but an exceeding abundance 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant Nay an over abundance where sin abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5. 23. It did superabound c. 2ly The other is the vast quantity of sinnes of which the people of God have been guilty Who saith David Psal 19. 12. can understand his errors i. e. the number of a mans sins is so numerous that with all the Arithmetick he hath he is not able to cast up how often he hath sinned Nay David surveying the number of his own sins he is non-plused and professeth that they are innumerable and that they are more than the hairs of his head Psal 40. 12. And Ezra in his confession Chap. 9. 6. Our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasse is grown up into the heavens Now if the number of sins in respect of one person be so innumerable what then is the number of all the sins of all the people of God yet there is mercy enough in God to pardon all and every one of them To pardon â—â— their sinnes which they do know and all the rest which they do not know Secondly In that God doth pardon all the sins of all his people this doth likewise discover the exceeding love and kindnesse of God to his people The Apostle The exceeding love and kindness of God to his people saith in 1 Pet. 4. 8. That Charity or love covereth a multitude of sinnes and that he that converts a sinner shall hide a multitude of sins Jam. 5. 20. Certainly then it shews exceeding love in God to cover to blot out to forget to passe over to pardon all the multitude of sins in his own people To injure God is infinitely more than to injure man to offend and dishonour him is infinitely more than to offend and dishonour man and for God to passe by all this it must needs flow from his infinite love and kindness and therefore God is said Rom. 5. 8. To commend or highly to exalt his love toward us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ died for us and to shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus Eph. 2. 7. And the forgivenesse of our sins is rightly attributed to the riches of his grace Eâ—â—es 1. 7. Thirdly in that God forgives all the sins of all his people this may inform us What a heavy weight did lie upon Christ What an heavy weight did lie upon Jesus Christ and of that wonderful power and vertue of his sufferings There is no man who is able to express the surpassing desert and burden in any one particular sin we finde many times that some one sin set on with the wrath of God doth drive us to our feet it is more unto us than the shadows of death it doth fill us with such distractions and horror that we can neither live nor dye we are not able to sustain it nor yet to decline it what work then would all our sins make within us if the Lord should in wrath return them upon us Now all the sins of all the people of God from the beginning of the world to the end thereof were in all their kinds and numbers and aggravations laid upon Jesus Christ he bare all our
work it I say 1. No man on earth can by the sole strength of his parts set forth any one good work indeed a man of much learning and of great endowments and of good utterance may in the virtue of these say and do many good works which we call good he may make a Sermon he may utter a Prayer he may be much in the outward part of duty nevertheless this strength that is in him is nothing as to the spiritual performing of any duty he is not able with all the parts which he hath to look only at Gods glory nor to set out his duties with holy and heavenly affections nor with faith in Christ 2. Therefore if you finde this concurring frame which have mentioned in any of your works or duties assuredly you have attained grace and strength from God to enable you the Spirit of God hath been present with you to help you Secondly By the Antecedents that go before any work or duty of yours of which the performance of it is a consequent or fruit e. g. if it be the fruit following 1. The sense and acknowledgment of your own insufficiency 2. An earnest desire of God to engage his help and assistance 3. The actual and particular application of the promise of God resting on him and expecting Gods assistance now the work that is done is not done in any confidence of our selves but only upon the accâ—unt of Gods strength but to this I have hinted already Thâ—rdly By the Consequents of your duties performed in the strength of By the consequents of our duties God which are quite different from those that are performed in our own strength whether we look unto God or unto our selves First Unto God there is acceptance and answer of all the duties or works done by his strength and assistance but not so of the works done in our strength Secondly Unto our selves where we shall experimentally finde four admirable effects 1. After all the duties or works performed by us in the strength of God we grow more humble as David in 1 Chron. 29. 