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 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
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
shall be said to those things you have heard in the former Doctrine CHAP. XIV Of the Dishonour that is done by Men to the Pardoning Grace of God by slighting of it FIrst this we have to say to those things Surely if the Pardon of Sin be so great a mercy as you have heard and that there is such a wonderful work of God in it then it must needs be a horrible and vile thing to sin against this grace that the heart of God is so much in to dishonour this great work of God must needs be a very vile and horrible thing And this hath been my intention my very plot as to set forth the greatness of the grace of God in the mercy of forgiveness so also to keep you from sinning against this grace If he be blessed upon whom such a great and glorious work of God is wrought in forgiveness of sin then it must needs be a most horrible and dreadful thing for any man or woman to sin against this grace of God and horrible to dishonour such a great work of God as this is But who are they that dishonour this great work of God or how many wayes may we be guilty in sinning against this great mercy of God in forgiveness of sin I shall shew first who they be that cast dishonour on this great work of God and Secondly Shew the greatness of the sin what a dangerous thing it is to sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin First They sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin that are altogether careless who little or nothing mind it or scarce spend any time about it there are a generation of men and women in the world that have sin and guilt enough upon their spirits yet they scarce ever call to mind or question what are the terms between God and their own Souls how things stand between God and them what God hath to charge them withal whether God hath any thing against them yea or no How few of you now this morning that are come into the presence of God have had your thoughts working thus O my soul how is it with thee How does matters stand betwixt God and thee What guilt is it thou hast upon thy Spirit What hath Divine Justice to charge thee withal Conscience speak freely and fully What is there in Heaven against me Is there any thing upon Record that I am charg'd withal How is it between God and me O what strangers are most men unto such thoughts as these but go on in a sleepy secure and dead hearted way either they believe there is no guilt at all upon their spirits or no great evil in that guilt or else think 't is no great matter for God to pardon you are very solicitous for the flesh what you shall eat and drink and what you shall put on and for your Estates how to get and increase in the world But to make up the Records between God and your Souls to get them discharg'd and the Records of Heaven cancell'd that are against you O how seldom do these things take up your thoughts know you that are of such careless spirits about this great matter of pardon of sin that it is a great aggravation of your sin that you are so careless about that great work of God in pardoning sin you are careless and spend but a few thoughts about that that hath as I may so speak with holy reverence taken up the heart of the infinite God from all eternity certainly there is not any in the world not any of the works of God towards his creatures hath taken up the thoughts and heart of God so much as this one work of the pardon of sin yet your thoughts are not taken up with it you little mind it certainly there is a great disproportion between your thoughts and Gods whereas those that are godly should labour to work as God works and those things that hath taken up the heart of God should take up their hearts whereas those things that are even unworthy of an immortal Soul take up your thoughts and those objects that take up the thoughts heart of God about pardoning sin your own Consciences can tell you is very little in your thoughts and hearts Certainly my Brethren were the thoughts of men and women taken up about this serious and great business of getting pardon of their sin it would prevent and cure them of thousands of other vain slight foolish and wicked thoughts there are I suppose many of you begin to be sensible of sin and of the base wandring filthy unclean and wicked thoughts of your hearts and you say O that we could but help our selves against these wandring vile and wicked thoughts surely this would be a great help if you would get your thoughts possest with serious subjects it would have a great deal of waight in it to help you against those light and vain things your thoughts work about Now of all subjects in the world this is the most serious about the grace of God How his infinite wisdom hath wrought to reconcile himself to your souls in the bringing about the pardon of sin and making peace between himself and the Children of men Now if you would take up your thoughts about the great business of getting pardon of your sins it would take off your thoughts from other things Suppose a man have a vain slight wandering foolish heart yet if he were condemned to die some dreadful tormenting death his thoughts would quickly be taken off from other things and taken up about using means if there were any possibility to deliver himself from death Jerom in one of his Epistles hath this Relation of one that was troubled with vile thoughts and he that he complained unto had this device I name it not to approve it but he had this device he brought the man to have a charge of a crime laid against him and caused him to be brought before a Judge and put into Prison and afterwards he came to him and askt him How is it now with you Does your vain thoughts still abide with you as they were wont to do he gave him this answer says he I cannot live and what shall I now think of Uncleanness and Fornication I am in danger of my life and I have now no time to think of such things and that help't and cured his thoughts from this we may see that if a soul was possest of the evil of sin and the danger of condemnation the necessity and great consequence of a pardon what a mighty means would it be to take off your thoughts from other things and turn them upon this and certainly who ever you are whose thoughts are not mightily taken up about this great subject of the pardon of your sins you take the name of God in vain and do not sanctifie him in this great work of his and know this you that spend
