and gripes he had within because of sin and no wonder he did not confess it and bewail it before God If therefore God keeps thy heart in many doubts and fears giving thee no rest consider whether thou hast cast all that leaven out of thy house whether every Achan within thee be stoned or no. It is in vain to cure the wound as long as any splint of the poisoned arrow lieth within it or if thou finde no sin unrepented of search whether thy formal lazy duties be not the cause of all the blackness that is in thy heart We reade in the Canticles that the Churches laziness and her not opening the doors to Christ when he knockt was the cause of that spiritual desertion she was plunged into seeking up and down for her Beloved but not finding of him The standing pool begets the croaking Frogs not the running stream and it is the dull negligent Christian whose heart is filled with sad fears and doubts whereas the hidden Manna and white stone is promised to him that overcometh 3. Though thy soul walk thus in darkness yet exercise acts of dependency and recumbency upon Christ howsoever As David many times cals upon his soul to trust in God and not to be sinfully dejected How is that woman of Canaan commended for her faith who though our Saviour called her Dog and did in effect tell her she was excluded from pardon did yet earnestly pursue him and gave him no rest till he gave her rest And certainly this is the noblest act of Faith this is indeed to give glory to God when in the midst of all thy fears and guilt thou canst relie upon him for pardon as in wicked men who are filled with Satan as Ananiaâ— was there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a desperate boldness whereby they dare venture upon sin So in the godly there should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a confidence of Faith whereby maugre the devil and our consciences we dare throw our selves into the arms of a Promise Thus by frequent putting forth of strong fiducial applicative acts of Faith we shall at last enjoy obsignative Howsoever hereby thou wilt shew thy heavenly courage in enduring a kinde of spiritual Martyrdom As that Love is the highest Love which is carried out to enemies so those are the strongest acts of Faith which make us depend on God though he seem to kill us yea to damn us LECTURE XXIV MAT. 6.12 And forgive us our Debts ANother Question which is also of great use we are to dispatch at this time viz. Whether a Believer repenting and suing for pardon is to make any difference between a great sin and a lesse For if a man should be perswaded of the negative then would gross and notorious sins which Tertullian cals Devoratoria salutis whirlpools and gulfs wherein the party offended is plunged be no more then those sins which Austin cals Quotidiana levia daily infirmities which continually flow from the most sanctified person Again on the other side A Christian falling into such a gross sin may so far be swallowed up with sorrow as that he shall think the whole bond of friendship is dissolved between him and God that he is cast out of that spiritual Paradise he was in and that God is no more his Father nor he his childe It is therefore necessary to have a pillar of fire to guide us in this wilderness And that the whole truth of this matter may be understood observe these Propositions First Every sin even the least sin doth deserve eternal death As appeareth by those general places Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things the Law commands Gal. 3.10 Now every sin is a transgression of the Law This the Apostle speaks universally of all sin without any exception Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death And indeed this must needs be so if you consider the least sinne is an offence against an infinite God and in this respect because God is not a little but a great God so every sin is not little but a great sin Again if you consider the necessity of Christs bloud to expiate this no sinne can be thought little for if a man had no sin in the world but one of these little ones he could not escape eternall wrath without Christs mediation Therefore we cannot say any sin is venial either from its kinde and nature as Papists distinguish such they make to be officious or jesting lies or from the imperfection of the act such they make those that are committed indeliberately or out of ignorance without full consent or knowledge Or from the smalness of the matter as to steal a farthing or the like None of these sins are so small but that they deserve hell because they are the transgression of the Law of an holy and great God and our Saviour confirmeth this when he saith Of every idle word a man shall give an account Mat. 12.36 and that phrase of giving an account is not a diminutive but aggravative expression Our Saviour doth there argue from the less to the greater Thus If a man must give an account for every idle word much more for blasphemy against the holy Ghost Take we heed therefore how we bring down the weight and guilt of the sinne here also we may see why Paul found such a mountain upon him by sinful motions only arising in his heart There are two places that seem to import such a difference between sins as if some only deserved hell and others not The first is Mat. 5.22 where our Saviour speaking of three degrees of sin doth proportionably assign three degrees of punishment and the last only is guilty of hell fire But the clear Answer is That our Saviour speaks allusively to those three Courts of Judicature among the Jews the least punishment whereof was death so that the first Court punished with death the second death with a more grievous torment The third with a most grievous For that our Saviour doth only allude to these Courts and not speak of what faults the Courts punished is plain for none can think that the Court put any to death for calling his brother fool It was murder and such â—ins that they punished with capital punishments The other place is 1 Joh. 5.15 17. where the Apostle makes a difference between a sin unto death and a sin not unto death but that is clearly to be understood either of the sin against the holy Ghost which in those times when the spirit of discerning was frequent might easily be known or of such sin that did plainly discover obstinacy and impenitency accompanying of it otherwise no man might pray for another man that hath committed a mortal sin if by a sin unto death the Papist will mean every mortal sin Lay therefore this foundation That every sin is mortal in respect of its desert and guilt howsoever to the godly believing and repenting no sin is mortal
many other places do abundantly prove that there is not forgivenes but where there is repentance Therefore look upon all those doctrines as false and dangerous which make justification to be before it Not that we do with Papists make any merit or causality in repentance or that we limit it to such a measure and quantity of repentance nor as if we made it the condition of the Covenant of Grace but only the way without which not the cause for which remission of sins is not obtained neither can there be any instance given of men forgiven without this repentance and the same likewise is affirmed of faith though faith is in another notion then repentance this being the instrument to apply and receive it But of this hereafter 9. This remission of sin is not limited to persons times or the quantity and quality of sins Indeed the sin against the holy Ghost cannot be forgiven we will not explain that cannot by difficulty as if indeed it might be forgiven but very hardly The ordinary answer is that therefore it cannot be forgiven because the person so sinning will not confesse humble himself and seek pardon God is described by pardoning iniquity transgressions and sins Christ is said to take away the sin of the world David and Peters sins were voluntary yet God forgave them LECTURE IV. ROM 3.24 25. Being Iustified freely by his grace c. THe Doctrine about remission of sin being thus particularly declared we come to that great Question How afflictions come upon the godly after the pardon of their sins For the Antinomian goeth into one extremity and the Papist into another so true is that of Tertullian Christ is alwayes crucified between two thieves that is Truth suffers between two extream errors Therefore in prosecuting this point which is of great practical concernment I will lay down First What the Antinomian saith Secondly What the Papist And lastly What the Orthodox The Antinomian in his book called the Honey-Comb of Justification explaineth himself in these particulars by which you may judge that his Honey is Gall. Having made this Objection to himself That the children of God are corrected by God therefore he seeth sin in them maketh a large Answer Distinguishing first of afflictions calling some Legal and some Evangelical and then he distinguisheth of Persons making some unconverted others converted the unconverted again he makes to be either such as are reprobate or else elected now saith he