wisest and most knowing Men come of the infinite Knowledge of God Tho' we are certain of the Truth of his Being how little do we know of his Nature and Perfections How far above our Apprehensions is the Divine Eternity How all Successions of Time are ever present to him and subject to his View His self Existence Immensity Omnipresence and Prescience of the most contingent Events c. How far above us AND since we have not a perfect Knowledge of the Subject we must hearken to what GOD himself saith of his own Nature who knows it best And we ought in Reason to enquire whether the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity be contained in that Revelation which we receive and can prove to be Divine if we find it there let the Doctrine be never so Incredible and Unintelligible GOD is so far above us and his Ways and Thoughts above ours that we ought not to reject it upon that Account As the Heavens are higher than the Earth His Wisdom is as the Heavens the highest and top of all Wisdom Man's as the Earth beneath which there is no Degree but that of Hell and Darkness so that the Things are two Great and Sublime for us to determine about WERE this duly consider'd we should find that we cannot have so much Evidence of a Doctrine's being False because 't is Vnconceivable as there is Evidence of its being True by being contain'd in Scripture Revelation As to the Truth of things concerning Finite Nature we may judge by our Reason But where the Object is Infinite 't is no Argument against the Truth of a Thing that we cannot comprehend it unless a Contradiction be proved which there is none here IT hath often been proved that God might justly require of us in general the Belief of what we cannot comprehend and that they who reject the Misteries of Christianity run into greater Difficulties than those who assert them What is Incomprehensible as to the Manner may be a necessary Article of Faith as far as it is Reveal'd * See Bishop of Worster's Sermon on 1 Tim. I. 15. Serm. VI. Vol. III. Octavo and Orig. Sac. Book II. Chap. VIII 5 6 7. We don't assert Three Gods and yet but One God Three Persons and yet but One Person That would be contradictory but the Scripture saith that these Three Father Word and Spirit are One God And we ought to distinguish between Numbers and the Natures of Things For Three to be One is a Contradiction in Numbers but whether an infinite Nature can communicate it self to three different Subsistances without such a Division as is among created Beings must not be determined by bare Number but by the absolute Perfections of the Divine Nature Which mast be owned to be above our Comprehension Therfore for any to assert that there cannot be a Plurality of Persons without a Plurality of Natures or that there cannot be a Communication of Nature without an Indentity of Persons is to pretend to know more of the Infinite Nature of God then any modest Man ought to pretend to 'T IS certain the Objections from the Vnconceivableness of this Doctrine are not so great as the Evidence we have that such a Doctrine is contained in the Holy Scriptures and that that this Scripture is of God And let me add that to pay Adoration and Divine Worship to Christ as the Christian Church hath done in all Ages and to Trust in him for Pardon and Eternal Life and yet believe him to be only a Man destroys all the Reasons and Arguments of giving Divine Worship to God only For to do this and not own him to be Omnipresent Omniscient and Almighty not own him to be the True and Eternal God is a greater Absurdity and Contradiction then all that can be objected against the Doctrine of the Sacred Trinity While they pay him Divine Honour they must needs consider him as the GOD whom all the Angels worship and yet at the same time they deny him to be so And that because they cannot conceive how Father Son and Spirit should be One God But let us remember what GOD is and what we are and how his Ways and Thoughts are above ours Let no Man therfore deceive himself If any Man among you seem to be Wise in this World let him be a Fool that he may be Wise for the Things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God who revealeth them unto us Secondly GOD's Ways are above ours in the Dispensations of his Providence 'T were easy to show this in a Multitude of Particulars In his sparing and forbearing us In restraining and preventing us In keeping and preserving us and disappointing our Enemies Overuling our Affairs directing our Conditions and governing all that befalls us Good or Evil Accidental or Premeditated and turning all to Wise and gracious Purposes beyond our Thoughts With what perfect Wisdom is every Thing managed in the Government of this World That even the Wickedness of Men is made to serve the purposes of his Glory How wonderfully hath God Honour'd his Mercy and Power Holiness Justice and Truth in redeeming and saving Sinners by Jesus Christ with greater Advantage then if our first Parents had continued Innocent HIS Ways are not as Ours but above them in governing the Minds of Men turning their Hearts influencing their Counsels and changing their Thoughts to bring about and fulfil his Own His Ways are above ours in makeing Use of very unlikely Instruments weak Means yea such as in Appearance are