the world 2. That the great usefulness of this Fountain is to take away the Sin and Uncleanness which man had contracted It is certain that Christ is a fountain of all Saving good to sinful man as hath been already observed but the Spirit of God doth point us here to some peculiar benefit that it was designed for and for that reason do require our particular consideration of Here then we may enquire 1. What we are here to understand by Sin and Uncleanness 2. In what respect Sin and Uncleanness may be said to be taken away 3. What is the usefulness of this Fountain for such an end Of these in order 1. What are we here to understand by Sin and Uncleanness A. There are some who take these two words to be Synonymical and to intend one and the same thing only allowing an Emphasis in the ingemination of things they suppose them to include all sorts and degrees of Sin Some by Sin understand those errors or ordinary transgressions which men live in the Commission of by Uncleanness the more enormâ—â—s and Conscience wasting sins which they defile themselves withall sâ—me again by Sin understand Actual Sin and by Uncleanness â—riginal Sin which is the root of defilement â—â— man and makes all the actions which he doth polluted But there is yet another sense which is more generally entertained and seems morâ— appositely to belong to the meaning of the Text and recommends to us the excellent vertue of this fountain and its extensive usefullness viz that by Sin we are to understand the Guilt and by Uncleanness the Defilement that â— contracted by Sin There are two wofull pâ—â—perties of sin recorded in the word of Goâ— in which the misery of sinful mâ—n is comprehended 1. There is a Guilt that is contracted by it which is properly a respect that it beaâ—s to the Covenant of works or the Sanction which was added to the Law which God at first gave unto man Expressed in Gen. â— 17 In the â—â— thou â—atest thereof thou shalt surâ—ly dy Expounded in Ezek. 18. 4. The soul that Sinneth it shalâ— Dy. This word is therefore used for the punishment of sin or rather for the Guilt by whicâ— the man lâ—eth obnoxious unto punishmenâ— Gen. 4. 7. If thou dost not well Sin lyeth at tâ—â— door Levit. 20. 20. They shall bear their siâ— And in the Levitical Law it is often used fâ—â— the Sacrifice that was offered for sin for thâ— expiation of the Guilt of it Lev. 4 20. 2â— And frequently else where 2. There is also a defilement which the Sin leavâ—s behind it upon the man and that in respect both of Original and Actual Sin Original sin is the very pollution of our nature which makes us unclean things and hence it is Allegorically and Emphatically set forth by the condition of a New-born Infant in Ezek. 16. begin And every actual sin leaves a spot a stain a filthiness behind it upon the man that commits it Ezek. 20. 43. Ye shall remember your wars and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled And this ariseth from the moral respect which sin bears to the Law of God which is an holy Law and men are said to be holy when they observe it and for this reason sin is said to be an aboâ—iâ—able thing Jer. 44 4. 2. In what respect this Sin and Uncleanness â—â—y be said to be taken away A. This will be evident from the former for in what respect Sin and Uncleanness cleaveth to the man in the same it must be removed There is therefore a double taking away of â—â—â— answerable to the twofold miscâ—iâ—f which it doth the man bâ— its adhesion to him tâ—â— former is by Justification the latter by Sanctification And theâ—e are two great and comprehensive benefiâ—s which the Gospel tells us do derive from Christ to us These were in the old Mosaick Law represented the one by the Sacrifices of Aâ—â—ement in which the blood oâ— the offering was made uâ—e oâ— hence that Heb. 9. 22. Without the shedding of blood there is no remession The other by the many washingâ— and puâ—ifications that men were appointed to make use of And some think these two were Emblematized in the blood and water which issued from the body of Christ when he was pierced Here then 1. Sin is taken away by Justification when the Atonement being accepted for the Sinner he is pardoned and his Guilt removed As long as the Law makes its demands of the sinner personally so long his sin lyeth upon him he is Guilty but when this pardon is bestowed he ceaseth legally to be a Sinner i. e. He is not a Guilty one because he is discharged from the Sentence that was out against him his sin is in that regard as if it had never been we read in Jer. 50. 20. In those days and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and thâ—re shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon c. And this is done by Gods accepting of aâ— Atonement when he saith as Job 33. 