and witnesses affixed to it but we use to take an Oath Well says God I will swear and take an Oath to make my Covenant of grace sure to your souls Heb. 6.13 when God made a Promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself and this is in the 18. verse an admirable Text of Scripture That we might have strong Consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us there is hope of Gods grace through the Reconciliation of Christ Jesus and this hope the soul runs to as to a City of Refuge when his guilt like the persuer of blood follows him Well says God this poor soul notwithstanding will have doubts of my grace now that it might have strong consolation I have swore that I might make my mercy sure to such a soul that 's a fourth way but is there any thing else you use to make things sure between one another Yea Lord Fourthly we put our Seals to it an Oath taken may soon pass over but a Seal that abides says God I will do that too I will give you Seals and there are divers sorts of Seals there 's first the Broad Seal of Heaven What is that that is nothing else but the very Printing of the Image of God on the Soul that is the Broad Seal of Heaven And as the Broad Seal of England hath the Picture or Image of the King stampt upon it so the Broad Seal of Heaven is nothing else but the Image of God stamp't or imprinted on the Soul 2. There is the Privy Seal of the Holy Spirit of God which is the perswading and assuring of the soul of its interest it hath in Christ and God the Father In 2 Tim. 2.19 you have Gods Privy Seal The Lord knows them that are his and they having his Privy Seal know themselves to be the Lords Cant. 6.2 I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine so Paul Gal. 2.20 being sealed with this Seal saith of Christ He loved me and gave himself for me he was perswaded and assured of salvation 2 Tim. 1.12 Rom. 8.38 39. This Privy Sealing is like the New Name Revel 2.17 Which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it And to this you shall have a third Seal Baptism and the Supper of the Lord that is to assure you that the end of the Sacrament is to Seal up Pardon of sin God saw that his People would be very solicitous and therefore added all these wayes of assurance to them when you therefore come to the Sacrament you should come with a sense upon your souls of the great need you have of the grace of God in pardoning sin and come to it as to a Sealing-day you have many fears and doubts come so as that you may have the grace of pardon seal'd to your souls take heed of coming so as to have your condemation sealed for certainly all Ordinances if they work not for that end that they are appointed they turn to another and quite contrary as the Word if it be not the savour of life it is the savour of death and so the Sacraments if they seal not the pardon of thy sins up unto thee they seal up the sentence of death and condemnation therefore look to it as oft as you come unworthily to the Sacrament you have so many Seals of death and condemnation set upon your souls Take heed you do not come to take another Seal of death 't is much to be feared many in this place come to take the seal of eternal death upon their souls but those that come worthily though administrations be not in that due order as they should yet God may be present with his own Ordinance to give them comfort from it and help their Evidences by it I must conclude this those that content themselves with slight Evidences about this great work dishonour the grace of God you would have us preach of mercy and indeed it is a blessed Argument which our souls delight much to be preaching of because we find so much sweetness in it and for which our souls shall expatiate themselves in glorifying God to all eternity but we are withal jealous of your dishonouring of God in this mercy and therefore it is that we labour so with you after the laying open of this mercy that you may not abuse it for certainly my Brethren there is nothing in the world God takes to heart more than the dishonour that is done to his pardoning mercy and nothing more aggravates the sin of People than to have slight thoughts of this great work Seventhly This is a great dishonour to Gods pardoning mercy for men to put off the seeking of it to the worst times that possible can be Is it not the ordinary way of most people to put of the seeking of the grace and favour of God Pardon of sin and Reconciliation till the time of sickness and the time of death they go on all their life time in sinning against God but when they are lying upon their sick-beds and death-beds Lord have mercy upon me pardon me forgive me a wicked wretch that I have been these kind of words we hear from men at that time O that God would forgive and pardon such and such sins and then perhaps they will tell some particular sins if they think they shall die they will open themselves to the Minister or to some faithful Neighbour in the disclosing of their particular sins and beseech them to pray to God for mercy but if they have any hopes to escape they will keep them in and be loath to rip open the sins of their lives This I say for any to put off the seeking unto God for his pardoning grace till that time it is to put a great dishonour upon God for it is a putting of it off to the worst time that possible can be And that makes much to the dishonour of God For First Those men seek pardon of sin when sin is leaving them or they must leave sin whether they will or no when you have served your own turn of sin after you have had as much supposed pleasure as you can then you think to be delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin what is there but a meer selfish spirit in seeking God now and God sees it so it is not seeking after pardon of sin that you may honour God in his infinite grace for then you would seek after it now and the honour of God would be dear to you now but you seek it at such a time meerly out of respect to your selves this is a great dishonour to God It is the first born of Gods glory to pardon sin and for God to see men and women have no higher ends in seeking pardoning grace but meerly to save their own skins How may God look upon them with disdain What shall I magnifie the riches of my grace so wonderfully in this work of
and pains and did all you could do here 's a great difference between Gods forgiveness and mans a King may forgive but he cannot change and heal but when God forgives he heals and takes away that evil disposition from thee that did so weaken thee for all good Christ when he comes he comes with healing in his wings now blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven for that there follows deliverance from the power of sin and a healing of the soul Of comfort against Death following on Pardoning Mercy 6. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven because such a man may look in the face of Death and Judgment with comfort Death when he comes to a Natural Man he comes as a Messenger of God to arrest the Soul at Gods suit but where sin is forgiven Death is made a means to bring thee to rest that that would have arrested thee is a means to bring thee to thy rest Heb. 2.14 15. Christ came to die Now what was the great business he came to die for it was to purchase a pardon for sin and by his death to take away the power of the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage through the fear of death and nothing in all the world can deliver from the fear of death but forgiveness of sin and then this makes a man look on the day of Judgment with comfort for one special end of that day is that there may be a Declaration of the Infinite Mercy of God in forgiving of sin Act. 3.19 Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord when he shall send Jesus again which before was preached to you Certainly assoon as ever a man comes to believe his sins are blotted out I but when the times of refreshing shall come they shall appear to your own selves and to all the World Men and Angels more fully than ever before some Interpreters think and I dare not deny it but that there will be a time of refreshing in this world before the great and terrible day that Christ will make it appear that the sins of the Elect Believers are blotted out in another manner than now it doth but however it will fully appear at that day and then that day that will be so terrible to the ungodly will be refreshing to the Saints Why because they shall find their sins blotted out then and that will make that day a refreshing day unto them Although the Heavens be all on fire and shrivelled up like a Scrowl and there be dreadful shriekings of ungodly men yet it shall be a day of refreshing to the Saints because their sins are blotted out Oh blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned now for he shall have that day to be a day of refreshing to him but woe be to thee O soul who ever thou art that hast not thy sin pardoned if but one sin stand upon the score not blotted out woe woe will betide the for ever more but they that find their sin pardoned shall find that day to be a day of such refreshing as ever they beheld and therefore blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven Of Security against the worlds Reproaches the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 7. Where God hath forgiven sin such a one need not care for the censures of all the world and the reproaches they cast upon him the men of the world cast many reproaches on the Saints and say they are hypocrites that though they will not swear yet they will lie that they are false proud and the like Why now the soul that finds it self acquitted before the Lord need not care for all the censures and condemnations that can be cast upon him from the men of the world Rom. 8.33 Having spoken before of the great grace of God in Justification in vers 33. he speaks as if he had made a challenge to all the world let them all come in let me see Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Why because it is God that justifies many will charge them of grievous things I but it is God that justifies What will a man care if the Prince have given him a pardon though some kitchin boy some shakeril about the Court should rail against him so long as the King hath pardoned him Bernard hath a notable speech concerning David when Shimei railed David was not troubled says he he did not feel the injury heapt upon him because he had felt before the grace of God towards him the feeling of Gods grace towards him in pardoning made him not feel the railings of Shimei so Christ himself Isai 50. ver 7. he said before I gave my back to the smiters and hid not my face from shame and spitting they spit upon him this is apparently spoken of Christ but what upheld him vers 7. For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded for all this therefore have I set my face like a flint against all scorns railings and accusations in the world but what was the bottom of all this mark vers 8. He is near that justifies me who will contend with me let us stand together Who is my Adversary let him come near to me let my Adversary come and do his worst he is near that justifies me true Christ had no sin personally to be pardoned but he had the sins of all the Elect charg'd upon him and upon that he suffered death Now we are to know Christ is justified as well as Believer and the very ground why a Believer is justified it is because Christ is justified himself Christ being justified a Believer comes to be justified this might have been opened in the mysteries of Pardon of Sin There is a justifying first in Christ as in a common publick person and then by faith in our own persons Now though in the Fathers Justification of Christ he justifies us yet not as particular persons but in him as a common person in the Name of all the Elect and faith that comes in that we might be justified in our own particular persons as before we were in Christ as a common person Now Christ is justified first and acquitted from all our sins and this acquittance is made the ground of his challenge to all his Adversaries in the world though the Prince of Devils come with all his power yet says Christ he is near that justifies me and he will make my face as a flint it is God that acquits me who is my Adversary let him come near Oh it s a blessed thing when thou hast got the pardon of thy sin thou needest not care for all the reproaches the world can cast upon thee thou may'st go up and down and challenge any in the world to come in against thee 1 Cor. 4.3 I pass not for mans judgment he that judgeth
God promised to make all his goodness pass before him and Exod. 34.6 he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and then to the point in hand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here 's the glory of God Would you have a demonstration indeed that Gods heart was set upon this as the greatest work that ever was done take it in this that the very thoughts of effecting this by the death of his own Son made God very well pleas'd and delighted with his death surely then his heart was much set upon it for rather than he would not effect it he would part with his own Son Never was there such a hideous thing as the death of the Son of God and therefore if there were any delight to be taken in it that God the Father took delight in it there must be some great thing to sweeten it such an horrid thing as the death of the Son of God had need have some great thing to sweeten it what now sweetned this to God the Father that his own Son should be put to death Why nothing but this that hereby sinners might come to be redeemed justified and pardoned nothing else would sweeten it to God the Father but this does Isai 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and again the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Scripture says God takes no delight in the death of a sinner and yet God did take delight in the death of his Son it pleased God to see his Son bruised when God the Father saw his Son under his wrath swetting drops of water and blood under the curse of the Law it pleased God well certainly then there must be some mighty thing that must sweeten this and make the death of his own Son a delightful object to him Why the very thing that did it was this that Christ being made a curse he thereby did redeem us from the curse procur'd the pardon of our sins and reconciled us unto God and this very thing sweetned the death of the Son of God unto God the Father therefore the heart of God was much in it 2. For Christ What was the business that brought him from the Fathers bosome made him content to take our nature upon him to suffer and to be a man of sorrows so as to delight in it there was a kind of delight to Christ in induring the wrath of God for with desire