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
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
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
in thee I say unto thee in the Name of Christ be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned God will shew good unto thee when this world is ended thou art one that Jesus Christ hath brought into his Kingdom and set up his Throne in thy heart and therefore thou may'st be assured that he will take thee at last into his everlasting Kingdom Fourthly Where God forgives he gives much giving follows forgiving God never forgives any but he gives much to that soul whom he forgives As in that case when the Apostles preacht the Doctrine of forgiveness and pardon of sin the Holy Ghost fell upon them so certainly where the Preaching of pardon of sin hath power through the Ministry of the Gospel over a soul God gives much to that soul and there are three things especially that God gives presently unto the soul whom he pardons which have all been mentioned before in opening the blessedness of pardon of sin and therefore I will but mention them now to strengthen this note of tryal 1. Hath God forgiven thee then he hath given his Spirit to inlighten thee in the great mysteries of Salvation thou pleadest thou art ignorant and art not Book-learned if God have so great a favour for thee as to pardon thy sin he will give thee understanding in the mysteries of the Gospel Jer. 31.34 where God pardons sin they shall have this mercy to be taught of him 2. God will give this unto thee he will write his Law in thy heart that is he will work in thy heart a sutable frame and disposition to his Law that thy heart and the Law of God shall be like two copies that have the same things in them and vary not one title from one another there shall be a sutableness between thy heart and the Law of God not only to do that which God requires because I must do it but because I find it sutable to the new nature bestowed on me he will write his Law in the heart and therefore I pronounce before the Lord this day again that whosoever has his sin pardoned and his iniquities forgiven that God hath writ his Law in the heart of that man or woman by the finger of his own Spirit that heart of thine that was as a heart of stone God will write his own Law thereon as he did on the Tables that Moses broke though always thou hast not a real sight of it yet such a thing is there and is a comfortable assurance of the pardon of thy sin 3. God gives healing mercies to cleanse thee from thy sin Jer. 33.8 I will cleanse them from their iniquities and pardon all their sins cleansing from sin and pardon of sin they ever go together if God pardon thy sin he cleanses thee from sin do not look therefore only after pardoning mercy but likewise after cleansing mercy those whom God hath joyned together let no man put asunder pardoning and cleansing God hath put together God may bestow other mercies as health strength and success in outward things without pardon but never cleansing from sin without pardon of it and therefore if thou findest thy heart cleansed Peace be to thy soul thy sins are forgiven Fifthly Besides these those whom God pardons he puts a glory upon them there is a glory put upon all pardoned sinners they are indeed glorious creatures in the eyes of God and Angels yea and there is a glory put upon them that the Saints of God are able to see perhaps that glory is not seen by the purblind eye of the world that are in darkness but those that have their eyes in their heads may see a glory put upon every soul that is pardoned and for that that Text is clear Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified 't is not spoken only of that glory the Saints shall have in the highest Heavens when they shall be in glory with Christ but of that glory God puts upon the soul in this world 't is not said them he will glorifie but them he hath also glorified there is no justified soul but is a glorified soul this is a certain truth in Divinity That at that instant any soul is justified at that instant he is glorified in Jer. 33.9 there is an expression somewhat like unto that and it follows upon pardon of sin And it shall be to me a Name of joy a praise and an honour before all the Nations upon Earth c. that is I will put glory upon them and so they shall be to me a name of joy a praise and an honour before all the Nations in the world you will say How is that What is the glory of a justified soul certainly the soul that is justified is glorious God puts a glory on it by those glorious graces of his Holy Spirit that he endows the soul withal there is no justified soul but hath the glorious graces of the Holy Spirit put presently upon it and so 't is beautiful and glorious yea the only glorious object that the Lord Jesus Christ delights in in all the world take the poorest soul in the world God putting his Image upon it there is a greater glory and lustre on that soul than is on all the Heavens and the Earth besides take all other creatures in their greatest glory and God sees not so much glory on them as on any one soul whom he hath justified for so it is Holiness and the graces of Gods Spirit are called the glory of God himself Rom. 3.23 24. For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God What is it to be deprived of the glory of God but the loss of that Image of God that man was made in but when a man is justified that glory of God is put upon him a fresh upon his heart his understanding his will and affections and that makes the Lord to delight to dwell with thee converse and have Communion with thee because of that glory that he hath put upon thee so there is a glory also in the life and conversation for on every soul that God justifies there comes presently a new lustre upon their life and conversation All those that have lived in horrible wickedness and base courses now when they are changed and they manifest the graces of the Spirit of God shining in their conversation through the whole course of their lives in meekness patience humility heavenly-mindedness and the like there is a lustre on their conversations to those that are able to judge of it they see it and the world many times is dazled with it they see a glory on them and are convinc't that certainly there is a work of God upon these men and in their good moods they are wishing to die their deaths and that their ends might be like theirs the poorest servant or child in a family that was