24 Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome 2. Sin is taken away by Sanctification when God by his Spirit applies â—is Grace to the Soul by which he mortifyeth sin and cleanseth it of the defilement which â—â—eâ—vâ—th to it This is called the purgiâ—g away oâ— iniquity Isa 27. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged And thâ— purifying of our hearts Acts 15. 9. And we are allâ—sively told how it is done Ezek. 36. 25. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be cleansed from all your filthiness And this is nextly applied to Original sin by the mortification whereof we are Sanctified and as sin decreaseth so Grace encreaseth which is our purity 3. What is the Usefulness of this Fountain for such an end A. There are two things to be considered in the Lord Jesus Christ as a Fountain or a Treasury in whom they are laid up which do suitably and sufficiently Answer these two occasions of Sinful men viz. his Merit and his Grace I shall give some general glances at each of these 1. There is an Infinite Merit fountained in Christ for the taking away the Guilt of Sin the Justifiâ—ation of the Sinner We observed that this Guilt is an obligation lying upon the Sinner by reason of the threatning to suffer the penalty menaced by the Law The Removal of this Guilt with respect to the Sinner himself can be only by a free pardon for he haâ—h nothing of his own to make compensation to the Law withal But the removal of it with reference to the Covenant of works and the Established Rule of Relative Justice in it mâ—st be by Justification God as a Judge must either Justify or Condemn him upon his Trial and yet in Justifying him he must also pardon him These two are inconsistent in
the fitting of him unto this great work Now this he did in his state of Humiliation the application of this belongs especially to his Exalted State Acts 5. 31. Him hath God exalted c. to give Repentance to Israel and remission of sins but he laid in for it in bis humbled state which was therefore introductory to the other as we are told in Phil. 2. 7 8. 9. In this he made the atonement without which Guilt could never have been removed hitherto belongs that â— Cor. 5. 21. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God through him in this his blood was made cleansing blood for the purifying us from all our iniquities according to 1 Joh. 1. 7. The Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin 3. That the Reason of this was because there were some that needed it whom God purposed to make partakers in the benefits of it As if mans sin had not brought him to that exigency that without such a fountain he must have perished for ever Christ had not come so if God had not resolved to impart the efficacy of it to some such necessitous ones he would never have been at the charge of providing it God did not only intend the provision and exhibition of this fountain that so if any would come to and make use of it they might be saved from their Sins by it if that had been all Christ had died in vain for it is certain that none of fallen men would ever of their own accord come to him that is true of all till Christ draws them Joh. 5. 40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life The natural man loveth his Sin and delighteth to wallow in the mire of his uncleanness but God chose some from eternity to be made the monuments of his rich Grace in taking away all their iniquities and he provided Christ for this end and therefore all such he designed this for shall come to Christ Jâ— 6. 37. All that the father hath given me shaâ— come unto me they shall be cleansed and washed and healed 4. That they may partake in this benefit there must be a saving application of the vertue of it tâ— them These waters quench the thirst of the Soul by being drank of they wash off the Guilt and filth which cleaves to the Soul by being washed with them they heal the mortal diseases which Sin had infected â—â— withal by the influence of the sanative vertue of them on the Soul It is not enough that they have all these good qualities â—â— them the Gospel therefore acquaints us with an Application consequent upon the Redemptiâ—â— wrought out by Christ whereby he becomes ours and we are saved by him and hereupon life is restrained to our having of Christ 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 5. It is savingly applied to those only who comâ— to him by saving faith in him for it Faith is the uniting Grace by which we are made one with Christ and receive him to be our own for all the ends of his Mediatorship This therefore is the great Gospel condition on which Christ is offered to be made ours and we are given to understand that if thus we do not receive him we shall not partake in his saving mercies Mark 16. 