Contrary to effect his own Purposes in the Government of Nations of particular Families and Persons AND the Ways of his Providence on less above ours In his disposing Crosses and Afflictions Temptations and Hardships unto those he loves best and permitting others to live in Peace and Quiet HIS Ways are not as ours but above them in that the very Falls and Faults Crimes and Follies of good Men are overul'd for much Good and great Transgressions before Conversion made servicable to excellent Purposes afterward What was Poyson in Nature becomes Medicinal by Divine Grace He that stumbles in the way gets ground by it if it help him to mend his Pace to walk faster and more warily How many can say if it had not been for such and such Fails I had never known so much of my own VVeakness and Frailty I had never had such Experience of Temptation and how unable of my self to resist it I should never have had so hearty a Detestation of Sin such a Tenderness of Conscience such an Awe of offending God so fervent a Zeal to please him so sweet a Sense of his Mercy so Thankful an Acknowledgment of his Grace in delivering and recovering me The very Remainders of Corruption in the Hearts of Men which they bewail and pray and strive against I shall serve to convince them of their necessary Dependance on Gods Grace shall cause them to walk humbly with God shall make them more circumspect
Confession of Sin to God so much the better This cannot be without a Holy Sorrow and Shame in the Remembrance of your past Folly your Sinfulness and Pollution your Ingratitude and Rebellion against God and not meerly upon the Account of any Penal Afflictive Consequences by which you have smarted For Godly Sorrow will distinguish it self by the Principles and Motives of it to be another thing than meerly bowing down the Head under the Burthen of Affliction There will be a Holy Shame and Confusion of Face in the sense of what you have done and what you have deserv'd so as to tremble at the Thought of committing the like Sins again and to fear the Temptations that might draw you to it and make you reckon every Burden of Affliction tolerable in comparison of the Burden of Sin Considering what we have done and against whom we have sinned Considering what a foolish Choice we have made what Grace we have slighted what Mercies we have abused and how unworthily we have behaved our selves to God our Owner Maker and Sovereign and unto Christ our Saviour and Redeemer and unto the Holy Spirit who hath been striving with us Hereupon we condemn our selves and beg that God would not condemn us we are made sensible of our Unworthiness of the least Favour and as the Prodigal or Publican beg free Mercy Owning his Righteousness if he should deny it Thus judging our selves we justifie God and hereby give Glory to him This will make his Mercy the more welcome and our Prayers the more Earnest Such a Sence of Sin we must carefully improve to encrease our Hatred of it Resolutions to forfake it and Endeavours against it for the future To promote and preserve Humility and a low Esteem of our selves and entire Submission to all the Word and Will of God To help us to perform every Duty and joyn in every Ordinance with more Meekness and Self-abasement and to bear every Affliction as deserving a thousand times worse than we ever yet suffer'd This will make us feel more our need of Christ for Pardon and sanctifying Grace and make us have daily Recourse to him for the Influence of his Blood and Spirit And it will make us ready upon any just Occasion to confess our Sins to Men also if it appear to be for the Honour of God that we do so this will make us more compassionate toward Others who have fallen by Temptation This will raise our Thankfulness for every little Favour for every beginning of Mercy for every thing of Grace that we do or may receive from God And cause us readily to embrace and welcome the Gospel Discovery and Revelation of God's Forgiveness of Sin This serious Conviction of our Guilt and Folly will make us own our selves the Chiefest of Sinners as knowing the special Aggravations of our own Sins beyond what we know of Others I do not know as to other Men their Advantages or Disadvantages Helps or Hindrances by Education Knowledge Admonition Counsel Afflictions and special Obligations as I do my own I do not know the Strength the Urgency the Importunity of their Temptations whether if I had the like I might not have been as bad or worse I do not know the Force and Power of Bodily Constitution inclining 'em strongly to some Sins I do not know whether their Sins have been committed upon such small Temptations as many of mine have been Or whether against so many Motions of God's Spirit or whether they continued so long without Repentance or against so many Helps to repent I do not know whether there was so much of Wilfulness and Deliberation in Other Men's Sins as I know there hath been in my own I cannot tell but as to other Mens Faults there may be something to lessen to extenuate to mitigate their Guilt that doth not appear It may be their Principles and Intentions were not so bad and there was more of Infirmity more of Mistake and Error more of Weakness and Surprize in their Sins than I know there was in ' mine I may hope they did it ignorantly