that sinned he spared them not but inflicted on them the punishment due to sin shutting them up under chains of darkness for the Judgement of the great Day Hitherto then God keeps all thoughts of forgiveness in his own Eternal Bosom There is not so much as the least dawning of it upon the world And this was at first no small prejudice against any thoughts of forgiveness The world is made sin enters by the most glorious part of the Creation whose recovery by pardon might seem to be most desirable but not the least appearance of it is discovered Thus it was hid in God from the foundation of the world Eph. 3. 9. III. God gave unto Man a Law of Obedience immediately upon his Creation Yea for the main of it he implanted it in him by and in his Creation This Law it was supposed that man might transgress The very nature of a Law prescribed unto free Agents attended with Threatnings and Promises of Reward requires that supposition Now there was not annexed unto this Law or revealed with it the least intimation of pardon to be obtained if Transgression should ensue Gen. 2. 17. we have this Law In the day thou eatest thou shalt surely dye dying thou shalt dye or bring upon thy self assuredly the guilt of death temporal and eternal There God leaves the sinner under the power of that commination Of forgiveness or pardoning mercy there is not the least intimation To this very day that Law which was then the whole Rule of life and Acceptance with God knows no such thing Dying thou shalt dye O sinner is the precise and final voyce of it From these previous considerations added to what was formerly spoken some things preparatory to the ensuing discourse may be inferred as 1. That it is a great and rare thing to have forgiveness in God discovered unto a sinful soul. A thing it is that as hath been shewed Conscience and Law with the inbred Notions that are in the heart of man about Gods Holiness and Vindictive Justice do lye against A matter whereof we have no natural presumption whereof there is no common notion in the mind of man A thing which no consideration of the Works of God either of Creation or Providence will reveal and which the great Instance of Gods dealing with sinning Angels renders deep admirable and mysterious Men who have common and slight thoughts of God of themselves of Sin of Obedience of the Judgement to come of Eternity that feed upon the ashes of rumors reports hearsayes traditions without looking into the reality of things may and do take this to be an ordinary and acknowledged truth easie to be entertained which upon the matter no man disbelieves But convinced sinners who make a tryal of these things as running into Eternity have other thoughts of them And as to that which it is pretended every one believes we have great cause to cry out Lord who hath believed our report to whom hath this arm of the Lord been revealed 2. That the discovery of forgiveness in God being a matter of so great difficulty is a thing precious and excellent as being the foundation of all our Communion with God here and of all undeceiving Expectation of our enjoyment of him hereafter It is a pure Gospel truth that hath neither shaddow footstep nor intimation elsewhere the whole creation hath not the least obscure impression of it left thereon so that 3. It is undoubtedly greatly incumbent on us to enquire diligently as the Prophets did of old into this Salvation to consider what sure Evidences faith hath of it such as will not as cannot fail us To be slight and common in this matter to take it up at random is an Argument of an unsound rotten heart He that is not serious in his enquiry into the Revelation of this matter is serious in nothing wherein God or his soul is concerned The Holy Ghost knows what our frame of heart is and how slow we are to receive this blessed truth in a gracious saving manner Therefore doth he confirm it unto us with such weighty considerations as Heb. 6. 17 18. God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lye we might have strong consolation It is of forgiveness of sin that the Apostle treats as hath been made evident by the description of it before given Now to give evidence hereunto and to beget a belief of it in us he first engages a Property of Gods Nature in that business He with whom we deal is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Tit. 1. 2. The God that cannot lye that cannot deceive or be deceived It is impossible it should be so with him Now as this extends it self in general to all the Words and Works of God so there is peculiarly in this whereof he treats 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an especial immutability of his counsel Men may think that although there be words spoken about forgiveness yet it is possible it may be otherwise no saith the Apostle it is spoken by God and it is impossible he should lye Yea but upon the manifold provocations of sinners he may change his mind and thoughts therein no saith the Apostle there is a peculiar immutability in his counsel concerning the execution of this thing there can be no change in it But how doth this appear that indeed this is the counsel of his will Why saith he he hath declared it by his Word and that given in a way of promise which as in its own nature it is suited to raise an expectation in him or them to whom it is made or given so it requires exact faithfulness in the discharge and performance of it which God on his part will assuredly answer But neither is this all but that no place might be left for any cavilling Objection in this matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he interposed himself by an oath Thus we have this Truth deduced from the veracity of Gods nature one of his Essential Excellencies established in the immutable purpose of his Will brought forth by a word of promise and confirmed by Gods interposing himself against all occasions of exception so to put an end unto all strife about it by an Oath swearing by himself that so it should be I have mentioned this only to shew what weight the Holy Ghost layes upon the delivery of this great Truth and thence how deeply it concerns us to enquire diligently into it and after the grounds and evidences which may be tendred of it which among others are these that follow Discovery of Forgiveness in the first Promise The Evidence of the Truth that lyes therein And by the Institution of Sacrifices Their Use and End Also by the prescription of Repentance unto sinners The first Discovery of forgiveness in God and which I place as the first Evidence of it
Now this God doth 1. By express Affirmation that he hath so sworn by himself which was the form of the first solemn Oath of God Gen. 22. 16. By my self have I sworn saith the Lord. The meaning whereof is I have taken it upon my self as I am God or let me not be so if I perform not this thing And this is expressed by his soul Jer. 51. 14. The Lord of Hosts hath sworn by his soul that is by himself as we render the words Secondly God doth it by the especial Interposition of some such Property of his nature as is suited to give credit and confirmation to the Word spoken as of his Holiness Psal. 89. 35. I have sworn by my Holiness So also Amos 4. 2. Sometime by his life As I live saith the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I live saith God it shall be so And sometimes by his Name Jer. 44. 26. God as it were engageth the Honour and Glory of the Properties of his Nature for the certain accomplishment of the things mentioned And this is evident from the manner of the Expression as in that place of Psal. 89. 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lye unto David so we in the Original the words are eliptical If I lye unto David that is Let me not be so nor be esteemed to be so if I lye unto David Secondly For the End of his Oath God doth not give it to make his Word or Promise sure and stedfast but to give Assurance and Security unto us of their accomplishment Every Word of God is sure and certain truth it self because it is his and he might justly require of us the belief of it without any further Attestation But yet knowing what great Objections Satan and our own unbelieving hearts will raise against his Promises at least as to our own concernment in them to confirm our minds and to take away all pretences of unbelief he interposeth his Oath in this matter What can remain of distrust in such a case If there be a matter in doubt between men and an Oath be interposed in the confirmation of that which is called in question it is an End as the Apostle tells us unto them of all strife Heb. 6. 16. How much more ought it to be so on the part of God when his Oath is engaged And the Apostle declares this End of his Oath it is to shew the immutability of his counsel Heb. 6. 17. His counsel was declared before in the Promise but now some doubt or strife may arise whether on one occasion or other God may not change his counsell or whether he hath not changed it with such conditions as to render it useless unto us In what case soever it be to remove all doubts and suspicions of this nature God adds his Oath manifesting the unquestionable immutability of his counsel and Promises What therefore is thus confirmed is ascertained unto the height of what any thing is capable of And nor to believe it is the height of Impiety Thirdly In this Interposition of God by an Oath there is unspeakable condescention of Grace which is both an exceeding great motive unto faith and a great Aggravation of Unbelief For what are we that the holy and blessed God should thus condescend unto us as for our satisfaction and surety to engage himself by an Oath One said well of old Foelices nos quorum causa Deus jurat O infoelices si nec juranti Deo credimus It is an inestimable advantage that God should for our sakes engage himself by his Oath So it will be our misery if we believe him not when he swears unto us What can we now object against what is thus confirmed What pretence colour or excuse can we have for our unbelief How just how righteous how holy must their destruction be who upon this strange wonderful and unexpected Warranty refuse to set their seal that God is true These things being premised we may consider how variously God hath engaged his Oath that there is forgiveness with him First He sweareth that he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner but rather that he repent and live Ezek. 33. 11. As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner Now without forgiveness in him every sinner must dye and that without remedy Confirming therefore with his Oath that it is his will the sinner should return repent and live he doth in the first place swear by himself that there is forgiveness with him for these sinners that shall so repent and turn unto him Again Whereas the great means he hath appointed for the forgiveness of sins is by the Mediation of the Lord Christ as we shall afterwards shew he hath on several occasions confirmed his purpose in him and the counsel of his Will by his Oath By this Oath he promised him unto Abraham and David of old which proved the foundation of the Churches stability in all generations and also of their Security and Assurance of Acceptance with him see Luke 1. 73 74 75. And in his taking upon him that Office whereby in an especial manner the forgiveness of sins was to be procured namely of his being a Priest to offer Sacrifice to make an Attonement for sinners he confirmed it unto him and him in it by his Oath Heb. 7. 20. He was not made a Priest without an Oath And to what end Namely that he might be a surety of a better Testament v. 22. And what was that better Testament Why that which brought along with it the forgiveness of sin Chap. 8. 12 13. So that it was forgiveness which was so confirmed by the Oath of God Further the Apostle shews that the great Original Promise made unto Abraham being confirmed by the Oath of God all his other Promises were in like manner confirmed Whence he draws that blessed conclusion which we have Heb. 6 17 18. As to every one saith he that flyes for refuge to the hope that is set before him that is who seeks to escape the guilt of sin the curse and the sentence of the Law by an Application of himself unto God in Christ for pardon he hath the Oath of God to secure him that he shall not fail thereof And thus are all the concernments of the forgiveness of sin testified unto by the Oath of God which we have manifested to be the highest security in this matter that God can give or that we are capable of The Name of God confirming the Truth and Reality of Forgiveness with him As also the same is done by the Properties of his Nature X. Another foundation of this Truth and infallible Evidence of it may be taken from that especial Name and Title which God takes unto himself in this matter For he owns the name of the God of Pardons or the God of forgiveness So is he called Nehem. 9. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have rendred the
the thing it self They take it for granted that so it is and are never put seriously upon the enquiry how it comes to be so and that because indeed they have no real concernment in it How many thousands may we meet withall who take it for granted that forgiveness is to be had with God that never yet had any serious exercise in their souls about the grounds of it and its consistency with his holiness and justice But those that know it by faith have a sense of it fixed particularly and distinctly on their minds They have been put upon an enquiry into the rise and grounds of it in Christ so that on a good and unquestionable foundation they can go to God and say there is forgiveness with thee They see how and by what means more glory comes unto God by forgiveness then by punishing of sin which is a matter that the other sort of men are not at all solicitous about If they may escape punishment whether God have any glory or no for the most part they are indifferent Secondly The first Apprehension ariseth without any tryal upon enquiry in the Consciences of them in whom it is They have not by the power of their convictions and distresses of Conscience been put to make enquiry whether this thing be so or no. It is not a perswasion that they have arrived unto in a way of seeking satisfaction to their own souls It is not the result of a deep enquiry after peace and rest It is antecedent unto Tryal and Experience and so is not Faith but Opinion For although Faith be not Experience yet it is inseparable from it as is every practical habit Distresses in their consciences have been prevented by this Opinion not removed The reason why the most of men are not troubled about their sins to any purpose is from a persuasion that God is merciful and will pardon when indeed none can really on a Gospel account ordinarily have that perswasion but those who have been troubled for sin and that to the purpose So is it with them that make this discovery by faith They have had conflicts in their own spirits and being deprived of peace have accomplished a diligent search whether forgiveness were to be obtained or no. The perswasion they have of it be it more or less is the issue of a tryal they have had in their own souls of an enquiry how things stood between God and them as to peace and acceptation of their Persons This is a vast difference the one sort might possibly have had trouble in their consciences about sin had it not been for their Opinion of forgiveness this hath prevented or stifled their convictions not healed their wounds which is the work of the Gospel but kept them from being wounded which is the work of security Yea here lyes the ruine of the most of them who perish under the preaching of the Gospel They have received the general notion of pardon it floats in their minds and presently presents it self to their relief on all occasions Doth God at any time in the dispensation of the Word under an Affliction upon some great sin against their ruling light begin to deal with their consciences before their conviction can ripen or come to any perfection before it draw nigh to its perfect work they choak it and heal their consciences with this notion of pardon Many a man between the Assembly and his dwelling house is thus cured You may see them go away shaking their heads and striking on their breasts and before they come home be as whole as ever Well! God is merciful there is pardon hath wrought the cure The other sort have obtained their perswasion as a result of the discovery of Christ in the Gospel upon a full conviction Tryals they have had and this is the issue Thirdly The one which we reject worketh no Love to God no Delight in him no Reverence of him but rather a contempt and commonness of Spirit in dealing with him There are none in the world that deal worse with God than those who have an ungrounded perswasion of forgiveness And if they do fear him or love him or obey him in any thing more or less it is on other motives and considerations which will not render any thing they do acceptable and not at all on this As he is good to the Creation they may love as he is great and powerful they may fear him but sense of pardon as to any such ends or purposes hath no power upon them Carnal boldness formality and despising of God are the common issues of such a notion and perswasion Indeed this is the generation of great sinners in the world men who have a general apprehension but not a sense of the special power of pardon openly or secretly in fleshly or spiritual sins are the great sinners among men Where faith makes a discovery of forgiveness all things are otherwise Great Love Fear and Reverence of God are its attendants Mary Magdalen loved much because much was forgiven Great Love will spring out of great forgiveness There is forgiveness with thee saith the Psalmist that thou maist be feared No unbeliever doth truly and experimentally know the truth of this inference But so it is when men fear the Lord and his Goodness Hos. 3. 5. 1 say then where pardoning mercy is truly apprehended where faith makes a discovery of it to the soul it is endeared unto God and possessed of the great springs of Love Delight Fear and Reverence Psal. 116. 1 5 6 7. Fourthly This notional apprehension of the pardon of sin begets no serious through hatred and detestation of sin nor is prevalent to a relinquishment of it nay it rather secretly insinuates into the soul encouragements unto a continuance in it It is the nature of it to lessen and extenuate sin and to support the soul against its convictions So Jude tells us that some turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness v. 4. and sayes he they are ungodly men let them profess what they will they are ungodly men But how can they turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness Is Grace capable of a conversion into Lust or Sin Will what was once Grace ever become Wantonness It is Objective not Subjective Grace the Doctrine not the real substance of Grace that is intended The Doctrine of forgiveness is this Grace of God which may be thus abused From hence do men who have only a general notion of it habitually draw secret encouragements to sin and folly Paul also lets us know that carnal men coming to a doctrinal acquaintance with Gospel Grace are very apt to make such conclusions Rom. 6. 1. And it will appear at the last day how unspeakably this glorious Grace hath been perverted in the world It would be well for many if they had never heard the name of forgiveness It is otherwise where this Revelation is received indeed in the soul by believing Rom. 6.
