me is the Lord the world translated judgment in the Greek it is mans day Man has his day here and he thinks to weary out the People of God why says Paul I pass not for mans day he that hath the supream judgment in his hands he hath acquitted me and I am well enough Of the Foundation of Eternal Life laid in Pardoning Mercy 8. Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven for this is the foundation of eternal life whoever hath this mercy hath a certain pledge put into his hands of eternal life Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified and whom he justified them he glorified thou who art justified and hast thy sin pardoned thou shalt certainly be glorified A Prince may pardon a man but he cannot assure him of eternal life though he give him his natural life But God if he pardon he makes it known to that soul that he shall live eternally with him in glory Oh blessed is he then that hath his iniquities forgiven for this is a pledge unto him of eternal life Of Pardon of Sin being the bottom of all true Comfort 9. Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned for pardon of sin is the very bottom of all true comfort Be of good comfort your sins are forgiven if Christ speak but this word to a soul though he be never so much dejected it is enough to raise any drooping soul from the gates of Hell it self Be of good comfort oh soul thy sins are forgiven thee Isai 40.2 Speak you comfortable to her for her iniquities are pardoned God calls to comfort her when her iniquities are pardoned this is the foundation of all true comfort if you lay any other foundation to build your comforts on certainly that building will totter and come to nothing if this be not the foundation You would fain have comfort and you are every one looking out for comfort and indeed it is as natural for the soul of man to seek for comfort as it is for the fire to burn there 's no man but would fain have comfort now look to the foundation if you would not have the building totter lay a good foundation Many lay the foundation of their comforts in their sins and others in the creatures but thou must lay it in the pardon of thy sin in the free grace of God justifying thy soul and that building will hold lay it there and thou shalt be comforted here and for ever hereafter And thus we have done with that Particular That Pardon of Sin is a great mercy because it is a foundation and inlet to many other mercies Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven that hath such a grand mercy upon which many other mercies follow CHAP. V. Of Pardoning Mercy passing through a great many difficulties BLessed is the man that hath his sins forgiven for indeed it is a mercy that passes through many difficulties before it comes to the soul and that that passeth through many difficulties is strong and great indeed and therefore makes the man blessed because it is grace that doth pass through many difficulties it is an argument of a great deal of strength of grace when grace shall pass through many difficulties as it is an argument of the great strength of sin when sin passes through many difficulties to bring forth a soul being set upon sin there lies a great many difficulties in the way yet lust to that sin being strong it will break through all difficulties to get to it so in mercy when God comes with mercy to forgive a soul this mercy of God must go through abundance of difficulties before it gets to you which argues it to be wonderful strong mercy and therefore makes him blessed that partakes of it When God made the World it was done with a word speaking God said Let there be light and there was light But when God comes to pardon a sinner Heaven and Earth must be moved there must be a greater work of God in pardoning of a sinner than in making of the world certainly the work is greater and passes through more difficulties As First All the wrongs that ever thâ—u hast done to God stand betwixt thee and pardon never did any man in the world wrong another man as thou hast wronged God How sin wrongs God has in part been held forth to you in the evil of sin and how contrary sin is to the infinite holiness of God yet mercy breaks through that yea above all that great and difficult work of the satisfying the infinite justice of God yet mercy breaks through that and there stands in that 1. This difficulty that before thou canst be pardoned God must be made Man and yet must remain the same God he was before thou cryest for pardon of sin or thou art undone suppose now that Gods bowels of mercy did even yearn towards thee for to pardon thy sin yet before this is done there must be this great work done that God must be made man and yet remain the same God he was before here 's a mighty difficult work a greater work than making of the world and yet mercy breaks through this 2. Here 's this stands between sin and pardon That when God is made Man he must die and be made a curse and not only so but God the Father must do it he must take his own Son and stab him for thee he must himself take him and put him to death and himself must pour out his wrath upon his own Son before thy sins can be pardoned Now that God the Father should take his own Son the Son of his delight stab him to the heart and himself put him to death this is a mighty great work and yet this must be done before thou can'st be pardoned 2. There 's this difficulty stands in the way That before sin can be pardoned the blind dead wicked carnal sottish heart of Man must be raised up to perform the most glorious Act that ever any creature did which is an Act of believing yet says God that thy sin may be pardoned I will put forth my infinite power to effect it to raise that blind dead sottish carnal wicked heart of man so full of all wickedness to perform the greatest work that ever any creature did for so is believing Gods mighty power is put forth to effect this Now there is all these difficulties lying in the way and yet mercy passes through them all to pardon sin surely then that soul must needs be blessed that hath his sin pardoned that God sets his heart upon him so much that rather than he will not shew mercy unto him he will pass through all these great difficulties that lie in the way and truly on consideration of this before I pass any further there are three Meditations that may be collected hence and may come with a great deal of power upon all our souls First Then it
God promised to make all his goodness pass before him and Exod. 34.6 he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and then to the point in hand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here 's the glory of God Would you have a demonstration indeed that Gods heart was set upon this as the greatest work that ever was done take it in this that the very thoughts of effecting this by the death of his own Son made God very well pleas'd and delighted with his death surely then his heart was much set upon it for rather than he would not effect it he would part with his own Son Never was there such a hideous thing as the death of the Son of God and therefore if there were any delight to be taken in it that God the Father took delight in it there must be some great thing to sweeten it such an horrid thing as the death of the Son of God had need have some great thing to sweeten it what now sweetned this to God the Father that his own Son should be put to death Why nothing but this that hereby sinners might come to be redeemed justified and pardoned nothing else would sweeten it to God the Father but this does Isai 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and again the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Scripture says God takes no delight in the death of a sinner and yet God did take delight in the death of his Son it pleased God to see his Son bruised when God the Father saw his Son under his wrath swetting drops of water and blood under the curse of the Law it pleased God well certainly then there must be some mighty thing that must sweeten this and make the death of his own Son a delightful object to him Why the very thing that did it was this that Christ being made a curse he thereby did redeem us from the curse procur'd the pardon of our sins and reconciled us unto God and this very thing sweetned the death of the Son of God unto God the Father therefore the heart of God was much in it 2. For Christ What was the business that brought him from the Fathers bosome made him content to take our nature upon him to suffer and to be a man of sorrows so as to delight in it there was a kind of delight to Christ in induring the wrath of God for with desire says Christ have I desired to eat this Passover because it was the Preparation to his Death and Sufferings of the wrath of God in all the fruits and effects of it for the sin of Man and when Christ came to institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and to give his blood for the remission of sins the Text says He gave thanks What did he give thanks for surely the thing for which he gave thanks for upon which the Supper of the Lord is called the Eucharist from the Greek word that signifies Thanksgiving was this that by his death Remission of sins should be obtain'd when Christ was to die suffer all the wrath of God that was due for our sins Christ blessed God thanked God the Father for it surely there must be some great matter to sweeten it that he should be so affected as to bless God the Father for that that cost him his life and yet he did Mark what it is that satisfies Christ for all this Isa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and his soul was made an offering for sin all was laid upon Christ Well but what did Christ look for for all this Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied that that shall satisfie Christ for all his pains labour and sufferings shall be to see of the travel of his soul What is that What is the travel of Christs soul What Why by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many as if Christ had said this is the very thing my Soul travels for in all that I have done or suffered in all my life that I might but bring this great business to pass to justifie some souls to get the sin of those poor souls that are thine Elect pardoned and their persons justified this my soul travels for and oh Father let me but see this the travel of my Soul and I am satisfied Christ accounted it worth all the travel of his Soul in all he did and suffered that he might justifie some souls as if he had said he would have no other boon from his Father but only this Father if thou wilt but recompence all my travel with this I shall for ever account my self that I am satisfied and have enough How should we be satified with Christ when Christ accounts the pardon of our sins satisfaction enough Shall Christ say notwithstanding all my sorrows let thy sin be pardoned and I have enough Wilt not thou now say and let me have Christ and I have enough Christ says to God the Father let me have those souls pardoned and I have enough