says Christ have I desired to eat this Passover because it was the Preparation to his Death and Sufferings of the wrath of God in all the fruits and effects of it for the sin of Man and when Christ came to institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and to give his blood for the remission of sins the Text says He gave thanks What did he give thanks for surely the thing for which he gave thanks for upon which the Supper of the Lord is called the Eucharist from the Greek word that signifies Thanksgiving was this that by his death Remission of sins should be obtain'd when Christ was to die suffer all the wrath of God that was due for our sins Christ blessed God thanked God the Father for it surely there must be some great matter to sweeten it that he should be so affected as to bless God the Father for that that cost him his life and yet he did Mark what it is that satisfies Christ for all this Isa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and his soul was made an offering for sin all was laid upon Christ Well but what did Christ look for for all this Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied that that shall satisfie Christ for all his pains labour and sufferings shall be to see of the travel of his soul What is that What is the travel of Christs soul What Why by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many as if Christ had said this is the very thing my Soul travels for in all that I have done or suffered in all my life that I might but bring this great business to pass to justifie some souls to get the sin of those poor souls that are thine Elect pardoned and their persons justified this my soul travels for and oh Father let me but see this the travel of my Soul and I am satisfied Christ accounted it worth all the travel of his Soul in all he did and suffered that he might justifie some souls as if he had said he would have no other boon from his Father but only this Father if thou wilt but recompence all my travel with this I shall for ever account my self that I am satisfied and have enough How should we be satified with Christ when Christ accounts the pardon of our sins satisfaction enough Shall Christ say notwithstanding all my sorrows let thy sin be pardoned and I have enough Wilt not thou now say and let me have Christ and I have enough Christ says to God the Father let me have those souls pardoned and I have enough Oh then do thou say let me have Christ and I have enough Surely Christ is enough to satisfie thee when the pardon of thy sin is enough to satisfie him 3. As the heart of God and Christ so the heart of the Holy Ghost is in this business too the great work the Holy Ghost hath to do in this world and the great business for which he was sent it is to convince poor souls of the righteousness there is to be had in Christ for Justification Joh. 16.8 9 10. Christ will send the Comforter and first he will convince the world of sin 2. Of righteousness What is that that is when the Spirit comes he will clear it up unto believers and convince them that the righteousness that they must have to stand righteous before God in is the righteousness of Christ alone and this is a mighty work of the Spirit of God and a work that would never have been done had not he come to have done it it is such a great mystery that we should be righteous by anothers righteousnes that it is above the reason of all Men and Angels all Men and Angels were never able to fathom this infinite depth it is above their apprehensions that ever we should come to be righteous in Christ and very few yet where Christ is made known are convinced of it Those men that take up Religion in a natural way they never are convinc't of the Righteousness of Christ it is a riddle and a mystery to them only those few souls whom God intends eternally to save the Spirit of God is sent unto them from the Father and the Son to clear it unto them that the righteousness wherewith they must stand righteous before God is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ this is the great work of the Spirit of God
you my sons to do thus and thus against me I remember 't is reported of Caesar when many with their Poinyards came about him and stab'd him in the Senate-House at length comes Brutus whom he had done much good for he comes and gives him a blow he look't upon him and cries out What thou my son Brutus wilt thou give me a blow and stab It went nearer to the heart of Caesar to have Brutus come and give him a wound and stab than for all the other that came round about and stab'd him so Christ may look upon thee for whom he has purchas 't pardon shed his blood and laid down his life for What thou my son wilt thou sin against me for wicked wretches that are strangers to him no marvel if they sin against him but for you that are his sons his redeemed ones that have received such pardoning grace and mercy for you to sin this goes to the heart of Christ more than the sins of the ungodlyest wretch in all the Parish And would you not be loath to do more against Christ than the vilest wretch in the Parish you that have received so much mercy from Christ Further other mens sins anger God but no mens sins grieve the Spirit of God so as the sins of those that have received pardon they go to the heart of God and greive the Spirit by which they are sealed the Spirit of God that hath sealed to your souls the pardon of your sins let not that Spirit be grieved 't is a greater sin to grieve the blessed Spirit of God than you are aware of Further yet once more you bring a disgrace upon the Doctrine of Assurance of Pardon We preach that a man may not only have some good hopes that his sins are pardoned but we say God hath revealed such a fulness of riches of grace in the Gospel that a man may have certain and full assurance of the pardon of his sin as if he heard a voyce from Heaven speaking to him by name thy sins are pardoned or as if when Christ in the days of his flesh said to any one son go in peace thy sins are pardoned certainly there may be as full assurance of pardon of sin by the witness of the Spirit of God as if such a voyce came from Heaven But our Adversaries say open but that gap and 't is an open way for men to take liberty to commit any sin What need men care what sins they commit when they know they are pardoned that has been objected against us but now we say there is such a vertue in the grace of God going along with pardoning of sin that heals the soul as well as comforts the soul we answer it thus but you take away our answer and digrace that blessed Doctrine of Pardon of Sin for wherein does it appear there is such a healing power in the assurance of the pardon of sin if it be so then you would walk more strictly than any man in the world can do in the time of the greatest horror of Conscience that possible can be and this would bring an honour to the Doctrine of Assurance but you by sinning after pardon How do you disgrace this blessed Doctrine and take away the answer out of our mouths So much for the present to be spoken to those that dishonour the pardoning mercy of God by sinning after pardon CHAP. XV. Of the Dishonour done to the Grace of God by not resting on it 2. Of the Evil of it THere is one sort more that are great dishonourers of the pardoning grace of God and they are those that think they honour him and yet dishonour him exceedingly such as being apprehensive of the