16. He that beâ—ieves shall be saved and he that believes not shall â—e damned And as faith comes to Christ so it draws the waters out of this fountain it fetcheth in supplies from Christ continually Heb. 10. 38. The Just shall live by his faith 6. God himself is the Author of this Faith in order to our participation in these benefits Faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2. 8. God by his Spirit puts this grace into us and enables us to exert it and that which he aims at in this is to bring us to Christ by it and so give us a title to these living waters that they may be ours and we may challenge a property in them and make use of them for all our occasions continually 7. Hence all that do thus come to him shall receive this vertue from him Whosoever is united unto Christ the fountain of life shall live by him Where God gives faith he gives all that is connected in the proâ—ise with it All saving good is firmly promised to believing God therefore on our believing pardons our sin the Guilt of it passeth off our persons are freed from Condemnation and he sanctifies our hearts by laying a foundation of holiness in us which though imperfect at present and mixed with deâ—â—lement yet shall in due time aim at entire holiness without spot or blemish Hence we have that title put upon believing Heb. 10. 39. We are of them that believe to the 〈◊〉 of the Soul USE I. This may serve to Commend Chriâ—â— to the Sinful Children of men as a desiraâ—â— object And surely there is nothing that 〈◊〉 more set him forth as a suitable and necessaâ— one than this consideration In nothing coâ—â— he have been more accommodable to the coâ—dition of fallen man for his relief Let thâ— the contemplation of this draw your eyes aâ— your hearts after him and render him in yâ—â— esteem most precious and desirable And â— this end Consider 1. You are all by nature under the Guilt and â— filement of Sin This is the state of all mankind and indeed if we look upon Sin in its relaâ—â—ons it will infer this As it relates to the â—â—venant of works and the Sanctions of that â— it involves Guilt Sin is the Transgression of â—â— Laâ— and that Law hath ordained Death to â— the wages of every Transgression of it Rom 6. 23 The wages of sin is Death And by vertue of this Ordination the Sinner is held a faâ— Prisoner of the Law obnoxious to destruction And if we look upon Sin as it relates â—â— the Sanctity or purity of the Law of God â—â— it pollutes the man stains him with uncleanneâ— Now there is none of you but besides the imputation of the Guilt of the first Transgression have a corrupt fountain of Original Sin in yoâ—â— and innumerable actual pollutions which you have made your selves odious withall hence that Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made mine â—â—art clean I am pure from my sin 2. Your misery is unconceivably great whiles you are under the Dominion of these Indeed all mans misery began upon his Sinning and â—here are two springs from whence all this inâ—â—licity flows viz. Guilt and Filthiness nor can â—â— be taken off but by the removal of these And one would think the greatness of your misery should rouse you up to seek a deliverance from it and you may know that it is â—â—comparably great by viewing the effects of â—â— which are 1. By Sin you are exposed to the whole Curse of â—â— Law And that is of the
quiet or satisfaction 6. There are many who cheat themselves with false hopes on this account The natural security in sinful man makes him ready to take easy satisfaction about his good estate and the delusions of Satan and the false reports of a carnal mind and the fair shews which there are in a common work of the Spirit aâ— snares which they are entangled by there â— upon this account great need to be cautioneâ— against rash presumption lest otherwise you labour of a pernicious mistake thus the Apostle to them 1 Cor. 6. 9. Be not deceived 7. The Doctrine in hand affords you a sure Rule of Trial. Whatsoever difference there may be in the manner or degree of mourning oâ— of the impressions which are made on thâ— Conscience by the Terrors of the Lord yet when God makes the Gospel effectual for the application of the vertue of this Fountain to a Sinner he always gives a Spirit of Mourning and Prayer i. e. He gives Grace to mourn and pray after a Godly manner If therefore you can discover this to be in you and are not mistaken about it you have an evidence that will not deceive you Put your selves then upon the trial of them severally and that by such Rules as follow 1. Hath God poured upon you a Spirit of mourning for Sin have you received the Grace of God by sorrow And for proof of this 1. Did you ever mourn at all for Sin if not this Trial is resolved at once He that never mourned for sin did never partake in the saving vertue of this fountain and it is to be feared that a great many forward Professors will fall at this first Trial. There are many that build high but did never dig for a founâ—tion The stony ground hearers Religion â—egins with joy as Mat. 13. 