Oh then do thou say let me have Christ and I have enough Surely Christ is enough to satisfie thee when the pardon of thy sin is enough to satisfie him 3. As the heart of God and Christ so the heart of the Holy Ghost is in this business too the great work the Holy Ghost hath to do in this world and the great business for which he was sent it is to convince poor souls of the righteousness there is to be had in Christ for Justification Joh. 16.8 9 10. Christ will send the Comforter and first he will convince the world of sin 2. Of righteousness What is that that is when the Spirit comes he will clear it up unto believers and convince them that the righteousness that they must have to stand righteous before God in is the righteousness of Christ alone and this is a mighty work of the Spirit of God and a work that would never have been done had not he come to have done it it is such a great mystery that we should be righteous by anothers righteousnes that it is above the reason of all Men and Angels all Men and Angels were never able to fathom this infinite depth it is above their apprehensions that ever we should come to be righteous in Christ and very few yet where Christ is made known are convinced of it Those men that take up Religion in a natural way they never are convinc't of the Righteousness of Christ it is a riddle and a mystery to them only those few souls whom God intends eternally to save the Spirit of God is sent unto them from the Father and the Son to clear it unto them that the righteousness wherewith they must stand righteous before God is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ this is the great work of the Spirit of God
and pains and did all you could do here 's a great difference between Gods forgiveness and mans a King may forgive but he cannot change and heal but when God forgives he heals and takes away that evil disposition from thee that did so weaken thee for all good Christ when he comes he comes with healing in his wings now blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven for that there follows deliverance from the power of sin and a healing of the soul Of comfort against Death following on Pardoning Mercy 6. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven because such a man may look in the face of Death and Judgment with comfort Death when he comes to a Natural Man he comes as a Messenger of God to arrest the Soul at Gods suit but where sin is forgiven Death is made a means to bring thee to rest that that would have arrested thee is a means to bring thee to thy rest Heb. 2.14 15. Christ came to die Now what was the great business he came to die for it was to purchase a pardon for sin and by his death to take away the power of the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage through the fear of death and nothing in all the world can deliver from the fear of death but forgiveness of sin and then this makes a man look on the day of Judgment with comfort for one special end of that day is that there may be a Declaration of the Infinite Mercy of God in forgiving of sin Act. 3.19 Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord when he shall send Jesus again which before was preached to you Certainly assoon as ever a man comes to believe his sins are blotted out I but when the times of refreshing shall come they shall appear to your own selves and to all the World Men and Angels more fully than ever before some Interpreters think and I dare not deny it but that there will be a time of refreshing in this world before the great and terrible day that Christ will make it appear that the sins of the Elect Believers are blotted out in another manner than now it doth but however it will fully appear at that day and then that day that will be so terrible to the ungodly will be refreshing to the Saints Why because they shall find their sins blotted out then and that will make that day a refreshing day unto them Although the Heavens be all on fire and shrivelled up like a Scrowl and there be dreadful shriekings of ungodly men yet it shall be a day of refreshing to the Saints because their sins are blotted out Oh blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned now for he shall have that day to be a day of refreshing to him but woe be to thee O soul who ever thou art that hast not thy sin pardoned if but one sin stand upon the score not blotted out woe woe will betide the for ever more but they that find their sin pardoned shall find that day to be a day of such refreshing as ever they beheld and therefore blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven Of Security against the worlds Reproaches the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 7. Where God hath forgiven sin such a one need not care for the censures of all the world and the reproaches they cast upon him the men of the world cast many reproaches on the Saints and say they are hypocrites that though they will not swear yet they will lie that they are false proud and the like Why now the soul that finds it self acquitted before the Lord need not care for all the censures and condemnations that can be cast upon him from the men of the world Rom. 8.33 Having spoken before of the great grace of God in Justification in vers 33. he speaks as if he had made a challenge to all the world let them all come in let me see Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Why because it is God that justifies many will charge them of grievous things I but it is God that justifies What will a man care if the Prince have given him a pardon though some kitchin boy some shakeril about the Court should rail against him so long as the King hath pardoned him Bernard hath a notable speech concerning David when Shimei railed David was not troubled says he he did not feel the injury heapt upon him because he had felt before the grace of God towards him the feeling of Gods grace towards him in pardoning made him not feel the railings of Shimei so Christ himself Isai 50. ver 7. he said before I gave my back to the smiters and hid not my face from shame and spitting they spit upon him this is apparently spoken of Christ but what upheld him vers 7. For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded for all this therefore have I set my face like a flint against all scorns railings and accusations in the world but what was the bottom of all this mark vers 8. He is near that justifies me who will contend with me let us stand together Who is my Adversary let him come near to me let my Adversary come and do his worst he is near that justifies me true Christ had no sin personally to be pardoned but he had the sins of all the Elect charg'd upon him and upon that he suffered death Now we are to know Christ is justified as well as Believer and the very ground why a Believer is justified it is because Christ is justified himself Christ being justified a Believer comes to be justified this might have been opened in the mysteries of Pardon of Sin There is a justifying first in Christ as in a common publick person and then by faith in our own persons Now though in the Fathers Justification of Christ he justifies us yet not as particular persons but in him as a common person in the Name of all the Elect and faith that comes in that we might be justified in our own particular persons as before we were in Christ as a common person Now Christ is justified first and acquitted from all our sins and this acquittance is made the ground of his challenge to all his Adversaries in the world though the Prince of Devils come with all his power yet says Christ he is near that justifies me and he will make my face as a flint it is God that acquits me who is my Adversary let him come near Oh it s a blessed thing when thou hast got the pardon of thy sin thou needest not care for all the reproaches the world can cast upon thee thou may'st go up and down and challenge any in the world to come in against thee 1 Cor. 4.3 I pass not for mans judgment he that judgeth
expression as if it were so there is no Text of Scripture hath those words there is one Text of Scripture this is taken out of but that is spoken to another end and therefore you had need to examine what is spoken 't is Ezek. 18.21 this comes the nearest to those words mark this Scripture and see what you can have from thence to defer the seeking of Gods pardoning mercy and grace till sickness and death But if the wicked shall turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die here this Scripture does not limit a time though it says not At what time soever it says if he turn from all his sins and keep all my Statutes and do that that is lawful and right so that this Scripture promises mercy to one that turns from all his sins and will keep all Gods Statutes and so do all that is lawful and right But now if you put it off to the time of sickness and death How can you do all this Turn from all sin and keep all Gods Statutes then or How can you do that is lawful and right then it must be then when you can keep all Gods Statutes as well as turn from all your sins so that if you take all together there is not so much incouragement to that which is so frequent in your mouths At what time soever a sinner repents it must be at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes but further God speaks here to the Jews according to the condition of the Covenant of works because they made account to be justified by the Law says God you will put it off and think at last to turn from your wicked wayes and that I will have mercy on you I but look to it if you will repent it must be such a repentance as must be joyned with a keeping all my Statutes therefore those that do not understand the way of the Gospel but depend upon a repentance on their death-beds God will hold you to this Scripture that you must repent at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes then you see this is the worst time of all to defer repentance till your sick-beds or death-beds for how can you keep all Gods Statutes then and do all that is lawful and right then 5. It is the worst time because all the tag-rag all the base and vâ—lest wretches in the world will come in then And what hast thou no other spirit but to defer coming in till then Hast thou no more care of thy soul no more love to God and his ways but to put it off till such a time as all the abominable wretches in the world will come in that is the seventh way in dishonouring the pardoning grace of God by seeking it in the worst time that possible can be 8. The Eighth way of dishâ—nouring the pardoning grace of God and the most considerable of all is the seeking and expecting of it any other way but only through the Mediation of the Son of God I told you in the opening of the glorious mysteries of pardoning grace that it must be done by a Mediator Now not only gross ignorant people but many others dishonour the pardoning grace of God they are not sensible of this that it is such grace that only comes through the Mediation of the Son of God We