greatness of their sins the vileness of them and their own misery by reason whereof lie down in a sullen desperate discouraging mood under the wait and burden of them and are ready to turn against themselves saying certainly my condition is such as I must expect no other but to lie for ever under the burden of my sins and bear for ever the punishment of them I have heard much indeed of the riches of the pardoning grace of God but for my part my condition is such that little expectation I have of being made partaker of it certainly this kind of sullen discouragement in lying under our sins is a mighty aggravation of our sin and exceedingly dishonourable to the pardoning grace of God many that are thus let them hear never so much opened of the riches of the Gospel and the infiniteness of the grace of God all is nothing to them it raises them not from the sullenness of their hearts and the dicouragement of spirit that hangs upon them they are like to those in Exod. 6.9 that Moses spake unto but they hearkened not for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage God sent Moses to shew them the grace of God to deliver them from their bondage but says the Text they hearkened not to Moses only for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage so many People when God comes to awaken their Consciences there is so much anguish in the sense of their sin that they hearken not to what is said let them hear never so much in private or in publick they are just where they were the same complaints sullenness and objections as before you may answer all their objections against the grace of God that they know not what to say but go away for half an hour and they will have the same objections as if never any thing had been said unto them certainly there is more evil in this then you are aware of this limiting and determining of Gods grace t is true there is reason to judge your selves unworthy and that God may deny you but that God will deny you is another thing there is a great deal of difference in these some when they are put upon the use of means will confess they ought to attend upon them and that they will do it but yet when I have done all I have little hopes that God will deliver me but I shall dye and perish in my sins as that woman 1 Kings 12.17 saies she I am a poor Woman I have but a handful of meal in the barrel and a little Oyl in a Cruse and am gathering two sticks that I may eat it and dye so much as I have I am preparing and when I have eaten this I must dye thus saies many a soul I may go hear the word and pray but to little purpose But I will go and do them and then I must dye It is but little that I can make of Prayer when I have spoken two or three words I am presently distracted with wandring thoughts Two or three sticks I may lay together but when I have done that I must dye Now know and consider this day what from God shall be said unto you thou much dishonourest the pardoning grace of God First Know it is
not a slight notion like water running through a Pipe that leaves nothing behind it for so the thoughts of most People are but it is such a thing as brings Christ into the soul and the soul into Christ and so feeds and lives upon him this is relying upon Christ for pardon so as to have the concomitants and comforts of pardon continually going along with it Now you have heard these things go away and beseech God to settle things aright in your souls say to your hearts Lord I see that setling of the heart aright upon Christ for justification and pardon of sin is another manner of business then I was aware of and I am perswaded that if I had died before I should certainly have dyed under some of these mistakes Lord settle my heart aright in this great business Do not go away with such thoughts as these the Minister speaks of such mistakes but I hope it is far otherwise do not venture to put off what we say with such slight thoughts when we speak unto you we speak in the Name of God and it is a horrible taking of the Name of God in vain if we examine not what we say unto you by the Word And therefore know you are charged this day in the Name of God to look to it and examine your hearts what grounds you go upon for the pardon of your sin that you may not mistake in which we shall give you some further help in laying down some positive grounds that you may rest upon for the pardon of your sin CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin BUt if it be asked Who are they that have their sins pardoned surely they are not many this Text puts it in the singular number Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned and by that which hath been delivered about the mistakes it appears there are not very many but yet some there are and this is the work of this day in the Name of the Lord to declare to some poor souls this day their sins are pardoned this is the message from the Lord I am to speak to them I hope divers in this place as from Christ Son and Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned And blessed is that man and woman that this day shall hear that joyful sound in their hearts and that shall have the Spirit of God witness unto their spirit that as I have heard so I have felt this day that what signs of forgiveness of sin have been delivered I have felt them in my own soul Well then What are they to insist upon them The First is that the Apostle gives in Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Justification consists especially in the remission and pardon of sin Now the Holy Ghost says whom he hath called them he hath justified would you know that you are justified and that your sins are pardoned the Spirit of God shews you it is not a note of mine but it is that which comes from the Holy Ghost whom he hath called them he hath justified Vocation is a certain Evidence of Justification this Vocation or Calling is the second link that does unite those two links of that golden chain together mentioned in that place the first link is the foreknowledge of God Gods Predestination and then there is Vocation the next after that Justification and then Glorification the first chain in the link is that God from all Eternity predestinates some persons to have their sins pardoned but there is Vocation comes in between Predestination and Justification and after that Glorification so that while I am giving Evidences of Justification here in this Text I shall give Evidences of Predestination and Glorification too for these are linkt altogether Many People look only after Justification they hope their sins are pardoned but they look not to any other link of the chain as Calling and Vocation whom he hath called them he hath justified but the question then is What is this Calling What do you mean by that how shall we know whether we be called or no in 2 Pet. 1.10 he bids them there to give diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Mark as here Predestination and Calling are put together so their Calling and Election says he Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Election is first sure in respect of God but Vocation is first in regard of our selves make that sure and then you make Election sure Justification sure and Glorification sure too then what is Vocation for answer to the Question Know there is an outward call and an inward call when God sends the Ministers of the Word to reveal the Gospel and the way of Salvation that