20. He heareth â—e word and anon with joy receiveth it It may â—e you have mourned for the fruits of sin for â—our outward losses bereavements reproachâ—s pains c. but it hath not been the Sin that procured them but the things themselves â—hat stirred up your sorrow and if the Sin it â—elf was not bitter to you you never repaired â—o the Grace of Christ to take it away 2. Have you mourned after a Godly sort It may be you have been touched with remorâ—es of Conscience Sin hath been set home upon you with terror but that may be and yet be only a part of the punishment of Sin in this life there is therefore a double sorrow for sin Godly and Worldly 2 Cor. 7. 10. And is yours a Godly one Try it by these things 1. Have you ever felt the bitterness of Sin it self Many an one finds sorrow by his sins and is forced to acknowledge that his Sin hath brought it upon him who yet is not led by it to see and believe that Sin is in its own nature so vile and evil as to be odious It may be he only reads it in the Law and he sees that God will maintain his own Law but mean while he lays the blame not on the sin that procured his sorrow but on the Law that had such a Sanction in it and he is therefore sorry for his sin only because he is sorry that there is such a Law that will not suffer him to siâ— with impunity this is no Godly Sorrow it â—â— not acted by Humility but by pride anâ— prejudice and he saith as they Ezek. 33. 10 If our transgressions and our sins be upon us anâ— we pine away in them how shall we then live 2. Have you been deeply oppressed with the burden of siri so as thereby to be made weary of it Though God improves the troubles and mischiefs procured by Sin to bring us to see the evil of it and cry out by reason of thâ— bitterness there is in it yet in a kindly mourning sin it self is made to be a burden that we cannot tell how to bear and hereupon we long to be rid of it and earnestly seek after a freedom from it thus it was with Paul Rom. 7 24. Oh wretcheâ— man that I am whâ— shall deliver the from the body of this death We seek a parâ—â—â— for we are undone without it but we â—eek the death of Sin too nor can we be at quieâ— but in the assurance and experience of the beginning of it in us and a comfortable perswaâ—â—on that it will ere long be wholly destroyed hence that groan of his Psal 38. 4. Mine iniquities are gone over mine heaâ— as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me 3. Hath your mourning reached to and fined upon the sin of your nature It is not enough to have bewailed this or that particular actual Sin although God usually makes the conviction â—f and the sorrow for such to be leading to â—he other but he that hath truly mourned for Sin hath been led up from thence to the fountain of corruption which is within and that hath driven him to seek after the Fountain of Grace which is in Christ and always true mourning ceaseth not till it cometh hither and lays out its greatest lamentations here thus it did in David in the forecited Psal 51. 5. And in the Church Isa 64. 6. We are all as an unclean thing and in Paul Rom. 7. 21. I find a law that when I would do good evil is present with me 4. Hath this sorrow wrought in you unto a true Repentance from Sin Repentance is one of the saving works of the Spirit wrought in Application and wherever Christ is communicated to any as a fountain of Grace there will be this effect of it Now Godly Sorrow is an ingredient of this Repentance and therefore if it be right it will ever accompany such a thing Repentance is a cordial turning from Sin to God Sorrow for sin is that which helps and promoves this turning if it be kindly for it is a separating Affection and as it derives from hatred of that which procures our trouble so it will express it in carrying us away from it hence that 2 Cor. 7. 9. Ye sorrowed to Repentance for ye were made sorry after a godly manner Iâ— then ye have mourned never so bitterly for Sin yet if you have not reached to such a Repentance it hath not been right nor will it evidence your being in Christ 5. Hath this sorrow kindled in you an universal hatred of Sin When God embitters sin to us it is to make us to loath it and if this hatred be of the right stamp it will not only be against that one sin that hath done us the present sensible harm but all of the kind but every thing that bears the nature of sin on it we can say as he Psal 119. 104. I hate every false way And the reason is because if we mourned for sin under the consideration of its being sin we shall be engaged against every other sin in which we see the same grounds of hatred or