14. Our being under Grace under the power of the belief of forgiveness is our great preservative from our being under the power of sin Faith of forgiveness is the Principle of Gospel Obedience Titus 2. 11 12. Fifthly The general notion of forgiveness brings with it no sweetness no Rest to the soul. Flashes of joy it may abiding rest it doth not The truth of the Doctrine fluctuates to and fro in the minds of those that have it but their Wills and Affections have no solid delight nor rest by it Hence not withstanding all that profession that is made in the world of forgiveness the most of men ultimately resolve their peace and comfort into themselves As their apprehensions are of their own doing good or evil according to their ruling light whatever it be so as to peace and rest are they secretly tossed up and down Every one in his several way pleaseth himself with what he doth in answer unto his own convictions and is disquieted as to his state and condition according as he seems to himself to come short thereof To make a full life of contentation upon pardon they know not how to do it One duty yields them more true repose than many thoughts of forgiveness But faith finds sweetness and Rest in it being thereby apprehended it is the only harbour of the soul. It leads a man to God as Good to Christ as Rest. Fading evanid joyes do oft-times attend the one but solid delight with constant Obedience are the fruits only of the other Sixthly Those who have the former only take up their perswasion on false grounds though the thing it self be true and they cannot but use it unto false ends and purposes besides its natural and genuine tendency For their grounds they will be discovered when I come to treat of the true nature of Gospel forgiveness For the End it is used generally only to fill up what is wanting Self-righteousness is their bottom and when that is too short or narrow to cover them they piece it out by forgiveness Where conscience accuses this must supply the defect Faith layes it on its proper foundation of which afterwards also and it useth it to its proper End namely to be the sole and only ground of our Acceptation with God That is the proper use of forgiveness that all may be of Grace for when the foundation is pardon the whole superstructure must needs be Grace From what hath been spoken it is evident that notwithstanding the pretences to the contrary insinuated in the Objection now removed it is a great thing to have Gospel forgiveness discovered unto a soul in a saving manner The true Nature of Gospel forgiveness It s Relation to the Goodness Grace and Will of God To the blood of Christ. To the Promise of the Gospel The Considerations of Faith about it The difficulties that lye in the way of faiths discovery of forgiveness whence it appears to be a matter of greater weight and importance than it is commonly apprehended to be have been insisted on in the foregoing Discourse There is yet remaining another ground of the same Truth Now this is taken from the Nature and Greatness of the thing it self discovered that is of forgiveness To this end I shall shew what it is wherein it doth consist what it comprizes and relates unto according to the importance of the second Proposition before laid down I do not in this place take forgiveness strictly and precisely for the act of pardoning nor shall I dispute what that is and wherein it doth consist Consciences that come with sin entanglements unto God know nothing of such disputes Nor will this Expression there is forgiveness with God bear any such restriction as that it should regard only actual condonation or pardon That which I have to do is to enquire into the nature of that pardon which poor convinced troubled souls seek after and which the Scripture proposeth to them for their relief and rest And I shall not handle this absolutely neither but in Relation to the Truth under consideration namely that it is a great thing to attain unto a true Gospel discovery of forgiveness First As was shewed in the opening of the words the forgiveness enquired after hath Relation unto the Gracious Heart of the Father Two things I understand hereby 1. The Infinite Goodness and Graciousness of his Nature 2. The Soveraign purpose of his Will and Grace There is considerable in it the infinite Goodness of his nature Sin stands in a contrariety unto God It is a Rebellion against his Soveraignty an Opposition to his Holiness a Provocation to his Justice a Rejection of his yoke a casting off what lyes in the sinner of that dependance which a Creature hath on its Creator That God then should have pity and compassion on sinners in every one of whose sins there is all this evil and inconceivably more than we can comprehend it argues an infinitely Gracious Good and loving heart and nature in him For God doth nothing but suitably to the Properties of his Nature and from them All the Acts. of his Will are the Effects of his Nature Now what ever God proposeth as an encouragement for sinners to come to him that is of or hath a special influence into the Forgiveness that is with him For nothing can encourage a sinner as such but under this consideration that it is or it respects forgiveness That this Graciousness of Gods nature lyes at the head or spring and is the root from whence forgiveness doth grow is manifest from that solemn Proclamation which he made of old of his name and the Revelation of his nature therein for God assuredly is what by himself he is called Exod. 34. 6 7. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniuity and transgression and sin His forgiving of iniquity flows from hence that in his nature he is merciful gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness Were he not so infinite in all these it were in vain to look for forgiveness from him Having made this known to be his Name and thereby declared his Nature he in many places proposeth it as a relief a refuge for sinners an encouragement to come unto him and to wait for mercy from him Psal. 9. 10. They that know thy name will put their trust in thee It will encourage them so to do others have no foundation of their confidence but if this name of God be indeed made known unto us by the Holy Ghost what can hinder why we should not repair unto him and rest upon him So Isa. 50. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his Servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Not only sinners but sinners in great distress are here spoken unto Darkness of state or
are spoken of his mercifulness and faithfulness to encourage us to expect forgiveness from him This also adds to the mysterious depths of forgiveness and makes its discovery a great matter The soul that looks after it in earnest must consider what it cost How light do most men make of pardon What an easie thing is it to be acquainted with it and no very hard matter to obtain it But to hold Communion with God in the blood of his Son is a thing of another nature than is once dreamed of by many who think they know well enough what it is to be pardoned God be merciful is a common saying and as common to desire he would be so for Christs sake Poor Creatures are cast into the mould of such expressions who know neither God nor Mercy nor Christ nor any thing of the mysterie of the Gospel Others look on the outside of the Cross to see into the mysterie of the Love of the Father working in the blood of the Mediator to consider by faith the great transaction of Divine Wisdom Justice and Mercy therein how few attain unto it To come unto God by Christ for forgiveness and therein to behold the Law issuing all its threats and curses in his blood and loosing its sting putting an end to its obligation unto punishment in the Cross to see all sins gathered up in the hand of Gods Justice and made to meet on the Mediator and eternal love springing forth triumphantly from his blood flourishing into Pardon Grace Mercy Forgiveness this the heart of a sinner can be enlarged unto only by the Spirit of God Thirdly There is in forgiveness free condonation discharge or pardon according to the tenor of the Gospel and this may be considered two wayes First As it lyes in the Promise it self and so it is Gods gracious declaration of pardon to sinners in and by the blood of Christ his Covenant to that end and purpose which is variously proposed according as he knew needful for all the ends and purposes of ingenerating faith and communicating that consolation which he intends therein This is the Law of his Grace the declaration of the mysterie of his love before insisted on Secondly There is the bringing home and Application of all this mercy to the soul of a sinner by the Holy Ghost wherein we are freely forgiven all our Trespasses Col. 2. 13. Gospel Forgiveness I say respects all these things these Principles they have all an influence into it And that which makes this more evident wherewith I shall close this consideration of the nature of it is that Faith in its Application of it self unto God about and for Forgiveness doth distinctly apply it self unto and close with sometimes one of these severally and singly sometimes another and sometimes jointly takes in the consideration of them all expresly Not that at any time it fixes on any or either of them exclusively to the others but that eminently it finds some special encouragement at some season and some peculiar attractive from some one of them more than from the rest and then that proves an inlet a door of entrance unto the treasures that are laid up in the rest of them Let us go over the severalls by Instances First Sometimes faith fixes upon the Name and infinite Goodness of the nature of God and draws out forgiveness from thence So doth the Psalmist Psal. 86. 6. Thou Lord art good and ready to forgive He rolls himself in the pursuit and expectation of pardon on the infinite goodness of the nature of God So Nehem. 9. 17. Thou art a God of pardons or ready to forgive of an infinite gracious loving nature not severe and wrathful And this is that which we are encouraged unto Isa. 50. 10. to stay on the name of God as in innumerable other places And thus Faith oftentimes finds a peculiar sweetness and encouragement in and from the consideration of Gods gracious nature Sometimes this is the first thing that it fixes on and sometimes the last that it rests in and oft-times it makes a stay here when it is driven from all other holds It can say however it be yet God is gracious and at least make that conclusion which we have from it Joel 2. 13 14. God is gracious and merciful who knoweth but he will return And when faith hath well laid hold on this consideration it will not easily be driven from its expectation of relief and forgiveness even from hence Secondly Sometimes the soul by saith addresseth it self in a peculiar manner to the Soveraignty of Gods Will whereby he is gracious to whom he will be gracious and merciful to whom he will be merciful which as was shewed is another considerable Spring or Principle of forgiveness This way Davids faith steared him in his great streight and perplexity 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again but if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do unto me as seemeth good unto him That which he hath in consideration is whether God have any delight in him or no that is whether God would graciously remit and pardon the great sin against which at that time he manifested his indignation Here he layes himself down before the Soveraign Grace of God and awaits patiently the discovery of the free Act of his Will concerning him and at this door as it were enters into the consideration of those other springs of pardon which Faith enquires after and closeth withal This sometimes is all the cloud that appears to a distressed soul which after a while fills the Heavens by the addition of the other considerations mentioned and yields plentifully refreshing showers And this condition is a sin entangled soul oft-times reduced unto in looking out for relief It can discover nothing but this that God is able and can if he graciously please relieve and acquit him All other supportments all springs of relief are shut up or hid from him The springs indeed may be nigh as that was to Hagar but their eyes are withheld that they cannot see them Wherefore they cast themselves on Gods Soveraign pleasure and say with Job though he slay us we will put our trust in him we will not let him go In our selves we are lost that is unquestionable how the Lord will deal with us we know not we see not our signs and tokens any more evidences of Gods Grace in us or of his Love and favour unto us are all out of sight To a present special interest in Christ we are strangers and we lye every moment at the door of Eternity what course shall we take what way shall we proceed If we abide at a distance from God we shall assuredly perish who ever hardned himself against him and prospered Nor is there the least relief to be had but from and by him for who can forgive sins but God
his Silver lead or dross he will not only be found poor when he comes to be tryed and want the benefit of Riches but have withal a fearful aggravation of his poverty by his disappointment and surprizal If a mans faith which should be more precious than Gold be found rotten and corrupt if his light be darkness how vile is that faith how great is that darkness Such it is evident will the faith of too many be found in this business 2. The work we are carrying on is the rising of a sin entangled soul out of its depths and this we have spoken unto is that which must give him his first relief Commonly when souls are in distress that which they look after is Consolation What is it that they intend thereby that they may have Assurance that their sins are forgiven them and so be freed from their present perplexities What is the issue Some of them continue complaining all their dayes and never come to Rest or Peace so far do they fall short of Consolation and Joy And some are utterly discouraged from attempting any progress in the wayes of God What is the Reason hereof Is it not that they would fain be finishing their building when they have not laid the foundation They have not yet made through work in believing forgiveness with God and they would immediately be at Assurance in themselves Now God delights not in such a frame of Spirit for 1. It is selfish The great design of faith is to give glory unto God Rom. 4. 20. The end of Gods giving out forgiveness is the praise of his glorious grace Ephes. 1. 6. But let a soul in this frame have peace in it self it is very little solicitous about giving glory unto God He cryes like Rachel Give me children or I dye give me peace or I perish That God may be honoured and the forgiveness he seeks after be rendred glorious It is cared for in the second place if at all This selfish earnestness at first to be thrusting our hand in the side of Christ is that which he will pardon in many but accepts in none 2. It is impatient Men do thus deport themselves because they will not wait They do not care for standing afar off for any season with the Publican They love not to submit their souls to lye at the foot of God to give him the glory of his Goodness Mercy Wisdom and Love in the disposal of them and their concernments This waiting comprizeth the universal subjection of the soul unto God with a resolved Judgement that it is meet and right that we and all we desire and aim at should be at his Soveraign disposal This gives glory to God a duty which the impatience of these poor souls will not admit them to the performance of and both these arise 3. From weakness it is weak it is weakness in any condition that makes men restless and weary The state of Adherence is as safe a condition as the state of Assurance only it hath more combats and wrestling attending it It is not then fear of the event but weakness and weariness of the combat that make men anxiously solicitous about a deliverance from that state before they are well entered into it Let then the sin entangled soul remember alwayes this Way Method and Order of the Gospel that we have under consideration First Exercise faith on forgiveness in God and when the soul is fixed therein it will have a ground and foundation whereon it may stand securely in making Application of it unto it self Drive this principle in the first place unto a stable issue upon Gospel evidences Answer the Objections that lye against it and then you may proceed In believing the soul makes a conquest upon Satans Territories Do then as they do who are entring on an Enemies Countrey secure the passages fortifie the Strong holds as you go on that you be not cut off in your progress Be not as a Ship at Sea which passeth on and is no more possessed or Master of the Water it hath gone through than of that whereunto it is not yet arrrived But so it is with a soul that fixeth not on these foundation principles he presseth forwards and the ground crumbles away under his feet and so he wilders away all his dayes in uncertainties Would men but lay this principle well in their souls and secure it against assaults they might proceed though not with so much speed as some do yet with more safety Some pretend at once to fall into full Assurance I wish it prove not a broad presumption in the most It is to no purpose for him to strive to flye who cannot yet go to labour to come to Assurance in himself who never well believed forgiveness in God Now that we may be enabled to fix this perswasion against all opposition that which in the next place I shall do is to give out such unquestionable evidences of this Gospel truth as the soul may safely build and rest upon And these contain the confirmation of the principal Proposition before laid down Evidences of Forgiveness in God No inbred Notions of any free Acts of Gods Will. Forgiveness not revealed by the Works of Nature nor the Law 1. The things that are spoken or are to be known of God are of two sorts 1. Natural and Necessary such as are his Essential properties or the Attributes of his nature his Goodness Holiness Righteousness Omnipotency Eternity and the like These are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1. 