is no other but Gods calling mens souls from the ways of sin and death to come into the ways of life all that come to hear the sound of the Gospel preacht unto them let them know that is Gods call to sinners to come in and repent God calls to the Drunkard the Unclean person and all others that live in sin to repent when you come to hear the Word God calls you and God requires of you as you would have God to hear your cry when you are calling for mercy in the day of your distress hear my call now I call and cry in the Ministry of the Word Would you have me to hear you when you cry to me do you hear me now I am calling to you O that People would understand the Ministry of the Word that it is the call of God for sinners to return and repent of their sins that they would look beyond man and know that it is the voyce of God by them and therefore it is a dangerous thing for People to neglect resist or rebel against the Ministry of the Word and there is some good hopes that God hath some souls in such a place that he intends everlasting good will unto where he sends the Ministry of the Word God do's not use to send the call of the Gospel to a place but there are some souls to be called And therefore Secondly Besides the Outward Call there is an Inward Call and that is it the Apostle speaks of Many have the Outward Call of the Word to Faith and Repentance and yet they perish eternally But those whom God intends to save and hath love to indeed he comes to them with an Inward Call and this Inward Call of God is on this wise God beholds the poor wretched sinner going on in the ways of sin death and perdition and he comes to him by a secret and powerful voyce speaking to his very heart O Sinner consider where thou art What art thou a doing Whither art thou a going What is the end of thy way like to be thou art going from God from happiness and life to woful misery and blackness of darkness to the infinite
to that glorious Name of God that appears in that mercy bestowed on me so if I seek after God for a blessing then I reverence Gods Name when there is such a disposition in my heart that is somewhat suitable to the glorious Name of God that appears in that blessing so in endeavouring to sanctifie Gods Name in seeking after pardon of sin thou dost it then when there is such a frame in thy heart as may hold forth to Men and Angels that this work of thine hath some kind of suitableness to the glorious Name of God that appears in it this is to sanctifie the Name of God and this is a great work this is the great thing for which thou wast made and this is the great thing for which the counsels of God yea the deep counsels of God were set a work from all eternity Now the dispositions of our spirits must be such as may manifest the great end the wisdom and counsels of God had in it and therefore it must be a great work that must manifest that for certainly those whom God pardons he makes them understand what pardon means Now thâ—n if thy seeking be such as that thou knowest what it is thou seekest after then it must hold forth also that thou dost understand the Name of God is exceeding glorious in it and then as thou doest apprehend this so accordingly thy heart will work after it and therefore when you are alone and you find your hearts working this way say What do I do Do I so call upon him and seek after him as that this work of mine declares to God and my own Conscience I seek for it so as that I may manifest the glorious Name of the great God is in it certainly if I do not do it thus I take Gods Name in vain Sixthly Further you must seek after it as if you were now to answer for all your sins before the Lord as you would wish you had done it then so do it now I put it to every one of you Have you not been on your sick-beds and in your apprehension neer unto death hath not God wakened your Consciences and you have been afraid upon the account of your sins what kind of temper your souls have been in then know it concerns you every day in the whole course of your lives to have the same apprehensions as you had at that time do now as then you would have done certainly thou dost not understand what pardon of sin means if thou dost not seek it thus Seaventhly Do it as thou thinkest in thy Conscience the damned souls in Hell would do if God should give them a possibility What would they do if God should proclaim unto them a possibility of pardon what would they do divers things you may conceive they would do and here it comes up fully to my hand to put you upon it â—o say O! what shall I do Were we to preach to them in Hell do you think that there is any one of them but would mightily cry to the God of Heaven 't is not like that any one of such an Auditory but would mightily cry to God if the great counsels of God concerning pardon of sin were preacht to them and will not every one of you now mightily cry to God for it certainly if they would do it in Hell Why should not you do it now that which you think they would do not with a few slight vain expressions do you do now with all your might Eightly Do this so seek after it as to desire if it were possible that you might bring as much glory unto God as he would have had of you if he should have damn'd you for ever this is an excellent frame of spirit though you do not know it but though you do not yet you should put your selves upon such a kind of work and God may come in you cry out for pardon but never cry out for Gods honour O what shall become of the honour of God that he hath lost by me and the dishonour I have brought to him say O Lord I have dishonoured thy Name O that I might so honour thy Name as I have dishonoured it O Lord thou mightest make up thy honour in my eternal damnation but O Lord I would if I could do any thing that might make up that dishonour that I have brought by my sin if I could do any thing that thou mightest have any honour in I would do it for a close I shall put this for a consideration to you whatsoever you would do upon any supposition suppose your danger were as great as ever it was in all your lives what you would do then do it now you must do all that can be done by a creature Now if you would do more on such a supposition as this after all those Sermons you have heard of the evil of sin and now of the great blessedness of the pardon of sin if you do not do what a creature is able to do How can you look for pardon of sin in the face of God and therefore what you would do on any such supposition do now though thou shouldest not get pardon suppose such a thing as if thou wer 't now ready to be damn'd yet is it not better to do it than not to do it Having spoken of these general things I come now more garticularly to the other part of the Question What is to be done First This is to be done be sure thou takest off thy heart from all other imaginary blessedness certainly there is no man in the world but hath somewhat else his heart was running out after now thou must get off thy heart from that thing whatever it be it may be thy heart was set upon friends or upon pleasures of the flesh and thou thoughtest thy self happy the more thou had'st liberty for thy lust and the like now thou must be convinc't that thou hast fed upon ashes and hast not been able to say there is a lie in my right hand but God hath now shewed me there is a lie and I have look't for happiness else where but now I see it is not there to be found win thy soul fully to this O my soul art thou taken off from all other things hath God convinc't thee that thou may'st have honours riches pleasures and yet be a Reprobate wo unto me for the time that I have lost I have laid out my time and mony for another blessedness that is no where to be found but in the grace of God Secondly Let Conscience have free liberty to shew thee thy sins and charge them upon thee yea to accuse and condemn thee and do thou help thy Conscience when Conscience accuses and condemns then do thou condemn thy self if thou would'st be pardoned then give Conscience scope and liberty 't is very dangerous when God begins to stir the hearts of men and women to make any stop or give any