the legal crosses have a two-fold operation either vindicative or corrective Vindicative are such afflictions as God executeth upon the wicked and reprobates in which sense God is called the God of vengeance Corrective are such lashes of the Law as are executed upon those persons that are the children of God by election but not yet converted and so under the Law therefore these afflictions are not in wrath to confound them but in mercy to prepare them to their conversion for God seeing sins in them layeth crosses upon them Now these elect persons he cals unconverted actively and declaratively in a very ambiguous and suspicious manner as if conversion were from all eternity as well as Justification so that as they say a man in time is justified only declaratively being indeed so from all eternity thus he must be said to be converted and if this be true then it will likewise follow that a man in heaven is glorified likewise onely declaratively but actually and indeed glorified from all eternity even while he is in this miserable house of clay In the next place he comes to Evangelical crosses which fall upon them that are actively and declaratively as he cals it converted and these he denieth expresly to be for their sins for this were saith he to deny Christs satisfactory punishment because by his death we have not one spot of sin in us therefore he makes them to be only the tryal of their faith and to exercise their faith so that by his divinity when a godly man is afflicted the flesh would indeed perswade a man hath sin in him but this is to try whether thou canst beleeve thou art cleansed from sin for all these afflictions Therefore if any man yield to this temptation viz. that he hath sin in him when he is afflicted what is this saith he but to deny Christ and his bloud Think you this to be the voice of the Scriptures Hence he laboureth to shew that twelve absurdities would follow from this doctrine of Gods afflicting his children for their sins the strength of which shall be in his place considered I have now only laid down his judgement and he makes the Doctrine of the Protestants opposing this to be Popish and confounding the Law and the Gospel together Hence intending the Protestant Authors and Ministers he saith They paint God like an angry father ever seeing sin in us and ever standing with a rod and staff in his hand lifted up over our heads with which by reason he seeth sins in us he is ever ready though not to strike us down yet to crack our crowns and sorely to whip us whereas the Gospel describeth him to be not only a loving Father but also our well-pleased Father at perfect peace with us so that the upshot of his position is to shew that they are taskmasters and do degenerate to the legall teaching in the Old Testament whosoever preach that God doth correct Believers for their sins and I have saith he somewhat the more largely hunted this Fox because it is so nourished not only by the Papists but also some of us Protestants who by lisping the language of Ashdod do undermine the very roots of the Lords vine And that you may see it is not one mans judgement amongst them see what their great General saith in a Sermon pag. 162. Know this that at that instant when God brings afflictions upon thee he doth not remember any sin of thine they are not in his thoughts towards thee Again whatsoever things befall the children of God are not punishments for sins they are not remembrances of sin and if men or Angels shall endeavor to contradict this let them be accounted as they deserve Thus the Antinomian The Papist goeth into another extremity for thus they hold Bellar de poen lib. 4. cap. 1 2. That when God hath forgiven a sin yet it is according to his Justice that the sinner should suffer or do something to satisfie this justice not in respect of the sin as it is against God for although some say so yet others reject it but in respect of some temporal punishment either in this life or in the life to come which is the ground of Purgatory And that this may be made good they say When God doth forgive a sin he doth not presently remit the temporal punishment therefore men may by some satisfactory penalties voluntarily taken upon themselves rescue themselves from these temporal punishments Now this is a
also Dan. 9.25 Zech. 13.9 Whereby you will presently judge of the mans bold ignorance But as for the place it self certainly the words are very emphaticall Count it implying a man in his choicest deliberation ought to do so all joy an Hebraism full perfect joy when ye fall the word is so fall that ye are compassed round about And lastly divers temptations By temptations Austin seemeth to have understood inticements or provocations to sin and whether such temptations may be desired or to give ground of a just joy is disputed by the Schoolmen but that is impertinent we see the Apostle speaketh of afflictions as appeareth by the word following and not all kinde of afflictions but such as are for Christs name certainly the Apostle writing to the Corinthians and speaking of the chastisements of God upon them for their sins he doth not bid them count that all joy but rather exhorts them to judge themselves that they be not condemned with the world He doth not then speak of all kinde of afflictions but some only and his meaning is not that under even those afflictions they should have no grief for he saith no affliction is for the present joyous but grievous but he giveth one respect why they should rejoyce because of the good work of their faith manifested thereby though in other considerations they may be humbled And I see not but even in those persecutions which befall the godly for the Gospels sake they may not some of them at least and sometimes be humiliations for the Godlies former sinnes as well as explorations of their Graces and more eminent glorifying of them here and hereafter I deny not but even in afflictions for their sins the people of God may take comfort to their souls from severall considerations but I think not that the Apostle doth refer to them in this place Let us now consider what dangerous Absurdities would flow from this doctrine of ours and first saith he this is to confound Law and Gospel together The Law should be preached only to secure sinners the Gospel to broken sinners only whereas if you tell the godly when they are afflicted that it is from their sinnes you preach Law to them But first Then the Apostle mingled Law and Gospel when he commands the Corinthians to judge themselves under Gods hand upon them and how legall was Peter when he said judgement must begin at the House of God 2. The Gospel and the Law are to be mingled in all spirituall administrations but for different ends As they must not in preaching be confounded so neither divided 3. The people of God have still sin pride and hardnesse of heart remaining in them and shall a Minister preach the Gospel to his pride shall we comfort them because their hearts are sometimes dull and froward Lastly Though we say they are afflicted for their sins yet this is not to make the crosses Legal but Evangelical for we do not say they are so for their sins as that thereby they must satisfie the justice of God in their own persons but for other considerations A second Absurdity will be say they hereby to make the Gospel unsufficient to abolish the old man unlesse it borrow help from the Law But first Observe his contradiction The Gospel doth abolish sin in the beleever how can that be when he holdeth there is no sin to be abolished certainly that which is not needs not to be abolished for it is not already Secondly If the Gospel be so powerfull to abolish sin why will he have the Law preached to obstinate sinners certainly by his rule the Gospel would sooner melt the tuffest and most Ironny sinner that is Thirdly That which he would have such an absurdity is an eminent truth the Law and the Gospel are mutually subservient to each other and are to be preached as conjoyned though not confounded one with another Another Absurdity for I cannot take them in order seeing he doth absurdly make one thing several arguments and so doth but tautologize This would be to deny Christs perfect righteousnesse and that we are not made without all spots or blemishes But first It doth not derogate from Christ that we are not freed from sin while here in this life for he himself holdeth the believers in the Old Testament had sin in them and God scourged them for it yet Christ bore their sins and took away their iniquities Secondly If this place prove any thing it would the Popish Tenet That we are inherently without sin and the Antinomian denieth that for he saith we are made perfectly holy not actively but passively whereas those places speak of an active holiness Thirdly If so be the sin remaining in us did not only bring temporal evils but eternal did not bring only a disease but hell also then this would evacuate the fulnesse of Christs death but now it doth not A fourth Absurdity he would fetch from an Argument of Bish Babingtons Ejus quod non