19. That which may be known of God And there are two wayes as the Apostle there declares whereby that which he there intimates of God may be known 1. By the inbred light of Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 19. It is manifest in themselves in their own hearts They are taught it by the common conceptions and presumptions which they have of God by the light of nature From hence do all mankind know concerning God that He is that he is Eternal infinitely Powerful Good Righteous Holy Omnipotent There needs no special Revelation of these things that men may know them That indeed they may be known savingly there is and therefore they that know these things by nature do also believe them on Revelation Heb. 11. 6. He that cometh unto God must BELIEVE that he is and that he is a rewarder Though men KNOW God by the light of nature yet they cannot COME to God by that knowledge 2. These Essential properties of the nature of God are revealed by his WORKS So the Apostle in the same place ver 20. The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his Eternal Power and Godhead See also Psalm 19. 1 2 3. And this is the first sort of things that may be known of God 2. There are the free Acts of his Will and Power or his free eternal purposes with the
are a generation of philosophiâ—â—â— disputers amongst them by whom their tottering cause is supported that there should have been Sacrisices in Paradice if man had not sinned But as in all their opinions our first enquiry ought to be what do they get by this or that their whole Religion being pointed unto their carnal interest so we may in particular do it upon this uncouth Assertion which is perfectly contradictious to the very Nature and End of most Sacrifices namely that they should be offered where there is no sin Why they hope to establish hence a general rule that there can be no true Worship of God in any state or condition without a Sacrifice What then I pray Why then it is evident that the continual Sacrifice of the Mass is necessary in the Church and that without it there is no true Worship of God and so they are quickly come home to their advantage and profit the Mass being that inexhaustible Spring of Revenue which feeds their pride and lust throughout the world But there is in the Church of Christ an Altar still and a Sacrifice still which they have rejected for the a bominable figment of their Mass namely Christ himself as the Apostle informs us Heb. 13. 10. But as the Sacrifices of Beasts could not have been before the entrance of sin so it may be evidenced that they were instituted from the foundation of the world that is presently after the entrance of sin Christ is called the Lamb of God John 1. 29. which he was in reference unto the Sacrifices of old as 1 Pet. 2. 18 19. whence he is represented in the Church as a Lamb slain Rev. 5. 6. or giving out the efficacy of all Sacrifices to his Church Now he is said to be a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Rev. 13. 8. which could not be unless some Sacrifice prefiguring his being slain had been then offered For it denotes not only the efficacy of his Mediation but the way Besides the Apostle tells us that without shedding of blood there was no remission Heb. 9. 22. That is God to demonstrate that all pardon and forgiveness related to the blood of Christ from the foundation of the world gave out no word of pardon but by and with blood Now I have shewed before that he revealed pardon in the first promise and therefore there ensued thereon the shedding of blood and Sacrifices and thereby that Testament or Covenant was dedicated with blood also ver 18. Some think that the Beasts of whose skins God made garments for Adam were offered in Sacrifices Nor is their conjecture vain Yea it seems not to want a shaddow of a Gospel Mysterie that their nakedness which became their shame upon their sin whence the pollution and shame of sin is frequently so termed should be covered with the skins of their Sacrifices For in the true Sacrifice there is somewhat answerable thereunto And the Righteousness of him whose Sacrifice takes away the guilt of our sin is called our cloathing that hides our pollution and shame 3. That after the giving of the Law the greatest most noble and solemn part of the Worship of God consisted in Sacrifices And this kind of Worship continued with the approbation of God in the world about four thousand years that is from the entrance of sin until the death of the Messiah the true Sacrifice which put an end unto all that was typical These things being premised we may consider what was the mind and aim of God in the Institution of this Worship One instance and that of the most solemn of the whole kind will resolve us in this enquiry Lev. 16. 5. Two Kids of the Goats are taken for an offering for sin Consider only that we do not enlarge on particulars how one of them was dealt withal ver 20 21 22. He shall bring the live Goat and Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live Goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgression in all their sins putting them upon the head of the Goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the Wilderness and the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a Land not inhabited Let us see to what end is all this Solemnity and what is declared thereby Wherefore should God appoint poor sinful men to come together to take a Goat or Lamb and to confess over his head all their sins and transgressions and to devote him to destruction under that confession Had men invented this themselves it had been a matter of no moment But it was an Institution of God which he bound his Church to the observation of upon the penalty of his highest displeasure Certainly this was a solemn declaration that there is forgiveness with him Would that God who is infinitely Good and so will not who is infinitely True holy and faithful and so cannot deceive call men out whom he loved to a solemn Representation of a thing wherein their chiefest their eternal concernment did lye and suffer them to feed upon Ashes Let men take heed that they mock not God for of a Truth God mocketh not man until he be finally rejected by him For four thousand years together then did God declare by Sacrifices that there is forgiveness with him and lead his people by them to make a publick Representation of it in the face of the world This is a second uncontrolable Evidence of the Truth asserted which may possibly be of use to souls that come indeed deeply and seriously to deal with God for though the Practice be ceased yet the Instruction intended in thern continues III. Gods appointment of Repentance unto sinners doth reveal that there is forgiveness in himself I say the prescription of Repentance is a Revelation of forgiveness After the Angels had sinned God never once called them to Repentance He would not deceive them but let them know what they were to look for at his hands he hath no forgiveness for them and therefore would require no Repentance of them It is not nor ever was a duty incumbent on them to repent Nor is it so unto the damned in Hell God requires it not of them nor is it their duty There being no forgiveness for them what should move them to repent Why should it be their duty so to do Their eternal anguish about sin committed hath nothing of Repentance in it Assignation then of Repentance is a Revelation of forgiveness God would not call upon a sinful creature to humble it self and bewail its sin if there were no way of recovery or relief And the only way of recovery from the guilt of sin is pardon so Job 33. 27 28. He looketh on men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not he will deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see the light
may take advantage to bring a greater punishment and revenge upon them and what more vile affection what more wretched corruption of heart and mind can he manifest and shall we think that this is the whole design of the Patience of God God forbid It may be objected that this Argument is not cogent because of the instance that lyes against it in Gods dealing with the Angels that sinned It is evident that they fell into their transgression and Apostacy before mankind did so For they lead and seduced our first Parents into sin And yet God bears with them and exerciseth patience towards them to this very day and will do so unto the consummation of all things when they shall be cast into the fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And yet it is granted that there is no forgiveness in God for them so that it doth not necessarily follow that there is so for man because of his patience towards them I answer That this must be more fully spoken unto when we come to remove that great Objection against this whole Truth which was mentioned before taken from Gods dealing with the sinning Angels whom he spared not at present two or three Observations will remove it out of our way For 1. That the case is not the same with the sinning Angels and the race of mankind in all Generations There are no other Angels in this condition but only those individuals who first sinned in their own persons They are not in the Providence and Patience of God multiplyed and encreased in ensuing times and seasons but they continue the same individual persons who first sinned and no more So that immediate execution of the whole punishment due unto their sin would not have prevented any encrease of them But now with man it is otherwise For God continues his patience towards them to the production of millions of other persons who were not actually in the first sin Had not God so continued his forbearance their Being and consequently their sin and misery had been prevented so that the case is not the same with sinning Angels and Men. 2. Indeed God exerciseth no patience toward the Angels that sinned and that because he had no forgiveness for them So Peter tells us 2 Epistle 2. 6. God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down into Hell and delivered them into chains of darkness Immediately upon their sin they were cast out of the presence of God whose vision and enjoyment they were made for and which they received some experience of And they were cast into Hell as the place of their ordinary retention and of their present anguish under the sense of Gods curse and displeasure And although they may some of them be permitted to compass the earth and to walk to and fro therein to serve the ends of Gods holy wise Providence and so to be out of their prison yet they are still in their chains for they were delivered unto chains of darkness to be kept unto the last Judgement And in these things they lye actually under the execution of the curse of God So that there is indeed no patience exercised towards them If a notorious Malefactor or Murtherer be committed unto a Dungeon and kept bound with Iron chains to prevent his escape untill the appointed day of his solemn Judgement and Execution without the least intention to spare him None will say there is patience exercised towards him Things being disposed only so as that his punishment may be secure and severe And such is the case such is the condition of the Angels that sinned who are not therefore to be esteemed objects of Gods patience 3. The reason why the full and final punishment of these Angels is reserved and respited unto the appointed season is not for their own sakes their good benefit or advantage at all but meerly that the end of Gods patience towards mankind might be accomplished When this is once brought about they shall not be spared a day an hour a moment So that Gods dispensation towards them is nothing but a meer withholding the infliction of the utmost of their punishment until he hath accomplished the blessed ends of his patience towards mankind But you will say Secondly Is it not said that God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endures with much long-suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction Rom. 9. 22. So that it seems that the End of Gods endurance and longsuffering to some at least is only their fitting unto destruction Answ. 1. It is one thing to endure with much long suffering another thing to exercise and declare patience The former only intimates Gods withholding for a season of that destruction which he might justly inflict which we speak not of the other denotes an acting in a way of Goodness and kindness for some especial end 2. The next Verse declares the great end of Gods patience and answers this Objection That he might make known the riches of his glory in the vessels of mercy which he had prepared for glory ver 23. This is the great End of Gods patience which whilst he is in the pursuit of towards the Vessels of mercy he endureth others with much long-suffering and forbearance This then is fully evident that there could be no sufficient Reason assigned of the patience of God towards sinners but that there is forgiveness prepared for them that come to him by Christ. And this the Scripture clearly testifies unto 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Question is what is the reason why God forbears the Execution of his Judgement upon wicked and ungodly men Some would have it that God is slack that is regardless of the sins of men and takes no notice of them No saith the Apostle God hath another design in his patience and long-suffering what is this It is to manifest that he is not willing we should perish That is it which we have proved For our freedom from destruction is by Repentance which necessarily infers the forgiveness of Sin So Paul tells us that in the Gospel is declared what is the End of Gods patience and forbearance it is saith he the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. Let us therefore also mind this Evidence in the Application of our selves to God for pardon It is certain that God might have taken us from the womb and have cast us into utter darkness And in the course of our lives we have been guilty of such provocations as God might justly have taken the Advantage of to glorifie his Justice and Severity in our ruine But yet we have lived thus long in the patience and forbearance of God And to what end hat he thus spared us and let pass those Advantages for our destruction that we have put into his hand Is it not that he might by his patience give us leave and space to get an interest in that forgiveness which he thus testifies to be in himself Let us then