your days sleeping in security your damnation sleeps and slumbers not and until your sin be pardoned the infinite justice of God is working your doom for the full satisfaction of it that is the first thing they dishonour God that go on in secure courses without minding such a great thing as the pardon of sin is Secondly Others dishonour God who in stead of making it their great business in this world to get their sin pardoned they make it their great work to increase the guilt of sin by heaping up more and more guilt and so make the flame greater and add to it continually you would think it a very unreasonable and desperate thing in a man that being condemn'd to some grievous and dreadful death yet there being a pardon propounded and some possibility of it and a friend for this very end get a Reprieval of the King for two or three days that he might have time to sue out his Pardon suppose such a thing Now then if this man in this time of Reprieval that is given for this very end to seek a Pardon should call for good cheer and musick merriment and sporting and not only so but fall into railing against the Prince increase his guilt and provoke the Prince more and more against him Would not every man say this man is worthy of the greatest extream tormentingest death that could be devised Nay I suppose should you hear of such an one condemn'd to die and had his life given him for this very end you would think surely this man will spend these days in another manner than ever he spent his time before you that would think so of such a man it may be some of you before the Lord this day are guilty of the same evil for this is a certain truth that all the men in the world have been condemn'd to eternal death and all the time of your life is given you for this very end a few days that God gives you for this very purpose meerly that you might have a little liberty to sue out your pardon and make up your peace with God O that men and women would but understand this what they live for that all the time of their lives is given them to make up their peace with God you are to know it is given for this end meerly as a Malefactor hath a Reprieve to get his Pardon this is your very condition you stand before the Lord guilty of eternal death but God in his patience and long-sufferance gives you a few days to live to sue out your Pardon and if you let this time slip and these days be gone I profess to you this day before the Lord that mercy it self shall never save you I would but know of many of you how you spend these days you are not certain of one day it may be not an hour Do you spend these days in making it the great business and work of your Souls to sue out a Pardon Let me speak to you and O that you would speak it in secret between God and your own Souls and that you would answer in the Name of God every soul present to this Question Soul hast thou made it the great work and business of thy life above all things in the world to sue out thy Pardon and seek for Reconciliation with thy God and a discharge of thy sins I verily fear that many of you that hear me this day if we could but hear Conscience speak would answer What I make it the great work and business of my life to sue out a Pardon God knows it hath been the great work and business of my life to increase my guilt there is not a day goes over my head but I have brought more guilt upon my self by wicked Oaths taking Gods Name in vain neglecting his Worship abusing of his creatures perhaps by drunkenness or uncleanness methinks your Consciences might misgive you when you are so far from making it the great business of your lives to sue for pardon that you make it your great work to encrease your guilt Dost thou think ever to get pardon of thy sin so long as thou goest on to encrease thy guilt and make thy self more vile the lives of many people are such in a course of wickedness that it bespeaks them that either they are resolved to perish eternally in their sin or else to make it to be as great a burden to the mercy of God as can be in the pardoning of their sin if it be so mighty a work of God to pardon sin observe what I say it follows from the point wherein I opened the wonderful work of God in pardoning any one sin think thus Is it so great a work of God to pardon one sin Shall I go on then to add sin unto sin to make the work greater Friend if God pardon but one sin in thought that thou hast been guilty of in all thy life it would be a work that would yield thee matter of praise to all eternity and wilt thou be so desperate then as to add sin unto sin As suppose a man had some grievous disease and it would be the strangest work to cure him that ever was wrought since the Earth and Heavens were made if this man should go on by intemperate courses to increase the malignity and venom of it day by day more and more what a desperate thing would this be esteemed in him especially if he were in a possibility of cure yea and perhaps he could tell others that there is some possibility and yet he goes on to encrease the malignity more and more how would every one think this mans courses unreasonable O that we would consider of the unreasonableness of the dealings of men with God men are ashamed to be unreasonable in their dealings with men but in their dealings with God they are as unreasonable as can be imagined you are guilty of many sins have you hope to be forgiven yes you will say you have hope have you hope if God deliver you from any of your sins he must do such a work as is greater than the making of Heaven and Earth what do you then to encrease your sin when it is so great a work to pardon your sin O! the horrible wickedness of men and women to increase their sin Josh 22.17 I may allude unto it and it is an argument of great force Is the iniquity of Peor too little from which we are not cleansed to this day so I may say to sinners going on in their sins Is the iniquity of Peor too little from which you are not cleansed to this day What is the iniquity of your youth too little that you committed and mispent your time when you were Prentice or lived in such and such a family Is that sin too little to magnifie the grace of God in pardoning of it but that you must add more and more unto it as if you would tempt God