est non est poena but sin when it is forgiven is not therefore to forgiven sin there is no temporal punishment I answer first If by that which is not should be meant that which hath a physical and natural existence then the Argument would prove that no sin whether forgiven or not forgiven could damn a man because no sin according to the received opinion hath any positive natural being therefore it must be understood of a moral being that is a desert of punishment Now when sin is said to be forgiven the reason is not at if remission of sin made sin no sin drunkennesse no drunkennesse or as if that sin did not deserve punishment for that is inseparable from the nature of it but forgivenesse of sins takes away the actual ordination of them to condemnation So then a sin though forgiven hath some kinde of being though not that of actual ordination to everlasting death when therefore sins are said to be thrown into the bottom of the sea and they shall be no more that is to be understood quoad hoc in respect of actual condemnation So Davids sin was forgiven viz. as to damn David yet though forgiven it was still viz. to afflict David and to make God angry with him A fifth Absurdity If you say the people of God are afflicted for sin this would trouble the consciences of Gods children exceedingly and make them fearfully to expect horrible temporal plagues every hour because the least sin is so infinitely distastfull to God But first It seemeth then a godly man though fallen into murder adulteries c. his conscience must not be troubled Peter if he denieth Christ must not weep bitterly Secondly we give many cordials and antidotes against despair while we say they are afflictions even for sin for we add further That they are all bounded within a due measure God considers our strength and
expresly mention a place yet he takes this out of the Doctrine of the old Testament for so God did begin first with his people Isa 10.12 Jer. 25.17 18. Ezek. 9.6 begin at my Sanctuary Ezek. 21.4 There God in publique calamities maketh no difference between the righteous and the ungodly now this is so great that the Apostle saith the righteous is hardly saved The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used of those things that with much labour are brought about Act. 14.18 Act. 27.7 These tribulations are so great that they almost destroy the godly themselves see also Jam. 5.13 Is any sick where the godly man is supposed to be sick and the cause if he hath committed sin that is such sins as were the causes of that disease they shall be forgiven him so that even justified persons afflicted by diseases are to inquire what sins the Lord would humble them for and to labour that the sicknesse of the body be the sanctified occasion of the health of the soul 2. Gods anger is seen in bringing extraordinary and unusual calamities upon them because of their sins so that they have strange punishments which even the wicked do many times escape Jonah who endeavoured to flie from Gods face and that he might easily have done by Antinomian Doctrine with what a prodigious judgement was he overtaken Jonah 2. The Prophet cals it the belly of hell and how deeply his soul was afflicted under that punishment appeareth in that he saith his soul fainted within him and he concluded he was cast out of Gods sight He that voluntarily ran from Gods presence doth now bewail that he is cast from it He makes the Whales belly an house of praier and this came up to God in his holy Temple that is Heaven You see by this that God prepareth strange judgements sometimes for those that offend him though his children so in that 1 Cor. 11.30 when he saith that many of the Corinthians were dead for their unworthy receiving it is to be understood of an immature and untimely death they did not live out to the term of those daies that according to natural causes they might have done so that it is the same with being cut off in the old Testament Exod. 12.15 Whosoever did eat the Passeover with leaven was to be cut off from Israel Therefore even godly men may procure to themselves untimely deaths and may provoke God to cut them off in the midst of their years 3. Yea further God may not only afflict them in an extraordinary manner but even strike them with sudden death and that while their sins are upon them I will not instance in Ananias and Saphira nor in Nadab and Abihu though some have thought charitably of them we have a clear instance in Vzzah wherein Gods anger was so apparent by striking him suddenly dead that the thing is said to displease David 2 Sam. 6.7 The anger of God was kindled against Vzzah and he smote him for his error His error was not because he was not a Levite for its plain he was but because they put the Ark upon a new cart whereas they should have carried it upon their shoulders although its thought the carrying of the Ark was limited only to the Levites that were the sons of Kohath and that no other Levite might touch the Ark which if so then it was a second offence against the Law because he touched it and indeed this seemeth to be the proper cause because it was a personal fault of Vzzah whereas the putting of it on a new cart was the error of others besides him Thus Vzzah in his very sins is stricken dead you have likewise another sad example of Ely Lege historiam ne fias historia 1 Sam 4.18 Because he failed in the measure of zeal about the reproof of his sons therefore he fell backward and broke his neck Ely manifested his pious affections in submitting to the hand of God punishing and in being more affected with the publique calamity then his own private yet this is his sad Tragical end 4. Gods anger doth not limit it self to them only but it reacheth even to their children and to those that are dear to them Thus Davids childe is stricken dead for his sin and thus Flies daughter gives up the ghost with sad grief The family both of David and Ely have remarkable calamities following them and all because of their sins When any of Elies posterity shall be forced to crouch for a morsell of bread this is a Memento of Elies sin Here a man may see the seed of the righteous begging bread but for their Parents sins Therefore that of David Psal 36. must not be understood universally That this calamity may the more wound his heart God telleth him what he will do to his house after his death if any were left alive it should be like that indulgence to Cain to carry up and down a token of Gods displeasure and if you ask for how long should this anger of God endure 1 Sam. 3.14 His iniquity must not be purged away from that house for ever Well may the Scripture say that whosoever heareth this judgement of God his ears shall tingle By this instance how watchfull should godly parents be lest for their sins committed a curse should cleave to the family for many generations I acknowledge these calamities as they fel upon Ely a godly man so they were wholsome medicines and fatherly corrections but as they came on his wicked children or posterity continuing in wickednesse so they were strictly and properly punishments Lastly These temporal evils will reach even to the publique Church and State wherein they live so that the sins of godly men may help to pull down publique judgements Thus it was with Hezekiah for his unthankfulnes and pride there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chron. 32.25 so Davids sin in numbring the people it was the death of many thousand in Israel for Elies sin the Israelites are slain in the Army and the Ark is taken Hence you have Esay Daniel and Ezra joining themselves in the number with others who made publike confessions of their sins upon daies of humiliation It is therefore a cursed and secure opinion that faith the godly when they keep Fast-daies do it not because they have any sins that God punisheth bâ—t because of wicked men The Scripture doth manifeâ—t the contrary and the holiest men living do bring some sparks and fire-brands to increase the wrath of God and therefore they ought to bring their buckets for the quenching of it The aggravation of this anger will appear if you consider what kinde of sins they have been for which God hath been so sore displeased and in them enumerated or instanced in you may perceive they were the Belzebub-sins the first-born of iniquities Vzzah failed only in the order God had appointed what he did was out of care and a good intention yet the Lord