be encouraged by it to use it unto the end and purpose for which it is exercised towards us You that are yet in doubt of your condition consider that the patience of God was extended unto you this day this very day that you might use it for the obtaining of the remission of your sins Lose not this day not one day more as you love your souls For wosul will be their condition who shall perish for despising or abusing of the patience of God VI. The faith and experience of the Saints in this world give in testimony unto this truth and we know that their Record in this matter is true Let us then ask of them what they believe what they have found what they have Experience of as to the forgiveness of sin This God himself directs and leads us unto by appealing unto our own experience whence he shews us that we may take relief and supportment in our distresses Isa. 40. 28. Hast thou not heard hast not thou known Hast not thou thy self who now cryest out that thou art lost and undone because God hath forsaken thee sound and known by experience the contrary from his former dealings with thee And if our own Experiences may confirm us against the workings of our unbelief so may those of others also And this is that which Eliphas directs Job unto Chap. 6. 1. Call now if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou look It is not a supplication to them for help that is intended but an enquiry after the Experience in the case in hand wherein he wrongfully thought they could not justifie Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which of the Saints on the right hand or left wilt thou have regard in this matter Some would foolishly hence seek to confirm the Invocation of the Saints departed when indeed if they were intended it is rather forbidden and discountenanced than directed unto But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 16. 2. The Saints that are in the Earth whose experiences Job is directed to enquire into and after David makes it a great encouragement unto waiting upon God as a God hearing prayers that others had done so and found success Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cryed unto the Lord and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles If he did so and had that blessed Issue why should not we do so also The experiences of one are often proposed for the confirmation and establishment of others so the same David Come saith he and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. He contents not himself to mind them of the Word Promises and Providence of God which he doth most frequently but he will give them the encouragement and supportment also of his own Experience So Paul tells us that he was comforted of God in all his tribulation that he might be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith he himself was comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 4. That is that he might be able to communicate unto them his own experience of Gods dealing with him and the satisfaction and Assurance that he found therein So also he proposeth the example of Gods dealing with him in the pardon of his sins as a great motive unto others to believe 1 Tim. 1. 13 14 15 16. And this mutual communication of satisfying experiences in the things of God or of our spiritual sense and evidence of the Power Efficacy and Reality of Gospel Truths being rightly managed is of singular use to all sorts of Believers So the same Great Apostle acquaints us in his own Example Rom. 1. 11 12. I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end you may be established that is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me He longed not only to be instructing of them in the pursuit of the work of the Ministry committed unto him but to confer also with them about their mutual faith and what Experiences of the peace of God in Believing they had attained We have in our case called in the Testimony of the Saints in Heaven with whom these on earth do make up one family even that one family in Heaven and Earth which is called after the name of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 3. 14 15. And they all agree in their Testimonie as becomes the Family and Children of God But these below we may deal personally with whereas we gather the Witness of the other only from what is left upon record concerning them And for the clearing of this Evidence sundry things are to be observed As 1. Men living under the profession of Religion and not experiencing the power vertue and efficacy of it in their hearts are whatever they profess very near to Atheism or at least exposed to great temptations thereunto If they profess they know God but in works deny him they are abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. Let such men lay aside Tradition and Custome let them give up themselves to a free and a rational consideration of things and they will quickly find that all their profession is but a miserable self-deceiving and that indeed they believe not one word of the Religion which they profess For of what their Religion affirms to be in themselves they find not any thing true or real And what Reason have they then to believe that the things which it speaks of that are without them are one jot better If they have no Experience of what it affirms to be within them what confidence can they have of the Reality of what it reveals to be without them John tells us that he who saith he loves God whom he hath not seen and doth not love his Brother whom he hath seen is a lyar Men who do not things of an equal concernment unto them wherein they may be tryed are not to be believed in what they profess about greater things whereof no tryal can be had So he that believes not who experienceth not the power of that which the Religion he professeth affirms to be in him if he sayes that he doth believe other things which he can have no Experience of he is a lyar For instance he that professeth the Gospel avows that the death of Christ doth crucifie sin that faith purifieth the heart that the Holy Ghost quickens and enables the soul unto duty that God is good and gracious unto all that come unto him that there is precious Communion to be obtained with him by Christ that there is great Joy in believing These things are plainly openly frequently insisted on in the Gospel Hence the Apostle presseth men unto Obedience on the account of them and as it were leaves them at liberty from it if
suppose he hath not the thing in his Power to bestow on us or that his Will is wholly averse from so doing is to reproach him with want of Truth Faithfulness and Holiness and not to be God For what sincerity can be in such proceedings Is it consistent with any Divine Excellency Could it have any other end but to deceive poor creatures either to delude them if they do pray according to his command or to involve them in further guilt if they do not God forbid any such thoughts should enter into our hearts But 3. To put this whole matter out of question God hath promised to hear our prayers and in particular those which we make unto him for the forgiveness of sin So our Saviour hath assured us that what we ask in his name it shall be done for us And he hath as we have shewed taught us to ask this very thing of God as our Heavenly Father that is in his name For in and through him alone is he a Father unto us I need not insist on particular Promises to this purpose they are as you know multiplyed in the Scriptures What hath been spoken may suffice to establish our present Argument namely that Gods prescription of Religious Worship unto sinners doth undeniably prove that with him there is forgiveness especially considering that the principal parts of the Worship so prescribed and appointed by him are peculiarly designed to confirm us in the faith thereof And this is the design of the words that we do insist upon There is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared The fear of God as we have shewed in the Old Testament doth frequently express not that gracious Affection of our minds which is distinctly so called but that whole Worship of God wherein that and all other Gracious Affections towards God are to be exercised Now the Psalmist tells us that the foundation of this fear or Worship and the only motive and encouragement for sinners to engage in it and give up themselves unto it is this that there is forgiveness with God Without this no sinner could fear serve or worship him This therefore is undeniably proved by the Institution of this Worship which was proposed unto confirmation The end of all these things as we shall afterwards at large declare is to encourage poor sinners to believe and to evidence how inexcusable they will be left who notwithstanding all this do through the power of their lusts and unbelief refuse to come to God in Christ that they may be pardoned Yea the laying open of the certainty and fulness of the evidence given unto this truth makes it plain and conspicuous whence it is that men perish in and for their sins Is it for want of Mercy Goodness Grace or Patience in God Is it through any defect in the Mediation of the Lord Christ Is it for want of the mightiest encouragements and most infallible Assurances that with God there is Forgiveness Not at all but meerly on the account of their own obstinacy stubbornness and perversness They will not come unto this Light yea they hate it because their deeds are evil They will not come to Christ that they may have life It is meerly darkness blindness and love of sin that brings men to destruction And this is laid open and all pretences and excuses are removed and the shame of mens lusts made naked by the full confirmation of this Truth which God hath furnished us withal Take heed you that hear or read these things if they are not mixed with faith they will add greatly to your misery Every Argument will be your Torment But these considerations must be insisted on afterwards Moreover if you will take into your minds what hath been delivered in particular concerning the nature and end of the Worship of God which you attend unto you may be instructed in the use and due observation of it When you address your selves unto it remember that this is that which God requires of you who are sinners That this he would not have done but with thoughts and intention of mercy for sinners Bless him with all your souls that this is laid as the Foundation of all that you have to do with him You are not utterly cast off because you are sinners Let this support and warm your hearts when you go to hear to pray or any duty of Worship Consider what is your principal work in the whole You are going to deal with God about Forgiveness in the Being Causes Consequents and Effects of it Hearken what he speaks declares or reveals about it mix his Revelation and Promises with faith Enquire diligently into all the Obedience and Thankfulness all those duties of Holiness and Righteousness which he justly expects from them who are made partakers of it so shall you observe the Worship of God unto his Glory and your own Advantage The giving and establishing of the New Covenant another Evidence of Forgiveness with God The Oath of God engaged in the confirmation thereof VIII Another Evidence hereof may be taken from the making establishing and ratifying of the New Covenant That God would make a new Covenant with his people is often promised often declared See among other places Jer. 31. 31 32. and that he hath done so accordingly the Apostle at large doth manifest Heb. 8. 8 9 10 11 12. Now herein sundry things unto our present purpose may be considered For 1. It is supposed that God had before made another Covenant with mankind With reference hereunto is this said to be a new one It is opposed unto another that was before it and in comparison whereof that is called old and this said to be new as the Apostle speaks expresly in the place before mentioned Now a Covenant between God and man is a thing Great and Marvellous whether we consider the nature of it or the Ends of it In its own nature it is a Convention Compact and Agreement for some certain ends and purposes between the Holy Creator and his poor creatures How infinite how unspeakable must needs the Grace and Condescention of God in this matter be For what is poor miserable man that God should set his heart upon him that he should as it were give bounds to his Soveraignty over him and enter into terms of Agreement with him For whereas before he was a meer object of his Absolute Dominion made at his Will and for his Pleasure and on the same reasons to be crushed at any time into nothing Now he hath a bottom and ground given him to stand upon whereon to expect good things from God upon the account of his Faithfulness and Righteousness God in a Covenant gives those holy properties of his Nature unto his Creatures as his hand or arm for him to lay hold upon and by them to plead and argue with him And without this a man could have no foundation for any entercourse or Communion with God or of any expectation from
him nor any direction how to deal with him in any of his concernments Great and signal then was the condescension in God to take his poor Creature into Covenant with himself And especially will this be manifest if we consider the Ends of it and why it is that God thus deals with man Now these are no other than that man might serve him aright be blessed by him and be brought unto the everlasting enjoyment of him all unto his Glory These are the Ends of every Covenant that God takes us into with himself And these are the whole of man No more is required of us in a way of duty no more can be required by us to make us blessed and happy but what is contained in them That we might live to God be accepted with him and come to the eternal fruition of him is the whole of man All that we were made for or are capable of and these are the Ends of every Covenant that God makes with men being all comprized in that solemn word that he will be their God and they shall be his people Secondly This being the Nature this the End of a Covenant there must be some great and important cause to change alter and abrogate a Covenant once made and established to lay aside one Covenant and to enter into another And yet this the Apostle sayes expresly that God had done Heb. 8. 13. and proves it because himself calls that which he promised a New Covenant which undeniably confirms two things First That the other was become old and Secondly That being become so it was changed altered and removed I know the Apostle speaks immediately of the old Administration of the Covenant under the Old Testament or Mosaical Institutions but he doth so with reference unto that revival which in it was given to the first Covenant made with Adam For in the giving of the Law and the Curse wherewith it was accompanied which were immixed with that Administration of the Covenant there was a solemn revival and Representation of the first Covenant and its Sanction whereby it had life and power given it to keep the people in bondage all their dayes And the end of the Abolition or taking way of the Legal Administration of the Covenant was meerly to take out of Gods dealing with his people all use and Remembrance of the first Covenant As was said therefore to take away disannul and change a Covenant so made ratified and established betwixt God and man is a matter that must be resolved into some cogent important and indispensable cause And this will the more evidently appear if we consider First In general that the first Covenant was Good Holy Righteous and Equal It was such as became God to make and was every way the happiness of the Creature to accept of We need no other Argument to prove it holy and good than this that God made it It was the Effect of infinite Holiness Wisdome Righteousness Goodness and Grace And therefore in it self was it every way perfect for so are all the works of God Besides it was such as man when through his own sault he cannot obtain any good by it and must perish everlastingly by vertue of the Curse of it yet cannot but subscribe unto its Righteousness and Holiness The Law was the Rule of it therein is the tenor of it contained Now saith the Apostle whatever becomes of the sin and the sinner the Law is holy and the commandment is holy and just and good Rom. 7. 12. Holy in it self and its own Nature as being the Order and Constitution of the most holy God Just and equal with reference unto us such as we have no reason to complain of or repine against the Authority of it and the terms of it are most righteous And not only so but it is good also that which notwithstanding the appearance of Rigor and severity which it is accompanied withal had in it an exceeding mixture of Goodness and Grace both in the Obedience constituted in it and the Reward annexed unto it as might be more fully manifested were that our present work Secondly In particular it was Good Holy and Righteous in all the Commands of it in the Obedience which it required And two things there were that rendred it exceeding Righteous in reference unto its Precepts or Commands First That they were all suited unto the Principles of the nature of man created by God and in the regular acting whereof consisted his perfection God in the first Covenant required nothing of man prescribed nothing unto him but what there was a Principle for the doing and accomplishing of it ingrafted and implanted on his nature which rendred all those commands equal holy and good For what need any man complain of that which requires nothing of him but what he is from his own frame and Principles inclined unto Secondly all the Commands of it were proportionate unto the strength and ability of them to whom they were given God in that Covenant required nothing of any man but what he had before enabled him to perform nothing above his strength or beyond his power and thence was it also righteous Secondly It was exceeding Good Holy and Righteous upon the account of its Promises and rewards Do this saith the Covenant this which thou art able to do which the Principles of thy nature are fitted for and enclined unto Well what shall be the issue thereof Why do this and live Life is promised unto Obedience and that such a Life as both for the present and future condition of the creature was accompanied with every thing that was needful to make it blessed and happy Yea this Life having in it the eternal enjoyment of God God himself as a Reward was exceedingly above whatever the Obedience of man could require as due or have any Reason on any other account but meerly of the Goodness of God to expect Thirdly There was provision in that Covenant for the Preservation and manifestation of the Glory of God whatever was the Event on the part of man This was provided for in the Wisdom and Righteousness of God Did man continue in his Obedience and fulfill the terms of the Covenant all things were laid in subserviency to the Eternal Glory of God in his Reward Herein would he for ever have manifested and exalted the Glory of his Holiness Power Faithfulness Righteousness and Goodness As an Almighty Creator and Preserver as a faithful God and Righteous Rewarder would he have been glorified On supposition on the other side that man by sin and Rebellion should trangress the terms and tenor of this Covenant yet God had made provision that no detriment unto his Glory should ensue thereon For by the constitution of a punishment proportionable in his Justice unto that sin and demerit he had provided that the glory of his Holiness Righteousness and Veracity in his Threatnings should be exalted and that to all Eternity God would have