have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God if we do think there is a possibility of attaining it any other way than by the mediation of him that is God-Man If we think our crying to God at any time will do it or our roaring out in anguish of spirit forty fifty or sixty years is enough to do it or that there is any thing to attain it by under the mediation of the Son of God we have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God we give not God that honour that is due unto it Luther has a notable expression to this purpose It is a horrible blasphemy if you presume to pacifie God by any works 't is an excellent speech so I say 't is horrible blasphemy and intolerable to think to have any thing in the least of your own to presume upon that God will be pacified with it whereas God cannot be pacified by any other means then by the infinite price of the Death and Blood of his own Son one drop of which is more precious than all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God will say Have I revealed such a way of being reconciled with my Creatures and that at such a rate and infinite price as the death of my own Son Shall his life and blood go to procure pardon one drop of which is more worth than ten thousand worlds and when all this is done shall my creature think to put me off by a poor work of their own prayers tears good meaning or the like or with the most glorious work that they can perform for the greatest and most glorious work that they can perform is not near worth so much as one drop of the blood of Christ And if you have not such high thoughts of Gods Pardoning Mercy that it must be procured by that which hath more worth in it than all the Creation besides you do dishonour it by having such low thoughts of it when as you think to obtain it by any duty that you can do you think God is a merciful God and you hope upon your reforming and performing duties of Obedience that God will be pacified towards you for all that is amiss Certainly when you have these thoughts of Gods pardoning grace you make it to be but as common and ordinary pity towards one in misery but the grace of God is a higher thing than common pity and compassion and it is a mighty dishonour to God to have no higher thoughts of it that you think of it but as of common pity and compassion that one creature hath unto another or if you think it differs from that pity one creature hath to another it is but a difference in degrees only you think it is a little higher in degree but you must look upon it in another way and as another kind of pity then one creature bears to another it is true Gods pardoning his poor creatures is in pity and compassion but it is through the death and satisfaction of his own Son and if you think to procure it any other way than by the mediation of the Son of God you look upon it but in a natural way as nature will dictate unto you for nature will dictate that the beholding of one crying out in misery will move pity and compassion and you go no further But you are to know the pardoning grace of God is the most supernatural and mysteriousest thing in all the Book of God therefore when God works in us
the grace of the Gospel that thus objectest it is another manner of thing than thou art aware of there is not that malignity in the grace of the Gospel to cause such effects in the hearts of believers Luther compares sin to Lime and the law to Water that makes the Lime hotter but the grace of the Gospel says he is like to Oyl and Oyl will quench Lime but Water will not so the Oyl of the Gospel will quench the sins of men and certainly the more there is of the grace of God revealed in the Gospel the more the lusts remaining in the heart of a believer come to be quenched this is an evident Argument of the great difference between the mercy of God revealed in the Gospel and received by faith and that which is received only in a natural way you that are unbelievers and receives the Gospel only in a natural way your lusts may be nourished and you may take liberty for wickedness But if once you come to receive the mercy of God in and through Christ Jesus then that mercy will be the greatest opposer of thy lusts and sin as any thing can be in the world certainly thou know'st not the work of God in Christ forgiving sin that reason'st thus I shall shew you plainly The knowledge of the great work of the Propitiation by Christ brings the soul into a hatred of all sin and is no nourisher of it 1 Joh. 1.9 the Apostle speaks of the wonderful grace of God in Christ to us If we confess our sins he is not only ready to forgive but to cleanse us from them And chap. 2.1 My little children I write unto you that you sin not that you take not liberty in any sin they might say you write these things that we sin not but we have sinful natures and so shall certainly fall into sin for all this Well for the comfort of Saints If any man sin says he we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ is presently an Advocate though you sin through ignorance and negligence and do not renew present acts of faith to sue out a pardon yet says the Holy Ghost Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father the Lord Christ stands before the Father pleading that no evil may befal you for your sin this is the admirable priviledge of the Saints of God a most blessed priviledge they have by the Covenant of Grace that when they commit a sin and may be take no notice and may be Conscience is so benum'd at present that they go not to God to seek a pardon but may be lie in sin a long time together yet says the Text you have one that pleads your cause and it is from hence that Gods wrath comes not out against you because you have an Advocate with the Father Well says the 2d vers And he is the Propitiation not only for our sins but the sins of the whole world he means believers Now in the third vers says he Hereby we know that we know him If we keep his Commandements as if he had said If we do not take heed of sin and keep his Commandements we know not this grace of pardon if any that here us Ministers teach this Doctrine and say they know him and have no care to keep Gods Commandements 't is quite contrary to what the Apostle says he says Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandements this knowing of him as it is a means to keep his Commandements so 't is an argument we do know him when we do keep his Commandements vers 4. He that says I know him that is Christ to be a Propitiation and an Advocate and keeps not his Commandements is a liar and the truth is not in him That man that reasons thus and says Well I believe in Jesus Christ and I know my sins are pardoned through faith in him yea and all the sins that shall be committed a pardon is laid in for them and I shall never enter into condemnation Dost thou say so and yet keep'st not Gods Commandements Hast not thou the Conscience and the rather upon the knowledge of this to keep Gods Commandements the Holy Ghost says Thou art a lyar and there is no truth in thee and thou wer 't never acquainted with this mystery of godliness when it is understood in a natural way men may abuse it you may know what I mean by a natural way and God knows you have need of Information by a natural way I mean by the light of Natural Reason and all other helps of learning on this side the work of the Holy Ghost but when men understand it by a powerful work of the Holy Ghost they that know it thus this knowledge will make them more careful and conscionable to keep Gods Commandements and if any man say he knows it thus and does not keep Gods Commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him Further If a man should reason thus Well if there be such a mystery in pardon of sin and that God when he pardons sin at first lays in a pardon for all sin afterward this will make way for more sin Take notice here of the infinite perverseness of the heart of man suppose it were not thus but the contrary were true that God indeed pardoned the sins of a believer coming to him but if ever he sin after pardon let him look to it he shall then be under the sentence of death and condemnation upon this a mans heart would not be more ingaged to seek after Christ but would reason thus Well I may labour and take pains and suffer much to get a comfortable assurance of the pardon of sin but what of all this the next day the next hour I may sin again and be in the same case I was before so that which way soever things go men will reason against God for their lusts I shall put it to you or to any heart that may be supposed to have attended on God yea and hath received grace Which of these Doctrines ingage the heart most for God either this Doctrine or the other whether that you believing that God will pardon sin yet if you fall into any new sin you are under a sentence of condemnation or thus that God is so gracious that he not only pardons sin for present but for your incouragement he so pardons it that though you through infirmity fall again into sin he will not out off his kindness from you Which of these is the greater incouragement certainly to a slavish spirit the one may be more than the other But to a spirit that may be supposed to have any ingenuity in it the latter words must needs far more ingage him to walk with God all his days What is Gods grace so free that he should have such pity on poor creatures not only at their first coming in and casting themselves on Christ as to pardon all their sins
