not faithful you could have no comfort in any of his Attributes nor in any of his promises nor yet any confidence or assurance at all But this faithfulness of God gives life as it were unto all his Attributes and unto all his Promises and unto all our hopes and confidences What are a thousand Bonds and Indentures if they were not sealed what are a million of promises and protestations from a man who is unfaithful who regards not his word who will break his word with you faithfulness is all in all a faithful heart a faithful friend a faithful God and this is the great satisfaction of all our doubts and fears But will God do me good but will he performe what he hath promised if I were sure that he were sure he will not faile me this would stay me this would satisfie me I had enough Now you have it cleared out unto you that your God is a faithful God Quest But you may perhaps desire to know the particular portions of comfort from this that your God in Covenant is a faithful God Sol. I will present a few of them unto you 1. The faithfulnesse of God is a sure pledge unto you for all your enjoyments For This is a sure pledge of all our enjoyments It is if I may so express it the very seal of God to performe all the Bond of his Covenant the security which God gives you for all his engagements as full assurance as God can make for the performance of all his promises it is a sure foundation for your faith to rest upon a foundation that cannot be shaken and which shall never be removed you are as sure to enjoy all the good which God hath promised to you as God is God and as God is your God In hope of eternal life whiâ—h God that cannot lye hath promised Titus 1. 2. God hath promised to forgive our sinnes and to cleanse us from our sinnes and he is faithful to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse 1 Joh. 1. 9. God hath promised to sanctifie us throughout And faithful is he who hath called â—s who will also do it 1 Thes 5. 24. God hath promised to establish us and to keep us from evil And the Lord is faithful who will establish you and keep you from evil 2 Thes 3. 3. 2. The faithfulness of God is a mighty and effectual and prevailing Plea This is an effectual and prevailing plea with God with your God O Lord This is my want and distress and that is thy promise for help and thou art faithful who hast promised in thy truth and in thy faithfulness to answer me keep Covenant with me remember thy word do not faile me why this comes close to God this concernes him near he hath taken his Oath upon it that he will not lye that he will not deceive that he will not fail his people 3. The faithfulness of God is enough to answer all your fears and doubts O It is enough to answer all our fears and doubts they are such great things and they are such hard things and unto sense and reason such improbable and impossible things and who am I c. Sol. Why dost thou find these things promised by God unto thee God wants not power to do them and he is faithful and will do them the faithful God will performe every good thing which he hath promised though thy unbelief many times saith He will not and thy fears dispute how he can though thy reason fail thee and though thy sense faile thee and though thy heart faile thee yet thy God will never faile thee thy faithful God will not fail thee God is faithful and he will not suffer thee to be tempted above what thou art able c. 1 Cor. 10. 15. 4. The faithfulness of God is a support unto you under all his silence and under It is a support under all his delayes all his delayings of the good which he hath promised and you do so earnestly crave Your prayers are not in vain your waitings are not in vain Perhaps you have waited at the gate of heaven many a day yea and many a year for assurance of mercy for power over such a sinne for victory over evil thoughts and temptations and afflictions and yet you are not heard and still you are put off and hereupon your heart begins to faint God will not do me this good and he will not remember his promise O but do you remember that your God is a faithful God and a faithful God cannot lye a faithful God will keep his Covenant will remember his Covenant will perform his Covenant he may be silent unto your prayers he may delay you long but he is faithful he hath his time and he will surely take his time to answer and succour you 5. The faithfulness of God will break down all contrarieties and contradictions It will break down all contradictions and oppositions and oppositions Heaven and earth shall sooner fail and pass than that one Word or title of Gods promise shall fail or perish his Word of promise shall take effect though all the Devils in hell oppose it and though all the men on earth oppose it and though all the powers of unbelief oppose it this stands in the way and that stands in the way but yet God is faithful and his promise shall be made good Sarah was old c. But she judged him faithful who had promised Heb. 11. God should never be trusted if he were not faithful 8. Graciousness is another Attribute of your God your God is a gracious God is a gracious God God and he is and will be a gracious God unto all his people Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Psal 86. 15. Thou O Lord art a God full of compassion and gracious The graciousness of God is such an Attribute of God whereby he doth favourably and freely love and chuse and bless and do all good unto his people without any desert and notwithstanding any unworthiness on their part It is the reason and account of all his actings towards them It is all the Plea you have to all the good which God doth promise You must distinguish 'twixt the actions and blessings of God and 'twixt the ground or reason of them There are many and great blessings which God intends and confirmes upon his people and the cause of them all is the graciousnesse of God Gods graciousness the cause of all blessings Of The love of God Viz. 1. The love of God is an unspeakable blessing and the graciousness of God is the reason of that love I will love them freely Hos 14. 4. He set his love upon you because he lovâ—d you Deut. 7. 7 8. 2. The election of God is an unspeakable blessing and the foundation of that election is the graciousness of God Ther is a reward according to the
love as this is in every one who hath the Spirit of God Thirdly To all the children of God and servants of Jesus Christ 1 Thes 4. 9. Ye are taught of God to love one another 1 Joh. 5. 2. Every one that loveth him Love to Gods children that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him 1 Pet. 3. 8. Love as brethren Col. 2. 2. Being knit together in love If this be the fruit of the Spirit then many men have not the Spirit for they Who have not the spirit hate the people of God The righeous are an abomination unto the wicked Pro. 29. 27. Yea and many who talk much of the Spirit have great cause to suspect their hearts because they do not love the people of God they do love men of their particular Opinion and men of their particular interest but if in these any of the people of God do differ from them now they cannot love them but they have very hard and uncharitable Opinions of them and speak evil of them and revile them and utterly shun and decline them SECT III. THus have you the discoveries of the presence of the Spirit of God by the qualities of the Spirit Now follows the last way to know whether we have the Spirit of God and that is 3ly By the properties of such persons to whom indeed the The spirit is known by the properties Spirit is given e. g. They that have the Spirit given unto them are spiritually-minded Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit Here the Apostle gives a different character Such as are Spiritually minded of two different sorts of persons Here are some who are after the flesh i. e. who are carnal unregenerate in their natural condition the character of these persons is that they do mind the things of the flesh sinful sensual vain things And there are some who are after the Spirit i. e. who are born of the Spirit who are Regenerate converted sanctified by the Spirit and the character of them is That they do mind the things of the Spirit The things of the Spirit i. e. the things which the Spirit of God commands suggests the things which are agreeable to a spiritual nature holy and heavenly objects holy and heavenly wayes and works the things which belong to the kngdom of God and the Righteousness thereof the things which do conduce to the glory of God and the salvation of their souls They do mind these things they do Cogitare think much of them they do Curare lay out their greatest care for them they do Sapere relish these things above all other they are most sweet and delightful unto them Psal 4. 6. But Lord lift thou up the light c. Psal 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than honey to my mouth Cant. 2. 3. I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my taste O what a discovery doth this one tryal make They that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit Many men seldom or never think of the things of the Spirit God is not in their thoughts they say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21. 14. They mind not God nor Christ nor Word nor Soul nor Heaven nor Repentance nor Faith c. If they do think of them it is but carelesly and coldly not with any care to get them not with any affections to desire them or to delight in them they are not suitable objects c. The things of God the things of Christ the thinâ—s of salvation the things of the way to heaven they savor them not they relish them not at all but their sinful lusts they do mind on these do their thoughts run and in these do they take pleasure and they do mind earthly things Phil. 3. 19. on these are their affections set who will shew us any good any earthly bargain any earthly gain and earthly discourse these they savor and relish c. Yea I doubt that many amongst us who presume their estates to be good have just cause to fear and suspect themselves because spiritual Ordinances and spiritual Communions and spiritual Conferences and spiritual Exercises and Imployments and spiritual Meditations and Cares are no way favoury and relishing and delighting but rather burthensome irksome and displeasing O where is a David to be found amongst us who can say with him Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day And ver 111. Thy testimonies are the rejoycing of my heart Where is a Paul to be found 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Secondly They that have the Spirit given unto them they are presently in They oppose their corruptions opposition or conflict with sinful corruptions abiding or dwelling in them Simile As you can no sooner put fire and water together but immediately they are a conflicting with one another So as soon as any man receives the Spirit of God which is holy and good there doth immediately ensue a commotion a war a combat in the soul with it and sinful corruptions Gal. 5. 17. the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other c. Before we do partake of the Spirit all is at rest and peace within us the flesh i. e. sinne doth reign and command and we do willingly yield obedience and service unto its lusts in the approbation and delight and execution of them But when the Spirit of God comes into our hearts and renews them now begins the conflict and war there being in us two natures contrary to each other and inclinations and affections contrary to each other and motions and services likewise contrary to each other For the work of Renovation We are renewed but in part from the Spirit although it passes through the whole soul and every faculty of it yet it is an imperfect work the whole soul is renewed but not wholly not a faculty but it hath renewing grace in it yet so that there is not a faculty but it hath sin also abiding in it And hence doth arise the Spiritual conflict from the presence and cohabitation of two such utterly different and irreconcilable adversaries as grace and sin the Spirit and the flesh Paul found this within himself Rom. 7. and so doth every regenerate person in the world The Spirit kindles such a war in a man renewed self against his sinful self as will never be quenched nor ended untill his course be finished and his life ended Thirdly They that have the Spirit given unto them for that very reason Such shall meet with great opposition shall meet with most deadly opposition from
civil sinner Mary Magdalen as well as Lydia Saul as well as Nicodemus great sinners as well as small offenders But unless God would pardon great sinners the Gospel cannot invite all sorts of sinners For when you preach it to persons guilty of great sins alas say they mercy belongs not to us and what have you to do to press upon us to believe suppose we should believe yet we shall not be saved God will never justifie and pardon us c. 5. God brings great sinners into Covenant Publicans Harlots and when God brings great sinners into Covenant in a perfect league of love and peace God brings any actually into the Covenant there is a perfect league of love and peace made between them a mutual reconciliation and relation therefore he pardons their great sins For unless these were pardoned such a league of love and peace would be impossible Persons are not perfectly reconciled whilest the greatest matters of difference do continue 6. Son said Christ be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee Matth. 9. 2. Every justâ—fied person hath cause of rejâ—ycing Every justified or pardoned person is in a comfortable condition he hath cause of joy and rejoycing But if God did not pardon their great sins as well as the rest of their sins their condition would not be comfortable at all but most miserable and full of just horror and fear c. 7. God hath made use of the great sins of persons to humble them and will he not God makes use of great sins to humble men now make use of his great mercies to pardon them all our humbings are wrought by the Spirit in a reference unto mercy when God intends to make us vessels of mercy he doth first make us broken vessels Acts 2. 37. Pricked in their hearts Ver. 41. then believed Acts 9. 6. Trembled Chap. 16. 29. And when he intends to break and humble the heart of a sinner usually he makes the Conscience of him to apprehend and to lay hold of some of the greatest and worst of his sins Pauls Conscience took hold of his persecuting of Christ and the Jaylor of his injuriousness to the Apostles Zacheus on his exaction and Mary Magdalen on her adultery God layes on us the sense of our great sins to make us see the great need of mercy and to confess the greatness of mercy in the pardoning of such great sins and to quicken earnest prayers for mercy 8. God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins Who is a God like unto thee c Mich. 7. 19. q. d. there is not such a merciful and gracious God in all the God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins world Prov. 25. 2. It is the glory of God to conceale a thing Prov. 19. 11. It is the glory of a man to passe over a transgression So Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Ver. 9. And this shal be to me a Name of joy and praise and honour before all the Nation This was his glory Exod. 34. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. 9. God would have his people to pray for the forgiveness of their great sinnes God would have his people to pray for pardon of great sins Hose 14. 2. Take away iniquity and receive us graciously and they have prayed for the forgiveness of their great sins Psal 25. 11. For thy Name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great And they have prevailed Exod. 32. 32. Therefore certainly he will forgive their great sins For whatsoever we ask according to his will and in Christs Name he will do it for us SECT II. 1. Vse DOth God promise to pardon the great sins yea the greatest sins of his people Hence we may be informed of the unspeakable goodness Information of the unspeakable goodness of God to his people In not taking advantage against us of God to his people First That he takes not advantage against them he seeks not occasions to fall off from them if he did then small offences would serve the turn our daily failings would have broken up all communions betwixt him and us much more would our great transgressions have raised up a partition wall and caused his soul to abhor us Psal 103. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Great transgressions are great provocations and great injuries and great dishonours unto God yet you see he promiseth to pass them by to pardon them therefore certainly he takes no advantage against us he doth not mark iniquities and what we have done amiss There are no small matters God doth for us Secondly That they are no small matters which he doth for us There are two things which God doth for his people which are not small favours 1. One is the giving of Christ unto them and the giving of them unto Christ 2. The other is the forgiving of their great sins Moses reputes this work as the fruits of his great power and of his great mercy Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying ver 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression ver 19. Pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy And so doth the Apostle in Ephes 1 17. He puts this upon the account of the riches of Gods grace wherein ver 8. he abounds towards us Was it a small thing for the King in Matth. 18. 23 24. to forgive the servant who owed unto him ten thousand talents What is the desert of any one sin even of the least of our sins death and wrath and curse and hell what then is the punishment and recompence meritoriously belonging to us for our great transgressions yet God forgives them c. Thirdly That his love is very great and very firm and sure unto his people His love is very great and firm and never to be taken off and removed why so because he forgives all the sins of his people and the great and the greatest sins of them If any thing breaks off the love of God it must be sin for that he hates and that is the only provocation of him and if any sin doth it it is likely that a multitude of sins will daily and continual offences and if any of these will it is most probable that great and high sinnings will cut the knot asunder But you see it is not the multitude of sins nor yet the magnitude of sins which separates the people of God from the love of God but he will pardon all their sins yea the greatest of their sins therefore his love is fixed and never to be changed For if these will not alter it nothing else shall or can Fourthly That God takes