lost no more glory and honour by the sin of man than by the sin of Angels which in his infinite Wisdom and Righteousness is become a great Theatre of his Eternal Glory For he is no less Excellent in his Greatness and Severity than in his Goodness and Power Wherefore we may now return unto our former enquiry All things being thus excellently and admirably disposed in infinite Wisdom and Holiness in this Covenant the whole Duty and Blessedness of man being fully provided for and the Glory of God absolutely secured upon all Events what was the Reason that God left not all things to stand or fall according to the terms of it Wherefore doth he reject and lay aside this Covenant and Promise to make another and do so accordingly Certain it is that he might have continued it with a blessed security to his own Glory and he makes all things for himself even the wicked for the day of evil God himself shews what was the only and sole Reason of this dispensation Heb. 8. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. The summ of it is this Notwithstanding the blessed Constitution of the first Covenant yet there was no provision for the pardon of sin no room or place for forgiveness in it but on supposition that man sinned he was in that Covenant left remediless God had not in it revealed that there was any such thing as forgiveness with him nor had any sinner the least hope or grounds of expectation from thence of any such thing in him Dye he must and perish and that without remedy or recovery Now saith God this must not be Mercy Goodness Grace require another state of things This Covenant will not manifest them their effects will not be communicated to poor sinners by it Hence saith he it is faulty that is defective I will not lose the glory of them nor shall sinners be unrelieved by them And therefore although I may strictly tye up all mankind unto the terms of this yet I will make another Covenant with them wherein they shall know and find that there is forgiveness with me that they may fear me Now next to the Blood of Christ whereby this Covenant was ratified and confirmed this is the greatest Evidence that can possible be given that there is forgiveness with God To what end else doth God make this great alteration in the effects of his Will in his way of dealing with mankind As forgiveness of sin is expresly contained in the tenor and words of the Covenant so set it aside and it will be of no more use or advantage than the former For as this Covenant is made directly with sinners nor was there any one in the world when God made it that was not a sinner nor is it of use unto any but sinners so is forgiveness of sins the very life of it Hence we may see two things First The greatness of forgiveness that we may learn to value it and Secondly The certainty of it that we may learn to believe it First The greatness of it God would not do so great a thing as that mentioned but for a great the greatest end Had it not been a matter of the greatest importance unto the glory of God and the good of the souls of men God would not for the sake of it have laid aside one Covenant and made another We may evidently see how the heart of God was set upon it how his Nature and Will were engaged in it All this was done that we might be pardoned The old glorious fabrick of Obedience and Rewards shall be taken down to the ground that a new one may be erected for the honour and glory of forgiveness God forbid that we should have slight thoughts of that which was so strangely and wonderfully brought forth wherein God had as it were embarked his great Glory Shall all this be done for our sakes and shall we undervalue it or disesteem it God forbid God could if I may so say more easily have made a new world of Innocent Creatures and have governed them by the Old Covenant than have established this new one for the salvation of poor sinners but then where had been the glory of forgiveness It could never have been known that there was forgiveness with him The Old Covenant could not have been preserved and sinners pardoned Wherefore God chose rather to leave the Covenant than sinners unrelieved than Grace unexalted and Pardon unexercised Prize it as you prize your souls and give glory unto God for it as all those that believe will do unto Eternity Secondly For the security of it that we may believe it What greater can be given God deceiveth no man no more than he is deceived And what could God that cannot lye do more to give us satisfaction herein than he hath done Would you be made partakers of this forgiveness Go unto God spread before him this whole matter plead with him that he himself hath so far laid aside the first Covenant of his own Gracious Will as to make a new one and that meerly because it had no forgiveness in it This he hath made on purpose that it might be known that there is forgiveness in him And shall not we now be made partakers of it Will he now deny that unto us which he hath given such Assurance of and raised such expectations concerning it Nothing can here wrong us nothing can ruine us but unbelief Lay hold on this Covenant and we shall have pardon This God expresseth Isa. 27. 4 5. Will we continue on the old bottom of the first Covenant All that we can do thereon is but to set thorns and bryars in the way of God to secure our selves from his coming against us and upon us with his indignation and fury Our sins are so and our Righteousness is no better And what will be the issue both they and we shall be trodden down consumed and burnt up What way then what remedy is left unto us only this of laying hold on the arm and strength of God in that Covenant wherein forgiveness of sin is provided Therein alone he saith fury is not in me and the end will be that we shall have peace with him both here and for ever IX The Oath of God engaged and interposed in this matter is another Evidence of the truth insisted on Now because this is annexed unto the Covenant before mentioned and is its establishment I shall pass it over the more briefly And in it we may consider 1. The Nature of the Oath of God The Apostle tells us that he sware by himself And he gives this Reason of it because he had no greater to swear by Heb. 6. 13. An Oath for the confirmation of any thing is an Invocation of a Supream Power that can judge of the truth that is spoken and vindicate the breach of the engagement This God hath none other but himself Because he could swear by no greater he swear by himself
in those other fundamental duties of the Gospel in self-denyal readiness for the Cross and forsaking the world is an Evidence if not how little sincerity there is in the World Yet at least it is of how little growing and thriving there is amongst Professors 3. That there is no Grace Vertue or Perfection in any man but what is as an Emanation from the Divine Goodness and Bounty so expressive of some Divine Excellencies or perfection somewhat that is in God in a way and manner Infinitely more Excellent We were created in the Image of God Whatever was good or comely in us was a part of that Image Especially the Ornaments of our Minds the perfections of our souls These things had in them a resemblance of and a correspondency unto some excellencies in God whereunto by the way of Analogie they may be reduced This being for the most part lost by sin a shadow of it only remaining in the faculties of our souls and that Dominion over the Creatures which is permitted unto men in the patience of God The recovery that we have by Grace is nothing but an initial Renovation of the Image of God in us Ephes. 4. 22. It is the implanting upon our natures those Graces which may render us again like unto him And nothing is Grace or Vertue but what so answers to somewhat in God So then whatever is in us of this kind is in God absolutely perfectly in a way and manner infinitely more excellent Let us now therefore put these things together God requires of us that there should be forgiveness in us for those that do offend us forgiveness without limitation and bounds The Grace hereof he bestoweth on his Saints sets an high price upon it and manifests many wayes that he accounts it among the most excellent of our endowments one of the most lovely and praise worthy qualifications of any person What then shall we now say Is there forgiveness with him or no He that made the Eye shall he not see He that planted the Ear shall he not hear He that thus prescribes forgiveness to us that bestows the Grace of it upon us is there not forgiveness with him It is all one as to say though we are good yet God is not though we are Benign and Bountiful yet he is not He that finds this Grace wrought in him in any measure and yet fears that he shall not find it in God for himself doth therein and so far prefer himself above God which is the natural Effect of cursed unbelief But the Truth is were there not forgiveness with God forgiveness in man would be no vertue with all those qualities that encline thereto such are meekness pity patience compassion and the like Which what were it but to set loose Humane Nature to rage and madness For as every Truth consists in its answerableness to the Prime and Eternal Verity So vertue consists not absolutely nor primarily in a conformity to a rule of Command but in a Correspondency unto the first absolute perfect Being and its perfections Properties of Forgiveness The Greatness and Freedom of it The Arguments and Demonstrations foregoing have we hope undeniably evinced the great Truth we have insisted on which is the life and soul of all our Hope Profession Religion and Worship The end of all this Discourse is to lay a firm foundation for faith to rest upon in its addresses unto God for the forgiveness of sins as also to give encouragements unto all sorts of persons so to do This End remains now to be explained and pressed which work yet before we directly close withall two things are further to be premised And the first is to propose some of those Adjuncts of and Considerations about this forgiveness as may both encourage and necessitate us to seek out after it and to mix the Testimonies given unto it and the Promises of it with faith unto our Benefit and Advantage The other is to shew how needfull all this endeavour is upon the account of that great Unbelief which is in the most in this matter As to the first of these then we may consider First That this forgiveness that is with God is such as becomes him such as is suitable to his Greatness Goodness and all other Excellencies of his Nature such as that therein he will be known to be God What he sayes concerning some of the works of his Providence be still and know that I am God may be much more said concerning this great Effect of his Grace Still your souls and know that he is God It is not like that narrow difficult halving and manacled forgiveness that is found amongst men when any such thing is found amongst them But it is full free boundless bottomless absolute such as becomes his Nature and Excellencies It is in a word forgiveness that is with God and by the exercise whereofhe will be known so to be And hence 1. God himself doth really separate and distinguish his forgiveness from any thing that our thoughts and imaginations can reach unto and that because it is his and like himself It is an object for faith alone which can rest in that which it cannot comprehend It is never safer than when it is as it were overwhelmed with infiniteness But set meer rational thoughts or the imaginations of our minds at work about such things and they fall unconceivably short of them They can neither conceive of them aright nor use them unto their proper end and purpose Were not forgiveness in God somewhat beyond what men could imagine no flesh could be saved This himself expresseth Isa. 55. 7 8 9. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord for as the Heavens are higher than the earth so are my wayes higher than your wayes and my thoughts than your thoughts They are as is plain in the context thoughts of forgiveness and wayes of Pardon whereof he speaks These our Apprehensions come short of we know little or nothing of the infinite largeness of his heart in this matter He that he speaks of is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an impiously wicked man and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of deceit and perverse wickedness He whose design and course is nothing but a lye sin and iniquity Such an one as we would have little or no hopes of that we would scarce think it worth our while to deal withal about a hopeless Conversion or can scarce find in our hearts to pray for him but are ready to give him up as one profligate and desperate But let him turn to the Lord and he shall obtain forgiveness But how can this be Is it possible there should be mercy for such an one Yes For the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