though they be never so many and great But also such a Covenant upon my coming in that God will discharge all sins that shall be committed for time to come though I be ready to fall into sin dayly yet I shall not come into condemnation O what will so infinitely ingage a gracious and ingenious spirit as this does surely nothing like this Now if this be true that man that is forgiven is thus forgiven not only for time past but also for time to come Then blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven and whose iniquities are pardoned Of the tenth Mystery God pardons a sinner not because he is but that he might be chang'd 10. The tenth Mystery is this for I would endeavour to shew you what a mighty work Pardon of Sin is and raise up your hearts to have higher thoughts of it than ever you had before God does not pardon because a sinner hath his heart and nature changed but that he might be changed And thus the pardons of God differ from all other pardons a Prince pardons a Malefactor or a Father a Child but upon what terms a Prince expects his Subject should be changed as far as he can discern and a Father though never so tender will not pardon a Child unless he come in and manifest a change of his disobedient spirit and then he pardons God doth not pardon because we are chang'd but that we might be chang'd his Pardon comes first Rom. 4.5 a very strange place for this and may incourage any poor soul that is troubled for sin to come in and lay hold upon Gods mercy in Christ But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted unto him for righteousness Mark when God comes to justifie a sinner he looks upon him as ungodly he stays not till the sinner be made godly and then justifies him as a Prince stays till a Malefactors heart be changed and he become a loyal subject and then pardons him God is not so in justifying souls he justifies the ungodly one that is ungodly coming to him he justifies This is a mighty Argument I name it for this end because I would teach people that notwithstanding any sin or guilt that lies upon their spirits yet they have a liberty to come in and lay hold upon Christ for Justification do not say I am ungodly I am a great sinner and have a vile heart and I find not my nature changed and therefore How dare I lay hold upon Gods grace for mercy and pardon yea thou may'st because God justifies the ungodly though thy nature be not chang'd and sanctified as thou say'st take it thus Thou must lay hold of Gods grace for Justification that thou may'st be sanctified not only pardoned but sanctified Come but thus with thy heart affected to close with the grace of God that thou may'st be sanctified as well as pardoned though for the present thou feelest not any Sanctification yet thou may'st have right to lay hold upon Christ as well as any one whatsoever Will not this be presumption for a sinner thus to lay hold on Christ If faith were meerly a perswasion that Christ dyed for them or as many men think thus Well God is merciful and he will pardon me Christ having dyed there may be presumption in laying hold on Christ But now as Justification is a great mystery so is faith and faith is a mighty work of the Spirit of God in the soul that causes the soul to roul and cast it self on the free grace of God in Christ and venture it self and all its hopes for good and happiness on him there is not only a coming to Christ for pardon but for grace holiness light good and happiness here and for whatever it doth expect hereafter it looks for all from him Now when there is such a work of God upon the soul in casting it self on God in Christ though there be nothing at present but ungodliness in him appearing yet such a one may and hath right to come unto God for pardon for God justifies the ungodly Rom. 5.6 Christ died for the ungodly and vers 10. If when we were Enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son when we were Enemies and had base hearts full of enmity against God yet then Christ died to reconcile us unto God thou may'st then venture to come to him for pardon and it is no presumption though thou seest no change in thy self yet he pardons that thou may'st be chang'd now here 's a glorious work of God in pardoning a sinner that God should pardon justifie and reconcile us when we were Enemies to him here is a glorious work of God for a sinner to be justified and reconciled and yet when the sinner was an Enemy unto him Of the eleventh Mystery God himself purchases the Pardon 11. When God pardons a sinner he himself is fain to purchase the pardon and this is different from the manner of pardons among men A Prince pardons a malefactor but the Prince himself doth not purchase the pardon and if one have offended you you pardon the offender but you that are offended do not purchase a pardon for the offender possible some friend may come and purchase a pardon at the Kings hands for an offender but the King himself doth not purchase it yet thus it is with God God doth not pardon any one sin but it costs God himself dear before he gets it therefore 't is not such a slight thing to be pardoned you must not think to go to God and cry mercy and that he will pardon 〈◊〉 thus in a natural way God never pardons sin but it costs God dear yea that which is more worth than all the world if that could have done it God would rather have dissolved Heaven and Earth than have given that that he did give What was that It was the bloud of his own Son God gave him up to death for the sin of mankind and for the purchasing a pardon for man But some may say What need God have purchast a pardon for man Could he not have forgiven him by his absolute Prerogative I answer there was need because of the satisfaction of Justice he did purchase it out of the hands of Justice God was fain to lay down a price to Justice before he himself could pardon one sin Justice must be satisfied before he could give out one pardon Well take all these together Christ must be our Surety take the debt upon himself and suffer as much punishment as we should have done in Hell to all eternity and to make the soul stand righteous before God yet this righteousness to be in another yea a near union is made between Christ and the Soul And yet further 't is by faith and yet boasting is excluded and God is infinitely merciful and yet infinitely just and when he pardons one sin he lays in a pardon for al
has pardoned thy sin and delivered thee from death and nâ—w my soul return unto thy rest the word translated rest in the Original is plural return unto thy rests there are rests enough for a soul whom God hath delivered and pardoned all afflictions to him are but as the Viper on Paul's hand that he may shake off they will do him no hurt the sting of death is sin and the sting of afflictions is that they are the beginners of death but to one that has his sin taken away the property of affliction is altered they come not as acts of revenging Justice but as effects of Love and Mercy the Principle from whence they come and the end to which they tend is differenced from what it was before when Trespasses are forgiven Deliverance from Evil will follow after as it is in the Lords Prayer true as you heard before in the former point If once we come to have afflictions as the fruits of sin then they are heavy and grievous indeed in this case when affliction comes for sin and sin comes to prey upon a man in time of affliction it is just as a Bayliffe set on by a cruel Creditor that comes to a poor man in debt and he lies sick the Bayliffe takes away his Stools Table Bed and Pillow and all he hath to help and comfort him leaves him not a Pillow to rest his weary head upon so when a sinner lies sick and under affliction guilt of sin comes and takes away all thy comforts if thou hast any Promise as a Pillow to rest thy head upon guilt of sin will take it away guilt of sin pulls and tears away every comfort and every good that sinners should have to refresh themselves withal in affliction But when the guilt of sin is gone thou may'st lay thy head down in quiet and rest upon a Promise and it will make affliction very easie that thou shalt have no cause to make complaint as formerly thou had'st Isai 33. ult The Inhabitant shall not say I am sick mark the ground of it for the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity when God comes to bestow this great mercy of pardon the Inhabitants shall not make such dolorous complaints of affliction and trouble upon them says Luther strike Lord strike for I am absolved from my sin if once God has absolved thee or any poor creature from their sin it is not in the power of any affliction to disturb them Job 34.29 When he gives quietness who can give trouble and when he hides his face who then can behold him when God gives quietness as he doth in forgiveness of sin then who can make trouble let there be never so many rumors in the world of war bloud and miseries as if Heaven and Earth met together yet if God give quietness to the heart in assurance of forgiveness of sin who can bring trouble it is not in the power of all the world to disturb his sâ—ul whose sins are forgiven Pardon of sin is that peace the world cannot take away therefore blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned Of Healing the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 5. Where God pardons sin he heals that soul and sanctifies it by the immediate fruits of the Spirit wheresoever it is and this is a great blessedness who is there that understands the evil of sin that sees not this a great blessedness not only to be delivered from the guilt of sin but also from the uncleanness of sin too and that Sanctification or freedom from the power and slavery that there is under the bondage of sin is a fruit of forgiveness of sin will appear by divers Texts of Scripture I shall not speak to all but only some that make this blessing to be the consequence or immediate fruits that slow in upon forgiveness Jer. 31.33 34 there God promises to put his law into our inward parts But what 's the ground of it in the 34. verse I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more the writing of Gods Law in our inward parts delivering us from the power of sin and sanctifying our hearts comes in as a fruit of Gods forgiving us our iniquities Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you why because you are not under the Law but under Grace Now this is the great grace of the Gospel forgiveness of sin you are under that and therefore it is that sin cannot have dominion over you as if the Apostle had said you may resolve against sin and do what you can to oppose it and strive as much as possible you are able to subdue it yet so long as you remain under the law sin will certainly have dominion over you and you will be under the slavery of it until you come under the grace of the Gospel and partake of that Col. 2.13 ult And you hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses so that quickning and Sanctification is a fruit of forgiving of all their trespasses 1 Cor. 15.56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God that giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ the strength of sin is the law Gods Justice in the Law giving men up unto sin there lies the strength of sin But now God through Christ coming to men in the grace of the Gospel there comes deliverance from the strength of sin perhaps some of you have lain under the burden and power of sin and you have thought the only way to get victory hath been to resolve and strive against it and you have done so and yet you cannot get power over your sins I remember one writing to Luther tells him that he had vow'd and covenanted against his sin and yet his sin prevail'd against him until he understood the grace of the Gospel and so may be have you done and yet your sin prevails because you take not this course try the work of faith in point of Justification renew your faith in God for the forgiveness of your sin through Jesus Christ that 's the ready way try that course you that have been tired in labouring against corruption you have resolv'd and pray'd and shed tears and yet that will not do try this way renew your faith dayly in point of Justification by laying hold of the infinite riches of the grace of Christ in the Gospel for pardon for healing power to come in to help you against that which holds you and this will not hinder your duties you may pray resolve and fast as much as before but be sure your great care be to renew your faith in point of Justification and there will come more healing power by that in your souls than by any thing else if once you can touch Christ the bloody issues of your sins that run before come to be dryed up which you could not dry up though you spent your time