yet his love and wisdom put him upon that remedy which neither men or Angels could have excogitated so that God doth not let sin go unpunished only he provideth a Ram to be sacrificed for Isaac a Mediator to come between his wrath and us It is true reason as we see doth much gainsay this mystery but we may say mulier ista taceat let this woman hold her peace in the Church of God Though therefore God cannot but execute justice upon sinners yet his justice did admit of a temperament whereby God doth proceed to see the sins of his people to hate them but yet to punish them upon Christ 7. Prop. There is a great deal of difference between Iustice as it is an essential property in God ad intra and between the effects of it ad extra These latter come much under the liberty and freedom of God which appeareth in the variety of his judgements upon wicked men some being consumed one way and some another so that it is meerly at his pleasure whether he will stir up more or lesse wrath Ps 2. there is a little anger of his spoken of but you may read a remarkable expression Ps 78.38 He turned away his wrath from thâ—m and stirred not up all his wrath Here you see the anger of God subject to his free-will If the effects of Gods justice should flow from him as burning from fire or drowning from water the whole world were not able to endure before him who is a consuming fire How could it come about that the wicked do so overflow with prosperity in this world if so be that God did necessarily punish and destroy which are effects of his Iustice So that there is a great difference between Iustice taken for an attribute and Iustice for the effects God cannot but be alwayes just the former whereas there is a liberty in the latter As in man the power of laughing is an essential property in him yet the act of laughter ariseth in some measure by the freenes of his will Hence it is that Gods essential Iustice doth not receive more or lesse but the effects of his Iustice may be more or lesse If many men be in the same sin and God doth punish some of them with a remarkable temporal judgement we may not say God dealeth more justly with these then the other yet we may say the effects of his Iustice are greater upon some then others 8. Propos Christ satisfied God as a just Iudge not as a Father provoked and by this means though punishments are taken away yet afflictions for sin are not and this doth directly answer the whole Question whereas it is demanded seeing Christ fully reconciled God to us and thereby all punishments are taken away why not as well all afflictions If he hath removed greater will he think much at the lesse The answer lieth fully in this Christ by his bloud and satisfaction undertook that the justice of God should never fall upon us to punish us not that he should never be angry with us a Father to chastise us By this redemption it s Christs will that God should not as a just Iudge require compensation of us not that as a provoked Father he should not scourge us for our sins when committed The reason is clear because fatherly anger is an â—ffect of love but punishment the fruit of hatred And thus now you see why God will not see sin to condemnation because Christ hath made up that yet he will see it in believers to angry castigation because Christ did not interpose there it is therefore no derogation to Christs death no injury to his sufferings if notwithstanding them God doth afflict for sin even his own children 9. Propos By reason of this anger of God against sin even still abiding those afflictions which come upon believers are from a conveniency with the justice of God Although we cannot say rigidly That if God did not chastise believers for their sins he were unjust yet we may say his afflicting of them is beseeming his Iustice partly because he hath prescribed this law to himself 1 Sam. 7.14 Even as to wicked men upon their obstinate sinning to punish them so upon his own if they offend to chasten them and partly by afflicting of his people for their sin he demonstrates the hatred of it unto the world Although therefore God do not alwayes chastise every godly man but sometimes by their repentance these very chastisâ—ments are either prevented or removed yet when God doth thus break out in his anger against them this is becoming his just nature and the world thereby seeth how he is displeased with it One of the Articles which Arminius relateth as laid against him was that he should hold The temporal afflictions of believers were not chastisements but punishments properly so called To this he answereth pa. 103. Resp ad Artic. 31. That the calamities inflicted upon David for his sin in the matter of Vriah may be called punishments properly and that the Text seemeth to be better explained so and yet withall that there will be no favour to the Popish opinion for he grants That Christ satisfied both for eternal and temporal punishments but yet God when he takes off the spiritual punishment may for a while reserve the temporal as though Christ hath taken away the jus the power and right death hath over us yet he hath not quite destroyed actual death but all this is a meer itching to innovate needlesly in Religion for if Christ have satisfied for temporal death then though it be not removed presently yet it cannot abide as a punishment strictly LECTURE XIII MATTH 6.12 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors THis Text shall be the last because the noblest to prove that God seeth sin in those that are believers for if they be bound to pray that God would forgive them their debts therefore they are involved in debts and in deep humility they are to acknowledge this withall desiring the cancelling or blotting them out so that as the Church anciently used this place against those Pelagian Doctrines which dreamed of a perfection in this life and immunity from all sin no lesse doth it overthrow those novel Assertions of being without sin though not inherently yet as to Gods eye and account What Terâ—ullian said of the Lords-Prayer in general is most true of this Petition Quantum substringitur verbis tantum diffunditur sensibus it is as comprehensive in sense as straightned in words so in this Petition you have few leaves of words but much fruit of matter It s like Christs Mustard-seed which by a good Interpreters managing will grow into a tall tree The material things that belong to remission of sins I shall inclose as pertinent to my purpose In the words you have the Petition it self Forgive Secondly The Subject Vs Disciples and Believers He that thinketh himself without sin that very thought is
Blesse the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities This particular assurance inlarged his heart to praises But although this be part of the sense in this Petition yet this is not all we pray for as the Antinomian contends for we pray principally for the real exhibition of pardon and secondarily for the Declaration and manifestation of it in our consciences Their conceit is That God from all eternity hath pardoned our sins past present and to come and that when we believe or repent our sins are pardoned declaratively only to our conscience they being forgiven before This I shall handle in a Question by it self Only I shall lay down some few Arguments to prove that we do not only pray for assurance and manifestation of pardon but also for pardon it self The reasons are these First We might by the same rule interpret all the other Petitions in regard of Declaration only and not exhibition when we pray for sanctification and glorification in that Petition Thy Kingdom come it might be as well said that we were sanctified and glorified from all eternity and therefore when we are converted or saved in heaven this is but to our sense and feeling This Argument seemeth to be so strong against them that they have confest A man is already glorified while he is upon earth most absurdly confounding the Decrees of God from eternity to do things with the executions of them in time How ridiculous would it be to expound that Petition Give us our daily bread thus Not that God should give us daily bread but only make us to see and feel that he hath given it us A second reason is from the nature of forgivenesse of sin When sinne is pardoned it is said to be blotted out now that blotting out is not only from a mans conscience and feeling but more immediately out of Gods Book So that when God doth forgive he doth cancel those debts which are in his Book and not only the guilt that lieth upon our hearts therefore these are very separable the one from the other A man may feel no weight or burden of sin upon him and yet it stand in fiery Characters against him in Gods Book and on the contrary a sin may be blotted out there yet be very heavy and terrible in a mans feeling and apprehension so sin pardoned is said to be covered or hid not in respect of us as if it were taken from our sight but from Gods sight and he is said to cast our sins behinde his back not ours The third reason This Explication as the whole sense of the Petition would overthrow all other places of Scripture which make no pardon of sin to be but where the subject hath such qualifications as this in the Text of forgiving others it is not indeed put as a cause or merit but yet it is as a qualification of the subject therefore our Saviour repeateth this again Except ye forgive others neither will my heavenly Father forgive you So Act. 10.43 Whosoever believeth on him shall have remission of sins Rom. 3.15 He is a propitiation through faith in his bloud here faith is made an instrument to apply and bring that pardon to the soul which it had not before So 1 Joh. 1.9 