thou him or what receiveth he of thine hand v. 8. Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousness may profit the son of man Psal 16. 2. My goodness extendeth not to thee q. d. Thou art not benefited by any good works of ours c. I cannot add any thing thereby unto thee we receive all from thee but can give nothing unto thee by which thou mayest be bettered for thou art an infinite being and therefore we can add nothing to thee Secondly You must not do any good work thinking thereby to satisfie God for your evil works Many people when they have committed sin and injured Nor to satisfie God for our sins and dishonoured God then they fall a praying and a reading and a hearing and put on to works of piety and charity and their intention or end in doing of these duties is to make God amends and to make up the wrong which they have done him supposing that the good which now they do will ballance the evil which they have done and satisfie God Now though this be true that our sinnings do injure God and therefore its reason that after our sinnings we should be much humbled and be more circumspect in our walking and more diligent and upright Yet to act all these as satisfactions to God for the sinful injurious workes which we have done against him This is 1. Foolish 2ly Sinful First It is foolish forasmuch as nothing that we can do can amount unto It s foolish a satisfaction for the evil that we can do Because 1. All the good which we now do we ought still to have done and that which Reasons of it was still a duty can never be a satisfaction 2. There is more evil in the evil that we have done than there is good in the good which we do our sinful evil is perfectly evil and our best good is but imperfect good The evil that we do against God deserves hell and the good which we do deserves nothing the evil which is done needs infinite mercies to pardon it and the good which we do is so mixt with our sinfulness that that also needs mercy to pardon and accept it and that which needs mercy cannot be a satisfaction Secondly It is sinful For this is to take upon us the work of a Mediatour to whom alone that work of satisfaction doth pertain and he must be both God and It s sinful man or else he could not have satisfied for our sins Now to presume that our own imperfect obedience is able to satisfie God for our sins and to clear all our accounts and reckonings between him and us what is this but to lay aside the perfect satisfactions of Christ the only Mediatour and to set up our own weak righteousness as sufficient to compensate the Justice of God Thirdly You must not offer up any performances of yours as causes of mercy and Nor as causes of mercies and blessings blessings you must pray and you must mourn and you must repent and you must obey the voice of the Lord your God and you must walk in his statutes and do them and if you do so with upright hearts God will meet you with mercy and blessings Nevertheless you may not look on any performance of yours as causes meriting and purchasing any blessing unto you remember that excellent passage in Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Commandements and his testimonies Yet Ver. 11. For thy Name sake pardon mine iniquity for it is great Here is mercy and truth for them that keep his Commandements and then here is not our obedience but his Name the cause of our mercy not for my obedience sake but for thy Name sake pardon mine iniquity c. So when Daniel fasted and prayed in an extraordinary way for mercy and for deliverance out of the Babylonian captivity he impleads not those works as causes of them nay as so he rejects them Dan. 9. 17. Now therefore O our God heâ—r the prayer of thy servant and his supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake Ver. 18. O my God encline thine ear and hear open thine eyes and behold our desolations and the City that is called by thy Name for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness but for thy great mercies There are four things to be observed about mercies and blessings What is to be observed about mercies and blessings 1. The Efficient Cause and that is only Gods own love and grace and mercy his own glorious love is the only efficient cause of all our blessings whether spiritual or temporal 2. The Final Cause and that is only Gods own glory all is from his mercy and all is for his glory he is the first and he is the last out of the sea of his mercy they come and into the sea of his glory they do return 3. The Meritorious Cause and that is Jesus Christ who by his blood hath purchased all things for us pertaining to life and godliness 4. The means by which not causes for which they are obtained and enjoyed They are means whereby blessings are obtained and such are our holy performances and walkings unto which God hath promised abundance of mercies and blessings and we shall enjoy them not Ratione facti for the worthiness of our doings but Ratione promissionis for the goodness and faithfulness of his promise unto our upright doing and walking Therefore take heed of looking on any doing and walking as meritorious causes of mercies and blessings For 1. All the good we can do is but what we ought to do and no duty of man can Why they cannot merit mercies be meritorious with God 2. All the good we do is done by the strength of Christ therefore it cannot merit seeing it is done not by our own strength but Christs 3. All the good we do finds acceptance only in and for Christ our prayers are accepted in him and our services are accepted in him and therefore they merit nothing of themselves 4. All good services must be done in faith or else they cannot be pleasing to God Heb. 11. 16. Now Faith and the merit of mans works are utterly inconsistent 5. Lastly All the blessings which you shall ever enjoy you must take them out of Gods promises or Covenant of grace and no gift flowing from that Covenant of grace but it is freely given unto us Fourthly You must not look upon any performances services acts of obedience They cannot make peace with God done by you as propitiations as able to make peace with God for the sins which you have committed against God When we have sinned against God we must humble our souls and repent and pray unto the Lord to pardon us and to be reconciled unto us and to take away iniquity and
as accepting of us in Christ as shining in his favour on our souls as our God in Covenant how satisfying how delightful a portion is this The small Ring with the rich Diamond cannot that delight and please you Object O but I have very little of these outwards Sol. A little of them is enough much is but a superfluity and is like the water that runs besides the Mill. Though but a little yet It is enough It is blest 2. Your little is blest it is the cluster of grapes with the blessing of the Lord a little wholsome food is better than a feast that is poysoned so c. 3. Your little will last As the Widows Oyle ran out still and ran out so much It will last as served to sustain her all the time of Famine so God by little and little will preserve you all your dayes 4. Though little in hand yet still sufficient and of the best in promise which will There is sufficient in the promise rain Manna down upon you all the time of your journying and travelling untill you come to Canaan 9. You who are the people of God should walk with all humility before God Walk with all humility before God Micah 6. 8. What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God There are four goodly sights 1. To see a pardoning God and a mournful sinner 2. To see a promising God and a believing sinner 3. To see a good God and a thankful sinner 4. To see a gracious God and an humble sinner No people are raised so high as the people of God and no people with such lowliness and humbleness as these To walk humbly is to walk 1. With a sense of our own unworthhyness I am not worthy of the least of all the With a sense of our own unworthinesse mercies of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant said Jacob Gen. 32. 10. Who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto said David 2 Sam. 7. 18. 2. With a sense of our own insufficiencies we are not sufficient of our selves to With a sense of our own insufficiency think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. O Lord I know the way of man is not in himself It is not in man to direct his steps Jer. 10. 23. 3. With a full acknowledgement of the grace of God as the reason and cause of With a full acknowledgement of the grace of God our all By the grace of God I am what I am And I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me said Paul 1 Cor. 15. 10. 4. With a low opinion of our selves as 1 Cor. 4. 6. That not one of you be puffed up With a low opinion of our selves for one against another verse 7. For who maketh thee to differ and what hast thou that thou didst not receive Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Why they should walk humbly Because They are saved by mercy Their enjoyments are the gifts of grace And there are five Reasons which the people of God have to walk humbly 1. Because they are all saved by mercy and brought into their high relation by the meere love of their God In his mercy he saved them and in your blood he set his love upon you and said unto you live 2. Because all the great enjoyments which they have they are the meere gifts of grace Ye are called by grace and justified by grace and adopted by grace and renewed by grace and saved by grace 3. Because you continually live in a dependance upon God All your actings are in his strength and all your communions with him are by his presence and by his power They live in dependency upon God your graces and your comforts and particular abilities would die in your hands if he should but withdraw and leave you 4. Because your God is a great God and you are but Dust and Ashes before him Their God is a great God And besides that he knows so much of you that you have cause to be vile in your own eyes and to lie low before him 5. Because you do so little for so good a God You make but poor returns in proportion They do so little for so good a God to your exceeding great receits your best performances and acts of obedience are so short to his mercies that you need mercy still to passe you by You should walk with all chearfulness and gladnesse of heart before your blessing Walk with all chearfulness and blessed God Psal 100. 2. Serve the Lord with gladnesse Deut. 28. 47. Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulnesse and gladnesse of heart for the abundance of all things O how chearful should your life be who enjoy such a God to be your God This enjoyment should be like a good conscience which is a continual feast yet God is my God and Christ is my Christ and mercy and glory are mine Yea it should make you exceeding forward and chearful in the services of your God not calling them your burdens but delights you should rejoyce in him and rejoyce to obey him and delight to do his will account it your meat and drink and you should a bound in the work of the Lord. 11. You should be constant in walking before him you should never be weary of him nor of his works you should think a short life too short for the serving Be constant in walking before him and the honouring of such a God as the Martyr was troubled because he had but one life to part with for Christ so should we because we have no more lives or no longer time of life to blesse and praise our good and gracious God you should serve him in holiness and righteousness all your dayes Luke 2. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. 12. You who ate the people of God should walk before him in all zeale for the honour of that God who hath so much honoured you as to make you his Walk before him in all zeal people What shall I do for my God! you should deny your selves and extend your selves and improve all your gifts and graces and powers for the services of his glory you should not count your time nor riches nor honours nor lives dear unto you so that you might honor and glorifie such a God as your God is and is to you you should speak and pray and study and act and enact for him who is so good a portion and will be your everlasting and blessed God SECT XV. Use 4 THere is yet one Use more
strokes of his wrath And so to be chastised of God as to make peace with God or to appease him is so to suffer the wrath of God as to satisfie God and to remove it And truely how Christ should possibly escape the feeling of the wrath of God incensed against our sins he standing as a Surety for us with our sins laid upon him and for them fully to satisfie the justice of God is not Christianly or rationally imaginable Object And whereas some do object that Christ was alwayes the beloved of God and therefore could never be the object of Gods wrath Sol. I answer by distinguishing of the Person of Christ whom his Father alwayes loved and as sustaining our sins and in our room standâ—ng to satisfie the justice of God and as so the wrath of God fell upon him and he bore it and so satisfied the justice of God that we thereby are now delivered from wrath through him so the Apostle Rom. 5 9. Much more being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him 3. That Jesus Christ did feele and suffer the very torments of hell though not after a hellish manner Indeed Jesus Christ did not go down into Hell to suffer Christ did feel and suffer the torments of hell there amongst the damned in hell nor did he suffer hellish darknesse nor the flames of hell nor the worm that never dies nor final despair nor guilt of conscience nor gnashing of teeth nor impatient indignation nor eternal separation from God These were absolutely inconsonant with the purity and with the dignity of his Person and with the Office of a Mediatour and Redeemer But yet we say that Christ in his soule did suffer for our sins such horror agony and consternation as amounted unto Cruciatus Infernales and are in Scripture called the sorrows of hell Psal 18. 5. The sorrows of Hell did compass me about It was a great expression of a very learned man that setting iniquity and eternity of punishment aside which Christ might not sustain Christ did more vehemently and sharply feel the wrath of God than ever any man did or shall no not any person reprobate and damned excepted And verily I think the reason annexed to prove this expression is very weighty because all the wrath that was due for all the sins of the Elect all whose sins were laid on Christ Isa 53. 6. was greater than the wrath which belonged to any one sinner though damned for his personal sinning And besides this if you do seriously consider those sufferings of Christ in his agony in the Garden you may by them conjecture what hellish torments Christ did suffer for us Not yet to speak of the cursed death which he also suffered In that agony of his he was afraid and amazed and fell flat on the ground Matth. 14. 33. He began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy verse 34. and saith unto them my soule is exceeding sorrowfull unto death and his sweat was at it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground Luke 22. 44. He did sweat clotted blood in such abundance that it streamed through his apparel and did wet the ground which dreadful agony of Christ how it could arise from any other cause than the sense of the wrath of God parallel to that in hell I do not know 4. I will add but one thing more about these sufferings of Christ viz. That Christ was indeed made a curse for us Jesus Christ was indeed made a curse for us and did in his soule and body bear that curse of the Law which by reason of transgression was due unto us Gal 3. 53. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on Tree Cur erubescam fateri quod Apostolus non ernbuit alta voce profiteri said Ambrose Such a curse or execration was Christ made for us as was that from which he redeemed us and that curse from which he redeemed us was no other than the curse of the Law and that curse of the Law included all the punâ—shment which sinners were to bear or suffer for transgression of the Law of which his hanging on the Cross was a sign and symbol and this curse was Christ made for us that is he did bear and suffer it to redeem us from it Qui Benedictus in sua justitia maledictus ob delicta nostra said Austin Whether it were not against justices that an innocent person should suffer for the nocent Quest Now before I make Application of this unto our selves there is one question concerning all these sufferings of Christ whether it were not against the justice of God that Christ who was in himself innocent without all sin a Lamb without spot should bear and endure all these punishments for us who were the offending and guilty and obnoxious persons only Answered Sol. The Socinians are very eager in this who cannot see any satisfaction performed by Christ for us to God nor yet any just proceeding in God that Christ so innocent in himself should thus bear our punishments But truely setting aside the foolish Tragedie of their exclamations the matter in question will be but this Whether God were not unjust to give his Son Jesus Christ to be our Surety and Mediatour and Redeemer and Saviour For as much as Christ could not be any one of these for and unto us but by a willing susception of our sins upon himself to be for them responsible unto the justice of God in suffering those punishments which were due for our sins Object And whereas they do object that God might have freely pardoned all our offences and punishments without any of these sufferings of Christ I answer This is no more but to quarrel with the love and wisdom of God in giving Christ to be a Mediatour for us and to teach God a better way to save sinners than he himself hath devised and declared who will so save sinners by his Son as Mediatour that both in his justice against our sins and in his mercy unto our souls his own glory may be admired and magnified But now to speak a few words unto the main question I say it is not alwayes and in all cases unjust but it is sometimes and in some cases very just to punish one who is in himself innocent for him or those who are the nocent and guilty The innocent may be punished for the nocent Grotius in his Book de satisfactione gives divers instances but I shall insist only on two as 1. In case of conjunction where the innocent party and the nocent party do become legally one party and therefore if a man marries a woman indebted he In case of conjunction thereupon becomes obnoxious to pay her debts although absolutely considered he was not obnoxious thereunto 2. In case of vadimony or Suretiship where a person knowing