guilty also as well as he But now when the King comes to look upon them he sets his heart on this poor man that perhaps begg'd from door to door and says this poor creature shall be forgiven I will pass by his offence and not only so but advance him into high and great favour at the Court and condemns all the Nobles Now if this poor man shall see all the Noble men in chains that were guilty but of one offence and he perhaps hath been guilty for acting in a treasonable way 40 50 or 70 years and the Noble men guilty but for one offence and this poor wretched creature sees these Noble men in chains and knows that all they and every one of them are condemn'd to suffer most dreadful tortures to dye a most dreadful torturing tormenting death Now what a mighty aggravation is this of the mercy of the King that shall pardon the offence of this poor creature how will he stand amazed admiring at the greatness of it I that am guilty of the same offence yea more guilty than they and that I shall be pardoned and the chief of the Nobility of the Kingdom must die a most torturing tormenting death for their offence what a difference hath the Kings favour made between me and them certainly this is the case for all the world with any poor soul whose sins are pardoned God has done as much for thee to the full the Angels were the most glorious creatures that ever God made and thou art but a poor worm in comparison of them they sinned against him but once and thou art guilty of millions of transgressions and yet God sets his heart on thee and says I will do great things for thee though I pass by thousands millions of Angels I will magnifie my rich grace to this poor creature in pardoning his sin and advance him to high favour though I condemn them into everlasting chains of darkness now when a poor creature comes to see the infinite riches of Gods grace that hath made such a difference between him and the Angels how will he stand admiring of it me thinks this should mightily work upon the hearts of all poor sinners and make them to say What shall God pass by such excellent creatures as the Angels the most excellent creatures that ever God made and come to me a poor worm to set his heart on me and shew mercy to me Oh let me pass by all the excellencies of the creatures to perform my duty unto him Hath God past by the most excellent of his creatures that mercy might come to me Oh let me pass by all the glories and excellencies of any thing in this world that my Soul may come in in a way of duty and service unto him Shall God leave the glorious Angels to shew mercy to me and to do good for me and shall not I leave my base lusts for him Shall not I be content to leave any thing to serve him Shall I satisfie any base lust with the neglect of him God forbid This is another Argument that they are blessed that have their sins pardoned because God does that for them that he will not do for the faln Angels CHAP. XI Of Pardoning Mercy being given to a few FUrther Blessed is he that hath his iniquities forgiven because it is a mercy that is given but to a little handful of the world the whole world lies in wickedness as carrion in a ditch or as Prisoners under the chains of guilt of sin and yet that God should pull some of these out that lie as in a filthy Dungeon this is a wonderful mercy A Prince that hath many offenders usually pardons the most and executes the fewest But God usually executes the most and pardons fewest But how comes this to pass seeing God is a God of more mercy than any Prince how is it that a Prince should pardon most and execute the fewest and God do the contrary Answ 1. Because the execution of many that are guilty Answ 1 would be a troublesom and dangerous thing unto a Prince he cannot do it when the most have offended but God can easily execute thousands of thousands and all with one word speaking Further If a Prince should execute all that offend he Answ 2 should have a want of his Subjects But God wants not the creatures he has no need of us but a Prince may want his Subjects and therefore if there be any way in the world to preserve them and keep them in any way subject to him the Prince will not destroy them Besides the Prince executes the fewest and saves the most Answ 3 Because the execution of a few may be a means to bring others unto allegiance But when God comes to execute Malefactors the execution of some cannot be a means to work good on others especially at the great day 't is true in this world God is long-suffering and executes a few that it may be a means to work good on others But how is God said to be a God of rich and glorious mercy and yet pardons very few and executes most for all the world have been in Treason against him how is it that God pardons fewest and destroys most I hope to give you very good reason and satisfaction in shewing you how the infinite glory of the mercy of God appears and yet but few are pardoned yea rather the more because that few are pardoned God would thereby manifest the more his glorious mercy 1. It may well stand with the glorious riches of the mercy of God that many are destroy'd and yet but few pardoned thus Because that God would have a proportion between his Justice and Mercy you say he would have a proportion Is not be as merciful as he is just Then there must be as many pardoned as condemned No if God will observe a proportion between his mercy and justice and that he will have his Justice appear as well as his Mercy then more must be damned than saved How does that appear thus Because the glory of Gods Justice in damning twenty hundred is not so much as the glory of his Mercy in saving two you may conceive it by what is ordinarily used among men If the King save but two men that are Malefactors he magnifies his mercy as much in that as his justice if he hang up a hundred so if God save but two his mercy is as much magnified as his justice in damning twenty hundred the reason is this Because there is something in the creature that calls for Gods justice that requires that But there is nothing in the creature that requires his mercy when God manifests his justice he does such a work as is due to the Creature there is something in the Creature that challenges such a work from God but when God comes to manifest mercy there is nothing at all in us that should require such a work from God no his mercy is
and witnesses affixed to it but we use to take an Oath Well says God I will swear and take an Oath to make my Covenant of grace sure to your souls Heb. 6.13 when God made a Promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself and this is in the 18. verse an admirable Text of Scripture That we might have strong Consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us there is hope of Gods grace through the Reconciliation of Christ Jesus and this hope the soul runs to as to a City of Refuge when his guilt like the persuer of blood follows him Well says God this poor soul notwithstanding will have doubts of my grace now that it might have strong consolation I have swore that I might make my mercy sure to such a soul that 's a fourth way but is there any thing else you use to make things sure between one another Yea Lord Fourthly we put our Seals to it an Oath taken may soon pass over but a Seal that abides says God I will do that too I will give you Seals and there are divers sorts of Seals there 's first the Broad Seal of Heaven What is that that is nothing else but the very Printing of the Image of God on the Soul that is the Broad Seal of Heaven And as the Broad Seal of England hath the Picture or Image of the King stampt upon it so the Broad Seal of Heaven is nothing else but the Image of God stamp't or imprinted on the Soul 2. There is the Privy Seal of the Holy Spirit of God which is the perswading and assuring of the soul of its interest it hath in Christ and God the Father In 2 Tim. 2.19 you have Gods Privy Seal The Lord knows them that are his and they having his Privy Seal know themselves to be the Lords Cant. 6.2 I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine so Paul Gal. 2.20 being sealed with this Seal saith of Christ He loved me and gave himself for me he was perswaded and assured of salvation 2 Tim. 1.12 Rom. 8.38 39. This Privy Sealing is like the New Name Revel 2.17 Which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it And to this you shall have a third Seal Baptism and the Supper of the Lord that is to assure you that the end of the Sacrament is to Seal up Pardon of sin God saw that his People would be very solicitous and therefore added all these wayes of assurance to them when you therefore come to the Sacrament you should come with a sense upon your souls of the great need you have of the grace of God in pardoning sin and come to it as to a Sealing-day you have many fears and doubts come so as that you may have the grace of pardon seal'd to your souls take heed of coming so as to have your condemation sealed for certainly all Ordinances if they work not for that end that they are appointed they turn to another and quite contrary as the Word if it be not the savour of life it is the savour of death and so the Sacraments if they seal not the pardon of thy sins up unto thee they seal up the sentence of death and condemnation therefore look to it as oft as you come unworthily to the Sacrament you have so many Seals of death and condemnation set upon your souls Take heed you do not come to take another Seal of death 't is much to be feared many in this place come to take the seal of eternal death upon their souls but those that come worthily though administrations be not in that due order as they should yet God may be present with his own Ordinance to give them comfort from it and help their Evidences by it I must conclude this those that content themselves with slight Evidences about this great work dishonour the grace of God you would have us preach of mercy and indeed it is a blessed Argument which our souls delight much to be preaching of because we find so much sweetness in it and for which our souls shall expatiate themselves in glorifying God to all eternity but we are withal jealous of your dishonouring of God in this mercy and therefore it is that we labour so with you after the laying open of this mercy that you may not abuse it for certainly my Brethren there is nothing in the world God takes to heart more than the dishonour that is done to his pardoning mercy and nothing more aggravates the sin of People than to have slight thoughts of this great work Seventhly This is a great dishonour to Gods pardoning mercy for men to put off the seeking of it to the worst times that possible can be Is it not the ordinary way of most people to put of the seeking of the grace and favour of God Pardon of sin and Reconciliation till the time of sickness and the time of death they go on all their life time in