14. But who am I and who is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly â—fter this sort for all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee But after works done in the strength of our own parts we grow more proud as the Pharisees â— 2. After the duties performed in the strength of God we do more exalt and bless the grace of God as Paul 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me And David Psal 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory for thy meâ—cy and for thy truths sake Whereas when we do act in the streâ—gth of our own parts we will rob God of his glory and give praise and blessing unâ—o our selves unto our own wisdom and unto our own zeal and unto our own dexterity and learning 3. When we have performed our work in the strength of God and have indeed discerned his presence with us this will drâ—w out our hearts to depend more upon God for our future works and services It will sweetly raise our hearts uâ—to him O I will trust on him another time for I relied on his power aâ—d sufficiency and he graciously helped and strengthened me Psal 63. 7. Becausâ— thou hast been my help therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I reâ—oyâ—e But it is not thus when we act in our own strength for after such performances we are still more apt to rely upon our selves 4. When we have done our work by the strength of God hereupon our hearts are more endeared to God and so are our resolutions more and more to pray unto God Psal 116. 1. I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplication Ver. 2. Because he hath enclined his ear unto me therefore wâ—ll I call upon him as long as I live Thus have I finished the third duty which was to depend upon God for his strength seeing he doth promise to cause us to walk in his Statutes and to do them Fourthly Now follows the fourth and last duty which concerns the people Give the praise of all unto God of God which is to give the praise of all the good which they do unto God alone I may not slightly pass this therefore I will enquire first why secondly whither 1. Quest Why the people of God should be carful to give unto God alone the praise and glory of all the good which they do Sol. Reasons for it briefly are these First His grace is the only cause of all the good which we do it is true that we are the subjects who do repent and who do believe who do love and fear and serve and obey him and walk in his Statutes O but who is the cause that we do all this or any of this from whom is all our fruit found Excellent is that passage of Austine Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed Deus facit ut vellemus certum est nos facere cum faciamus Deuâ— facit ut faciamus we do will good but it is God that makes us to will that good and we do good but it is God who makes us to do that good it is God who works in us to will and to do And hereupon in another place he ingenuously confesseth that his good works were rather Gods works then his own works Quaecunque sunt bona opera mea tua magis quam mea sunt Now if God works all our works for us is it not just that he should have all the glory from us Secondly We should else be injurious unto God who saith Glory is mine 1 Chron. 29. 11. And my glory will I not give unto another Esa 42. 8. Glory if I may so speak is the Lords portion and revenue out of all his works of power and grace and he is very tender of it and therefore we cheat him when we withhold any part of his glory from him nay it is plaine theft to take any part of glory from God unto whom all the glory doth belong Psal 96. 8. for you lay hands of that which is none of your own and without the consent of another who is the true owner and he professeth that he will not part with it it being indeed so properly essential to the crown of his diety Thirdly We do but proudly dishonour our selves in a vain-glorious boasting of that which is none of our own for which God will certainly abase us 1 Cor. 4. 7. For who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it Esa 2. 17. The loftiness of men shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low Luk. 18. 14. Every one that exalteth
Ten things concerning the goodness of God to his people ibid. Twelve things may assure you that God will be kind to his people 51 Gods Eternity 52 It gives confidence to live upon God as long as we live 53 If God be your God then Christ is your Christ 54 Comfort to the people of God in Covenant 339 God would have the hearts of his people fixt on him alone 348 God doth confine our prayers to himself alone ibid. God gives all needful good assuredly 349 All the blessings which God promiseth to his people in Covenant he gives only upon account of his graciousness 353 God doth not enjoyn nor expect any worthiness as a reason of his blessings 354 God will have us acknowledge our selves unworthy 356 Under the sense of unworthiness let us go to God and trust in him 358 Arguments to demonstrate God is great in mercy 441 God brings great sinners into Covenant in a perfect league of love and peace ibid. God makes use of great sins to humble men 442 They are no small matters that God doth for us ibid. God takes away the ground of despair 443 The people of God may be guilty of great sins 444 God will be praised for Christ 469 God himself undertakes to sanctifie his people 493 God doth not expect that you should bring but receive 108 Difference betwixt restraining