so shall you and Christ was afraid and so shall you and Christ was in an agony and so shall you and Christ did drink the cup of his Fathers wrath so shall you and Christ was made a curse and so shall you Indeed a repenting and believing person may look upon the sufferings of Christ with joy and hope but an impenitent and unbelieving person must look upon them with confusion and horror The more he sees of Christ sorrows and the sharper he findes Christs sorrows the more perplexed may his soule be For what punishments Christ did suffer for sin as to the substance that same must the impenitent and unbelieving person suffer as to the substance yea and as to the circumstance of punishment Christ suffered death and thou shalt suffer eternal death Christ suffered shame and thou shalt suffer eternal shame Christ suffered wrath for a time but thou shalt suffer wrath for ever and fear for ever and separation from God for ever and the torments of hell for ever 3. Behold your Christ Pilate said Behold the man when Christ was brought in with his Crown of Thornes But I say behold your Christ look on him who Behold your Christ was crucified for you and look on him who was crucified by you There is a four-fold sight of Christ 1. One in Carne when he came into the world 2. A second in Cruce when he was leaving the world 3. A third in Caelo when he shall receive us unto himself out of the world 4. A fourth in Judicio when he shall tome to judge the world But the sight which I would desire you to behold is Christ on the Cross Christ suffering and dying for you O look on this Christ awhile as despised of men as forsaken of God as sorrowful to the death as wounded for our trasgressions as drinking the cup of his Fathers wrath as crying out as dying the cursed death of the Cross as made a curse for us I say behold your Christ in these sufferings so long untill 1. You see his infinite love to your soules thus suffering in your stead thus suffering what you should have suffered and thus suffering that you might not suffer 2. Your hearts be melted into tears for your sins which were the cause of all those sufferings by Christ Look on him whom you have pierced and mourn Let your eyes weep for your making Christ to weep let your hearts be wounded for wounding Christ let your soules be humbled for making Christ to poure out his soule 3. Your hearts can love this Christ who loved you and gave himself for you and washed you from your sins in his own blood 4. Your hearts can hate your sins which made Christ a curse or execration and untill you forsake your sins which made Christ to be forsaken for a time of God untill you crucifie those sins which did crucifie your Christ Beloved The more that Christ hath suffered for us the dearer should Christ be unto us his love should be unto us therefore the more sweet by how much the more bitter his sufferings were for us And our sins should therefore be the more odious unto our hearts because they were so grievous unto Christ The Apostle tells us in 1 Pet. 4. That because Christ hath suffered in the flesh we should therefore cease from sin and Chap. 2. 24. That he bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse And therefore we should purge the old leaven that is our sinful lusts because Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. Vse 2 Hath Jesus Christ as our Surety and Mediatour done and suffered so much for us what comfort what support may this be for all distressed penitent and believing Comfort for distressed penitent and believing persons persons Luther professeth that this is that Ineffabilis infinita misericordia Dei that Abyssus profundissima zelus ardentissimus divinae misericordiae towards us That the Omnipotent God Creatour of all things should be so good and solicitous for me a lost sinner a child of wrath and eternal death as not to spare his own Son but give him up to a most ignominious death that he should be made for me a cursed sinner sin and curse c. and therefore he urgeth us not to rest satisfied with believing only that Christ is purissima Persona though he be so and then know that he is God and Man yet stay not there for yet thou hast not Christ but then verè habes cùm credis hanc purissimam personam tibi donatam à patre ut esset pontifex salvator imo Servus Tuus who took on him thy sinful person and bare thy sinne and death and Crosse and was made a Sacrifice and curse for thee Object But you will say Where lies the stay and comfort of Christs sufferings for us Sol. In this it lies Then you are freed then you shall never suffer in a way of Then you are freed from suffering in satisfaction to Divine justice satisfaction to Divine Justice you shall never bear wrath nor curse for your sins And the reason is because Christ hath suffered already those things due unto you for your sins Object O but did Christ suffer that which was due for all my sins Sol. Yes He suffered all even to the worst and utmost for all that the Law threatned was a curse and Christ was made a curse for us Object But did he not owe something for himself and suffered for that Sol. Surely no for he knew no sinne of his own but was made sinne for us Object O but what if he suffered all may I not yet be made to suffer Sol. No for what Christ suffered he suffered as our Surety in our stead and therefore what he suffered for us is as if we had suffered all that our selves Object But did he verily intend our good in all these sufferings Sol. Ask the Apostle in 2 Cor. 5. 22. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And Gal. 3. 13. He was made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law Object But did God appoint him thus to suffer Sol. He did so Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood and 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is of God made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Object But did his sufferings appease God and satisfie him and reconcile him Sol. It did so For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself 2 Cor. 5. 19. not imputing their trespasses unto them And Ephes 2. 16. He hath reconciled both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body on the Cross having slaine enmity thereby Why what a summe of comforâ—s are here Jesus Christ took upon him all our sins they were all of them laid upon him And he bare or suffered
so that thou wilt pardon them and be pacified towards them and take them into favour again and own them and Christ did this and God accepted of this O love this reconciling Christ 3. By all means strive to get into Jesus Christ to receive him to make him yours Get into Jesus Christ and to become his why so Because if he be not your Christ he cannot be your peace and if he be your Christ assuredly he is your Peace-maker Is there any thing in the world which can concern you more than this what To have the justice of God satisfied to have all your sins pardoned to have God reconciled If a great man and you fell out and were at deadly variance as he has you in his power and might every moment of the day seize on you and take away your life and cut you in pieces would you be quiet and contented especially when you your self were the just cause of all the difference and danger would you not seek peace would you not be glad to be reconciled especially if he should offer it why you and the great God are fallen out and you are the cause of it you sinned against him and did that which his soul did hate and did him wrong and provoked him to wrath and his wrath is revealed against you and he can when he will at any time in any place lay hold on you by the hand of his power and execute his righteous judgements on you and destroy and damn you for ever And yet will you neglect to make peace with him will you dally in this case especially seeing he is thus far indulgent as to shew you the way how to take hold of him and make peace with him There is no way in the world for this but by coming in to Christ and receiving of him by faith and therefore if you would indeed escape the wrath of God if you would indeed enjoy God as appeasedand pacified and reconciled then lay hold on Christ by faith I say on Christ who only is our peace and who only can make our peace In whom the Father is well pleased and by whom he is well pleased with us Ob. Now whereas some prophane spirit may reply But Christ hath shed his blood already and made peace and reconciliation already and what he hath done in that kind shall stand and never be reversed And therefore I will not look after Christ nor trouble my self Sol. Beloved pardon me if I be mistaken but in my conscience this is the general opinion of ungodly men They hear that Christ Jesus died to take away sin and to make peace for sinners and therefore they will take no thought after Christ but will live basely and boldly in their sinful wayes But as Jehu said to the messâ—â—gers of Jehoram What hast thou to do with peace So would I say to such â—anting Atheists what talk you of peace made by Christ There is no peace saitâ— God â—â— the wicked Isa 57. 21. and to them that do not obey the truth God will render â—â—â—gnation and wrath Rev. 2. 8. and tribulation and anguish verse 9. And what bâ—â—gh Jesus Christ did make reconciliation for some must this be presently for such as you who will not know the day of your peace and who slight and refuse the Prince of peace and all the terms of peace by your favor Sir Christ never yet made such a reconciliation that all sinâ— whatsoever though they live in unbelief and in impenitency shall share in it but only penitent sinners and believing sinners Vse 2 Is Reconciliation the fruit and effect of Christs death and sufferings what comfort is this unto all Believers Comfort to all Believers Unspeakable comfort God is reconciled all is peace all is well again We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Attonement Rom. 5. 11. Reconciliation one distinguisheth of three moments of it 1. Ante mortem Christi as it was in the purpose of God by Christ To have all his wrath pacified 2. In morte Christi as it was in the suffering and offering of Christ where God set to his seal to lay aside all wrath and to be friends 3. Post mortem Christi as it is an Application and fruition and this is when a sinner becomes a believer when he believes on Jesus Christ and by Christ is presented to God the Father who now owns him and claspes him with peace and favour Beloved whatsoever the disputes of men are about the latitude or narrownesse of Reconciliation by Christ and of what strength or weaknesse that Arminian distinction may be of Deus placabilis Deus placatus This is agreed on all sides that Reconciliation is obtained for and actually applyed to all Believers Every Believer is in Christ and every one in Christ hath his peace made by Christ Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. Though others will but dispute for a share yet you are sure for your part and though others doubt yet you may be confident that Christ is your peace and hath reconciled you to God Object But where lies the comfort of this that God and Believers are reconciled Ten comforts by Christ Sol. I will tell you briefly If God be reconciled unto you then 1. There is your answer to all that Satan can say But God is satisfied and reconciled my peace is made 2. There is an end of all differences and disputes but God is reconciled The Egyptians are all drowned c. 3. There is sure rest for the Conscience that is now at shore and quiet for God is reconciled nothing can quiet and pacifie Conscience till God be pacified 4. You shall never hear from God in wrath any more for ever for all is taken off and for ever upon reconciliation by Christ 5. You may look upon God and approach his Throne of grace and confidently treat with him and sue unto him for he is reconciled unto you he is appeased he is your friend your Father 6. You and he shall never be enemies more for Reconciliation by Christ looks not only to the time past in taking off all old and former differences but also it looks to the time future in preventing all succeeding breaches of separation It is the everlasting Bond of Peace As Christs Righteousnesse is everlasting Righteousnesse so Christs Peace is everlasting Peace a perpetual Incense 7. You may enjoy your selves and all your comforts with exceeding comfort for God hath accepted of you and is Reconciled unto you his Candle shines upon your Tabernacle A wicked man cannot enjoy any thing with comfort and peace because God and his conscience are not at peace 8. In all the troubles and differences of the world you may yet clear your selves for in Christ you have peace and though men vex and wrangle with you yet God is reconciled to you 9. Are they not happy
that according to their Opinion they must expound the place thus God so loved all man-kind with such a love whereby he neither would nor could will the salvation of any man that he sent his Son to save all men before he did intend to save any man that whosoever believes should be saved This is the great love which they make in God to save all men by Christ 2. Again Seeing that word world is ambiguous sometimes being taken for those men of whom Christ is the Head 2 Cor. 5. 19. sometimes for those men of whom Satan is the Prince Joh. 12. 31. The Prince of this world it had been fit for them to have made out unto us that both of these worlds were so loved by God that he gave his Sonne for the Salvation of them both Thirdly the sense of the place stands evident of itself thus God so loved the world c. i. e. he was so mercifully affected towards mankind in their lost condition that he would not suffer all of them to perish but sent his Son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life Whence it evidently appears that Gods intention in the sending of his Son was for salvation not of every particular man but of every one that believes And indeed there the restriction of Gods purpose for salvation doth lie In quisquis credit whosoever believes not that God would save every particular man in the world but only every one that should believe And questionless this was great love shewn to the world of man-kind universally lost That Jesus Christ was sent for the recovery and salvation of every one of those in the world that should believe on him Nor will any Arminian dare to affirm more than this unless he will maintain that there was yet a larger love in God and a larger intention in him effectually to save all the world by Christ distributively and collectively whether they believe or do not believe The Scripture plainly rejects this and so do they themselves Object Again they object that Scripture of John 6. 51. The bread which I will give you is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world Sol. That Christ gave himself for the life of the world is granted and that he is the bread which giveth life to the world verse 33. is also granted but the Point to be proved is that Christ did give himself effectually for the life of every man in the world But this can never be made out any farther than for Believers in the world verse 35. I am the bread of life he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst And verse 5â— Except ye eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink of his blood ye have no life in you Object 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Sol. 1. Here is the same term again but the question is whether world in this place signifies any other but fideles in mundo for the Apostle speaks of an actual Reconciliation and of an actual forgiveness predicated of this world which are proper to believers 2. If you would have the word world in this place to be understood of every particular man in the world then it must follow that God is by the death of Christ actually reconciled to every one and every one to God which the Arminians themselves deny and that sin is not and shall not be imputed to any man whatsoever which is a notorious falshood 1 Joh. 2. 2. Object But another place there is unto which they much trust upon viz. 1 Joh. 2. 2. He is the propitiation not only for our sinnes but also for the sinnes of the whole world Answered Sol. But this place which at first sight seems one of the strongest for them will not help them at all for 1. The Apostle speaks of a Propitiation conjoyned with the intercession of Christ verse 1. If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous verse 2. and he is the propitiation c. Now the Arminians deny the Intercession of Christ to be for all the world for so say they there should be an actual application of the death of Christ unto all and every man which may not be admitted 2. Again such a Propitiation as Christ is here said to be for our sins the same is here said to be for the sins of the whole world otherwise the comfort here given were of small force if Christ should be a propitiation for us and for the world in a different sense for our sins effectually but for the sins of the whole world ineffectually But he is a Propitiation for our sins i. e. who believe effectually therefore he must also be a propitiation for the sins of the whole world also effectually So that if by the whole world in this place all and every man in the world be understood Then Christ must be and is an effectual Propitiation for the sins of every one i. e. he hath so satisfied and pacified God that he is no longer displeased with any one sinner but this the Arminians will not maintain 3. The scope and purpose of the Apostle in this place is to comfort and support the hearts of believers in case of falling or sinning that they should not despair and for this he presents two Reasons 1. One is that Christ is our Intercessor or Advocate with the Father 2. The other is that Christ is the Propitiation for the sins of all the faithful whether Jews or Gentiles by which he means here the whole world not only for our sins who are Jews but for the sins of the Gentiles So that by the whole world is meant all believers whether Jews or Gentiles for his Epistle is Catholick and respects them both Nor is it an universal expression when the Jews and the Gentiles are spoken of in way of distinction and opposition then to call the Gentiles the world See at your leasure Rom. 11. 12 15. Object But the consolation given here is not so full and rising unless by a Propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world he understood every man in the world Sol 1. I answer To me the Consolation riseth very full and high for the case is of some particular Christians or Believers sinnings if any man sin in this case he supports them not to despair but to hope for pardon and peace and that from Christ intercession and Propitiation he is the Advocate and he is the Propitiation for their sins and not only for their sins but for the sins also of all Believers that either do or shall live in the whole world whether Jews or Gentiles all Believers shall finde him so Ergo you shall 2. Yet suppose that by a Propitiation for the sins of the whole world were meant as the Arminians contend for for the
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
upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Prov. 20. â—9 Who can say I have made my heart pure I am clean from sin James 3. 2. In many things we offend all 2. By the spiritual conflict 'twixt grace and sin in justified persons Rom. 7 23. I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members Ver. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit agninst the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would There is three-fold state of man 1. Corrupted wherein is nothing but sin and yet all is quiet 2. Glorified wherein is nothing but holiness as in heaven 3. Regenerate where there is flesh and spirit sin and grace 3. By the duties incumbent on justified persons as 1. Prayer to be kept from sin Psal 19. 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me Psal 119. 113. Order my steps in thy Word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me and prayer for the pardon of sins committed Psal 25. 11. For thy Name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great c. Ver. 18. Forgive all my sins 2. Further mortifying of sin Colos 3. 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear in glory but in the mean time Ver 5. Mortifie your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection c. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these promises Dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 4. By the examples of the best men sinning Noah Lot Abraham Jacob Moses David Jehoshaphat Peter and all these when they were in a justified condition 5. Experience What one child of God hath there been or is there in the world who doth not find much sin dwelling in him although he be delivered from the condemnation of sin Rom. 8. 11. and from the dominion of sin Rom. 6. 14. Yet he is not perfectly in this life delivered from the inhabitation of sin and motions and conflicts and actions of sin If any of us who indeed are in Christ and justified by him have ever surveyed the clearest and fairest day of our life when our hearts have been most enlarged and our feet most upheld we shall with all our good find a great mixture of evil so that we daily see as much cause to mourn for our own filthinesse as to blesse God for his goodnesse 2. As sin doth still remain in persons justified so God doth see that remaining God sees that remaining sin sin in them he that made the eye shall not he see all things are naked and open before him Gods seeing is diversly taken in Scripture First Sometimes for his approving Gen. 1. 31. And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Jonah 3. 10. And God saw their works that they turnd from their evil way He saw this with an eye of approbation Now in this sense God doth not see sin in any man neither good nor bad neither justified nor unjustified for he is of purer eyes than to behold evil Hab. 1. 13. and cannot look upon iniquity i. e. with approbation or liking Secondly For his wrathful observing and intention to condemn and destroy Jer. 7. 11. Is this house which is called by my Name become a Den of Robbers in your eyes behold even I have seen it saith the Lord ver 12. But go now unto my place which was in Shiloh where I set my Name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people Israel Hos 6. 10. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel there is the whoredom of Ephraim Israel is defiled c. Gen. 6. God saw the wickednesse of man that it was great upon the earth If you understand Gods seeing of sin for such an apprehension of sin as for it in wrath to judge and condemn and eternally to destroy the sinner in this sence God doth not see sin in any that he pardons or justifies Thirdly Sometimes for his knowing and taking notice of a thing and that with dislike although not so far as finally to condemn Now in this sense God doth see the sins of justified persons The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good Prov. 15. 3. Job 10. 14. If I sin thou markest me Psal 90. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy Countenance Psal 51. 4. Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight 2 Sam. 12. 9. Why hast thou said Nathan to David despised the Commandement of the Lord to do this evil in his sight This was that which did so aggravate Davids sin and so much break Davids heart Object But these are places for Believers in the Old Testament whereas they who deny Gods seeing of sin mean it of Believers under the New Testament Sol. The Believers under the Old Testament were justified by Christ their sins were laid upon Christ and taken away by Christ as well as believers under the New Testament 2. Why do they bring most of their proofs for this Opinion out of the Old Testament As God seeth no iniquity in Jacob And thou art all fair my love and they shall be as white as snow and blotted out c. 3. But see for the New Testament Luke 15. 21. where you have the confession of a penitent child I have sinned against heaven and before thee or in thy sight Rev. 2. 4. I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love Thirdly As God sees the sins in justified persons so likewise is he offended God is offended with their sins with those sinnes But of this I shall speak more fully in answer to the next Question Fourthly Gods covering or hiding of sin in Justification is not Exclusive of or inconsistent with Gods seeing of sin in his people being rightly understood for Gods covering of sin is not exclusive of his seeing of sin there is a two-fold covering of sin 1. From condemnation Thus when God forgives sins he covers sins so that they shall never appear and rise up to condemn the person 2. From apprehension and dislike Thus though the person be forgiven and justified yet if he full into sin God sees it and dislikes it yea hates it though for Christs sake be doth forgive the Person Object But how can this be that God should see any sin in believers who have the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ which is perfect and without all sinne Sol. I answer First If the Righteousnesse of Christ were
nature or desert or circumstances of it nor afflictions devolving or throwing our sins upon others as Adam did upon his Wife and she upon the Divel but it is a clear Inditement Accusation or Charge against our selves before God I have sinned against heaven and before thee said the Prodigal Luk. 15. 18. I was a blusphemer and a persecutor and injurious and of sinners the chief said Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13 15. 4. It is a fiduciary acknowledgement of our sins it is joyned with some A fiduciary acknowledgement degree of faith for it is made to God not as to a Judge only who condemns upon the Parties confession but as to a Father who knows how to pity and forgive the mourning and repenting childe who begins to accuse and condemn himself Hosea 14. 2. Take with you words and turn unto the Lord and say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Deut. 9. 8. O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face and because we have sinned against thee Ver. 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness though we have rebelled against him Lord I am a sinful creature but thou art a merciful God! I deserve wrath but thou canst shew mercy I am unworthy of any mercy but thou forgivest sins freely and thou hast promised forgiveness unto them who confess their sins O forgive me all my sins for Christs sake 5. Lastly True penitential confession which shall obtain forgiveness of sins It is attended with desire of humbling and endeavors of reforming is attended with desires of humbliâ—â— and endeavours of reforming When a Patient layes open his diseases to the Physitian it is for this purpose that the Physitian would cure them as the poor man having related unto Christ the grievous distempers of his child requested Mark 9. 22. But if thou canst do any thing have compassion on us and help us So when a penitent person confesseth his sins to God it is alwayes accompanied with earnest desires O Lord heal these diseases of my soul heal my pride and heal my vain-glory and heal my filthiness and heal my impatience and heal my unbelief and heal my worldliness as David with the confession of his sins joyned this petition Psal 51. 10. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Nay moreover the right confession of sins is attended with the real endeavour of reforming our sins therefore Solomon puts these together He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy Prov. 28. 13. And this was the practice of the children of Israel they joyned Reformation with their Confession and good came of it unto them as you may see Judg. 10. 15. We have sinned Ver. 16. And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel Thirdly The qualifications of the right turning from sin which puts us within The qualification of a right turning from sin A cordial turning in the capacity of the promise of forgiveness of our sins First It is a cordial turning Joel 2. 12. Turn ye even to me with all your heart Deut. 30. 10. If thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul 2 Chron. 6. 38. If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul Ver. 39. then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication and forgive their sins c. Here are singular expressions to set forth the life and truth of penitential turning from sin viz. To turn with the heart and with all the heart with all the heart and with all the soul What may these expressions mean and signifie There are two things principally intended in them 1. One is a reality of turning for he doth indeed repent whose heart repents and he doth indeed turn from his sins whose heart doth turn from sin if the heart turns not the repentance is but feigned and hypocritical Suppose you should for awhile lay ande your sins you may therein seem unto men to repent but if you still love your sins and hold them fast and will not part with them you are so far from repenting in the sight and account of God that he looks upon you as plain hypocrites who pretend only to forsake your sins when indeed you are the servants of sin and intend not at all to foâ—sake them Well then to turn from sin with the heart is to have an heart giving a Bill of Divorce unto our sins breaking the league with sin casting it off for any more love and obedience c. 2. Another is a perfection or fulness of turning that doth the turning with all the heart and with all the soul and with the whole heart signifie as when ones whole hâ—art is set upon an object or is employed in any service the meaning is that every faculty of the soul is unitedly and concurrently engaged to that object and in that service I have sought thee with my whole heart said David Psal 119. 10. i. e. Not any one faculty of my soul but is drawn out and exercised in that work So to turn from our sin with the whole heart with all the heart and with all the soul is to have every faculty drawn off from sin and disinterested of sin and as it were outing and discharging it self thereof all of them agreeing and consenting to course it away viz. First The understanding saith I will never give way to any deceitful motions of sin any more nor to any delightful contemplation of it any more I will not count it as pleasure or profit but shall esteem of it as indeed it is an object every way to be hated and rejected Secondly The Judgement turns away from it by disapproving and disallowing and condemning of it I will never reason and plead for it more I will never contrive or devise to gratifie it more I will never make pretences and shifts to colour it any more O it is the greatest evil the only dishonour of God the only cause of the death of Christ and the only danger and damnation of the soul Thirdly The conscience turns away from it O saith conscience sin hath been the thorn in my eye and the arrow in my side it hath wounded me and made me restless and filled me with bitterness I will give warning against it I will threaten aganst it I will trouble and vex you for it Fourthly The will turns away from it in resolution and purpose I will never obey sin any more in the lusts thereof I will never give over till I find the vertue of Christ to crucifie and mortifie them Fifthly And every affection of the soul turns away from sin in true repentance 1. Love saith I will never embrace thee more 2. Desire saith I will never long after thee more 3. Delight saith I will never take content in thee more 4. Hatred saith I
away all grounds of despair from the hearts of his people There are but three principal grounds of despair God takes away the grounds of despair 1. O my sins are so many that there is no hope of mercy 2. O but my sins are so high and so great that God will never forgive them 3. O but though God can and will forgive many sins and great sins yet he will not forgive my great sins My sin said Cain is greater than shall be forgiven Gen. 4. Now God answers all these Arguments and Grounds of despair which possibly may arise in the hearts of his people For 1. He promiseth that he will forgive all their sins and will cast them also into the depth of the sea 2. He promiseth to forgive their great sins though they have been as scarlet and red like crimson and though adulterers and though idolaters c. 3. This promise he himself doth make with respect unto every one of their persons as you may see here in the Text and in other Scriptures So that there remains no ground at all of despair for them Indeed there may be matter enough for their humiliation but none for desperation SECT III. 2. Vse DOth God promise the forgiveness of all sins yea of the great sins of his people Then let all the people who are sensible of any great Make out for the pardon of great sins transgression speedily and seriously make out unto the Mercy-seat for the pardon of their great sins For the managing of this Use I will 1. Premise a few Conclusions 2. Lay down some Directions what is to be done to get the pardon of great sinnes 3. Discover some Signs and Evidences by which one may know that even his great sins are forgiven First The Conclusions which I would premise as Motives to get the forgiveness Conclusions premised of our great sins are thesâ— First Even the people of God may be guilty of great transgressions both before The people of God may be guilty of great sins their conversion and also after their conversion 1. Before their conversion scarce any of them but have been guilty whâ—â— soule sins were those Corinthians guilty of before God had called them by his grace even of drunkennesse and idolatries and adulteries and Sodomies and Paul himself who seemed so unblameable in his conversation yet what great sins stood he guilty of He was mad in persecuting the Saints he had his hand in the blood of Stephen he was consenting to his death nay the Lord Jesus Christ arested him and accused him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. Ephes 2. 3. Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Titus 3. 3. We our selves were also foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another 2. After their conversion they have also been guilty of great sins Noah of drunkenness Gen. 9. 21. Lot of drunkenness and incest with his own daughters Gen. 19. 35 36. Solomon of abominable Idolatries 1 Kin. 11. 6 7. and David of adultery and murder 2 Sam. 11. 4. 12. 9. And a thousand to one but most of us have been guilty of some great sin or other either for the kind of it or for the circumstantial aggravations of it either of Omission or of Commission so that we all have cause to look after the forgiveness of great sins Secondly Their great sins do dishonor God as much nay more than the great sins of others 2 Sam. 12. 14. By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies Their great sins dishonor God as much if not more than others of the Lord to blaspheme c. Rom. 2. 24. The Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you Yea they do exceedingly provoke God to withdraw his comfortable presence of joy from their spirits and to speak bitter things unto them and to correct them with a strong and exemplary chastisement and to suffer them to be buffeted by Satan with very heavy and distracting temptations upon this accout also they have reason to look after the forgivenesse of their great sins Thirdly Apprehensions of their great sins as unpardoned must needs fill their hearts with marvellous fears and their Consciences with unutterable unquietnesses The apprehension of these sins will fill their hearts with fears and burdens as in Davids roarings and his complaint of broken bones There is I think not any one person whose great sins have not at some time or other returned upon him and deeply wounded him Great sins of all other are certain terrors unto the Conscience and of all great sins these are so 1. The sins against nature 2. Those of grosse uncleanness 3. Those of blood and murder 4. Those of compact with the Divel 5. Those of blasphemy 6. Those against the workings of Conscience 7. Those against the Gospel 8. Presumptions 9. Relapses Any of these and any other great sins of which one hath been guilty they sit heavy upon the Conscience and do make dreadful work there and do often arise with exceeding terror and distraction so that the soul sinks under the guilt of them c. Fourthly There is nothing whatsoever which can allay and quiet Conscience troubled and troubling for the guilt of great sins but the presence or at least Nothing can allay those fears but the sense or hope of pardon the hope of forgiveness of them No earthly thing can quiet conscience in that condition David wanted not for them and yet he roared all the Day long and his bones waxed old and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer Psal 32. 34. Nay let me speak a bold word there is nothing in God which can do it but this merciful and gracious nature to forgive If the distressed sinner looks on his Justice he falls down confounded if he looks on his holiness O he is of purer eyes than to behold sinne if on his power O it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Nothing but mercy answers this distress or gives ease to this pain and trouble Be mercifull unto me O God said David God be merciful to me a sinner said the Publican Take away iniquity said the Church Beloved In all sorts of distress there is but one thing which is a proper relief In sickness health is the only help in hunger bread is the only help in thirst water is the only help in pains ease is the only help and so under the guilt of sin mercy is the only help This is life this is deliverance this is all Fifthly Though your sins have been or are very great yet there is hope of mercy Though your sins be great yet there is hope of mercy and that for you which may appear briefly by four particulars 1. The promise of