sinning against God but when they are lying upon their sick-beds and death-beds Lord have mercy upon me pardon me forgive me a wicked wretch that I have been these kind of words we hear from men at that time O that God would forgive and pardon such and such sins and then perhaps they will tell some particular sins if they think they shall die they will open themselves to the Minister or to some faithful Neighbour in the disclosing of their particular sins and beseech them to pray to God for mercy but if they have any hopes to escape they will keep them in and be loath to rip open the sins of their lives This I say for any to put off the seeking unto God for his pardoning grace till that time it is to put a great dishonour upon God for it is a putting of it off to the worst time that possible can be And that makes much to the dishonour of God For First Those men seek pardon of sin when sin is leaving them or they must leave sin whether they will or no when you have served your own turn of sin after you have had as much supposed pleasure as you can then you think to be delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin what is there but a meer selfish spirit in seeking God now and God sees it so it is not seeking after pardon of sin that you may honour God in his infinite grace for then you would seek after it now and the honour of God would be dear to you now but you seek it at such a time meerly out of respect to your selves this is a great dishonour to God It is the first born of Gods glory to pardon sin and for God to see men and women have no higher ends in seeking pardoning grace but meerly to save their own skins How may God look upon them with disdain What shall I magnifie the riches of my grace so wonderfully in this work of
we must act faith upon it in a mystical way or act faith upon it as a great mysterie and therefore you that have been made sensible of sin it may be you have thought of Gods grace for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins and for to quiet the trouble of your spirits Have you done that there is I suppose many a poor soul may say I have been often with God when no eye saw me but only Gods seeking the pardon of my sin in trouble of spirit you have done so but has your eye at that time been fastened on the Son of God as the great Mediator between God and Man to interceed to God the Father for the obtaining this mercy by making satisfaction to infinite Justice Together with your cries for pardon have your eyes been upon the Son of God at the right hand of the Father pleading for man Have your hearts been taken with the great mysteries of godliness and wrought upon by the infinite grace of God Have you put forth a mighty power of the Spirit of Faith to tender up to God the Father the Attonement that his Son has made by his blood and death for your sins Have you seen that the pardoning grace of God is so high that it is impossible to be reach't unto by any thing you can do but only by the mediation of the Son of God If it have been thus with your spirits then you have somewhat of the sense of the great work of God in this thing but otherwise though you have been never so much wrought on and have had floods of sorrow and have cryed never so earnest for the pardon of your sins yet except you have had some such kind of thoughts of Gods grace as these are upon your hearts working after God this way you were never throughly acquainted with the way of Gods pardoning grace and so you have dishonoured him by having too low thoughts of it except your hearts have been raised to this height Psal 51.7 in that time when David was on repenting he called unto God to purge him with Hysop David desired the renewing of the assurance of Gods mercy in Christ in the pardoning of that horrible offence he had committed and therefore prays that he may be purged with Hysop What is the meaning of that there is a great mystery in it in the time of the Law when the blood was sprinkled it was done with a bunch of Hysop and it was a Type of the Blood of Christ that was to make an Attonement Levit. 14. They were to take a bunch of Hysop to sprinkle withal Now says David Purge me with Hysop that is apply to me the blood of Christ for I have need of fresh applications of the blood of Christ I have sinned against him and have done what in me lay to bring my self under Gods wrath and have brought new guilt upon my soul Now for the assurance of thy love to me let there be fresh applications of the blood of thy Son let there be a new sprinkling of the blood of thy Son upon me I suppose many of you in reading this place did not think of the meaning of the Spirit of God in it that may be a great help unto you when at any time you are seeking the pardon of your sins to cry to God to be purged with Hysop O Lord sprinkle the blood of Christ afresh upon me for I know that all my Prayers and Tears and all that I can do cannot purge me from the guilt of that sin I have committed against thee except thou purge me with Hysop that is by applying of the Blood of thy Son unto me And this is the Eighth way of dishonouring the grace of God in seeking for it any other way than through the blood of his Son and remember when you are seeking it that it may be the last time and therefore remember you look up to God for it in by and through the death of his Son for otherwise though you are never so earnest in Prayer you dishonour this grace It is an easie matter to convince men and women that they are guilty of dishonouring the grace of God if they seek for pardon in a negligent and sluggish way but now though you are never so sensible and put forth never so much strength in seeking for it yet you dishonour God except you look upon it as such a high thing that can never be reacht unto but through the mediation of the Son of God 9. The ninth way of dishonouring the grace of God is for any one to venture on sin the rather because they hope they shall be pardoned that dare to venture on sin on that ground hoping that God will at last pardon them I spake before of those that did nothing else but increase their sins in stead of seeking pardon of sin and of the miserable sad condition of such But those we now speak of are not such as are come to this height of sinning to do nothing else but increase their sins but such men and women who being convinc't of sin and if they were perswaded that God would never pardon that sin they would find knots enough to stop them from the commission of it but because they have some hopes that God will pardon therfore on that very ground they venture on sin 't is true it is an offence but God is a merciful God he will forgive though it be an evil there is more evil and mischeif in this than thou can'st imagin What art thou convinc't of sin and wilt thou venture on sin meerly on this ground because thou hopest that God will pardon thee I may say unto thee as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8.22 Pray O pray to God that if it be possible this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee for this thought of thy heart hath so much malignity in it and is so great a provocation against God as possible can be imagined except the sin against the Holy Ghost for any man or women to venture on any sin in hopes of pardon some will say What need we be so strict and trouble our selves so much God is merciful and therefore they think upon that ground they need not be so strict this is a horrible degree of turning the grace of God into wantenness Jude 4. the Apostle speaks of such there that profest they did believe in Christ mark what he says of them There are certain men crept in unawares ungodly men turning the grace of God into laciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ 't is a most dreadful place if there be any one in the Congregation that have ever had the glorious light of the Gospel revealed to them that can reason thus I do such and such things yet God is merciful O that God would convince thee of this evil give me leave to open it unto you how men creep in they were Christians and were
for one sin but how have these sinned against thy pardoning mercy that has been offered to them again and again which was never offered us Fourthly I might shew you the evil the Scripture says of it take two or three Texts Joh. 3.18 19. He that believeth not is condemned already and vers ult He that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him it sticks fast upon such a one and that place in Heb. 10.29 If they that sinned under Moses Law died without mercy who had but little of this grace revealed unto them How much sorer punishment shall they have that sin under the Gospel under the full revelation of this grace but to conclude all there is nothing will be such an aggravation of thy torments in Hell as these Sermons of Gods pardoning mercy if thou go on in sin When we speak of the pardoning grace of God we cannot do it without trembling hearts Why Because we know God will be exceeding quick with those that have the grace of the Gospel preacht unto them And therefore when we come upon this argument we cannot but do as a Physitian that is giving his Patient a Potion that is of mighty operation that will either cure him or dispatch him suddenly if it cure not A Physitian cannot but come with a trembling hand with such a Potion when he knows it must work one way or other we know God is exceeding quick with those to whom he reveals his pardoning mercy in the preaching of the Gospel and those truths we preach will have a quick operation either to bring you out of your sins to Salvation or else they will quickly dispatch you for condemnation Mark 16.15 16. Go says Christ and preach the Gospel to every creature and he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned As if Christ had said go open the Doctrine of the Gospel and the Justification of a sinner by the freeness of the grace of God through Christ Jesus and whosoever will come in and believe and close with it shall be saved but he that believes not shall be damned there is no trifling in the business he that believes and comes in shall be saved but he that believes not shall perish he shall be damned let people know when they have the Gospel preach't unto them there is no trifling no dallying with it 't is not to be put off he that comes in shall be saved but he that stands off shall perish shall be damned and shall know that I will fetch up my glory from him another day in another way as if Christ had said Go preach make quick work of it either come in and be saved or stand out and perish And so John when he came to preach the Doctrine of forgiveness of sin Matth. 