or but seldom or that the Consequence is not so bad as to God's Dishonour and the Mischief done to others I may hope a great deal of what I hear of their Crimes may be false or that God hath given them Repentance tho' I know it not And have Reason to consider as to several that they have otherwise many Excellent Qualifications many Useful and Valuable Things in 'em for which they ought to be esteem'd And so judging charitably of others with serious Scrutiny into our selves we shall see Reason to own our selves the Chiefest of Sinners Such an humble Sense of our sinful Vileness is a part of true Repentance and an Evidence of Forgiveness II. We cannot suppose this without Forsaking of Sin to which the Promise of Pardon is made If God hath forgiven you he enables you by his Spirit to walk in his Ways to strive and watch and pray against those Sins which with a Godly Sorrow you have confess'd and bewail'd so that you stand in Awe of God's Authority and allow your selves in no wilful known Sin or in any Negligent Omissions of positive plain Duty but endeavour to walk in all his Commandments blameless However because of the Imperfection of this in the Best Examine what Conflicts you have what Opposition you make against Sin by Renewed Spiritual Principles Is it the Desire Care and Endeavour of your Souls to have the Power of Indwelling Sin weakned and the Habits of Grace strengthned and your Obedience more Uniform Endeavouring to grow in Grace especially in that Grace which is contrary to your particular Sin and Corruption Is there an Earnest Desire and Constant Resolution and Endeavour to bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance The Wicked must forsake his Way and the Vnrighteous Man his Thoughts if God doth abundantly pardon And to forsake it is more than a bare Refraining from Sin he must give over all Acquaintance with it and watch continually against it Whosoever retains any one Beloved Darling Sin cannot be said to forsake Sin tho' he refrain from all others He must forsake it so as to return to God and walk in a contrary Path. It must be forsaken as to the Affection and Love of it as well as the Outward Practice Then we forsake Sin indeed when we loath it and hate it and carefully watch against it As a Man is said to forsake his Meat not when he cannot get it or come by it but when he has no Stomach to it so doth he forsake his Lusts not when he hath no Opportunity but when he hath no Affection when there is an Habitual Enmity in his Heart against it and a constant Care in the Life to avoid it Is there no Sin but you are desirous to know and part with Do you love the Holy Image of God wherever you discern it and labour after a greater Conformity to the Divine Life Is
is forgiven other Mercies will be sweet and the Burden of Affliction tolerable But without this and under the Apprehensions of the contrary every Temporal Calamity is double For this is the Wormwood and the Gall in every bitter Cup. We shall not under the Troubles and Disappointments of this World cry out we are undone if we can think that God hath forgiven us No more than a Man who has just receiv'd his Prince's Pardon when he lay under a Sentence of Condemnation to Death can be thought if he lose his Glove or Handkerchief in the way home that he will wring his Hands and weep and take on for such a Loss when he had so lately his Life graciously given him Besides Hereby is a Foundation laid for a Life of Thankful Love and Obedience to God Conscience being purg'd from dead Works we serve the Living God without fear in hope of his Acceptance with the Promise of his hearing our Prayers and that he will be well pleased with our Services and overlook our Infirmities c. We may therefore well bear the Tryals of this Life with Patience and Resignation and in a dying Hour shall be able to commend our Souls with Faith and Hope into the Hands of Christ who will take Care of us as his own when we leave the World and at last publickly acknowledge and absolve us in the great Day Oh how many Mercies accompany this one of the Forgiveness of Sin Fourthly This is Mercy indeed to a Returning Sinner Peculiar Mercy as it it Irrevocable Where Sin is forgiven and Iniquity blotted out it shall be remember'd no more You are freely justify'd from all things and shall never come into Condemnation This my Covenant of Peace shall never be removed saith the Lord who hath mercy on thee Isa LIV. 10. This is not only true of the first Settlement of it but is the Priviledge of every one who is under the Bond and Blessing of the New Covenant Tho' I visit his Transgression with a Rod and his Iniquity with Stripes nevertheless my loving Kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my Faithfulness to fail my Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my Lips God may remember the Sins of Pardoned Believers so as to afflict them in this World and exercise the Discipline of his Family Their share in National Sins may involve them in present Sufferings with others And for particular Transgressions God may testifie his Fatherly Displeasure against good Men by remarkable Afflictions but will not reverse their Pardon so as to punish them Eternally Ely David Jonah and others are Instances Your Peace with Heaven shall never be so broken