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A26806
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Sermons upon Psalm CXXX, ver. 4 but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared / by William Bates.
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Bates, William, 1625-1699.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing B1124; ESTC R25865
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50,575
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129
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that were joined in the commission of social Sins of Intemperance Uncleanness Unrighteousness and the like are dead and without the Reserve of pardoning Mercy and some were rescued from Damnation as due to them as to the rest At the last Day when there shall be an everlasting Separation between those at the right Hand and those at the left Hand of the Judg of the World we shall understand the Riches of Grace that distinguish between us and the Partners of our Guilt as by seeing us justified and received into Glory their sad Exclusion will be aggravated to Extremity so by seeing them doom'd to Destruction for ever the saving-Grace of God to us will be more glorious 4. The Consequents of Pardon in the present Life deserve our most affectionate Thankfulness 1. The Pardon of Sins gives us a regular Title to all temporal Blessings and the truest Sweetness in their Fruition God is the universal and absolute Proprietary of all things in this World being made by his creating Power and continued by his preservative Power By our rebellious Sins we were under a just Deprivation of them Now the Pardon of Sin takes off the deadly Forfeiture and restores the Use and Benefit of temporal Blessings to us 'T is true God by his general Bounty affords Supplies to his Enemies The Sun rises with his chearful Light and the Rain falls upon the Just and Vnjust and wicked Men have a civil right to their Possessions but they are not the Gifts of his special Love to them The Prodigal was first pardon'd and then entertain'd with a Feast The Love of God gives a chearful Tincture to all his Benefits 'T is emphatically said God even our own God shall bless us As he is pleased to value and accept the meanest Service that is mix'd with our Affections to him A Cup of cold Water that comes from the Spring of Love shall have its Reward So his Love raises the Price of every Blessing The Psalmist having set forth the Riches and Prosperity and Peace of a Kingdom breaks forth Happy is the People that are in such a case But he presently revokes it and ascends with a Gradation of Light and Force Yea happy is that People whose God is the Lord who are in a State of Divine Favour Temporal Blessings if they are not the Gifts of God reconciled to us in the Redeemer are Snares that alienate the Hearts of Men from God and foment their Lusts and prepare them for final Destruction The rich Man had his good things here and was tormented after his sensual Fruitions A rebellious Sinner is spared for a time and punished for ever The King of Sodom was rescued from Captivity by Abraham and reserved for Destruction by a Shower of Fire and Brimstone 2. The Pardon of our Sins allays and mitigates all Afflictions in the present State The Conscience of Guilt mix'd with Affliction is like the poisoning a Sword that makes it wound more deadly The Spirit of a Man may bear temporal Evils that is by Counsel and Constancy may support himself under them but a wounded Spirit who can bear Conscience in Anguish by the feeling of God's Wrath for our Sins and Fear of the Extremity of it hereafter is an intolerable Evil. Let the Affliction be a light Touch upon the outward Man yet when the afflicted Person considers that 't is sent from God as an Enemy and 't is the Beginning of his Wrath that is a consuming Fire he is dispirited and sinks under the Weight of it How can frail Man encounter with offended Omnipotence sinful Man conflict immediately with the Holy God The Sense of Guilt makes a Man a Terror to himself and consequently makes Afflictions to be more piercing and dolorous Whereas when the Soul is establish'd in the Peace of God it finds Consolation in his pardoning Love superiour to all kinds and degrees of external Evils that can afflict us here 'T is the happy Privilege of the Inhabitants of Zion the holy City They shall not say they are sick for their Iniquities shall be forgiven The Divine Comforter fortifies their Faith in the Promises of the blessed Issue out of all their Afflictions All things work together for the Good of those who love God Our Love to God is the Reflection of his Love to us that is powerful so to order all Evils that they shall harmoniously conspire to our eternal Happiness The Impression of this in the Spirits of God's Children makes them patient and submissive with Resignation under all Afflictions 'T is certain the fastening of the Mind in Contemplation of an excellent Object may cause so strong a Diversion that bodily Pains are much mitigated The Martyrs by the powerful Impression of the glorious Reward seem'd to be in an Extasy without Feeling in the midst of their cruel Sufferings The Prophet Habakkuk triumphantly declares Altho the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall Fruit be in the Vines the Labour of the Olive shall fail and the Fields shall yield no Meat The Flock shall be cut off from the Fold and there shall be no Herd in the Stalls Tho all the Supports and Comforts of Life fail yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation Joy is the Affection of Prosperity but as the scalding Drops of God's Wrath upon the Conscience turn all the Comforts of a Man into Torment so the cordial Drops of his Love change Afflictions into Consolations 3. I will shew that the Pardon of our Sins produces an excellent Temper and Disposition of Soul to praise God Love to the Benefactor and Joy in the Benefit are the Incentives of Thankfulness They tune the Heart and Tongue in the Musick of Praise When they are raised to a Flame they have a kind of Charm of Rapture and extatick Force and transport the Soul above it self in Expressions of Praise These holy Affections in the Angels and Saints above are in their Exaltation and the Circle of their Employment is to acknowledg and admire to reverence and magnify God for his absolute Excellencies and his relative Benefits Love and Joy are regulated by their Objects and Motives Exceeding Love and Joy when terminated on worldly things are exceeding Folly they are empty and vanishing a sudden Blaze that dies in a Moment But the Pardon of our Sins infinitely endears God to us and produces a substantial permanent Joy His Love tho our Hearts be as hard as a Rock as cold and dead as the Grave will melt us and kindle a holy Heat of Affection a Love singular and supreme to God according to the Excellency of the Benefit Love will ingeminate the Praises of God Thou art my God I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee Our Joy in the Benefit will be according to our extreme want of it and the Strength of our Desires to obtain it Without the Pardon of our Sins it had been better for us we