nature of this conviction of sin which you say you have Is it not made up of these two ingredients 1. A general notion that you are sinners as all men also are 2. Particular troublesome reflections upon your selves when on any eruption of sin Conscience accuses rebukes condemns You will say yes what would you require more This is not the Conviction we are enquiring after That is a work of the Spirit by the Word this you speak of a meer Natural work which you can no more be without than you can cease to be men This will give no Assistance unto the receiving of forgiveness But it may be you will say you have proceeded farther than so and these things have had an improvement in you Let us then a little try whether your process have been according to the mind of God And so whether this invincible barr in your way be removed or no. For although every convinced person do not believe forgiveness yet no one who is not convinced doth so Have you then been made sensible of your condition by Nature what it is to be alienated from the life of God and to be obnoxious to his wrath Have you been convinced of the Universal Enmity that is in your hearts to the mind of God and what it is to be at Enmity against God Hath the unspeakable multitude of the sins of your lives been set in order by the Law before you And have you considered what it is for sinners such sinners as you are to have to deal with a Righteous and a holy God Hath the Holy Ghost wrought a serious Recognition in your hearts of all these things and caused them to abide with you and upon you If you will answer truly you must say many of you that indeed you have not been so exercised You have heard of these things many times but to say that you have gone through with this work and have had Experience of them that you cannot do Then I say you are strangers to forgiveness because you are strangers unto sin But and if you shall say that you have had thoughts to this purpose and are perswaded that you have been throughly convinced of sin I shall yet ask you one Question more what Effects hath your Conviction produced in your hearts and lives Have you been filled with perplexities and consternation of Spirit thereupon Have you had fears dreads or terrors to wrestle withall It may be you will say No Nor will I insist upon that enquiry but this I deal with you in Hath it filled you with self-loathing and Abhorrency with self-condemnation and abasement If it will do any thing this it will do If you come short here it is justly to be feared that all your other pretences are of no value Now where there is no work of conviction there is no faith of forgiveness whatever is pretended And how many vain boasters this sword will cut off is evident 7. We have yet a greater evidence than all these Men live in sin and therefore they do not believe forgiveness of sin Faith in general purifies the heart Acts 15. 19. Our souls are purified in obeying the Truth 1 Pet. 1. 22. and the life is made fruitful by it James 2. 22. Faith worketh by works and makes it self perfect by them And the Doctrine concerning forgiveness hath a special influence into all Holiness Tit. 2. 11 12. The Grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us to deny all unrighteousness and worldly lusts to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world And that is the Grace whereof we speak No man can then believe forgiveness of sin without a detestation and relinquishment of it The ground of this might be farther manifested and the way of the Efficacy of faith of forgiveness unto a forsaking of sin if need were But all that own the Gospel must acknowledge this principle The real belief of the Pardon of sin is prevalent with men not to live longer in sin But now what are the greatest number of those who pretend to receive this Truth Are their hearts purified by it Are their consciences purged Are their lives changed Do they deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts Doth forgiveness teach them so to do Have they found it effectual to these purposes Whence is it then that there is such a bleating and bellowing to the contrary amongst them Some of you are Drunkards some of you Swearers some of you unclean persons some of you lyars some of you worldly some of you haters of all the wayes of Christ and all his concernments upon the Earth proud covetous boasters self-seekers envious wrathful backbiters malitious praters slanderers and the like And shall we think that such as these believe forgiveness of sin God forbid Again Some of you are dark ignorant blind utterly unacquainted with the mysterie of the Gospel nor do at all make it your business to enquire into it Either you hear it not at all or negligently slothfully customarily to no purpose Let not such persons deceive their own souls to live in sin and yet to believe the forgiveness of sin is utterly impossible Christ will not be a Minister of sin nor give his Gospel to be a Doctrine of licentiousness for your sakes Nor shall you be forgiven that you may be delivered to do more Abominations God forbid If any shall say that they thank God they are no such Publicans as those mentioned they are no drunkards no swearers no unclean persons nor the like so that they are not concerned in this consideration Their lives and their duties give another account of them then yet consider further That the Pharisees were all that you say of your selves and yet the greatest despisers of forgiveness that ever were in the world and that because they hated the light on this account that their deeds were evil And for your duties you mention what I pray is the root and spring of them are they influenced from this Faith of forgiveness you boast of or no May it not be feared that it is utterly otherwise you do not perform them because you love the Gospel but because you fear the Law If the truth were known I doubt it would appear that you get nothing by your believing of pardon but an encouragement unto sin Your Goodness such as it is springs from another root It may be also that you ward your selves by it against the strokes of Conscience or the guilt of particular sins this is as bad as the other It is as good be encouraged unto sin to commit it as be encouraged under sin so as to be kept from humiliation for it None under Heaven are more remote from the belief of Grace and Pardon than such persons are All their Righteousness is from the Law and their Sin in a great measure from the Gospel 8. They that believe forgiveness in a due manner believe it for the Ends and Purposes for which it is revealed of God
into Eternity leads to the Glory of God the honour of Christ in the Gospel and your own comfortable account at the last day This encourageth the soul to labour to Trade to endeavour all things now looking forward and unto his advantage 4. Find you not in your selves an impotency a disability unto the dutyes of Obedience as to their performance unto God in an acceptable manner It may be you are not so sensible hereof as you ought to be For respecting only or principally the outward part and performance of dutyes you have not Experience of your own Weakness How to enliven and fill up Duties with Faith Love and Delight you know not and are therefore unacquainted with your own insufficiency in this matter yet if you have any Light any Convictions and to such I speak at present you cannot but perceive and understand that you are not able in your Obedience to answer what you aim at you have not strength or power for it Now it is this faith of Forgiveness alone that will furnish you with the Ability whereof you stand in need Pardon comes not to the Soul alone or rather Christ comes not to the Soul with pardon only It is that which he opens the door and enters by but he comes with a Spirit of life and Power And as without him we can do nothing so through his enabling us we may do all things Receiving of Gospel Forgiveness engageth all the grace of the Gospel unto our assistance This is the summe of what hath been spoken the obedience that you perform under your convictions is burdensome and unpleasant unto you it is altogether unacceptable to God You lose all you do and all that you hope to do hereafter if the foundation be not layd in the receiving of pardon in the blood of Christ. It is high time to cast down all that vain and Imaginary fabrick which you have been erecting and to go about the laying of a new Foundation which you may safely and chearfully build upon a building that will abide for ever Again It is such a way so excellent so pretious so neer the heart of God so relating to the blood of Christ that the neglect of it will assuredly be sorely revenged of the Lord. Let not men think that they shall despise the Wisdom and Love of the Father the blood of the Son and the Promises of the Gospel at an easie rate Let us in a very few words take a view of what the Holy Ghost speaks to this purpose There are Three wayes whereby the Vengeance due to the neglect of closing with forgiveness or Gospel Grace is expressed 1. That is done Positively He that believeth not shall be DAMNED Mark 16. 16. That 's a hard word many men cannot endure to hear of it They would not have it named by their good wills and are ready to fly in the face of him from whose mouth it proceeds But let not men deceive themselves this is the softest word that Mercy and Love it self that Christ that the Gospel speaks to despisers of forgiveness It is Christ who is this legal terrifying Preacher it is he that cryes out if you believe not you shall be Damned and will come himself in flaming fire to take vengeance of them that obey not the Gospel 2 Thess. 2. 8. This is the end of the disobedient if God if Christ if the Gospel may be believed 2. Comparatively in reference unto the Vengeance due to the breach of the Law 2 Cor. 2. 16. We are in the preaching of forgiveness by Christ unto them that perish a savour of death unto death a deep death a sore Condemnation so Heb. 10. 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye he shall be thought worthy Sorer than ever was threatned by the Law or inflicted for the breach of it not as to the Kind of punishment but as to the degrees of it Hence ariseth the addition of many stripes 3. By the way of Admiration at the unexpressibleness and unavoidableness of the punishment due unto such sinners Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Surely there is no way for men to escape they shall unavoidably perish who neglect so great salvation So the Holy Ghost sayes 1 Pet. 4. 11. What shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel What understanding can reach to an apprehension of their miserable and wofull condition None can saith the Holy Ghost nor can it be spoken to their capacity ah what shall their end be There remains nothing but a certain fearfull looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation that shall consume the Adversaries Heb. 10. 27. A certain fearfull expectation of astonishable things that cannot be comprehended And these are the Enforcements of the Exhortation in hand which I shall insist upon On these foundations on the consideration of these Principles let us now a little conferre together with the words of Truth and Sobriety I speak to such poor souls as having deceived themselves or neglected utterly their Eternal Condition are not as yet really and in Truth made partakers of this forgiveness Your present state is sad and deplorable There is nothing but the wofull uncertainty of a dying life between you and Eternal ruine That perswasion you have of forgiveness is Good for nothing but to harden you and destroy you It is not the Forgiveness that is with God Nor have you taken it up on Gospel grounds or Evidences You have stollen painted beads and take your selves to be lawfull possessors of Pearls and Jewels As you are then any way concerned in your own Eternal Condition which you are entring into and how soon you shall be ingaged in it you know not prevail with your selves to attend a little unto the Exhortation that lyes before you it is your own business that you are entreated to have regard unto 1. Consider seriously what it is you bottom your hopes and expectation upon as to Eternity Great men and in other things wise are here very apt to deceive themselves They suppose they think and believe much otherwise than indeed they think and believe as their cry at the last day will manifest Put your souls a little unto it Do you at all seriously think of these things Or are you so under the power of your Lusts Ignorance and Darkness that you neglect and despise them Or do you rise up and lye down and perform some duties or neglect them with a great Coldness Remisness and Indifferency of Spirit like Gallio not much caring for these things Or do you relieve your selves with hopes of future amendment purposing that if you live you will be other persons than you are when such and such things are brought about and accomplished Or do you not hope well in Generall upon the account of what you have done and will doe If any of these express your condition it is unspeakably miserable You lye down and rise up under the
in reference unto sin and the demerit of it is our duty The judging of our state and condition in Relation unto the Remedy provided is the Office and Work of Jesus Christ with whom it is to be left 2. Consider that hard thoughts of what God will do with you and harsh desponding sentences pronounced against your selves will unsensibly alienate your hearts from God It may be when mens perplexities are at the height and the most sad Expressions are as it were wrested from them they yet think they must Justifie God and that they do so accordingly But yet such thoughts as those mentioned are very apt to infect the mind with other inclinations For after a while they will prevail with the soul to look on God as an Enemy as one that hath no delight in it and what will be the consequent thereof is easily discernable None will continue to love long where they expect no returns Suffer not then your minds to be tainted with such thoughts and let not God be dishonoured by any such expressions as reflect on that infinite Grace and compassion which he is exercising towards you RULE X. The Tenth Rule Duly improve the least Appearances of God in a way of Grace or Pardon If you would come to stability and a comforting perswasion of an Interest in forgiveness by the Blood of Christ improve the least Appearances of him unto your souls and the least Intimations of his Love in Pardon that are made unto you in the way of God The Spouse takes notice of her Husband and rejoyceth in him when he stands behind the wall when he doth but look forth at the window and shew himself at the lattice when she could have no clear sight of him Cant. 2. 9. She lays hold on the least Appearance of him to support her heart withall and to stir up her Affections towards him Men in dangers do not sit still to wait until something presents it self unto them that will give assured deliverance but they close with that which first presents it self unto them that is of the same kind and nature with what they look after And thus God doth in many places express such supportments as give the soul little more than a possibility of attaining the End aimed at As Zeph. 2. 3. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lords Anger And Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth but he will return and leave a blessing It may be we shall be hid it may be we shall have a blessing And this was the best ground that Jonathan had for the great undertaking against the Enemies of God 1 Sam. 14. 6. It may be God will go along with us And to what end doth God at any time make these seemingly dubious intimations of Grace and Mercy is it that we should by the difficulty included in them be discouraged and kept from him not at all he speaks nothing to deter sinners especially distressed sinners from trusting in him But his End is that we should close with and lay hold upon and improve the least Appearances of Grace which this kind of expressions do give unto us When men are in a voyage at Sea and meet with a Storm or a Tempest which abides upon them and they fear will at last prevail against them if they make so far a discovery of Land as that they can say it may be there is Land it may it is such a place where there is a safe harbour none can positively say it is not there lyes no demonstration against it in this condition especially if there be no other way of escape delivery or safety proposed to them this is enough to make them to follow on that discovery and with all diligence to steer their course that way until they have made a tryal of it unto the utmost The soul of which we speak is afflicted and tossed and not comforted There is in the Intimation of Grace and Pardon intended a remote discovery made of some relief This may be Christ it may be forgiveness This it is convinced of it cannot deny but at such or such a time under such Ordinances or in such Duties it was perswaded that yet there might be Mercy and Pardon for it This is enough to carry it to steer its course constantly that way to press forward unto that harbour which will give it rest How little was it that David had to bring his soul unto a composure in his great distress 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. If saith he I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me the Ark and the place of his habitation but if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do unto me as seemeth good unto him He hath nothing but Soveraign Grace to rest upon and that he gives himself up unto Faith is indeed the souls Venture for Eternity Something it is to venture on as to its eternal condition It must either adhere unto its self or its own vain hopes of a Righteousness of its own or it must give over all expectation and lye down in darkness or it must shut out all dreadfull Apprehensions of Eternity by the power and activity of its lusts and carnal Affections or it must whatever its discouragements be cast it self upon Pardon in the blood of Jesus Christ. Now if all the former waies be detestable and pernicious if the best of them be a direct opposition unto the Gospel what hath the soul that enquires after these things to do but to adhere unto the last and to improve every encouragement even the least to that purpose As a close unto these General Rules I shall only add this last direction Consider in particular where the stress and hinderance lyes that keeps you off from Peace through an established perswasion of an interest in Evangelical Pardon Do not alwaies fluctuate up and down in generals and uncertainties but drive things unto a particular issue that it may be tryed whether it be of sufficient efficacy to keep you in your present entanglements and despondencies Search out your wound that it may be tryed whether it be curable or no. Now in this case we cannot expect that persons should suggest their own particular concerns that so they might be considered and be brought unto the Rule but we must our selves reduce such distresses as may or do in this matter befall the minds of men unto some General heads and give a Judgement concerning them according to the Word of Truth Indeed particular cases as varied by circumstances are endness nor can they be spoken unto in this way of Instruction and Direction but they must be left unto occasional considerations of them as they are represented unto them who are entrusted to dispense the mysteries of God Besides many have laboured already in this matter and their endeavours are in and of general use Although it must be said as was before