none of your Afflictions will prove it The Reconciliation between God and Sinners that is once accepted by a Real Active Unfeigned Obedient Faith is Perpetual It is promis'd that our Iniquities shall be blotted out and remember'd no more that God will cast 'em behind his Back Cast 'em into the bottom of the Sea Scatter 'em as a thick Cloud c. Isa XLIII 25. Psal LI. 9. Isa XXXVIII 17. Mic. VII 19. Isa XLIV 22. And yet more expresly to assure us that God will not enter into Judgment with us for the Sins he hath once forgiven we read Jer. L. 20. In that day shall the Iniquity of Israel be sought for and there shall be none and the Sins of Judah and they shall not be found Where God bestows Forgiveness he communicates the Spirit of Grace for the Mortification of Sin And tho' that Work be not perfect it shall be progressive and the Remainders of Corruption in the Soul will not prove that your Sin is not forgiven The Flesh will war against the Spirit and the Spirit will strive against the Flesh but you can't conclude that you are not forgiven from the Opposition that Sin makes against the Grace of God in the Soul Would you judge of your selves consider what Opposition you make against Sin Would you have Relief Apply to the Fountain open to the Blood and Spirit of Christ for new Strength from Day to Day to Crucifie the Flesh to Continue the Warfare and Maintain the Conflict That Sin yet remains in the Soul is consistent with your Reconciliation to God and your Sence of this with his Acceptance of you Yea I am perswaded there 's never such a Discovery of Corruption as after Forgiveness when the Grace of God hath enlightned the Soul But which part do you side with Do you Condemn Bewail Oppose Resist Strive Watch Pray Fight and Endeavour the Mortification of Corruption that yet remains after the Hopes of Pardon You shall then by the Grace of Christ hold on and be more than Conquerors You should Apply to him and Exalt his Power as able to destroy the Works of the Devil He has promised and undertaken it that no Iniquity shall be charged to your Condemnation No old Stories shall be repeated no latent Displeasure harboured no former Quarrel revived If thou return to God with all thy Heart he will never upbraid thee with thy former Sins tho' Men may But if you can hope that God forgives you you 'll easily bear that and little mind it Can you doubt of this Fulness of Pardon when God hath said he will hide and blot out our Sins so as When sought for they shall not be found And that he will put them as far from us as the East is from the West that None of them shall be mentioned again unto us Psal CIII 10. Jer. XXXI 34. Fifthly This Pardoning Mercy is Mercy indeed to a Returning Sinner because all his unknown and forgotten Sins shall be pardoned as well as those he hath particularly confess'd agravated and repented of As he that breaks the Law in one Point is guilty of all by the wilful Contempt of Divine Authority so he that is absolved in one Point is forgiven in all It were otherwise in vain to be forgiven and absolved as to some Sins that might damn us if there 's any one left that would do it He that is under Condemnation for one Sin is liable to Eternal Death But Divine Forgiveness is entire and full There are Sins of Good Men that arise from Humane Frailty and not from any evil Purpose of Heart as Sins of Ignorance which if we had known we would not have committed or of sudden Surprize that we did not Observe or fell into by the violent hurry of Temptation before we had time to think what we were doing of such Sins we shall be often guilty while we are in the World and we are bid to ask daily Pardon for 'em and then they shall not break Covenant between God and Us. But there are Many Sins that we have forgotten for which we were never Humbled in Particular And yet if we truly Repent of those we do know and call to mind our forgotten Sins shall be forgiven For God will Pardon us like
himself Forgive us like a God not according to our Knowledge but His own And as He is greater than our Hearts to know much more against us than we can remember against our selves so He is greater than our Hearts to forgive even those Faults which our Hearts and Consciences do not Recollect He knows the Value of Christ's Blood and Merits to Forgive all our Sins And by unfeigned Faith we are interested in the Virtue of it God hath more Thoughts of Mercy in him than we have had of Rebellion against him Psal XL. 5. Thy Thoughts to us-ward speaking of his Thoughts of Mercy are more than can be numbred They have been from Everlasting and reach to Everlasting whereas 't is but as of yesterday that the oldest Sinner began to rebel against God There is no Comparison And this leads to the Last Observation from those Words He will abundantly Pardon Last Obs That God will not only show Mercy to Returning Sinners so as to Forgive them but He will abundantly Pardon He will Multiply Forgivenesses The Apostle speaks of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that it was exceeding abundant towards him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus 1 Tim. I. 14. superlative superabundant Grace not only sufficient for the Pardon of his Sins but of multitudes more besides And accordingly in other places we read not only