sins 1. For his mercies sake Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 6. 4. O save me for thy mercies sake 2. For his Christ sake Ephes 4. 32. Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Therefore when of old they would have their sins pardoned they offered sacrifices and blood was shed and poured out which Typified the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sins For without shedding of blood is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. 3. For his Promise sake Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee said Moses let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying Ver. 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression Ver. 19 Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even untill now Fifthly They have patiently waited upon the Lord untill that he hath shewed them Patiently wait till he shew mercy mercy Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Isa 30. 18. Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that wait for him Ver. 19 He will be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee These are the ways which great sinners yea which the people of God being guilty of great transgressions have taken to get the forgiveness of them and in which ways God hath met them with his pardoning mercies and if in the like cases we do thus follow the Lord he will be merciful and gracious unto any of us though greatly sinning and guilty Thirdly Having shewed unto you what course is to be taken for to get the pardon Evidences of the pardon of great sins of great transgressions I shall now deliver unto you some signs or evidences by which one may certainly know that God hath forgiven his great sins There are six Evidences of this First There always goes a great change with the forgiveness of great sins A great change accompanying it It is a great question whether Justification be before Sanctification whatsoever may be disputed for the priority of nature yet it is agreed there is no priority of time for as soon as any sinner is justified and pardoned he is changed and sanctified the blood and the water go together as soon as any one is in Christ he is forgiven and there is no condemnation unto him Rom. 8. 1. And so as soon as any is in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away and all things become new 2 Cor. 15. 17. What an unclean person was Mary Magdalen before she was called to Christ and found mercy and after mercy was obtained what an eminent Christian was she what a violent and injurious Persecutor was Paul in times past and when he obtained mercy what an admirable and exemplary Christian was he Of all the changes incident to sinners the greatest change appears in the greatest sinner received to mercy and forgiveness there are two conspicuous changes in them 1. The greatest inward change the sins which he formerly loved more than his soul he now doth hate more than hell he once out faced the Word and now trembles at it 2. The greatest outward change the worst sinner being received to mercy proves the choicest Christian he is now as notable in a gracious walking as he was once notorious in a licentious living exemplary in both respects and in both wayes and courses Note Secondly A second Evidence that God hath forgiven our great sins is our great Great love to a forgiving God love to a forgiving God this note Christ himself giveth Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven her for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little Christ brings there a Parable of a Creditor who forgave two debts one of them a great debt and the other a lesser debt hereupon he demands of Simon the Pharisee which would love him most who answered I suppose he to whom most was forgiven this he applies to the woman there forgiven much was forgiven her and therefore she loved much he speaks not of a love anâ—â—cedent to pardon but of a love following it 1 John 4 19. We love him because he loved us first Ver. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins And indeed none can love God but such who can by faith see him a merciful pardoning and reconciling God in Christ Thirdly A most tender fear to offend and grieve the Lord any more Psal 130. A tender fear to offend God 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Hosea 3. 5. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness It is wonderful to observe the singular frame of spirit in a converted and pardoned sinner from what it was in former times heretofore he feared not the most cursed Oaths but now he fears an idle word heretofore he feared not the most beastly practice of uncleanness but now he fears the very thoughts and mental imaginations of it heretofore he could omit all good duties now he fears to neglect the least he hath found so much good so much mercy at the hands of God and tasted of so much gracious goodness that he would not willingly offend him in any thing in any part of his life a tender heart hath tasted of tender mercies Fourthly Exceeding zeal for God who hath shewed him great mercy and Exceeding zeal for God for Christ for whose sake God hath forgiven all the greatest sinners have ever been most zealous before they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what was evil and after they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what is good How zealous was Paul even besides himself for Christ actively zealous I laboured more abundantly than they all 1 Cor. 5. 10. And passively zealous I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Hierusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21. 13. Fifthly Great compassions Oughtest thou not to have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had compassion on thee There are no men so merciful as Great compassions those sinners to whom God hath shewed most mercy there is a three-fold compassion in them 1. A pitying compassion of all sinners especially of great sinners grieving bewailing praying 2. An helping compassion especially to those unto whom he hath been the occasion or cause of great sins even pulling them out of the fire weeping intreating instructing them with meekness if peradventure God will give them
of some sinners in the like condition of guilt with himself whom yet God did pardon but did ever any sin as I have sinned and did God ever pardon any who have sinned as I have sinned or had their sin all those aggravations though God hath pardoned them as my sin hath can you give me any one clear record or pattern of the same There are two reasons which draw a troubled sinner thus to search and thus to enquire 1. One is because he thinks that what God never did in a way of mercy he will never do 2. Another is because he thinks that the apprehension of great mercy past in a case parallel with his will be a quicker help to his hope and faith that God may likewise forgive his great sins even as he hath forgiven the same to others Nevertheless under favour be it spoken this is not so regular a way Yet this is not so regular nor so sure a ground of hope nor yet so sure a ground for hopes of mercy for 1. If instances and precedent patterns of former mercy were necessarily to be look't at as grounds for hopes in us of the like mercy then the first transgressors they that had been first in the guilt of great transgressions must have despaired of forgiveness for no pattern example or instance of the like was ever found before but mercy was pleased to make them the pattern of mercy for others as Paul speaks of himself in 1 Tim. 1. 16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting The Lord himself would have put us upon that way of searching records and instances before we should look up unto thiâ— promise by faith 2. These instances of mercy will not absolutely quiet the troubled conscience but notwithstanding them the fire will still burn and the torments and fear will abide in strength and that upon a double account First Though God shew mercy to a great transgressor in the like kind yet he hath not shewed mercy to every one in that kind so that still the sinner is troubled But will God shew mercy to me Again that a like great transgressor I find hath had a great change wrought in him O but this I cannot find or discern in my self Ergo. So then troubled sinners do usually look after instances and examples of pardon before they do look up to the promises of mercy but this is not so regular nor so sure a way to raise faith as I shall presently shew unto you But secondly Though you cannot finde a powerful instance yet possibly there Though you cannot finde a parallel instance yet instances in the same kind may be found may be found instances of transgressors in the same kind of sinning whom God hath formerly pardoned though you cannot find them yet they may be found in the Scriptures Suppose your great sin hath been 1. Extortion you may read that forgiven in Zacheus 2. Drunkenness you may read that forgiven in Noah 3. Theft you may read that forgiven to the Penitent Thief on the Cross 4. Whoredome you may read it forgiven to Mary Magdalen and adultery it was forgiven to David 5. Incest you read it forgiven to Lot and to the incestuous Corinthian 6. Sodomy you read it forgiven to some of the Corinthians 7. Murder you read it forgiven to David 8. Idolatry you read it forgiven to Solomon and also to some of the Corinthians 9. Blasphemy why all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven c. Matth 12 31. 10. Apostasie Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful Jer. 3. 12. 11. Scoffin and mocking of the Gospel and the Ministers thereof yet some of these heve been forgiven Act. 2. 13 38. and 17. 32 34. 12. Denying and forswearing of Christ yea and that after knowledge and faith yet pardoned unto Peter possibly the great sin which lies so heavy upon the Conscience may be soon one of these and then you see a parallel instance as you do desire But 3ly admit you read not of a particular personal example yet if you do May not instances of pardon of sins that exceed yours serve the turn read of any instance of forgiving mercy to any sinner whatsoever whose great transgressions do not only equal but farre exceed that or those of which you are guilty may not that serve you Surely it is not impossible that thy great sins may be forgiven if mercy hath past an Act of grace in forgiving some sinners their great transgressions Object O no! no mans sins were ever greater than mine c. Sol. Well but what if I produce one whose sins have been such that thy heart will be amazed at and dread to think of being guilty of such transcendent iniquities my instance shall be in Manasseh of whom you may thus read 2 Chro 33. 2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord like unto the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord hath cast out before the children of Israel Ver. 3. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his Father had broken down and he reared up Altars for Baalim and made Groves and worshipped all the Host of heaven and served them Ver. 3. Also he built Altars in the house of the Lord whereof the Lord said In Jerusalem shall my Name be for ever Ver. 5. And he built Altars for all the Host of heaven in the Courts of the house of the Lord. Ver. 6. And he caused his children to passe through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom Also he observed times and used Inchantments and used Witchcraft and dealt with a Familiar spirit and with Wizards he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger Ver. 7. And he set a carved image the idol which he had made in the house of God Ver. 9. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre and to do worse than the Heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel Ver. 10. And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken Are not these sinnes greater than thy sinnes Such high Idolatries sacrificing of Children to the Divels Yet this greatest of sinners that you read of in the old Testament upon his deep repentance found mercy as Paul who called himself the chiefest of sinners in the New Testament did likewise obtain mercy c. Fourthly Under the sense of incomparably great sinnings the business is not Under the sense of great sinnings the businesse is not to debate but to repent to debate but to repent Not what great sins you or others have committed and whose great sins God hath pardoned but to obtain an heart from God to repent of those sins for though
the Mosaical Law of divers Ceremonial sprinklings 1. Of the blood of the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12. 7. 2. Of the blood of the Bullock Levit. 16. 14. 3. Of the blood of the red Heifer Numb 19. 4. And of the clean water with hysop ver 5. 4. Of the blood of the burnt-offering and peace-offering with which the people were sprinkled Exod. 24. 8. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you All this the Apostle summes up in Heb. 9. 19. Moses took the blood of Calves and of Goats with water and scarlet wooll and hysop and sprinkled both the book and people By all these is meant the taking away of sin by the shedding of the blood of Christ and the applying of the blood of Christ to the people of God that is meant by sprinkling Hence you read Isa 52. 15. He shall sprinkle many Nations Heb. 12 24. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling 1 Pet. 1. 2. We are elected and saved through the Sanctification of the Spirit and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ Now from all this there are two Propositions observable 1. That the blood of Christ is the Cause and it is the only Cause for which the people of God have their many and great sins pardoned that is the clean water which makes us clean 2. That the Lord will and doth make a particular Application even to the Consciences of his people touching the forgiveness of their sins by the blood of Christ He will sprinkle that clean water upon them CHAP. V. Christs blood the merit of pardon THat the blood of Christ is the Cause and it is the only meritorious cause for This blood of Christ is the cause and the only meritorious cause of forgiveness which the people of God have their many and great sins pardoned That is the clean water or according to the Original the clean waters which makes them clean SECT I. OF this Assertion there are two Branches It is the cause of forgiveness First That the blood of Christ is the Cause for which the people of God have all their sins pardoned This truth the Scripture clearly holds forth Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many 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 Mark Christ is our Propitiation and he is our Propitiation by blood It is the blood that maketh an Atonement for your souls Levit. 〈◊〉 11. And without shedding of blood is no remission Heb. 9. 22. And therefore the High Priest who was a Type of Christ when he was to make an Atonement he alwayes came with the blood of the Sacrifice Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins Rev. 1. 5. Who washed us from our sins in his own blood 1 Joh. 1. 7. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Besides these Scriptures you shall find other places putting the forgiveness of sins expresly upon Christs account as the Cause Ephes 4. 32. Forgiving one another even as God fir Christs sake hath forgiven you 1 Joh. 2. 12. I write unto you little Children because yovr sins are forgiven you for his Name sake Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the Atonement Beloved The people of God have a three-fold anchor to trust upon for the pardon of their sins 1. One is the free grace of God Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace 2. A second is the blood of Christ Rom. 5. 9. Being now justified by his blood 3. The third is the Covenant of God Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Before I quit this first Branch of the Assertion I would directly answer three Questions 1. How the blood of Christ can be such a Cause as amounts so high as the forgiveness of sins though very many and very great 2. What necessity there was for the effusion of his blood in a Causal order to the forgiveness of our sins 3. How it may be demonstrated that it doth reach so far c. Quest 1. How the blood of Christ can be such a cause as to amount How there can be such an efficacy in the blood of Christ Ansâ—eâ—ed and reach so high for the forgiveness of all our sins though very many and very great Sol. To this it may be answered that it doth arise from 1. The dignity of the person of Christ who was God-man 2. The Concurrence of both the natures of Christ in all his Mediatory actions and passions so that they were Theandrical sufferings both Humane and Divine and therefore his blood is called the blood of God Acts 20. 28. God purchased the Church with his own blood and the Lord of glory is said to be crucified they crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. And from these two Considerations there is light enough to convince us of the wonderful power and vertue in the blood of Christ to reach the forgiveness of all our sins because he was an infinite person and for him to suffer and dye was more than if all the sons of men had done so And because the vertue of his Deity did so extend unto and attend his Death or Sacrifice that thereupon it came to be of more than sufficient worth to satisfie Gods justice and to expiate our sins for although there was in our sins an abounding measure of guilt yet there was in the blood of Christ it being the obedience of one who was God a superabounding worth to weigh down and remove all the malignity and demerit in the sin of man there being no more proportion 'twixt the demerit of our sinnings and the demerit of his sufferings than there is 'twixt our persons and his person What necessity was there of it Quest 2. But secondly It is demanded What necessity there was for the effusion of his blood in order to the forgiveness of our sins Answered Sol. It was necessary that the blood of Christ should be shed to wash us from our sins because First Divine justice must be satisfied before sins can be forgiven till that Divine justice must be satisfied be done mercy it self if I may so speak is not at liberty therefore the Apostle tells us that God did set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Ver. 26. The meaning is that the blood of Christ reconciled both these Attributes of God justice calls for satisfaction there it is saith Christ my