If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins By these and the like Scriptures it is plain That remission of sin is given us only in the use of these graces not that hereby we merit at Gods hand or that God is tied to these wayes but it is here as in the Sacraments he hath tied himself to convey his graces in no other chanels or conduits then he hath appointed Lastly This would make no difference between sins repented of and not repented of for if they be all pardoned from eternity then sins that are humbled for and that are unhumbled for have the like consideration on Gods part and I may feel the pardon of the latter though not repented of as well as the former yea I may have the sense of the pardon of all the sins I shall commit for the future and so whereas I pray for daily bread not to-morrow bread I shall here beg for the sense of the pardon not only of my sins to day but tomorrow and the next year But I never read that God made such a Jubile as one Pope did who promised a plenary Indulgence not only for sins past but afore-hand also for all sins to come God doth not antidate his pardon before the sin be committed or repented of but of this more largely in time 6. We pray That as God doth forgive the sin so also he would release the punishments and take away all the wrath that doth belong to it It is a mockery which Papists make about pardon as if indeed God did pardon the sin but the punishment that abideth still and we must work out a release from that by our own selves It is true as we have proved God though he doth pardon sin yet he may grievously afflict but these are fatherly chastisements not judicial punishments but in this Prayer we desire also that as the sins are removed so also whatsoever troubles afflictions and chastisements do remain that they also may be taken away that as the gulf of hell is removed so every cloud also may be dispelled 7. In this Petition we pray That God would deliver us from those effects of sin which God hath immutably set upon it such as are sicknesses death and corruption For although God by vertue of the Covenant of Grace hath promised a perfect pardon of sin yet we cannot come to a full enjoyment of all those priviledges which remission of sin doth bring till we be freed from death and corruption So that as long as there is the death and grave still sin hath some power We therefore pray that whatsoever mortality and corruption sin hath brought in it may be taken away and we made fit for eternal life which is the consequent of pardon of sin for you must know that pardon is not a meer privative mercy freeing us from Gods wrath but there is also a positive investing of us with a title to everlasting life and glory only our corruptibility hinders us from the actual possession of that which we have a right unto we therefore pray That as God removed our sins so he would also remove all the sad effects and mischievous fruit which came in by it 8. We pray not only for pardon of sin but also for the good concomitants and effects of it which are Peace with God and Joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 5.1 Hence Luther speaketh of a twofold pardon one secret and hidden when he forgiveth sins but the people of God do not feel or regard it The other is open and experimental now both these condonations are necessary The first saith he is more bitter and troublesome but more
doctrine extreamly derogating from the full satisfaction of Christs death as the Orthodox shew against the Papists Therefore in the third place the truth is this That God when he forgiveth a sin or sins he doth likewise take off all temporal punishment properly so called viz. in order to any vindicative justice as if a further supply were to be made to Christs sufferings by what we indure yet we say withall that God indeed doth take notice of the sins of those that are justified and doth correct them for them so that when he chastiseth them it is in reference to their sins they are the occasion or the impulsive cause as we may say though improperly when we speak of God Although the final cause and the end why God doth so is not to satisfie his justice but for other ends It is doubted whether we may call them punishments or no but we need not litigate about the word I see Chemnitius and Rivet cals them so And if we make a distinction in Gods end why he afflicts the godly for their sins from that when he punisheth the wicked though both for their sins we speak the truth fully enough though we call them punishments and certainly the words punish or punishment used Hos 4.19 Ezek. 9.13 Levit. 26.41 do not take the word punishment in such a strict sense The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used of the damned Angels and men 2 Pet. 2.9 Mat. 25.46 and this word seems not applicable to the afflictions of Gods people for their sins and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemeth to be an act of some Judge who doth not attend to mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suidas in voc But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Iudge is attributed to God when he doth correct his children 1 Cor. 11.31 where the Apostle useth three words in an elegant paronomasia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so then when God doth afflict his people he may be said to do it as a Iudge and afflictions are called judgements 1 Pet. 4.17 only when God doth thus correct and punish his people he is paternus Iudex a fatherly Judge But the most expressive word of these afflictions is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which denoteth God afflicting his people as a father his childe and although he doth it because of their faultslts yet he hath tendernesse in what he doth This is the truth and for the proving of it consider these Propositions First That God doth not afflict any but where there is sin in the subject for so was the threatning at first in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die By death is meant all kinde of evil and punishment so that had there been no sin going before there had no curse either upon man or creatures followed after Hence it is that Divines say The very hunger and thirst which Adam had while in the state of integrity was without that pain and provocation as it is in us So that the state of man in righteousnesse was like the heavens that admit of no corruptive alterations As for that dispute Whether God may not by his absolute Soveraignty adjudge man without the consideration of sin to everlasting misery the affirmative decision of it will not much incommodate this truth seeing that even then they say God doth this per modum simplicis cruciatus by way of a meer naked trouble and pain not per modum poenae by way of a punishment As for Christ he though innocent was a man of sorrows because our sins were laid on him Secondly That God may and sometimes doth afflict yet not in reference to sin Thus God doth exercise Job who though he was not without sin yet God seemeth not to do it for sin Therefore such calamities were rather exercises of his graces then correctives of his sins they were to him what a storm or a tempest is to a skilfull Pilate what a valiant adversary is to a stout Champion and to this purpose is that answer of our Saviour when the question was Whether the parents or the blinde man himself had sinned that he should be born blinde speaking according to the opinion of some Philosophers that was now also received among the Jews as learned men think viz. That there was a prexistency of the souls before they were united to their bodies our Saviour returneth this answer Neither hath this man sinned because he had no being before his birth nor his parents viz. some grievous sin for which God would punish the childe but only that the works of God may be made manifest This also must be granted Thirdly That all afflictions and crosses are to be reduced to the Law We may acknowledge this truth also if so be by Law we mean strictly whatsoever doth command and threaten and the Gospel to be only promissory though if largely taken the Gospel hath its curses and afflictions so God threatning or afflicting of a godly man doth so far use the Law as an instrument to make him sensible of his sin and therefore this is a sure Argument that the Law is not abolished as to all uses to the Believer because still there do befall afflictions to the godly not only from sin as the Antinomians speak but for sin only as the Law without the grace of God worketh all evil so do all afflictions likewise to men that are not godly Therefore wicked men in afflictions are as garlik or any ill-smelling herb the more it is pounced the worse smell it sends forth so that there must be teaching as well as chastening to make that affliction blessed Fourthly That in the calamities which fall upon the godly there is a great difference some are common and absolutely determined others more special and not necessary This distinction must be attended for God hath so peremptorily and irrevocably concluded upon some miseries as the fruits of sin that no repentance or humiliation can ever take them off Thus though a man should have as much faith as Abraham as much meeknesse as Moses as much uprightnesse as David as much zeal and labour for the Church as Paul yet all this would not free from death nor could it remove the curse that is upon the ground so a womans holiness and humiliation cannot take away the pains and throbs in childe-bearing for these are absolutely decreed But then there are special calamities which many times by turning unto God are taken away yea and God very frequently when he pardoneth sin he taketh also away those outward miseries as we see in many whom he healed both in soul and body at the same time So that we say not God is bound alwaies when he doth pardon sin outwardly to afflict for it Fiftly There are again some calamities that come upon them because of sin others for other ends We acknowledge it as clear as the sun that many troubles upon