of the Grace of God in Forgiveness but of his abounding Grace of the Riches of his Grace Yea of the Exceeding Riches of his Grace Ephes I. 6 7. and this joyn'd with tender Mercies with Loving Kindness and with Multitudes of Mercies And here I may show First In what Respects God will abundantly Pardon Returning Sinners Secondly Consider what Reason we have to believe it and be firmly perswaded of it Thirdly What is the Abuse of this Blessed Doctrine Fourthly I shall assist you to make a Right Improvement of it First In what respects God promiseth Abundantly to Pardon or to Multiply Forgivenesses And this I might show as to Persons and as to Things First If we Consider the Extent of Forgiveness as to Sins With Reference to Time and Place and Persons c. As to Time from the first Promise of the Seed of the Woman made soon after the Fall to the End of the World this door of Mercy is open for Returning Sinners As to Places The Gospel is appointed to be Preach'd to every Creature in every part of the World Neither Jew nor Gentile Bond nor Free Barbarian or Scythian are excepted The Gospel of Grace by Christ Jesus is every where the Power of God to Pardon and Salvation unto all that believe As to Persons none shall Perish for want of a sufficient Price for their Ransom for want of a sufficient Satisfaction to the Justice of God But where-ever the Everlasting Gospel is preached He that Believeth shall be saved Whoever will may come and take of the Waters of Life freely Whoever will Accept of the Mercy of Christ upon the holy Terms of the Gospel shall receive Remission of Sins Joh. III. 10. God hath so Loved the lost World that Whosoever Believeth on Christ shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Joh. XII 46 47. I am come saith our Lord a Light into the World that Whosoever Believeth in me should not abide in darkness If any Man hear my Words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to Judge the World but to save the World 1 Joh. II. 2. He is a Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but for the Sins of the whole World And when we Consider what sort of Persons even the chiefest and vilest of Sinners many of those have been who have been Pardon'd and received to Mercy We must needs say there is no Respect of Persons with God as to this Matter And there are a great Multitude of these considered in themselves For even of Martyrs and Confessors that came out of great Tribulation and had washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb there is a Vast Multitude such as none could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues Rev. VII 9 14. Secondly He doth abundantly Pardon considering the Sins forgiven He is a God pardoning Iniquity Transgression and Sin i.e. Sins of all sorts Let the Kinds Numbers Repetitions Aggravations be what they will There is a Multitude of tender Mercies to forgive and abundant Vertue in the Blood of Christ to cleanse from all Sin If the multitude of Transgressions could make a Pile as high as from Earth to Heaven God's pardoning Mercy is above the Heavens His Thoughts are above ours in this matter of Forgiveness as far as the Heavens are above the Earth No Sin but final Impenitence Ungodliness and Unbelief is shut out from Pardon for the Sin against the Holy Ghost is attended with that and therfore never to be forgiven And as to Sins after Repentance and Pardon God hath promised to multiply Forgivenesses to heal Backslidings and therfore invites Men to return with a Promise of Pardon Return ye backsliding Children and I will heal your Backslidings In some early Days of the Christian Church the Novatian Doctrine spread that denies Repentance and Pardon to Sins after Baptism upon which Account 't is thought many good Men delay'd their Baptism as long as they could that they might not defile their Garments after they were washed It seem'd to have taken its Rise from the Misunderstanding of Heb. 6. the Beginning But any such Doctrine as would discourage Men's Repentance and return to God after they have sinned must needs be of very dangerous Consequence to the Souls of Men. I confess it is a dismal Symptom to fall often into wilful Sin to repent and then sin again to repent and sin in a Circle This rather argues an Intention of sinning again than a Design of leaving it But for such as have return'd to God and been forgiven and yet by the Power of Temptation have afterwards fallen there is great Encouragement for their Return and Ground to hope for Forgiveness For if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the Righteous who was a Propitiation for our Sins If any Man sin 't is not to encourage to sin but to prevent Despair after the Commission of it And since we are to forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us it would never have been made our Duty to forgive our Offending Brother once and again Yea unto seventy times seven if there were no Mercy with God for Returning Backsliders You are allowed and commanded in such a Case to return to God and to sue out your Pardon and you ought to believe you shall find Welcome and that your Backslidings shall be healed There is need of urging this because Sins after Repentance and after Vows and Resolutions and Sacraments c. not only defile but disturb the