and renewing grace 506 Why such as have grace should labour to grow in it p. 635 I but I am under much weakness of grace and many wants Ans 215 H. H … ness OF the kinds of hardness in men 529 Some are sensible of their Hardness 538 Remove what breeds this Hardness ibid. God takes away hardness of Heart from his people 544 A difference betwixt the hardness remaining in the best and that in the wicked 547 Resist hardness returning ibid. They who partake of this mercy should beware of hardning themselves again 550 Of the judgements of God upon hardned sinners ibid. Three sorts of hardned sinners ibid. When we make most Haste we shall hardly finish all we have to do 685 A new Heart is a changed heart 497 God gives a new Heart and a new Spirit to his people in Covenant 496 Ten Characters of a new Heart 511 Why God gives a new Heart 501 Then many are not Gods people they have their old hearts still 502 Exhortation to use the means to get a new Heart 522 The misery of an old Heart ibid. The necessity of a new Heart 523 Hearken not to the prejudices of your old Heart 524 The way to get a new Heart 525 There is a stony Heart in every man 527 Why called a stony Heart 528 Comfort to those that have a new Heart 519 Of the evil of an hard Heart 540 Why God takes away the stony Heart and that by promise 546 The means how God takes hardness of heart away ibid. Labour to be cured of this hard Heart 534 The effects and fruits of a hard Heart 536 Means to cure a hard Heart ib. They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed 548 Keep up the tenderness of heart 554 Search your Hearts often ibid. All the people of God have a softned heart given them 555 What a heart of flesh is A fourfold softness 556 Characters of a heart spiritually soft and tender 567 This tenderness of Heart appears towards â—od 557 Why God gives a heart of flesh 559 Tryals whether we have a tender Heart 560 Bless God for this Heart of flesh 549 Convictions that many deceive themselves in a false softnesse of Heart 564 Get newness of Heart 583 Cet Hearts to love the Lord ib. How the tender Heart is affected in case of Gods honour 574 The workings of a tender Heart in case of Gods dishonour 575 The misery of persons destitute of softness of Heart 566 The benefits of a tender heart 579 How to know which is true humiliation 598 The carnal heart counts any one common and burthensom 668 Our helps are more then our work 693 Six things affirmed of Holiness 33 Why men look after mercy and not holiness 492 Be not discouraged in the sense of the want of holiness 495 The nature of holiness 136 How true holiness may be known ibid. The Author of this Covenant commands holiness 132 What the sin against the holy Ghost is 385 No creature can make another holy 494 What is to be done that we may be holy 137 I. Jesus JEsus the Mediator of the Covenant p. 222 Whilst we live we are imperfect 676 A threefold intercession in Scripture 274 How sad is their condition who have no part in Christs intercession 276 The Popish Doctrine of other Intercessors confuted 275 Idolatry the greatness of that sin 440 Every justified person hath cause of rejoycing 442 The difference between Justification and Sanctification 489 Wonder not to see little good done upon many by private Instructors 532 Its a great judgement not be accepted with God 664 K. Knowledge HOw Knowledge contributes to obedience 655 Without Knowledge obedience is not practical ibid. Some more slow in point of Knowledge some in point of practice 684 Get a clear Knowledge of the wayes of God 698 L. Laws THe observation of Gods Laws belongs to all that are in Covenant with him 643 How Gods people being not under the Law are bound to obedience 646 How the Moral Law never ceaseth ibid. How we are said to be under the Law 647 What is Legal obedience 652 A Legal obedience is indeed impossible 670 In what cases God leaves his Servants 710 Love is not the only rule of our obedience 658 M. Mediator WE cannot serve a better Master then God 696 God is the best Master and why ibid. God is no hard Master 707 Of the Mediator of the Covenant 225 What is a a Mediator ibid. Christ the Mediator betwixt God and us ib. There is a necessity of a Mediator betwixt God and us 226 There cannot be a New Covenant without a Mediator 227 Jesus Christ and he only is the Mediator ibid. Three conditions in a Mediator agree only to Christ 228 How Christ is to be considered as being a Mediator as God-man ibid. A Mediator must be a middle person twixt differing parties ibid. This Mediator undertakes all betwixt God and us 231 According to which Nature in Christ he is a Mediator 132 The works of Christs Mediation were such as no person could effect except he were both God and man 229 There is in us an unworthiness of any mercy 355 That God is a God of infinite mercy 431 Though your sins be great yet there is hopes of mercy 445 What is to be observed about mercies and blessings 662 N. Newness A Natural man can of himself do no good 706 Try our selves what newness is in us 504 O. Obedience HOw to please God in our obedience 664 Progressive Obedience is true Obedience 676 Three things in Christs obedience for our imitation 677 P.