if he be a Beleever the wages due to his sin is only temporal chastisements but to a wicked man it 's eternal death I say this is not safe for although a Beleevers sin shall not actually damn him yet God hath made the same Law to both and repentance as a means is prescribed so that we may by supposition say If the wicked man repent his sin shall not damn him If the justified person do not his sin will damn him It 's true it is not proper to say of sin in the abstract it shall be damned no more then that grace shall be saved but we are to say the person shall be damned or saved Yet the guilt of the sin will cause the guilt of the person if not taken off by Christ as the meritorious and faith as the instrumentall cause The sins then of Beleevers and ungodly are both alike only that the guilt of them doth not redound upon the persons alike is because the one takes the way appointed by God to obtain pardon and the other doth not Not that the godly man makes himself to differ from the wicked but all is the work of grace In some respects the sins of godly men are more offensive to God then those of wicked men because committed against more light and more experience of the sweetnesse of Gods love and the bitternesâ—e of sin What is the cause Heb. 10.28 29 30. the Apostle maketh the condition of a wilfull Apostate to be so dreadfull but because of the excellency of the object in the Gospel above that in the Law If he that despised Moses his Law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy c. Observe that interposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 think ye do you not easily think that such sins offend God more Now although the truly sanctified can never fall into such a condition totally and finally yet their sins committed wilfully against the Gospel are gradually and in some measure of such a nature and therefore they fall terribly into the hands of the living God when they so sin against him and consider how that the Apostle speaks these things even to them of whom he hoped better things and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6. If therefore we see a godly man who hath tasted much of Gods favour play the prodigall walk loosely we may and ought notwithstanding Antinomian positions powerfully and severely set home these places of Scripture upon his conscience And observe how in the New Testament the Apostle alledgeth two places out of the Old Vengeance belongeth to me Deut. 32.35 and the Lord will judge his people Psal 135.14 To judge is to avenge so that the people of God have those considerations in their sins to provoke God which wicked men cannot have and therefore have the same motives to humble them as the Apostle argueth To which of the Angels said he Sit at my right hand c. so may we To what wicked man hath God poured out his love revealed himself kindly as unto the godly therefore do they neglect the greater mercies LECTURE X. JEREMIAH 50.20 In those daies and at that time the iniquity of Iudah shall be sought for c. LEt us in the next place consider the particulars wherein Gods eye of anger doth manifest it self upon his own children if sinning against him The effect of his wrath may be considered in that which is temporal or spiritual or eternal in all these Gods anger doth bring forth in one respect or other For the temporal objects take notice of these particulars first When they sin against God they are involved in the common and ordinary afflictions which do usually accompany sin in the wicked Thus 1 Cor. 11.30 for their unworthy receiving of the Sacrament and some even of those were godly as appeareth v. 32. many were weak and sickly weak were such as did languish and sickly is more such as had diseases on them now these were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strokes from God and therefore came from his anger for their sins Though the Lords Supper consist of a twofold bread the one earthly for the body the other heavenly the bread of life for the soul yet both body and soul did miserably decay because of unworthy receiving This Table being as Chrysostom said mensa Aquilarum not Graculorum food for Eagles not Jaies As therefore those children who have fainting diseases upon them and do secretly eat salt oatmeal c. though they have never such excellent food at their fathers table yet thrive not but look pale and consuming so it was with the Corinthians by reason of their corruptions they inclined to death though they fed on the bread of life Now that these bodily diseases are the common issue and fruit of sin appeareth Lev. 26.16 Deut. 28.22 grace therefore of justification can give no Supesedeas to any disease that shall arrest a believer offending but are the wicked in Consumptions Agues Feavers for their sins so are the godly yea the people of God are in these calamities before the wicked Amos 3.2 You only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities I have known you that is acknowledged ye for mine see what that is Exod. 19.5 A peculiar treasure unto me above all people The Hebrew word signifieth that which is dear and pretious and to be desired of all This is aggravated by what followeth for all the earth is mine that is seeing there are so many nations in the world over whom I have full power and dominion how great is Gods goodnesse in taking you for his above others now mark the Prophets reason because I have done this therefore I will visit you for your iniquities for to all your other wickednesses you adde an ingratefull heart So there is another place 1 Pet. 4.17 where God is said to judge them before others and this hath been a great offence to the godly It is time that is a seasonable opportunity by the decree and appointment of God for judgement that is chastisements for former sins which are called judgements because they are publique testimonies and manifestations of Gods anger against sins and are to put the godly in minde of their sins only it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the original The word is used even of the godly 1 Cor. 11.31 32. 1 Pet. 4.6 By the house of God he meaneth the true Members of the Church and whereas he saith it begins in them he thereby intimates that the godly in this life are more exposed to afflictions for sin then the wicked are and this made David and Jeremy so expostulate with God in this matter so that the godly in their afflictions ought to say as that widow of Sarepta 2 Kin. 17.18 This is to call my sin to remembrance It is thought the Apostle though he doth not
satisfie Gods justice in the next place we by sin become debtors to everlasting punishment in hell so that as the murderer or flagitious person by his crimes becomes a debtor to the capitall punishments to be inflicted by a Law so doth a sinner to the Scripture punishments threatned in the word so that hell and damnation are the proper wages that are due to him Oh how dear doth every pleasant or profitable sin cost thee thou owest eternal damning for it Chrysostome in his time complained of some who would say Give me that which is sweet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and let it choak me so do all sinners Give me that sinful profit and pleasure though I am obliged to eternal wrath thereby Ambrose thought wicked men were called debtors because the devil lends them their lusts and sins as so much money for which he will exact eternal torment as the usury of them Whatsoever it be certainly this notion of sins being debts ought much to affect and trouble thee Thy sins are worse debts then any thou owest Fourthly In sin we become debtors by this means All the good we have whether natural or supernatural we are betrusted with as so many talents and for abusing of these or not improving of them we become debtors unto God You have a full parable to this purpose Mat. 25. Where you have every opportunity even the least that God puts into our hands compared to a talent and that for the greatnesse and preciousnesse of it and a man may be accountable unto God either propter damnum emergens for the losse that comes to our master therein