expression as if it were so there is no Text of Scripture hath those words there is one Text of Scripture this is taken out of but that is spoken to another end and therefore you had need to examine what is spoken 't is Ezek. 18.21 this comes the nearest to those words mark this Scripture and see what you can have from thence to defer the seeking of Gods pardoning mercy and grace till sickness and death But if the wicked shall turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die here this Scripture does not limit a time though it says not At what time soever it says if he turn from all his sins and keep all my Statutes and do that that is lawful and right so that this Scripture promises mercy to one that turns from all his sins and will keep all Gods Statutes and so do all that is lawful and right But now if you put it off to the time of sickness and death How can you do all this Turn from all sin and keep all Gods Statutes then or How can you do that is lawful and right then it must be then when you can keep all Gods Statutes as well as turn from all your sins so that if you take all together there is not so much incouragement to that which is so frequent in your mouths At what time soever a sinner repents it must be at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes but further God speaks here to the Jews according to the condition of the Covenant of works because they made account to be justified by the Law says God you will put it off and think at last to turn from your wicked wayes and that I will have mercy on you I but look to it if you will repent it must be such a repentance as must be joyned with a keeping all my Statutes therefore those that do not understand the way of the Gospel but depend upon a repentance on their death-beds God will hold you to this Scripture that you must repent at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes then you see this is the worst time of all to defer repentance till your sick-beds or death-beds for how can you keep all Gods Statutes then and do all that is lawful and right then 5. It is the worst time because all the tag-rag all the base and vâ—lest wretches in the world will come in then And what hast thou no other spirit but to defer coming in till then Hast thou no more care of thy soul no more love to God and his ways but to put it off till such a time as all the abominable wretches in the world will come in that is the seventh way in dishonouring the pardoning grace of God by seeking it in the worst time that possible can be 8. The Eighth way of dishâ—nouring the pardoning grace of God and the most considerable of all is the seeking and expecting of it any other way but only through the Mediation of the Son of God I told you in the opening of the glorious mysteries of pardoning grace that it must be done by a Mediator Now not only gross ignorant people but many others dishonour the pardoning grace of God they are not sensible of this that it is such grace that only comes through the Mediation of the Son of God We have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God if we do think there is a possibility of attaining it any other way than by the mediation of him that is God-Man If we think our crying to God at any time will do it or our roaring out in anguish of spirit forty fifty or sixty years is enough to do it or that there is any thing to attain it by under the mediation of the Son of God we have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God we give not God that honour that is due unto it Luther has a notable expression to this purpose It is a horrible blasphemy if you presume to pacifie God by any works 't is an excellent speech so I say 't is horrible blasphemy and intolerable to think to have any thing in the least of your own to presume upon that God will be pacified with it whereas God cannot be pacified by any other means then by the infinite price of the Death and Blood of his own Son one drop of which is more precious than all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God will say Have I revealed such a way of being reconciled with my Creatures and that at such a rate and infinite price as the death of my own Son Shall his life and blood go to procure pardon one drop of which is more worth than ten thousand worlds and when all this is done shall my creature think to put me off by a poor work of their own prayers tears good meaning or the like or with the most glorious work that they can perform for the greatest and most glorious work that they can perform is not near worth so much as one drop of the blood of Christ And if you have not such high thoughts of Gods Pardoning Mercy that it must be procured by that which hath more worth in it than all the Creation besides you do dishonour it by having such low thoughts of it when as you think to obtain it by any duty that you can do you think God is a merciful God and you hope upon your reforming and performing duties of Obedience that God will be pacified towards you for all that is amiss Certainly when you have these thoughts of Gods pardoning grace you make it to be but as common and ordinary pity towards one in misery but the grace of God is a higher thing than common pity and compassion and it is a mighty dishonour to God to have no higher thoughts of it that you think of it but as of common pity and compassion that one creature hath unto another or if you think it differs from that pity one creature hath to another it is but a difference in degrees only you think it is a little higher in degree but you must look upon it in another way and as another kind of pity then one creature bears to another it is true Gods pardoning his poor creatures is in pity and compassion but it is through the death and satisfaction of his own Son and if you think to procure it any other way than by the mediation of the Son of God you look upon it but in a natural way as nature will dictate unto you for nature will dictate that the beholding of one crying out in misery will move pity and compassion and you go no further But you are to know the pardoning grace of God is the most supernatural and mysteriousest thing in all the Book of God therefore when God works in us
gulf of eternal Perdition O turn turn O sinner out of these vile abominable dangerous ways or else thou art undone for ever Behold here is the way of life set before thee behold my Son sent into the world for the Propitiation of thy sin and to bring thee into the ways of godliness which is the way to eternal life O turn sinner into these wayes Now this voyce of God calling to the Soul of a man or woman it comes with power it hath an over powering strength in it to prevail upon the heart it is much like that secret voyce mentioned in Isai 30.21 And thy Ears shall hear a word behind thee saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the right hand or to the left 't is a Promise of Gods mercy unto his People to convert them unto himself those that were only in an Outward Profession says God you shall hear a voyce behind you saying this is the way turn in unto it and so 't is when God calls a sinner from the ways of death and destruction such a sinner hears a voyce behind him it may be he has come many times to Sermons and heard a voyce many times without him and before him but never before a voyce within him and behind him an inward secret voyce speaking to the soul O sinner turn out of thy sinful ways Why wilt thou die and perish eternally for God to come thus secretly and to reason with the soul by a voyce behind it and 't is not bare reasoning but a voyce that hath a power and efficacy from God going along with it that carries on this work in the soul and causes the heart to listen and to yield unto God when God calls to the Soul to come into the ways of life the Soul answers Lord I come and with a trembling frame of heart cries out with