3.10 says Now the Axe is laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire Now also the Axe is laid to the root of the tree Why not before No all that while they went on in Ignorance and understood not sin and the grace of God brought unto them for the pardon of their sin all that while God let them grow though they bore no fruit or but ill fruit but now also the Axe is laid to the root If he bears not good fruit now he is hewn down and cast into the fire Now when you hear of pardon of sin and grace revealed in the Gospel either you bring forth fruit or you do not if you do not God is peremptory if you come in and imbrace the Gospel you shall be saved but if you do not the Axe is laid unto your root to cut you down the Gospel makes quick work with you as Paul says in 2 Cor. 2.14 it is so strong that it kills with the very savour of it it has such a savour as it can kill with the very smell of it To him that believes it is the savour of life unto life but to him that believes not it is the savour of death unto death Act 17.30 In the times of Ignorance God winked when men understood not what the evil of sin was but now he commands all men to repent before you heard the dreadful evil and malignity that is in sin God might wink at you but now he commands you all having heard so many Sermons of the evil nature of sin to repent or else God will be very quick with you Heb. 4.12 an excellent place The Word of God is quick and powerful but what word is it mark in the 2d verse Unto us says he was the Gospel preached It was the Word of the Gospel and vers 8. If Jesus had given them rest It is that rest spoken of in the Gospel and mark what he says in the beginning Let us therefore fear least a Promise being left of entering into rest any of you should seem to come short of it Let us therefore fear for the Word of God is swift and will make quick dispatch No Sermons make such quick dispatch as Sermons of the Gospel fear least any seem to come short let us fear least any of us should go on in any way that makes it seem to appear we reject the Gospel It is very observable what we find in Gods dealings with Israel of old we never find God swearing against them till they rejected the Land of Canaan and preferr'd Egypt before it when the Spies were sent forth to search the Land and brought some of the Grapes of it Numb 13 14. Chapters and told them what an excellent fruitful Land it was but because of some difficulty in the getting of it they fell a murmuring then God took up a solemn Oath they should not enter into it though they had provoked him ten times yea forty years in the Wilderness yet God never sware against them till that time That soul is in a sad condition that God shall swear in his wrath it shall not enter into his rest Thou that walkest in the Wilderness of thy sins and hast thy heart hardned against all the Truths of God But now if God has come in to thee and opened Canaan and brought you any clusters of those Grapes revealed the mysteries of the Gospel and pardoning grace through Christ If you now hang off and be longing after the Onions and Garlick of Egypt fear and tremble least God should swear you should never enter into rest you that are wicked unclean persons that went on in sin though you had some light of Nature that caused Conscience to check you yet God was patient and your condition was not so dangerous then But now after the hearing of this grace of the Gospel and pardoning mercy a Drunkard an unclean person or a vile liver now is in a thousand times of more danger least God should swear against him now than before Take heed in every act of the renewal of thy sin thou art in
danger least God in his wrath swear against thee that thou shalt never enter into rest Well If the case be so then you may say What shall we do that we might not dishonour this sweet and precious grace but that we might honour God in it Is this the frame of thy heart to be careful above all things in the world that thou mightest not dishonour this precious grace Does thy heart work thus Lord whatever I have been heretofore though I have been a negligent vile wretch yet for time to come it shall be the work of my soul to give up my self unto whatever God shall speak unto me that I may not dishonour God Is this the frame of thy spirit The Lord keep it so Now that I might direct you in this great Point I shall 1. shew who they are that are pardoned for that will be a foundation for direction and then 2ly shew you what you ought to do to get it what we are to put you upon if you find not Evidence of it And then 3ly What is to be done for the honouring of the grace of God by those that have some comfortable Evidence of it CHAP. XVI Of the several Mistakes of Men about the Pardon of their Sins OUr work now is to shew who they are that have their sins pardoned for there is nothing in all the world so much concerns us as to know how things stand with us in relation to God and our souls whether we be pardoned or no for a mistake in this is a wonderful mistake and yet how many thousands are there that venture the weight of this great business upon poor weak and slight grounds yea rather on meer suggestions of their own hearts and therefore we must first labour to convince men of their mistakes about pardon of sin and then lay down some sound Evidences of pardon in which there may be true and solid peace People are exceeding apt to mistake in point of pardon of sin hoping that God has pardoned them and that they shall not be laid to their charge but upon very slight grounds that will deceive them And therefore I desire this day you would look upon your selves as arraign'd before the great God as one day you must be And let your hearts so hear and attend to what we deliver as if God should speak to you and say Thou sinner such and such things thou art privy to and hast been guilty of What can'st thou say why the sentence of everlasting death should not be past upon thee why God should not declare against thee according to his Law I suppose scarce any of you but have some hope that God will never proceed against you according to his Law for indeed if he do you are undone for ever But what are the grounds of your hopes why you think God will not proceed against you for your sins but will pass them by and forgive you let us a little examine the grounds of it for it is of very great Consequence and certainly many people are now sunk down into the bottomless pit of Hell by resting upon false grounds I shall labour to discover the weakness of their standing that rest on false grounds the First Is this many think that God has pardoned their sin because it is but little they have been guilty of and for that they think there is a pardon in course were I guilty of such horrible wickedness and notorious sins as many others are then I think it would go hard with me I should be affraid things between God and me were very grievous but the sins I have been guilty of are no such great sins I hope God will pass them by God forbid I should think he were so strickt as not to pass by such small sins as those that I have been guilty of For answer to this 1 Know thou dost not understand what the evil and malignity of sin means If thou thinkst the least sin does not make such a breach between God and thee as all created power in Heaven and Earth can never make up again if you do not beleive that all those Sermons preacht unto you about the evil of sin are lost unto you But know as a little Pen-knife may stabb you to death as truly as a gash of the greatest Sword and a little shot out of a Pistol may kill you as well as a Canon bullet So a little sin may prove your eternal ruine as well as a great one and therefore that is no argument that God hath past by your sins because they are little ones and for that consider this one thing I am further speaking of 2. Gods pardoning mercy is his own to do with it what he pleases and therefore that God may shew his prerogative he will sometimes to some pardon their great sins and others he will damn for little sins you think your sins are not so great as other mens and therefore you think that God will forgive you do not deceive your selves with this God will do with his mercy what he pleases What if he will pardon the most notorious gross sins in others and damn thee for thy sins in thoughts what if he will pardon the most notorious uncleanness and murder in another and damn thee for a wanton thought he may do it for his mercy is his own For this take the example of David and Saul compared together David committed many sins but especially those two of Adultery and Murder and yet God pardoned him but Saul committed far less sins then those and yet God cast him off for ever the things on which God laid the casting off of Saul were these two sins 1. He did not stay till Samuel came when Samuel had appointed a time to come he deferr'd it to the last minute and Saul was in a great strait he tarry'd for him long and he thought he must not go to war except he offer'd Sacrifice before and he ventured to offer it himself and did not stay out the full time he staid so long till he thought that Samuel would not come and then that he did was but to offer Sacrifice to God and yet God laies this very thing unto his charge as a cause why he would cast him off 1 Sam. 13.13 Samuel tells him that God had thought to establish the Kingdom for ever unto him But now he will not you are gone Saul for this sin the 2. sin in Scripture on which God layes his casting off upon is this God sent him against the Amalekites and bad him destroy all but he spar'd the fat of the flock and the King Now the sparing of the fat of the flock was done out of a good intention he professes it was that the People might have of the fattest to offer in Sacrifice to God a good intention and yet for this God tells him that he would rend the Kingdom from him for that thing 1 Sam. 15.28 True it is that though