or for lucrum cessans the very ceasing of gain As that servant who hid his talent in a napkin and returned it safe again though he was not guilty of any prodigall decoction of it yet he is called a wicked and unprofitable servant Now because all our talents are many hence our debts do arise to an infinite summe none so indebted as those who have great wealth great parts Sicut crescunt dona sic crâ—scunt rationes donorum The more mercies the greater account to be given This consideration may deeply humble us As our sinnes are thus debts so we have all naturally the evill properties and wicked customes of ill debtors 1. We are very unwilling to be called to any accounts we do not love to hear of the day of judgement we love not that the Ministers of God should tell us of our bills and hand-writings that are against us Hence some observe that expression Mat. 18.24 When the Master begun to reckon it is said One was brought that owed ten thousand talents as if it were by force and he was haled to his master What an amazement and astonishment will that voice from heaven put us into Give an account of thy Stewardship unlesse Christ be our surety and he undertake to discharge all so that the very word debts may breed in us much love to Christ who was willing to stand engaged for us Phocian the Athenian coming to one in publike office that was very solicitious about giving up his accounts and saith he I am solicitious how I may give no account at all Thus if it were possible would every man be studious how he may decline that day of accounts how gladly would he have the grave to detain him there alwaies 2. To be full of shame and fear Thus are men in debt desirous to lie latitant and not to be seen Grave vocabulum debitorum said Ambrose The name of debts is very dreadfull and terrible Hence Ambrose speaketh of some who for the shame and distresse thereof have made away themselves fearing more opprobrium vitae then mortis periculum the reproach of life then the punishment of death Suidas speaks of a Proverb in lit A. A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Once red with blushing at the time of borrowing and afterwards ten times pale for fear of paying Canis latrat cor tuum palpitat Ambros de Tob. cap. 7. The dog doth but bark and thy heart feareth an Arrest and if men have been thus perplexed about worldly debts when yet death would at last release them how much more may men be afraid of these spiritual debts There was a certain Roman died in a vast sum of debts which in his life time he concealed and after his death when his goods were to be sold Augustus the Emperor sent to buy his pillow he lay upon because saith he I hope that would make me sleep on which a man so much indebted could take his ease It is much that we who have so many debts spiritual can sleep or eat or drink till we see them discharged by Christ Oh that every natural man should not like Cain fear every thing would damn him 3. To shift and put off to be in continuall delays and if so to be no further troubled This a custome in worldly debts if men can shift one way or other they care not hence Horace cals the wicked debtor Sceleratus Proteus fiet aper modo avis modo saxum cum volét arbor become in all shapes to evade the Creditor and thus it is in spirituall debts How unwilling to acknowledge our debts to confesse them to God I look upon all Pelagian Doctrines on one side and Antinomian opinions on the other side which would either make no sin in us or at least not to be taken notice of by God but as so many cousening cheats of a guilty heart that is unwilling to be found a debtor before God Cum delationem impetraveris gaudes said Ambrose of a debtor If men can but delay they do rejoice And are we not all thus naturally affected if we can from day to day get one worldly comfort after another and so be able to support our selves we think all is well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing is more troublesome then to hear Pay what thou owest do not therefore please thy self with delays and excuses lest thou die in thy misery 4. To hate those to whom we are indebted Leve aes alienum debitorem facit grave inimicum A little money borrowed makes a man a debtor but a great deal an enemy and so the more they owe the more they hate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Aristotle Debtors wish their Creditors to have no being such is the hatred that ariseth thereby and this is most eminently true in wicked men They hate God because they fear him as a just Judge who will severely demand to the last farthing Comfortable therefore is this direction to pray in this Petition for hereby is supposed that God is propitious and ready to release us we may have a Jubile ever day No devil hath any warrant to say Forgive us our sins God hath cast them into utter darknesse and bound them up in perpetuall chains for their debts but he is ready to forgive us As therefore we reade of David
That men in debt and distresse followed him hoping thereby to be freed from their Creditors hands so let us follow Christ who only is able to take off this heavy burden from us and know the longer we lie in our debts the more they will encrease upon us Now in two respects spiritual debts do exceed wordly debts 1. In the danger of non-payment Suppose the highest punishments that we reade of in Histories against perfidious debtors yet that doth not amount to the punishment of our spirituall debts In some Laws they were bound to sell their children yea themselves to become slaves Exodus 21.7 Exodus 22.2 2 Kings 4.1 Thus God commanded in the Jewish Laws This was very miserable to have children sold for parents debts Valentinian the Emperour would have such put to death that were not able to pay their debts but above all that Law in the 12. Tables that who was in debt the Creditors might take him and cause him to be cut alive in as many peeces as the Creditors pleased This cruelty saith Tertullian was afterwards erased out by publike consent Suffudere maluit homini sanguinem quam effundere but what is this to that Mat. 18.30 His master was wroth and delivered him to the tâ—rmentors till he had paid all that was due so then chains and imprisonments are the worst of worldly debts but the eternall wrath of God falleth upon spirituall debtors 2. In the impossibility of escaping this punishment In these debts death will free a man but then is the beginning of our misery by spirituall debts So Mat. 5.26 Thou shalt by no means come out till thou hast paid the utmost farthing and because we are never able to do that therefore must our condemnation be eternall We pity the indebted prisoners that out of their grates cry Bread bread But how more doleful is that cry of Dives out of hell for a drop of water and none giveth unto him This is some mitigating consideration to the worst troubles here that they are not eternal and it is the aggravation of the least in hell that they are eternal Therefore in that the Scripture cals our sins by these names and we have an innumerable heap of them let us mourn under the weight of them and bewail their burden aud this is to be done with all speed not knowing how soon justice may take us by the throat saying Pay that thou owest The use may be of instruction to the godly that notwithstanding their Justification and forgivenesse of sins past yet they run into debt daily and such debts as for the pardon of them they must renew daily sorrow and confession as also sue out continual pardon for certainly our Saviour did not direct us to say this Petition humiliter only for humility sake as some of old thought but also veraciter truly and if it be true then we are not in a cold customary way of luke-warmnesse to beg this pardon but with the same deep sense conflict and agony of spirit as we see malefactors importune the Judge for a pardon Now if there were a malefactor that thought the Judge saw no crimes nor matter of death in him but on the contrary that he was altogether righteous and free how could this man with any deep remorse and acknowledgement bewail himself so that this Petition containeth excellent Doctrine as well as practice Tertullian called the Lords Prayer Breviarum Evangelij a breviary or sum of the Gospel for legem credendi adde operandi lex statuit supplicandi said another The Law or Rule of Prayer teacheth the rule of faith and practice and this is very true in this Petition which teacheth both Doctrine and Practice against the Antinomians It is true they make glosses upon this Text but such cursed ones as do wholly corrupâ— it do not therefore think that Justification giveth thee such a quietus est that new sins daily committed by thee should be no matter of humiliation or confession certainly our Saviours command is That we should desire this forgivenesse as often as we do our daily bread LECTURE XIV MAT. 6.12 And forgive us our debts WE have already considered the object in this Petition viz. sins which according to the Syriak Idiotism are called debts as alms are called righteousnesse ver 1. in an