persons that are exercised under the hand of God In the time of suffering it was that he fell upon the Head of the Church turning it into the very hour of the power of darkness And he will not omit any appearing opportunities of Advantage against his Members And this is that which he principally in such seasons attacks them withall namely that God regards them not that they are fallen under his Judgement and Severity as those who have no share in Mercy Pardon or Forgiveness From these and the like Reasons I say it is that whereas Afflictions in general are so testified unto to be such pledges and tokens of Gods Love and Care to be designed unto blessed ends as conformity unto Christ and a participation of the Holiness of God yet by reason of these Circumstances they often prove means of casting the soul into depths and of hindering it from a refreshing interest in the forgiveness that is with God That this may prove no real or abiding ground of inward spiritual trouble unto the soul the following Rules and Directions may be observed 1. Not only Afflctions in general but great and manifold Afflictions and those attended with all sorts of aggravating circumstances are alwaies consistent with the pardon of sin after signal tokens and pledges of it and of the Love of God therein Job 7. 17 18. What is man that thou shouldst magnifie him and that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him and that thou shouldst visit him every morning and try him every moment What were the considerations that cast him into this admiration of the Care and Love of God is expressed v. 12 13 14 15 16. There are no words of a more dismal import in the whole book than those here expressed yet when he recollected himself from his overwhelming distress he acknowledgeth that all this proceeded from the Love and Care of God yea his fixing his heart upon a man to magnifie him to set him up and do him good For this end doth he chasten a man every morning and try him every moment and that with such afflictions as are for the present so far from being ioyous as that they give no Rest but even weary the soul of life as he expresseth their Effects on himself v. 15 16. And hence it is observed of this Job that when none in the Earth was like to him in trouble God gave him three Testimonies from Heaven that there was none in the Earth like unto him in Grace And although it may not be laid down as a General Rule yet for the most part in the providence of God from the foundation of the world those who have had most of Afflictions have had most of Grace and the most eminent Testimonies of Acceptance with God Christ Jesus the Son of God the Head of the Church had all Afflictions gathered into an head in him and yet the Father alwaies loved him and was alwaies well pleased with him When God solemnly renewed his Covenant with Abraham and he had prepared the Sacrifice whereby it was to be ratified and confirmed God made a smoaking Furnace to pass between the pieces of the Sacrifice Gen. 15. 17. It was to let him know that there was a furnace of Affliction attending the Covenant of Grace and Peace And so he tells Sion that he chose her in the furnace of Affliction Isa. 48. 10. that is in Aegyptian Affliction burning flaming afflictions fiery tryals as Peter calls them 1 Pet. 4. 12. There can then no Argument be drawn from Affliction from any kind of it from any aggravating circumstance wherewith it may be attended that should any way discourage the soul in its comforting supporting perswasion of an interest in the Love of God and forgiveness thereby 2. No length or continuance of Afflictions ought to be any impeachment of our spiritual consolation Take for the confirmation hereof the great Example of the Son of God How long did his Afflictions continue what end or issue was put to them No longer did they abide than until he cryed with a loud voice and gave up the Ghost To the moment of his death from his Manger to his Cross his Afflictions still increased and he ended his daies in the midst of them Now he was the Head of the Church and the great Representative of it unto a conformity with whom we are predestinated And if God will have it so with us even in this particular so as that we shall have no rest no peace from our trials until we lye down in the Grave that whatever condition we pass through they shall be shut out of none but only from Immortality and Glory what have we herein to complain of 3. Where the Remembrance and perplexing sense of past sins is revived by present afflictions separate them in your minds and deal distinctly about them So long as you carry on the consideration of them joyntly you will be rolled from one to another and never obtain rest unto your souls They will mutually aggravate each other The sharpness of Affliction will add to the bitterness of the sense of sin and the sense of sin will give an edge to Affliction and cause it to pierce deeply into the soul as we shewed in the former instances Deal therefore distinctly about them and in their proper order So doth the Psalmist here He had at present both upon him and together they brought him into these depths concerning which he so cries out for deliverance from them see Psal. 32. 3 4 5. And what course doth he take he applies himself in the first place to his sin and the guilt of it and that distinctly and separately And when he hath got a discharge of sin which he waited so earnestly for his faith quickly arose above his outward trials as appears in his blessed close of all He shall redeem Israel out of all his trouble the whole Israel of God and my self amongst them This do then single out the sin or sins that are revived in the sense of their guilt upon the conscience Use all diligence to come to an issue about them in the blood of Christ. This God by your Affliction calls you unto This is the disease whereof your trouble is but the symptom This therefore in the Cure you seek after is first and principally to be attended unto when that is once removed the other as to any prejudice unto your souls will depart of its self The root being once digged up you shall not long feed on the bitter fruit that it hath brought forth or if you do the Wormwood shall be taken out of it and it shall be very pleasant unto you as well as wholesome How this is to be done by an Application unto God for forgiveness hath been at large declared But if men will deal with confused thoughts about their sins and their troubles their wound will be incurable and their sorrow endless 4. Remember that a time of Affliction is a
we may regularly found a Judgement concerning our selves and it is great folly to wave them all and put the issue of the matter upon one circumstance If a man have a tryal at law wherein he hath many evidences speaking for him only one circumstance is dubious and in question He will not cast the weight of his Cause on that disputed circumstance but will plead those Evidences that are more clear and testifie more fully in his behalf I will not deny but that this matter of the time of conversion is oftimes an important circumstance In the affirmative when it is known it is of great use tending to stability and consolation but yet it is still but a circumstance such as that the being of the thing it self doth not depend upon He that is alive may know that he was born though he know neither the place where nor the time when he was so And so may he that is spiritually alive and hath ground of evidence that he is so that he was born again though he knew neither when nor where nor how And this Case is usual in persons of quiet natural Tempers who have had the advantage of education under means of light and Grace God ofttimes in such persons begins and carries on the work of his Grace insensibly so that they come to good growth and maturity before they know that they are alive Such persons come at length to be satisfied in saying with the blind man in the Gospel How our eyes were opened we know not only one thing we know whereas we were blind by nature now we see 2. Even in this matter also we must it may be be content to live by faith and to believe as well what God hath done in us if it be the matter and subject of his promises as what he hath done for us the ground whereof also is the promise and nothing else Objections from the present state and Condition of the Soul Weakness and imperfection of Duty Opposition from Indwelling Sin 3. There is another Head of Objections against the souls receiving Consolation from an interest in forgiveness arising from the consideration of its present state and condition as to actual Holiness Duties and sins Souls complain when in Darkness and under Temptations that they cannot find that Holiness nor those fruits of it in themselves which they suppose an interest in pardoning mercy will produce Their hearts they find are weak and all their Duties worthless If they were weighed in the ballance they would be all found too light In the best of them there is such a mixture of Self Hypocrisie Unbelief vain Glory that they are even ashamed and confounded with the Remembrance of them These things fill them with discouragements so that they refuse to be comforted or to entertain any refreshing perswasion from the Truth insisted on but rather conclude that they are utter strangers from that forgiveness that is with God and so continue helpless in their depths According unto the method proposed and hitherto pursued I shall only lay down some such general Rules as may support a soul under the despondencies that are apt in such a condition to befall it that none of these things may weaken it in its endeavour to lay hold of forgiveness And First This is the proper place to put in execution our seventh Rule to take heed of heartless complaints when vigorous actings of Grace are expected at our hands If it be thus indeed why lye you on your faces why do you not rise and put out your selves to the utmost giving all diligence to add one Grace to another untill you find your selves in a better frame Supposing then the putting of that Rule into practice I add that 1. Known Holiness is apt to degenerate into self righteousness What God gives us on the account of Sanctification we are ready enough to reckon on the score of Justification It is a hard thing to feel Grace and to believe as if there were none We have so much of the Pharisee in us by nature that it is sometimes well that our Good is hid from us We are ready to take our Corn and Wine and bestow them on other Lovers Were there not in our hearts a spiritually sensible principle of corruption and in our duties a discernable mixture of self it would be impossible we should walk so humbly as is required of them who hold communion with God in a Covenant of Grace and pardoning mercy It is a good life which is attended with a faith of Rightcousness and a sense of corruption Whilest I know Christs Righteousness I shall the less care to know my own Holiness To be holy is necessary to know it sometimes a Temptation 2. Even Duties of Gods Appointment when turned into self-righteousness are Gods great abhorrency Isa. 66. 2 3. What hath a good Original may be vitiated by a bad End 3. Oftentimes Holiness in the heart is more known by the Opposition that is made there to it than by its own prevalent working The Spirits Operation is known by the flesh's opposition We find a mans strength by the burdens he carryes and not the pace that he goes Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death is a better evidence of Grace and Holiness than God I thank thee I am not as other men a heart pressed grieved burdened not by the guilt of sin only which reflects with trouble on an awakened conscience but by the close adhering power of Indwelling sin tempting seducing soliciting hindring captivating conceiving restlesly disquieting may from thence have as clear an evidence of holiness as from a delightful fruit-bearing What is it that is troubled and grieved in thee What is it that seems to be almost killed and destroyed that crys out complains longs for deliverance is it not the new Creature is it not the principle of spiritual life whereof thou art partaker I speak not of trouble and disquietments for sin committed nor of fears and perturbations of mind left sin should break forth to loss shame ruine dishonour nor of the contending of a convinced Conscience lest Damnation should ensue but of the striving of the spirit against sin out of a hatred and a loathing of it upon all the mixt Considerations of Love Grace Mercy Fear the beauty of Holiness Excellency of communion with God that are proposed in the Gospel If thou seemest to thy self to be only passive in these things to do nothing but to endure the Assaults of sin Yet if thou art sensible and standest under the stroke of it as under the stroke of an Enemy there is the root of the matter And as it is thus as to the substance and Being of Holiness so it is also as to the degrees of it Degrees of Holiness are to be measured more by Opposition than self operation He may have more Grace than another who brings not forth so much fruit as the other
iniquities that is of the Elect Israel and every individual amongst them But the word signifies trouble as well as sin especially that trouble or punishment that is for sin So Cain expresseth himself upon the denunciation of his sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my sin that is the punishment thou hast denounced against my sin is too great or heavy for me to bear Gen. 4. 13. There is a near affinity between sin and trouble noxam poena sequitur punishment is inseparable from iniquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the word here used signifies either sin with reference unto trouble due to it or trouble with respect unto sin whence it proceeds And both may here be well intended God shall redeem Israel from all his sins and troubles that have ensued thereon And this is the signification of the words which indeed are plain and obvious And these words close up the Psalm He who began with depths his own depths of sin and trouble out of which and about which he cryed out unto God is so incouraged by that prospect of grace and forgiveness with God which by faith he had obtained as to preach unto others and to support them in expectation of deliverance from all their sin and trouble also And such for the most part are all the exercises and trials of the children of God Their Entrance may be a strom but their close is a calm Their beginning is oftentimes trouble but their latter end is peace peace to themselves and advantage to the Church of God For men in all ages coming out of great trials of their own have been the most instrumental for the good of others For God doth not greatly exercise any of his but with some especial end for his own glory Secondly The sense and intendment of the Psalmist in these words is to be considered and that resolves it self into three general parts 1. An Exhortation or Admonition Israel hope in the Lord or expect Jehovah 2. A ground of Incouragement unto the performance of the Duty exhorted unto Because with the Lord there is much plenteous abundant precious Redemption 3. A gracious Promise of a blessed issue which shall be given unto the performance of this duty He shall redeem Israel from all his sins and out of all his troubles In the Exhortation there occurs 1. The persons exhorted that is Israel not Israel according to the flesh for they are not all Israel which are of Israel Rom. 9. 6. But it is the Israel mentioned Psal. 73. 