not a slight notion like water running through a Pipe that leaves nothing behind it for so the thoughts of most People are but it is such a thing as brings Christ into the soul and the soul into Christ and so feeds and lives upon him this is relying upon Christ for pardon so as to have the concomitants and comforts of pardon continually going along with it Now you have heard these things go away and beseech God to settle things aright in your souls say to your hearts Lord I see that setling of the heart aright upon Christ for justification and pardon of sin is another manner of business then I was aware of and I am perswaded that if I had died before I should certainly have dyed under some of these mistakes Lord settle my heart aright in this great business Do not go away with such thoughts as these the Minister speaks of such mistakes but I hope it is far otherwise do not venture to put off what we say with such slight thoughts when we speak unto you we speak in the Name of God and it is a horrible taking of the Name of God in vain if we examine not what we say unto you by the Word And therefore know you are charged this day in the Name of God to look to it and examine your hearts what grounds you go upon for the pardon of your sin that you may not mistake in which we shall give you some further help in laying down some positive grounds that you may rest upon for the pardon of your sin CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin BUt if it be asked Who are they that have their sins pardoned surely they are not many this Text puts it in the singular number Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned and by that which hath been delivered about the mistakes it appears there are not very many but yet some there are and this is the work of this day in the Name of the Lord to declare to some poor souls this day their sins are pardoned this is the message from the Lord I am to speak to them I hope divers in this place as from Christ Son and Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned And blessed is that man and woman that this day shall hear that joyful sound in their hearts and that shall have the Spirit of God witness unto their spirit that as I have heard so I have felt this day that what signs of forgiveness of sin have been delivered I have felt them in my own soul Well then What are they to insist upon them The First is that the Apostle gives in Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Justification consists especially in the remission and pardon of sin Now the Holy Ghost says whom he hath called them he hath justified would you know that you are justified and that your sins are pardoned the Spirit of God shews you it is not a note of mine but it is that which comes from the Holy Ghost whom he hath called them he hath justified Vocation is a certain Evidence of Justification this Vocation or Calling is the second link that does unite those two links of that golden chain together mentioned in that place the first link is the foreknowledge of God Gods Predestination and then there is Vocation the next after that Justification and then Glorification the first chain in the link is that God from all Eternity predestinates some persons to have their sins pardoned but there is Vocation comes in between Predestination and Justification and after that Glorification so that while I am giving Evidences of Justification here in this Text I shall give Evidences of Predestination and Glorification too for these are linkt altogether Many People look only after Justification they hope their sins are pardoned but they look not to any other link of the chain as Calling and Vocation whom he hath called them he hath justified but the question then is What is this Calling What do you mean by that how shall we know whether we be called or no in 2 Pet. 1.10 he bids them there to give diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Mark as here Predestination and Calling are put together so their Calling and Election says he Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Election is first sure in respect of God but Vocation is first in regard of our selves make that sure and then you make Election sure Justification sure and Glorification sure too then what is Vocation for answer to the Question Know there is an outward call and an inward call when God sends the Ministers of the Word to reveal the Gospel and the way of Salvation that is no other but Gods calling mens souls from the ways of sin and death to come into the ways of life all that come to hear the sound of the Gospel preacht unto them let them know that is Gods call to sinners to come in and repent God calls to the Drunkard the Unclean person and all others that live in sin to repent when you come to hear the Word God calls you and God requires of you as you would have God to hear your cry when you are calling for mercy in the day of your distress hear my call now I call and cry in the Ministry of the Word Would you have me to hear you when you cry to me do you hear me now I am calling to you O that People would understand the Ministry of the Word that it is the call of God for sinners to return and repent of their sins that they would look beyond man and know that it is the voyce of God by them and therefore it is a dangerous thing for People to neglect resist or rebel against the Ministry of the Word and there is some good hopes that God hath some souls in such a place that he intends everlasting good will unto where he sends the Ministry of the Word God do's not use to send the call of the Gospel to a place but there are some souls to be called And therefore Secondly Besides the Outward Call there is an Inward Call and that is it the Apostle speaks of Many have the Outward Call of the Word to Faith and Repentance and yet they perish eternally But those whom God intends to save and hath love to indeed he comes to them with an Inward Call and this Inward Call of God is on this wise God beholds the poor wretched sinner going on in the ways of sin death and perdition and he comes to him by a secret and powerful voyce speaking to his very heart O Sinner consider where thou art What art thou a doing Whither art thou a going What is the end of thy way like to be thou art going from God from happiness and life to woful misery and blackness of darkness to the infinite
to that glorious Name of God that appears in that mercy bestowed on me so if I seek after God for a blessing then I reverence Gods Name when there is such a disposition in my heart that is somewhat suitable to the glorious Name of God that appears in that blessing so in endeavouring to sanctifie Gods Name in seeking after pardon of sin thou dost it then when there is such a frame in thy heart as may hold forth to Men and Angels that this work of thine hath some kind of suitableness to the glorious Name of God that appears in it this is to sanctifie the Name of God and this is a great work this is the great thing for which thou wast made and this is the great thing for which the counsels of God yea the deep counsels of God were set a work from all eternity Now the dispositions of our spirits must be such as may manifest the great end the wisdom and counsels of God had in it and therefore it must be a great work that must manifest that for certainly those whom God pardons he makes them understand what pardon means Now thâ—n if thy seeking be such as that thou knowest what it is thou seekest after then it must hold forth also that thou dost understand the Name of God is exceeding glorious in it and then as thou doest apprehend this so accordingly thy heart will work after it and therefore when you are alone and you find your hearts working this way say What do I do Do I so call upon him and seek after him as that this work of mine declares to God and my own Conscience I seek for it so as that I may manifest the glorious Name of the great God is in it certainly if I do not do it thus I take Gods Name in vain Sixthly Further you must seek after it as if you were now to answer for all your sins before the Lord as you would wish you had done it then so do it now I put it to every one of you Have you not been on your sick-beds and in your apprehension neer unto death hath not God wakened your Consciences and you have been afraid upon the account of your sins what kind of temper your souls have been in then know it concerns you every day in the whole course of your lives to have the same apprehensions as you had at that time do now as then you would have done certainly thou dost not understand what pardon of sin means if thou dost not seek it thus Seaventhly Do it as thou thinkest in thy Conscience the damned souls in Hell would do if God should give them a possibility What would they do if God should proclaim unto them a possibility of pardon what would they do divers things you may conceive they would do and here it comes up fully to my hand to put you upon it â—o say O! what shall I do Were we to preach to them in Hell do you think that there is any one of them but would mightily cry to the God of Heaven 't is not like that any one of such an Auditory but would mightily cry to God if the great counsels of God concerning pardon of sin were preacht to them and will not every one of you now mightily cry to God for it certainly if they would do it in Hell Why should not you do it now that which you think they would do not with a few slight vain expressions do you do now with all your might Eightly Do this so seek after it as to desire if it were possible that you might bring as much glory unto God as he would have had of you if he should have damn'd you for ever this is an excellent frame of spirit though you do not know it but though you do not yet you should put your selves upon such a kind of work and God may come in you cry out for pardon but never cry out for Gods honour O what shall become of the honour of God that he hath lost by me and the dishonour I have brought to him say O Lord I have dishonoured thy Name O that I might so honour thy Name as I have dishonoured it O Lord thou mightest make up thy honour in my eternal damnation but O Lord I would if I could do any thing that might make up that dishonour that I have brought by my sin if I could do any thing that thou mightest have any honour in I would do it for a close I shall put this for a consideration to you whatsoever you would do upon any supposition suppose your danger were as great as ever it was in all your lives what you would do then do it now you must do all that can be done by a creature Now if you would do more on such a supposition as this after all those Sermons you have heard of the evil of sin and now of the great blessedness of the pardon of sin if you do not do what a creature is able to do How can you look for pardon of sin in the face of God and therefore what you would do on any such supposition do now though thou shouldest not get pardon suppose such a thing as if thou wer 't now ready to be damn'd yet is it not better to do it than not to do it Having spoken of these general things I come now more garticularly to the other part of the Question What is to be done First This is to be done be sure thou takest off thy heart from all other imaginary blessedness certainly there is no man in the world but hath somewhat else his heart was running out after now thou must get off thy heart from that thing whatever it be it may be thy heart was set upon friends or upon pleasures of the flesh and thou thoughtest thy self happy the more thou had'st liberty for thy lust and the like now thou must be convinc't that thou hast fed upon ashes and hast not been able to say there is a lie in my right hand but God hath now shewed me there is a lie and I have look't for happiness else where but now I see it is not there to be found win thy soul fully to this O my soul art thou taken off from all other things hath God convinc't thee that thou may'st have honours riches pleasures and yet be a Reprobate wo unto me for the time that I have lost I have laid out my time and mony for another blessedness that is no where to be found but in the grace of God Secondly Let Conscience have free liberty to shew thee thy sins and charge them upon thee yea to accuse and condemn thee and do thou help thy Conscience when Conscience accuses and condemns then do thou condemn thy self if thou would'st be pardoned then give Conscience scope and liberty 't is very dangerous when God begins to stir the hearts of men and women to make any stop or give any