Hebraism The next thing to be treated of is the Petition it self forgive us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this word is most commonly used by the Apostles to signifie pardon of sins they have it about seven and twenty times but more of this when we shew what remission of sins is The work I have for the present to do is to shew how comprehensive this Petition is and what it is we pray for herein Bellarmine opposing the Doctrine of the Protestants holding a special and peculiar faith appropriating pardon of sin mistaking the question as if we maintained justifying faith to be that whereby we believe our sins are certainly forgiven us in Christ chargeth this absurdity upon us lib. 1. de Just c. 10. That we take away this Petition in the Lords Prayer For saith he If I be bound certainly to believe my sins are forgiven already it would be as absurd to pray that God would forgive us our sins as to pray Christ might be incarnated seeing we believe he was incarnated already And l. 4. de notiâ— ecclesiae c. 11. He makes this opinion of the Protestants holding we are righteous before God for Christs sake and the believing of this with a special faith to be comparable with any Paradox in the world as not being above or besides but plainly contrary to all reason and as that which makes it impossible for us to say Forgive us our sins unlesse we lye It is true according to the Antinomian Divinity which saith there is no sin now in the Church this Prayer doth no more belong to us then to the Angels in heaven therefore the Antinomian makes not the meaning of this Prayer to be as if we prayed for the forgiveness which we had not before but only for more full and rich assurance of it Honey-Comb p. 156 But the Sequel will shew the falshood of both these assertions Obser It is the duty of justified persons to pray for the forgivenes of their sins To understand this we will shew first what is the expresse meaning of this Petition and then what is the implied sense of it In the first place our meaning in this Petition is That God would not require of us the payment and satisfaction of his justice for our sinnes We have a Parable Luke 16.8 Of an unjust Steward who called his Lords debtors who bid him that owed an hundred measures of oyl set down fifty but if God should condescend thus far to us instead of millions of sins we owe to set down but an hundred yea should we come down as low in the number of sins as Abraham of
more Again see the like dealing with David 2 Sa. 11.12.8 9. I anointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and if that had been too little I would have given thee such and such things wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of God c. Must not this pierce into the very bowels of David Shall God upbraid his people falling into sin spread before their eyes the manifold mercies he hath bestowed upon them and all this while see no sin in them Therefore when it is said Iam. 1.5 That God upbraideth not that is to be understood in respect of his frequent and liberal giving as men use to say I have given thus often and I will give no more which kinde of giving Seneca cals panem lapidosum but if men walk unworthy of the benefits received he doth then upbraid as Mar. 16.14 He is said to upbraid the Disciples because of their unbelief Thirdly The Scripture applieth the threatnings of God to believeâ—s as well as to others making no difference between them unless they repent Indeed we say against the Papists that all the sins of justified persons are venial and not mortal that is such as in the event will have pardon but that is because the seed of grace will be operative in them so that they shall either habitually or actually repent of their sins Neither when the Orthodox say That Election is absolute do they exclude the media instituta means appointed by God in which the fruit of Election is accomplished but conditions antecedanâ—ous as if that decree did remain suspense and uncertain till the will of man had determined 1 Cor. 6.9 10. The Apostle laieth down an universal rule such and such grosse offenders shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven that is those who live so and do not repent and this is to be extended not only to those who are habitually so but actually likewise unlesse they are reformed Therefore no godly man falling into any of those grosse sins may deceive himself and think he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven without a change Godly or ungodly yet if found in the committing of such a gross sin unless they do repent God will not accept one or the other As repentance is appointed for the wicked man as a duty without which he cannot be saved so confession and forsaking of sin is prescribed a godly man fallen into sin without which he cannot have remission 1 Jo. 1.9 There is no such free grace or Gospel as faith to a believer if fallen into a foul sin whether you repent or no your sins shall be pardoned to you Hence 1 Cor. 11. the Apostle makes every man that receiveth unworthily and yet some of them were godly to receive their damnation that is their eternal damnation without repentance and reformation and after repentance their judgement though not of condemnation yet affliction and castigation How terrible likewise is Paul He. 12.29 where speaking to the godly that are to receive a kingdom that is eternal he exhorteth them to duty Let us have grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Let us retain and keep grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ro. 15.4 and observe the manner with reverence and godly fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is such a fear as relateth to punishment compare this place with Ps 2.12 and thus the words following suppose for our God is a consuming fire this is taken out of Deu. 4.24 and the meaning is God is no less angry with Christians sinning against him then formerly with the Israelites it is as easy for him to destroy whom he is offended with as for the fire to destroy stubble How directly doth this place overthrow that Antinomian assertion God saw sin in believers in the Old Testament and therefore afflicted them but it is not so under the New Now when it s said God is a consuming fire this denoteth the great anger of God compare it with Deu. 9.3 Deu. 32.22 Fire is most efficacious and least capable of transmutation as other elements are for which reason the Persians worshipped fire for a god but fire might be extinguished whereas God is such a fire as consumeth all and remaineth immutable Know then brethren that as there are places in the New Testament which speak of the riches of his grace so also of his consuming anger As therefore the promises of the Scripture are for consolation hope to the godly so are the threatnings for a godly fear Between these two milstones a Christian is made dulcis farina as Luther once said and neither of these milstones may be taken for a pledge as the Law was in the Old Testament because one cannot work without the other Therefore for a man to take only those places of Scripture which speak of the goodnesse of the promises and to reject the terrors of the threatnings is spiritual theft in an high degree Doth not Paul 2 Cor. 5 excite himself to run like a Gyant in his ministerial race because of the terror of the Lord at the day of Judgement See ver 10. We must all appear so to appear as to be seen through and made manifest before the judgement-seat of God as those that are to plead a cause in an eminent place before a Judge to receive a reward sutable to his life nâ—w knowing this saith the Apostle we perswade it may relate to himself and to those whom he perswadeth Yet this apprehension of the Lords terror did not exclude love for v. 14. he saith The love of Christ constraineth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either an expression from those who had a spirit of prophecie upon them that was very powerfull whereby they could not but speak or else from women in travell Heb. 12.15 which through pain cannot but cry out so efficacious was love in Paul 4. The sins of godly men cease not to be sins though they are justified We may not say that in Cain killing of another is murder but in David it is not We may not say denying of Christ in Judas is indeed a sin but in Peter it is not No priviledge they have by justification can alter the nature of a sin He that receiveth unworthily is guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord whether he be a wicked man or a Beleever It is not with a Beleever and a wicked man as with a man and a beast comparatively If a beast kill a man it is not sin because the subject is not reasonable but a man if he do so whether godly or ungodly it is a sin because against Gods Law It is not safe to say that God doth with the Beleever and wicked as if a Magistrate should make a Law that whosoever committeth such a crime if he be a free-man he shall only be imprisoned but if a servant he shall be put to death so God whosoever murdereth or committeth adultery