them When did you ever see any ungodly hardened sinner judging himself for his hard heart and begging of the Lord to heal it or willingly applying himself to a 〈◊〉 heart-breaking Ministery c. SECT II. Vse 1. DOth the Lord promise that he will take away the stony heart from his people and doth he really do so in his time Hence it will follow First Then they are none of the people of God whose stony heart doth They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed still abide in them and compleatly raign in them and then in what a wofull condition are many people â— fear amongst our selves e. g. All those who are unsensible of their sinful estate all those who incorrigibly go on in their sinful wayes all those who were never wrought on by the Word of Christ all those who oppose and reject and slight the Word in the threatnings and precepts thereof all those who do continue impenitent and unbelieving notwithstanding all the offers and invitations of grace c. Secondly Then no marvel that the people of God are of another spirit and The people of God are of another spirit than other men of another temper than the common sort of people are that they dare not run into the same excesse of riot with others nor live so as other men do live that they are so much altered as to themselves Heretofore they were frequent in swearing and now they fear an oath heretofore they made nothing of great transgressions and now a small sin even a little neglect carelesness remisness doth exceedingly disquiet and deject their hearts heretofore they could neglect the Word as well as others and scoff at it and refuse to be ordered by it but now they stand in awe of the Word they are presently bound up by it and wholly moulded and fashioned and ruled by it The reason of all this is because God doth take away the hardnesse of our hearts c. Thirdly Then it is no sign of an evil estate to be troubled for our own sins or for the sins of others David did water his couch for his own sins Psal 6. 6. It is no sign of an evil state to be troubled for our sins And rivers of tears did fall from his eyes for the sins of other men Psal 119. 136. When your former sins are your grief and your present sins are your burden and future sins are your fear and other mens sins are your sorrow this is a clear evidence that the stony heart is taken away and therefore you stand in relation to God as his people To sin and not to be troubled for sin is a sign of an hard heart and of an evil condition but to fear sin and to be grieved for sinning this is a signe of a changed and broken heart They are not to be blamed who oppose Heresies and blaspâ—emies Fourthly Then it is very unjust to accuse and discountenance any of the people of God as ill affected for this reason only Because they do oppose the Heresâ—es and blasphemies of these times and because they doe so earnestly contend for the Gospel and Ordinances of Christ by Prayers and tears and speaking and writing c. Why are you angry with them that God hath taken away from them the heart of stone must we be sensible of Gods dishonour or must we not And if if Christ wept at the hardness of heart in Jerusalem because she would not receive the Gospel is there not much more reason to weep and pray because of the hardness nay of the desperateness of any man who endeavours to pull down and extirpate the Gospel I say the Gospel in which all the love and goodness of God is revealed and in which all the glory of Christ is interested and in which all the salvation of poor sinners souls is so necessarily concerned Vse 2. Will the Lord take away the heart of stone from his people what Blesse God for this cause then have those people to bless the Lord who do find this cure wrought in their hearts O it is an unspeakable mercy and favour whether you respect the evil from which you are delivered or else the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart First If that you do consider the evill from which you are delivered by being In respect of the evil from which you are delivered delivered from an hard hâ—art One saith it is the greatest sin in the world another saith it is the greatest judgement in the world Certainly it is one of the strongest holds of sin and it was the hardness of heart which kept up all the power of your sins and all the sinful practâ—ses it was the foundation of your long impenitency you had long ere this repented had not your hearts been hardned If the Lord had not in wonderful mercy by his exceeding power of grace taken away the hardness of your hearts your souls would never have been brought in to Christ but you would have gon on in your sins and dyed in your sins and been damned for your sins And yet again that after the long reâ—stance of Gods grace offers of mercy callings of the Gospel strivings and resistings of his Spirit the Lord shall pass by all this and mercifully cure thy foolish proud stout self-destroying soul O what mercy was this and what grace was this And the good which falls in with it Secondly If you do likewise consider the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart certainly you have great cause to blesse God c. e. g. 1. An immediate receptivity or capacity to have the Law or will of God written and engraven on your hearts Simile as when the wax is softned it is thereby made capable of any impression 2. A spring of repentance is set up in the heart to bewail all our sins and transgressions and fear to transgress any more 3. An obediential principle appears in making of us ready and willing to comply with the precepts of God liberty and ability c. 4. The great work of Faith to receive the Lord Jesus into our hearts 5. Affectionate communions with God and a special delight in his presence and Ordinances and Services 6. A liberty and confidences in our accesses unto the throne of grace 7. In one word a newnesse of heart and a newness of relation unto God as our God and Father All these flow in upon the soul when God takes away the hardness of the heart and in time all the good of the Covenant and therefore unquestionably you have great obligations lying on your hearts to blesse God if he doth take away the hardness of your hearts Object I will some say no question it is a great blessing to be delivered from an hard heart but we feare it is not so with us for we finde sometimes such 1. A strange indisposition to what is good 2.
when fervency daily degenerates into formality surely tenderness is falling into hardness of heart Watchlesness over the spirit Fifthly A watchlesnesse over the spirit or soul it is not minded observed lookt unto in its motions affections transactions as formerly but the guard is drawn off there is less fear and more security less diligent care and more loose presumption The man was wont to keep his heart with all diligence narrowly observing the passages and workings of his Spirit the inclinations of his heart temptations of Satan behaviours of every day alone and in company and accordingly did apply himself with variety of petitions to God and humbled himself for what was amiss and renewed his strength in the Lord for the time to come O but now it is not thus the precious soul is neglected the City is not watched the thoughts and affections and actions are not observed the poor man is asleep and drowsie and his spirituall frame is impaired and he considers it not 2ly The sadnesse of this condition The sadness of this condition It is an evill distemper First It is a very evil and naughty distemper an hard heart softning that is good but the soft hardning again that 's very evil Was it good to tremble at the Word what is it now not to be moved by the Word was it good to think of sin and mourn what is it now to hear of thy sins and not to be troubled at all was it good to act duties with affections and life what is it now to neglect the duties or to act them with a heavy and careless Spirit There are four things which shew this hardning to be very evil 1. The marvellous ingratitude in it that the Lord should shew so much mercy to heal the disease and yet you relapse into it again 2. There is an express self-condemnation why you were exceedingly troubled at the hardness of your hearts and prayed against it and sought the prayers of others and now to harden your hearts again 3. There is presumption in it you do tempt the Lord by it Do you mean to continue in this case then you are undone do you mean to come out of it why do you then tempt the Lord by falling into it and presuming on his grace to recover you 4. If you look not speedily to your selves where think you will this hardning end perhaps in some great desertion perhaps in some great transgression perhaps in some exceeding great and long trouble of conscience Secondly It is a very uncomfortable condition How is thy Sun eclipsed It is a very uncomfortable condition and thy Spring cut off what is become of that spirit of Prayer what is become of that excellent assurance of which thou hast so much spoken where is that sweetly excusing testimony of Conscience what is become of that joy in the Holy Ghost and that peace with which thou wast wont to work Ah! thou hast suffered thy heart to harden again and God looks not on thee as he was wont and Conscience speaks not as it was wont and the Spirit of God manifests not himself as he was wont and Ordinances smile not on thee as they were wont nor doth Providence shine upon thy Tabernacle as it was wont But instead of these thou meetest with many a sharp affliction with many piercing reproofs with many a sad item and reckoning and scourges which no man knows and feels in the sting and bitterness of it but thou thy self Thirdly It is a very formal and empty estate how may it grieve thee to see It is an empty state a fruitless Vintage of thy soul Tell me what returns hast thou had all this while that this hardning distemper hath been upon thee thou hearest carelesly and negligently what hast thou been the better for all the Sermons which thou hast heard thou prayest coldly and formally and what good hath returned upon thy soul after them thou hast had no trading all this while at heaven how dull must grace be which is not used and how decaying must thy Spiritual strength be which all this while recovers no more strength Fourthly It is a very dangerour posture though it be not absolute Apostacy It is a dangerous posture yet it looks toward it Though I will not say that it is the turning of the grace of God into wantonnesse yet it bends towards it Though it be not falling from grace and though it be not a forsaking of God yet unquestionably it is a gâ—ieving of God and a provoking of him and for which he may very far leave a person 3ly Directions in this case for recovery Directions for recovery Finde out the cause First By all means find out the cause or causes of the hardning observe well 1. What conscience tells thee in thy bed at night or in the day of fear and affliction or in a day of Solemn Humiliation or in the meditation of thy short appearances before God 2. What the Word of God hints and points at in thee at what it levels and strikes there is an arrow some time or other shot which falls into thy very heart a message that is secretly delivered in way of conviction and reproof which saith Thou art the man and this is thy way and thy doings 3. What thy faithful and watchful friends say unto thee what their suspicions and fears are and unto what their friendly counsels do tend A thousand to one but some of these things which I shall mention have brought on thee this new hardness upon thy heart 1. Either spiritual pride this hath made thee to neglect thy watch and to neglect the Ordinances 2. Or a worldly surfet thou hast been taking in too much of the world and worldly business and this hath robbed thee of thy precious time to converse at heaven to meditate to examine to read to hear to pray to confer with thy Fellow-Christians 3. Or the deceitfulness of sin Thou hast ventured on lesser sins and they have ensnared thee and drawn thee to greater sins and these have brought upon thee the hardness of thy heart again c. Secondly When you have found out the spiritual causes by which your hearts Judge your selves and repent have been hardned then judge your selves and repent remember from whence thou art fallen and repent said Christ unto Ephesus Rev. 2. 5. Nay do not stay to look when this hardning will fall off from thee but hasten but compel thy self to retiredness and to a penitential consideration of thy hardning with the causes of it and the great evils in it and fall down before the Lord in humble confessions of thy great back-slidings and poure out prayer upon prayer O wrestle with the Father of mercies for his Christs sake to pity and pardon and heal and once more to cure and recover thee Follow on to seek the Lord though he doth secretly upbraid thee though for a while he delays thee though to thy
object of my hatred I hate that which hath so much provoked God against me and which is the cause of all the evil upon me I will never love nor serve it any more Thirdly Then all our hopes are in mercy alone of which we judge our selves unworthy Fourthly Then it draws out the heart to make after a Christ who only can give peace and ease and bind up the broken in heart the Spirit of God leads out this humbled sinner to Gospel enquiries and to Gospel helpers As Act. 2. 37. What shall we do And Act. 16. 30. What must I do to be saved Fifthly Thus the heart strives earnestly with the Lord to give Faith that it may be able to close with Christ and the man is not and will not be satisfied untill he be by faith possessed of Christ how he prayes how he hears how he attends and waits till it be given unto him to believe 3. Union and Conjunction with Christ this is another choice work of the Spirit apparant in all to whom God gives his Spirit Union with Christ It is the Spirit of God who perswades and inclines and draws in the broken-hearted sinner unto Christ by him is the match made between the soul and Christ by him is Christ joyned unto us and by him are we joyned unto Christ Now the Spirit unites or brings in the humble and broken-hearted sinner to How the Spirit unites the broken-hearted sinner to Christ Christ on this wise First By opening the Gospel that word of glad tidings and of good news that good word of life and of hope unto the humbled sinner wherein as in a glass he doth see the great love rich mercy and free grace of God in Jesus Christ unto such who was sent and given by the Father to suffer for our sins and to take away our sins and to make our peace and to reconcile us unto God and to deliver and save our souls and that'â— the way to partake of him and all good by him is to believe on him this the Spirit of God makes evident unto the humble sinner and withall offers him that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. Secondly By presenting strong and safe Grounds or Arguments to the humble sinner that he ought to believe and may lay hold for his particular v. g. 1. The express command of God 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his command that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 2. The express offer unto the humble sinner and plain call of Christ Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden c. 3. The designation of Christ to this work of help and comfort Isa 66. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted 4. The promises and assurances of Christ that he shall not be disowned if he comes to him Joh. 6. 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out nay he shall be accepted and eased Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Thirdly by answering and resolving all the doubts and fears and exceptions of unbelief from the greatest of former sinnings and from present unworthiness and multitudes of wants these the Spirit inwardly answers and takes off by convincing the sinner that Christ must be his Righteousness and will be so to every one that believes and that our unworthiness hinders not but he that is athirst may come and take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. And he that hath no money he may come and buy wine and milk without money and without price Isa 55. 1. Fourthly By making the Gospel at length through his own power an effectual means of faith so that the humbled sinner becomes a believing sinner his heart is perswaded and opened to Christ and he glorifies all the goodness and kindness of Christ he receives and embraces him takes Christ for his Lord and Saviour and Husband and Head and is joyned unto him and made one with Christ and Christ is one with him This is the great and notable work of the Spirit which he works in every one of the people of God in Covenant not one of them but he is by the Spirit brought in to Christ The Spirit doth not only in a preparative way convince and humble them for their sins but also he doth in an effectuall manner bring them in to Christ whom he hath before prepared for Christ Therefore let us look well unto our selves by this may you know undoubtedly whether God hath put his Spirit within you If his Spirit be in you then you are in Christ If the Spirit be in your hearts then Faith is in your hearts If you be possessed of the Spirit then you are possessed of Christ your hearts are overcome are perswaded are drawn to Christ he hath been the great desire of your souls and he is the very portion of your soules You are Christs and Christ is yours But if your hearts remain ignorant of Christ or undesirous of Christ and careless of Christ and stubborn and opposite to Christ you will not have Christ to reign over you and you will not come to him though you may have life and you love your sins better than Christ and you will sit down with the pleasure and with the profit of the world assuredly you have not the Spirit of God and if you continue thus you shall dye and perish in you sins Fourthly Regeneration or Renovation this is another eminent work of the Spirit extant in all the people of God they are all of them regenerated and Regeneration renewed by the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Tit. 3. 5. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost For the better opening of this I will shew unto you 1. What this work of the Spirit is what Regeneration or Renovation is 2. That this work of the Spirit is to be found in all the people of God to whom the Spirit is given Quest 1. What is this work of Regeneration or Renovation Sol. It is that work of the Spirit by which we partake of a new spiritual being What regeneration is even of the life of Christ yea of the same image of Christ and by which we are made new creatures As in every natural generation there is as the Philosophers speak an introduction of a new form as when the water is turned into aire or the are is turned into fire there is still another form a new form brought into them or as when a child is generated there is another new form brought into the matter which it had not before viz. a reasonable soul So is it in Spiritual