1. The whole Israel of God to whom he is good such as are of a clean heart that is all those who are interested in the Covenant and do inherit the promise of their forefathers who was first called by that name All Believers and the Psalmist treats them all in general in this matter 1. Because there is none of them but have their trials and intanglements about sin more or less As there is none that liveth and sinneth not so there is none sinneth and is not intangled and troubled Perhaps then they are not all of them in the same condition with him in the depths that he was plunged into Yet more or less all and every one of them is so far concerned in sin as to need his direction All the Saints of God either have been or are or may be in these depths It is a good saying of Austin on this place Valde sunt in profundo qui non clamant de profundo None so in the deep as they who do not cry and call out of the deep They are in a deep of security who are never sensible of a deep of sin 2. There is none of them whatever their present condition he but they may fall into the like depths with those of the Psalmist There is nothing absolutely in the Covenant nor in any Promise to secure them from it And what befalleth any one Believer may befall them all If any one Believer may fall totally away all may do so and not leave one in the world and so an end be put to the Kingdom of Christ which is no small evidence that they cannot so fall But they may fall into depths of sin that some of them have done so we have testimonies and instances beyond exception It is good then that all of them should be prepared for that duty which they may all stand in need of and a right discharge of it Besides the duty mentioned is not absolutely restrained to the condition before described But it is proper and accommodate unto other seasons also Therefore are all the Israel of God exhorted unto it 2. The duty it self is hoping in Jehovah with such an hope or trust as hath an expectation of relief joyned with it And there are two things included in this duty 1. The Renuntiation of any hopes in expectation of deliverance either from sin or trouble any other way hope in Jehovah this is frequently expressed where the performance of this duty is mentioned see Hos. 14. 3. Jer. 3. 22 23. And we have declared the nature of it in the exposition of the 1 and 2. verses 2. Expectation from him and this also hath been insisted on in the Observations from the verses immediately preceding wherein also the whole nature of this duty was explained and directions were given for the due performance of it Secondly The incouragement tendred unto this duty is the next thing in the words for with the Lord is plenteous Redemption wherein we may observe 1. What it is that he professeth as the great incouragement unto the duty mentioned and that is Redemption the Redemption that is with God upon the matter the same with the forgiveness before mentioned Mercy Pardon Benignity Bounty He doth not bid them hope in the Lord because they were the seed of Abraham the peculiar people of God made partakers of priviledges above all the people in the world much less because of their worthiness or that good that was in themselves but meerly upon the account of mercy in God of his Grace Goodness and Bounty The Mercy of God and the Redemption that is with him is the only ground unto sinners for hope and confidence in him 2. There are two great Concernments of this Grace the one expressed the other implied in the words The first is that it is much plenteous abundant That which principally discourageth distressed souls from a comfortable waiting on God is their fears lest they should not obtain mercy from him and that because their sins are so great and so many or attended with such circumstances and aggravations as that it is impossible they should find acceptance with God This ground of despondency and unbelief the Psalmist obviates by representing the fulness the plenty the boundless plenty of the mercy that is with God It is such as will suit the condition of the greatest sinners in their greatest depths the stores of its treasures are inexhaustible And the force of the
Acceptance of Worship from us is an infallible Demonstration that he will not execute against us the severity of the first curse And this is clearly evidenced in the first Record of solemn instituted Worship performed by sinners Gen. 4 4. God had Respect unto Abel and his Offering Some think that God gave a visible pledge of his acceptance of Abel and his Offering it may be it was by fire from Heaven For how else should Cain so instantly know that his Brother and his Offering were accepted but that he and his were refused However it were it is evident that what Testimony God gave of the Acceptance of his Offering the same he gave concerning his Person and that in the first place he had respect unto Abel and then to his Offering And therefore the Apostle saith that hereby he obtained witness that he was Righteous Heb. 11. 4. that is the Witness or Testimony of God himself Now this was in the forgiveness of his sins without which he could neither be Righteous nor accepted for he was a sinner This God declared by Acceptance of his Worship And thus we also if we have any Testimony of Gods Acceptance of us in any part of his Worship should employ it to the same end Hath God enlarged our hearts in prayer hath he given us an Answer unto any of our supplications hath he refreshed our hearts in the preaching and dispensation of the Word or any other Ordinance We are not to rest in the particular about which our communion with him hath been Our doing so is the cause why we lose our experiences They lye scattered up and down separated from their proper root and so are easily lost But this is that which we should first improve such particular experiences in the Worship of God unto namely that God hath pardoned our sins and accepted our persons thereon for without that none of our Worship or Service would please him or be accepted with him 2. Hereby God lets us know that he deals with us upon new Terms so that notwithstanding sin we may enjoy his love and favour For this we have the engagement of his Truth and Veracity and he cannot deceive us but yet by this command of his for his Worship we should be deceived if there were not forgiveness with him For it gives us encouragement to expect and Assurance of finding Acceptance with him which without it cannot be obtained This then God declares by his Institution of and command for his Worship namely that there is nothing that shall indispensably hinder those who give-up themselves unto the Obedience of Gods commands from enjoying his love and favour and communion with him 4. For matter of fact it is known and confessed that God hath appointed a Worship for sinners to perform All the Institutions of the Old and New Testament bear witness hereunto God was the Author of them And men know not what they do when either they neglect them or would be intermixing their own Imaginations with them What can the mind of man conceive or invent that may have any influence into this matter to secure the souls of Believers of their Acceptance with God Is there any need of their Testimony to the Truth Faithfulness and Goodness of God These things he hath taken upon himself This then is that which is to be fixed on our souls upon our first Invitation unto Religious Worship namely that God intends a new Revenue of Glory from us and therefore declares that there is a way for the taking away of our sins without which we can give no Glory to him by our Obedience and this is done only by forgiveness 5. There are some Ordinances of Worship appointed for this very end and purpose to confirm unto us the forgiveness of sin Especially in that Worship which is instituted by the Lord Jesus under the New Testament I shall instance in one or two First The Ordinance of Baptism This was accompanied with the dawning of the Gospel in the Ministry of John Baptist And he expresly declared in his Sermons upon it that it was instituted of God to declare the Remission of sins Mark 1. 4. It is true the Lord Christ submitted unto that Ordinance and was baptized by John who had no sin But this belonged unto the Obedience which God required of him as for our sakes he was made under the Law He was to observe all Ordinances and Institutions of the Worship of God not for any need he had in his own Person of the especial Ends and significations of some of them yet as he was our Sponsor surety and Mediator standing in our stead in all that he so did he was to yield obedience unto them that so he might fulfill all Righteousness Matth. 3. 13. So was he circumcised so he was baptized both which had respect unto sin though absolutely free from all sin in his own Person and that because he was free from no Obedience unto any Command of God But as was said Baptism it self as appointed to be an Ordinance of Worship for sinners to observe was a Declaration of that forgiveness that is with God It was so in its first Institution God calls a man in a marvellous and miraculous manner gives him a Ministry from Heaven commands him to Go and Baptize all those who confessing their sins and professing Repentance of them should come to him to have a Testimony of forgiveness And as to the especial nature of this Ordinance he appoints it to be such as to represent the certainty and truth of his Grace in pardon unto their senses by a visible pledge He lets them know that he would take away their sin wherein their spiritual defilement doth consist even as Water takes away the outward filth of the body and that hereby they shall be saved as surely as Noah and his Family were saved in the Ark swimming upon the waters 1 Pet. 3. 21. Now how great a deceit must needs in this whole matter have been put upon poor sinners if it were not infallibly certain that they might obtain forgiveness with God After the Entrance of this Ordinance in the Ministry of John the Lord Christ takes it into his own hand and commands the observation of it unto all his Disciples I dispute not now who are the proper immediate objects of it whether they only who actually can make profession of their faith or Believers with their infant seed For my part I believe that all whom Christ loves and pardons are to be made partakers of the pledge thereof And the sole Reason which they of old insisted on why the infants of Believing Parents should not be baptized was because they thought they had no sin and therein we know their mistake But I treat not now of these things only this I say is certain that in the prescription of this Ordinance unto his Church the great Intention of the Lord Christ was to ascertain unto us the forgiveness of sins
And sinners are invited to a participation of this Ordinance for that End that they may receive the pardon of their sins that is an infallible pledge and Assurance of it Acts 2. 38. And the very nature of it declareth this to be its End as was before intimated This is another engagement of the Truth and Faithfulness and Holiness of God so that we cannot be deceived in this matter There is saith God forgiveness with me saith the soul how Lord shall I know how shall I come to be assured of it for by reason of the perpetual Accusations of Conscience and the Curse of the Law upon the guilt of my sin I find it a very hard matter for me to believe Like Gideon I would have a Token of it why behold saith God I will give thee a pledge and a token of it which cannot deceive thee When the world of old had been overwhelmed with a deluge of waters by reason of their sins and those who remained though they had just cause to fear that the same Judgement would again befall them or their posterity because they saw there was like to be the same cause of it the thoughts and imaginations of the hearts of men being evil still and that continually to secure them against these fears I told them that I would destroy the earth no more with water and I gave them a token of my faithfulness therein by placing my bow in the cloud And have I failed them though the sin and wickedness of the world hath been since that day unspeakably great yet mankind is not drowned again nor ever shall be I will not deceive their expectation from the token I have given them Wherever then there is a word of promise confirmed with a token never fear a disappointment But so is this matter I have declared that there is forgiveness with me and to give you assurance thereof I have ordained this pledge and sign as a seal of my word to take away all doubts and suspicion of your being deceived As the world shall be drowned no more so neither shall they who believe come short of forgiveness And this is the Use which we ought to make of this Ordinance It is Gods security of the pardon of our sins which we may safely rest in 2. The same is the End of that other Great Ordinance of the Church the Supper of the Lord. The same thing is therein confirmed unto us by another Sign Pledge Token or Seal We have shewed before what respect Gospel forgiveness hath unto the death or blood of Jesus Christ. That is the Means whereby for us it is procured the Way whereby it comes forth from God unto the Glory of his Righteousness and Grace which afterwards must be more distinctly insisted on This Ordinance therefore designed and appointed on purpose for the Representation and calling to Remembrance of the death of Christ with the communication of the benefits thereof unto them that believe doth principally intend our faith and comfort in the Truth under consideration And therefore in the very Institution of it besides the General End before mentioned which had been sufficient for our security there is moreover added an especial mention of the forgiveness of sin for so speaks our Saviour in the Institution of it for the use of the Church unto the end of the world Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of sins As if he had said The end for which I have appointed the Observance of this Duty and Service unto you is that I may testifie thereby unto you that by my Blood the Sacrifice of my self and the Attonement made thereby I have purchased for you the Remission of your sins which you shall assuredly be made partakers of And more I shall not add unto this consideration because the death of Christ respected in this Ordinance will again occurr unto us 3. What is the end of all Church Order Assemblies and Worship What is a Church Is it not a company of sinners gathered together according unto Gods appointment to give glory and praise to him for pardoning Grace for the forgiveness of sins and to yield him that obedience which he requires from us on the account of his having so dealt with us This is the nature this is the end of a Church He that understandeth it not he that useth it not unto that End doth but abuse that great Institution And such abuse the world is full of Some endeavour to make their own secular Advantages by the pretence of the Church Some discharge the duty required in it with some secret hopes that it shall be their Righteousness before God Some answer only their Light and Convictions in an empty profession This alone is the true end the true Use of it We assemble our selves to learn that there is forgiveness with God through Christ to pray that we may be made partakers of it To bless and praise God for our Interest in it to engage our selves unto that Obedience which he requires upon the account of it And were this constantly upon our minds and in our designs we might be more established in the faith of it than it may be the most of us are 4. One particular instance more of this nature shall conclude this Evidence God hath commanded us the Lord Christ hath taught us to pray for the pardon of sin which gives us unquestionable security that it may be attained that it is to be found in God for the clearing whereof observe 1. That the Lord Christ in the Revelation of the Will of God unto us as unto the duty that he required at our hands hath taught and instructed us to pray for the forgiveness of sin It is one of the Petitions which he hath left on record for our use and imitation in that summary of all prayer which he hath given us Matth. 6. 12. Forgive us our debts our trespasses our sins Some contend that this is a form of prayer to be used in the prescript limited words of it All grant that it is a Rule for prayer comprizing the heads of all necessary things that we are to pray for and obliging us to make supplications for them So then upon the Authority of God revealed unto us by Jesus Christ we are bound in duty to pray for pardon of sins or forgiveness 2. On this supposition it is the highest Blasphemy and reproach of God imaginable to conceive that there is not forgiveness with him for us Indeed if we should go upon our own heads without his Warranty and Authority to ask any thing at his hand we might well expect to meet with disappointment For what should encourage us unto any such boldness But now when God himself shall command us to come and ask any thing from him so making it thereby our Duty and that the neglect thereof should be our great sin and Rebellion against him to