the Church dores and cast away Bibles and renounce all duties regard not Scripture regard not ordinances regard not duties O the Lord work upon thine heart in time for thou regardst not thine owo soul Thirdly All Formal Non-proficients such I mean who keep still to their All non proficients circle and move like a horse in a mill so much as they have taken upon them of Religion so much they will stick unto they will neither abate nor rise neither go backward nor go forward they know enough already Some outward duties they do but if you will press them a jot higher then you are precise you cannot possibly perswade them to proceed on to humble their heart to mortify their lusts to yeild to God in inward sanctity c. Fourthly But above all they offend most who turn Apostates and Revolters All Apostates who like Hymeneus and Alexaender make shipwrack of faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 19 20. Or like the Galatians begin in the spirit and end in the flesh Galatians 3. 3. Or like those in Peter who after that they knew the way of righteousness did turn away from the holy Commandements delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2. 21. Beloved there are three sorts of men in the world 1. Some never would endure to look or walk in Gods Statutes but resolve to walk in their own sinful wayes these are prophane Atheists 2. Some will take upon them to walk in Gods Statutes so far as consists with their own wayes and lusts these are hypocrites 3. Some make an enterance and a little progress but do after a while renounce them and fall off to their own lusts Now here give me leave to open three things unto you 1. The principal cause why some men hold not on in walking in Gods Statutes The cause why some Apostatize but break off and turn Apostates 2. Their great sin in so doing 3. The great danger and judgment 1. The principal cause why c. Because of the strictness of Gods Laws First The Spiritual strictness which they do meet with in Gods Statutes which they did not preconsider and which their loose hearts cannot bear Simile It is with many professors as it is with many lazey and idle servants who frame unto themselves a reputation and benefit to be in such and such great mens families but meeting there with diligent and constant paines they presently give up their place and service So many Christians fancy unto themselves an easie obedience to God and think that any kind of serving God will suffice but when they come to finde that God will not be pleased with easie and formal performances but he will be served in Spirit and in truth that we must mortify every sinfull lust and that we must seek and serve him with our whole heart and come up to all the duties of obedience though crossing our profits and delights now they complain and murmur as they in Joh. 6. This is a hard saying and turn away from the Commandements as too heavey a yoak for them to bear rather likeing their old wayes of wickedness and looseness Secondly Secret Hypocrisie of heart this is another cause why men do not Secret Hypocrisie continue and persevere in the way of obedience but do revolt and fall off Job 27. 10. Will the Hypocrite delight himself in the Almighty will â—e alwayes call upon God Some times he will call upon God but alwayes he will not for his delight is not in God There are foure things in every Hypocrite Four things in every Hypocrite 1. His sinful heart was never changed by Grace 2. His Soul was never mortified to all sin 3. His Heart could never comply with all which God requires 4. He never did Obey God out of love to God intending only the Glory of God but still had an eye unto himself seeking his own praise and advantage in the world And every one of these is a sufficient ground of revolting and what principle is there of perseverance in the wayes of God where no grace at all â—s planted in the heart Is it possible that the Commandements of God should be sure of us when sin hath the dominion over us Or can he hold out in obedience whose heart did never like obedience and of necessity his heart must break with God who doth prefer himself before God Thirdly External Difficulties and troubles The Apostle saith that all who External troubles will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. We may say of walking in the way of Gods Statutes what they spake to Paul of the way of Christianity it is every where spoken against Acts 28. 22. There is no travailer in the way to Heaven but shall meet with barking curs with many scoffes reproaches contempts indignities injuries hazzards losses But many men neither can nor will suffer these things they set a higher value upon their own names and ease and liberty and plenty and safety than on their Souls and Gods Commandements When the young man heard of selling all and taking up the crosse and following of Christ he took his leave of Christ and of the way to Heaven Simile Many travailers are taken from their joruney when foule weather appears although they were forward when the sun did shine forth c. Fourthly Sordid unbelief There are three things which some men do not Sordid unbeliefe believe 1. That the way of obedience is a necessary path to life What some men do not believe 2 At least that much obedience and constant or continued obedience is that path some little service for a little time if men have any to spare perhaps is but to spend a whole life in holy walking c. 3. That God is true in his promises of protection and benediction in case of conscientious and constant obedience they do verily think that by this course they shall be losers If they did not some times worke and sell on the Sabbath day why they should lose their custome and if they should deny visits on that day they should displease their friends c. O these unbelieving hearts of ours Not without cause said the Apostle Heb. 3. 12. Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Tell men seriously who is the God of blessings and God of mercies in whose power is it to make great Is it not God who blesseth and the man shall be blessed And who curseth and the man shall be cursed And read you not expresly of his blessings promised to the obedient and his curses to the disobedient And is not God faithful in his promises and true in his threatnings Hadst thou faith God should have better obedience and didst thou give to God more upright and stedfast obedience God would give unto thee more plentiful and abundant blessings If thou couldest say that latter part with
marke ver 14. O there are many miles yet more to go than ever yet thou hast gone and much more to be done than ever thou hast done and much more to be attained than ever yet thou hast attained How many measures in every grace are yet wanting how many corruptions need yet to be mortified how much strength how much stability in knowledg and faith how much evidence and certainty and peace dost thou still need how much is wanting in every duty in every service in every work Did you remember and consider these things your hearts would bestir themselves would put forth themselves with more vigor and activity c. 3. Of your great accounts we are but stewards and we must every one give Your great accounts an account to God of our stewardship of what we have received and of what we have done If we have been standing all the day idle if we should be found unprofitable servants what sad accounts should we give up All the time that God hath given us we must be accountable to God for for the long time of life and for the long time of grace and how we have redeemed time and how we have passed the time of our so journing here what helps we have had and what progress we have made Certainly we would give up a good account and a full account and a comfortable account our accounts with joy Think much of this and this will make you more serious in all your walking more watchful over your words more accurate in all your doings more conscientious and compleat in all your duties For we must give an account for every sermon and for every prayer and for every ordinance and for every work and for every step of our life did we believingly remember this we would be more faithful and more fruitful 4. Of the great reward at last of the exceeding and eternal weight of glory The great reward at last of that crown of life O how would this put life and quickness diligence and forwardness into us 2 Peter 3. 12. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God 2 Cor. 4. 16. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day Ver. 18. For we look not at the things which are seâ—n but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are t4mporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 1 Cor. 9. 25. They strive to obtain a corruptible crown but we an incorruptible Fourthly Look on the fore-runners on the people of God set forth Look on the forerunners for examples unto you in the Scriptures what progress they made how laborious they have been and how they have gone from strength to strength Psal 84. 7. What fruits they brought forth from the day that they hard and knew the grace of God in truth Collos 1. 6. What carefulness whâ— diligence what zeal what exactness what forwardness what laboriousnesâ—â—o you see in them Set the example of a David before your eyes and the example of a Paul before your eyes who did fulfil the whole Law of God rejoyced to run their race c. Yea and set the examples of your present Christians who are also forerunners as to you many of whom you see to live with much faith to walk with much integrity to act with much fear and zeal to spend and to be spent in the servâ—ce of their God Do not look on those that are behind you but on those that are before you O what exactness is there in their obedience O what joy in conscience O what joy in death such examples will serve to quicken and enlarge and encourage you Fifthly Embrace and improve the society of persons truly godly I am a Improve the society of the godly companion said David Psal 119 63. of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts And saith Solomon Prov. 13. 20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise There are three things in the society of godly persons which may advance us to Benefits by good company Good instructions a better walking in Gods statutes 1. One is the goodness of their instructions and exhortations the lips of the wise disperse knowledge Prov. 15. 7. Exhort one another daily Heb. 3. 13. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works Heb. 10. 24. And these are of great force to work upon us See Eccles 12. 11. The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastened by the Masters of Assemblies And they are edifying they build us up in Knowledge and Faith and Fear and Love and Zeal 2. Another is the efficacy of their prayers they do strive and wrastle for one The efficacy of their prayers another with God in Prayer Col. 4. 12. Epaphras who is one of you a servant of Christ saluteth you alwayes labouring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God A third is the vertue and power of their conversations as in wicked company The vertue of their conversation there is ordinarily an infecting vertue to dead and poison our hearts and to corrupt our manners so in godly company there is ordinarily a perfecting vertue to better our hearts and lives One may see much humility and see much meekness and see much tenderness of conscience and see much love and fear of God and such a serious and careful ordering of every work and way of carriage such bewailing of their wants such endeavourings after more perfection as leaves an impression upon our hearts to go home and do so likewise 3ly The encouragements to walk on in the statutes of God with uprightness Encouragements to walk constantly in Gods wayes and stedfastness all our lives First As God requires a life of obedience so he promiseth a reward of eternity of blessedness Rom. 2. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life Chap. 6. 22. But nâ—w being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end ever lasting life How should this encourage all our hearts to abound and persevere in all the paths of obedience never to think of going back to Egypt but to go strait on still to walk in Gods statutes and to put forward with all our strength seeing at the end of our journey there waits for us no less than eternal life and blessedness The travellers to heaven do meet with a double blessedness A double blessedness In their way 1. One is in their way or journey Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. And ver 2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies 2. The other is as the end of their journey Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the
giveth to all men liberally c. Ver. 6. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering Ver. 7. Else let not this man think that he shall obtaine any thing of the Lord. Why this is our way either we seek not to the Lord or we do not seek to him in faith we are usually so far from believing that we are plainly unbelieving God will not hear God will not answer God will not perform his promise unto us Thirdly Somtimes from impatience of heart they will not wait upon the Lord but will limit him and leave him and fling away without their answer and their help Where now lies the fault in Gods promise no but in your own unbeliefe and impatience Fourthly Sometimes from presumption of heart they will be venturing upon the occasions and wayes of sins for which God justly leaves them as he did Sampson Object But why doth God give out so little a measure of strength at a time Why God doth not give out all strength at once why not enough at once to serve them all their lives for all their duties Sol If you will have reasons and accounts given unto you for Gods dealings in this kind then thus 1. He is no necessary agent which works ad extremum to its utmost but a voluntary agent working after the counsel of his own will as a parent helps his child as he sees occasion 2. He is a wise God as well as a faithful God and therefore he imparts help and strength unto his people in such a way and by such proportion as doth most exalt his glory and respect their good Indeed God is able at once to fill us with strength but he will not do so but chuseth rather to give it out gradually and successively because 1. Thus we are kept in a continual dependance upon and in a continual exercise Why God gives out strength by degrees of our faith 2. Thus he makes way for continual prayer and supplications 3 Thus he gives us fresh experiences and daily proofs or testimonies of his fidelity in promising which do endear our hearts the more unto him and quicken our hearts to perpetual thanksgiving 4. Thus he keeps us in a more humble frame and sense of our own insufficiency and feat of our sins c. Object Whence is it that the people of God do finde such a various manifestation of the strength of God in them as to their holy performances somtimes a marvellous enlargment and at another time a meet presence of power no more then will well erve the work in hand somtimes carried out with a full gale and at other times almost becalmed scarcely able to do any thing Sol. This is a real case and a very profitable Question unto which I return this answer First It doth somtimes arise from the distempers of melancholy which doth dead and oppress their spirits and renders them for the time as useless vessels binding up not only the power of reason but also the power of grace yet when this winter is off the spring of grace appears in strength again Secondly It doth somtimes arise from their own folly in weakning their own help and strength either 1. From spiritual pride after spiritual enlargments which God ever punisheth with some measure of declining 2. From spiritual neglects of strengthening ordinances or stirring up our selves to take hold of the strength of God Simile if the child sucks not as it was wont it will be weaker 3. From worldly engagements in multitude of cares and businesses which either wholly takes us off from communion with God or makes us but formal in it Thirdly It doth somtimes arise from the different actings of our faith somtimes we do believe more strongly and perfectly and somtimes we do believe more weakly and unstedfastly and therefore we are able to do much and somtimes we are able to do little Our proportion of obedience is answerable to the proportion of our believing much faith brings in much strength and liâ—tle faith brings in little strength As the larger vessels bring up the more water and the narrower vessells but a little c. If you believe you shall see the glory and the power of God and as you believe so do you partake and receive of that power Fourthly It doth somtimes arise from the presence of soul-conflicts we are somtimes in staâ—u libertatis in an estate of liberty exempted from the actual temptations of Satan and from violent rebellions and hurryings of our own corruptions and now our ship gos on more swiftly and we can serve the Lord with gladness but somtimes we are in statu perturbationis wind and tide are against us enemies without and enemies within and now at least to our own apprehensions our ship moves but heavily and we serve the Lord in tears Fifthly It doth somtimes arise from divine wisdome that we do not alwayes finde the like measure of assistance by this God doth learne his people 1. That their strength is not in themselves but only in their God 2. That what they are they are by his grace and act in a proportion to his grace given and received 3. That they should not despaire at the greatest services for God can then enlarge them nor yet presume and make nothing of the least duties for God can withdraw himself and then they can do nothing FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE A. Assurance WHether assurance be of any spiritual advantage to him that hath it 331 The adjuncts or properties of the Covenant 116 Anabaptists answered 631 Why Apostates are such great sinners 681 The great danger and judgement of Apostates 683 The slothful is prone to Apostacy ibid. What Apostates lose 677 The cause why some apostatize 680 Arguments of the Arminians 308 Whether after this assurance he may ever doubt again 232 How one may know his assurance is true 479 How one may know he hath a false assurance 475 What faith precedes assurance 481 What weak Christians should judge of their estates who could never get assurance 484 A man may be in a pardoned state who is not assured ibid. B. Blessedness IT is a difficult matter to believe 434 A Believer may know by a certainty of faith that Christ died for him p. 212 Comfort and encouragement to Believers 206 How far Believers may depend on God in Covenant 217 Weak Believers must remember they have an Advocate with the Father 279 Comfort for distressed penitent and believing persons 242 Benefits by good company 692 Three things make up a Blessedness for us 26 God and he only is our blessedness 27 Spiritual Blessings are promised as well as temporal 339 What course we should take for this enjoyment of spiritual Blessings 340 In the Covenant spiritual Blessings are first promised 242 They are to be blamed who look not after spiritual Blessings 343 Bless God who first blesseth us with all spiritual Blessings 346 Whatsoever Blessings are dispenced God is the giver of them ibid.
Pardon SOme plead for a capacity of pardon upon false grounds 381 Who are in a right capacity of pardon 391 All who do truly believe in Jesus Christ are within the promise of pardon 403 There is a necessity of Faith for pardon ibid. Rest not till you have got the assurance of your pardon 420 God doth sometimes pardon sin and not give the assurance of it ibid. God cals us to repent of great sins and promiseth pardon 441 God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins 442 God would have his people to pray for pardon of great sins ibid. Christs blood the only cause of pardon 460 The happiness of a pardoned condition 411 Whether all sins be pardoned together at once 426 A multitude of sins is not inconsistent with pardoning mercy 432 Gods people must persevere in their obedience to God 674 In our way we have protection 686 How we may be enabled to persevere 687 Papists confuted ibid. Carnal Protestants confuted ibid. The qualifications of penitential confession 395 How to prove our selves to be of the number of Gods people 653 Popish Satisfactions confuted 249 Gods wayes are possible and passable 708 Six Antidotes against presumption 449 To discover the Presumption of many who plead their interest in the promises without the penformance of the condition 188 Parallels betwixt Gods promises and the Saints experiences 702 R. Repentance REpentance is required to the obtaining of forgiveness 369 Though repentance be not a cause yet it is a means of pardon ibid. Of the difference between Legal and Evangelical Repentance 429 How one may know he doth truly repent 391 God threatens eternal wrath to them that repent not 450 Whether the first work of a sinner be to repent or to believe 454 What that sinner should do who cannot find a heart to repent or believe 454 Never was any great sinner pardoned but he repented 449 The Relation betwixt God and his people still continues 675 To whom God hath a tender regard 712 S. Sanctification SAnctification is promised as well as Justification 488 We cannot glorifie God without Sanctification 491 Reasons why God doth sanctifie as well as justifie 490 What we shall find when our hearts are sanctified 656 Why Gods people should walk in his statutes 849 What considerable in Gods statutes 675 Why God promises to make his people to walk in his statutes 705 Take heed of self-confidence 709 Trusting in self is a great sin 710 The danger of self-confidence ibid. Of the hainousness of sin 230 See whether to go under the sense of sin and what to trust to 253 What it is in sin the forgiveness of sin doth respect 362 Whether God sees no sin in justified persons 365 Gods covering of sin is not exclusive of his seeing sin 367 Whether justified persons may charge themselves with sin p. 369 Pardon of sin doth most of all set forth the glory of God 374 Mourning persons for sin are in a capacity of pardon 392 They who turn from sin are under the promise of pardon 393 The qualifications of penitential mourning for sin It is a supernatural grief 394 A sincere grief for sin as sin ibid. How we may know that we greive for sin as sin 395 The qualifications of a right turning from sin 396 But no man turns from every sin 398 But we have often sinned since we have endeavoured to turn from sin 401 A true penitent may sin again ibid. The right stating the penitents turning from sin 402 The people of God may believe that he will pardon all sin 428 Forgiveness of sins one of the first mercies promised by God to all his people in Covenant 359 Forgiveness of sins described 360 How Gods displeasure and anger against his people is consistent with his discharging of their sins 367 God is displeased with the sins of his own people ibid. Whether there be any reason to repent of our sins that are forgiven 268 Penitent persons forsake their sins 393 The duties of such whose sins are forgiven 416 Great sins are forgiven to the people of God in Covenant 437 Directions how to get the pardon of great sins 445 Of the wonderful goodness of God to sinners 230 The sad condition of impenitent sinners 341 No man is a penitent sinner but a mourning sinner 391 Repenting sinners confess their sins ibid. What is meant by sinful flesh p. 229 Slow walking is very disproportionable to the means 684 Look after your souls in what condition they are ibid. Conclusions laid down against the Socinians ibid. The Spirit of God is yours 61 The Spirit of God is ours in respect of his Titles and Attributes the Spirit of God of Christ of Glory ibid. It is a holy Spirit ibid. The Spirit is ours in respect of his gifts or fruits 62 Six things concerning the graces of the Spirit 62 The Spirit is theirs in respect of his works and operations 63 Five choice works which the Spirit doth for all Gods people ib. The Spirit is ours in respect of his help and vertue 65 The Spirit is a Comforter as he opens to us all the springs of Comfort 67 Three offices of the Spirit to make all the Ordinances of Christ effectual to us 68 The absence of Christ is made up by the presence of the Spirit 69 You are safe and sure with whom the Spirit is ibid. A twofold separation from sin 212 I but I have not the Spirit 213 In what posture a Christian must be who may judge of the presence or absence of the Spirit 214 God will put his Spirit within his people 584 In what sense the Spirit is said to be put within us 585 Many have the Spirit yet come short of what they should have 593 The misery to be destitute of the Spirit ibid. How the Spirit unites the broken-hearted sinner to Christ 596 In what measure he gives the Spirit 589 There are different gifts of the Spirit ib. Every one hath a portion of the Spirit ibid. Every one of Gods people have so much of the Spirit as is necessary to Salvation 590 Many have not the Spirit of God 591 Many have a false and deluding Spirit 592 How to know that we have the Spirit of God 595 What are the works of Gods Spirit in them that shall be saved ibid. How the Spirit convinceth of sin 596 How the Spirit leads Gods children 601 Having the Spirit may be known by the qualities of the Spirit 603 Few have the Spirit of God 612 What it is to worship God in Spirit 613 The benefits which come by having the Spirit 615 What the Spirit is called in Scripture 616 Who have and have not the Spirit 606 Whether the spirit of prayer be a sure sign of a child of God 607 What is the conviction of the Spirit in Gods children 597 What is the spirit of bondage ibid. Whether all the Godly have first the spirit of bondage 598 Gods Spirit helps us in prayer 617 He is a restoring
so greatly loved c. IV. This universal Impetration only by the death of Christ cannot be admitted for those absurd consequences which depend upon it verse 9. 1. It lames Jesus Christ in his Prâ—â—â—â—ly Office which did as necessarily take in the Intercession of Christ as it did the Sacrifice and Oblation of Christ for when he was Annointed and Consecrated to be a Priest he was at the same time consecrated both to die and offer and purchase And likewise to apply the offering of himself and the purchase unto those for whom he died Oblation was not put on him and application upon another but both on himself he was to die and purchase as a Redeemer and he himself was to apply what he had purchased as an Intercessor but by the Arminian Doctrine these are severed and application denied to his Intercession 2. It frustrates the end of Christs Impetration for when Christ died and purchased his end therein was application of the purchase He did purchase a deliverance that sinners might be delivered not that they might or might not be delivered 3. Nor can I yet see how this general empty Impetration can stand with the honour of Gods Attributes Not with his Omnipotency that he would have a benefit procured which he is hindred from the applying of it by the perversenesse of mans will Nor with his Wisdom to intend that which he shall never accomplish or obtain Nor with his Justice to receive from the hands of Christ so full and absolute a satisfaction and yet after that never to admit many men into grace or favour nor to pardon them nor save them though satisfaction were made by Christ for those very ends Nor yet with the Lovâ— of Christ who laid down his precious blood and yet this should never take effect in many for whose sake it was so largely and seriously shed And that he should suffer the merit of his deaâ—h and the efficacy thereof to be so continually perverted by the free and proud will of sinners 4. It doth absolutely overthrow the Doctrine of Election delivered in Scripture and the limited subordination of redemption by Christ according to Election and the certain communication of all grace and glory to such who are Elected and Redeemed 5. So likewise doth it the Doctrine of the New Covenant of Grace which is particular 6. And leaves God after the great love and cost in giving of Christ yet to an uncertainty what the issue and fruit of all this will be perhaps men will accept of it perhaps not perhaps they that accept of it will persevere perhaps not perhaps I have lost all my love and charges c. 4. I should now discourse of a fourth Conclusion viz. that as there never was or shall be an universal application of the death of Christ so neither God nor Christ ever intended the same But here the Arminians will save us of this labour for they confess the same the application fruit or benefit of the death of Christ is only for believers And for any other death of Christ which is without any fruit or benefit to us let themselves if they like it take it only give us that which is fruitful and saving 3. There remains nothing more about this question but the answering of some Scriptures and some Arguments which the Arminians make use of to prove Objections answered their universal effectual redemption or that Christ died for all men and every particular man not only Sufficienter but also Efficaciter 1. Object Their first Batalio of Scripture for their Opinion rests upon From the word world the word the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 6. 51. The bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 1 Joh. 2. 2. He is the Propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world to which they may add also Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world Joh. 12. 47. I came not to judge the world but to save the world Before we give a particular answer to these Scriptures it is necessary to premise a word or two 1. The word world is diversly used in the Scripture sometimes it The word world diversly used signifies 1. The whole frame of Creation Heaven and Earth and all the Creatures in them 2. The promiscuous and universal multitude of mankind 3. Only the wicked and unbelieving part of the world I pray not for the world Joh. 17. 9. 4. Only the Elect and believers Rom. 11. 12. If the fall of them be the riches of the world verse 15. If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world c. 2. That expression all the world and the whole world doth not alwayes import It doth not alwayes import every man in the world in Scripture every man in the world Luke 2. 1. There went out a Decree from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed This cannot be meant of every particular man in the world nor yet of many Nations of the world for they were not all singly under the Roman power Joh. 1. 10. The world knew him not this cannot be understood of every one in the world for some in the world did know him Joh. 12. 19. Behold the world is gone after him is it meant that every man in the world did so 1 Joh. 5. 19. The whole world lieth in wickednesse can this be understood of every particular man in the world Rev. 18. 8. All the world wondred after the beast Neither can this be expounded of every particular man in the world I purposely bring these places because the Arminians impose on weak and ignorant men as if by the name world is alwayes meant all the men in the world and every particular man in the world you see that the Scriptures do not alwayes so intend it no not when they speak of all the world and of the whole world But now let us look on the Scripture alledged distinctly The Scriptures answered Object John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Joh. 3. 16. Sonne c. Sol. 1. Are the Arminians in good earnest in bringing this place for Gods intention of salvation for all by Christ 1. Do they not affirm that God neither would nor could velle salutem hominum before Christ had satisfied his Justice and yet this place shews a special love and will in God of mans salvation before he gave Christ 2. They deny the love of God in the Text to be any act of his will at all unless incomplicitly but here it is made the immediate and prime cause of the giving of his Son So