Saul at his Conversion Lord What wilt thou have me to do No more now what sin will have me to do and what this and that and the other lust will have me to do No now I see the ways of Life and Salvation are the only blessed ways Now Lord What would'st thou have me to do Now Salvation is come to that Soul and Reconciliation with Jesus Christ For whom he hath called them he hath justified Observe the efficacy of that call spoken of in Isai 30.21 Thine Ears shall hear a word behind thee c. and then follows the fruits of it and ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven Images with Silver and the ornament of thy molten Images of Gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous Cloth and shall say unto it get thee hence the sins they before lived in was Idolatry and their hearts were much taken with their brave Images over-laid with Silver and Gold but when they heard the voyce behind them they look't upon those things they so much delighted in that was so brave in their eyes before but as menstruous cloathes which are the most filthiest things that can be and cast them away as filthy rags with indignation saying get thee hence as one that takes a rag in his hand and looks on it and sees it all filthy and defiled presently he throws it away with abomination and says get thee hence so this is the call of God when the Soul hears behind it a secret voyce that many hear not it may be many thousands hear the outward voyce of the Minister telling them of the evil of sin and their abominations and a poor Servant or a poor Youth that stands in the midst of the crowd he hears a voyce behind him that others do not a secret voyce besides the general voyce which is a prevailing voyce that the soul falls down and yields presently before he goes out of the Church and says Lord this day thou hast convinc't me of the evil of sin and thou hast this day shewed me the way of life and salvation Lord I come unto thee though he saw nothing and though no body else hear that voyce yet there is a secret voyce of God unto the soul though he stand in the midst of the crowd and no body else hear it yet at that instant pardon of sin came to that soul and reconciliation by Jesus Christ now when this comes into the soul he will not let such and such sins be there any longer but says Get you hence I will have no more to do with such and such beloved lusts and Idols that I set my heart upon Get thee hence and those men that God calls to himself certainly when they hear this voyce behind them though they now plead for Idolatry and Superstition and why should not we do as our forefathers did yet if once they come to hear this secret voyce of God and God shew them the way of his Worship in the purity and beauty of it they will say get thee hence to those things as vile things get ye hence I will have no more to do with you this is the way in the ordinary call of God and though God sanctifie some from the womb yet afterwards by a mighty work of the Spirit he discovers unto them what the soul is by nature there is somewhat like this even in those that are sanctified from the womb though God in an extraordinary way draw the soul out from sin into the ways of life but generally there are in the ordinary way of Gods working these three or four voyces calling to the soul 1. Says God to the soul O soul thou art made for God and for Eternity 2. O soul thou art now in the ways of Hell and of eternal perdition and must of necessity perish in it 3. O soul behold here are the ways of life and salvation reveal'd unto thee and set before thee in the Gospel of my Son And lastly O soul come in and thou shalt have favour and acceptation in my Son these are the four voyces in Gods call I do not say every one hears them plainly and distinctly yet they do for the substance of them in the ordinary way of the dispensation of Gods grace Every soul that God justifies they are thus called of God and 't is a prevailing call that brings them in to submit unto it Again concerning this call of God because the Scripture speaks much of it I shall shew a little further mark it That soul that once hears the call of God to bring it into the ways of life that soul will evermore depend upon Gods call in all other things if God hath called me out of the ways of death into the ways of life in obedience to that call that my soul hath yielded too I shall be evermore under the power of Gods call in all other things let God call me to what he will to what service he pleases to whatsoever difficulties and sufferings he shall think meet my soul is content and says Here I am Lord speak thy
against God that I know not that I cannot tell how to make up his glory for there is care taken for that already and therefore that need not discourage thee Tenthly There are as vile sinners now Triumphing in Heaven as any of you that are here be you never so black and vile and therefore be not discouraged at the greatness of thy sins for though they be very great yet that may not keep thee out others as vile as thou art are now in Heaven Eleventhly Make the utmost of thy sin thou can'st yet this need not hinder thee to come to God for for ought that either men or Angels know thou hast as much interest in Christ as any Saint in Heaven over had and if thou comest in and layest hold on Christ thy very laying hold on Christ will plainly shew thou hast a right unto him and therefore be not discouraged but come in Twelfthly Vpon thy closing with Christ thou wilt find such a change as was never wrought in any creature besides for though thou wer 't vile and filthy more vile and filthy than a child new born by original and actual sins ingendred in thee yet thou shalt be made cleaner than a child and more pure in the eyes of God than any child cleansed from his filthiness would not you do any thing to be pure in the eyes of God make use of what I say and you shall be clean when you hear the Ministers utter the threatnings of God you fall out with the man and say he preaches nothing but terror alas 't is our delight to preach the pardoning grace of God but we must shew the evil of sin and it is that you might come in and imbrace mercy for know we delight to preach mercy more than any thing else and know that if thou desirest that all thy thoughts ways and actions may be for Gods glory he will not upbraid thee for coming in unto him Joh. 6.37 He that cometh to Christ he will in no wise cast out though thou hast been never so great a sinner yet thou may'st come in and close with Christ for he that comes to him be he what he will he will in no wise cast out Thirteenthly Thou wilt fill Heaven with joy and there will be more melody in Heaven than at the coming in of any Prince to his Kingdom and I may say unto you even in this place if you come in the Angels will rejoyce at it for there are many Angels stand about you therefore take heed of your carriage for they come to see your behaviour have a special care your hearts be set upon the work you come about for they are here to see how you carry your selves Fourteenthly In obtaining pardon of sin and closing with Christ by faith thou art made heir of the whole world Rom. 4.13 How does many of you Marriners and others venture upon dangerous voyages to get great Estates in this world and you count them happy that are born to great Estates Why by closing with Jesus Christ by faith for remission of sins you are made heirs of the whole world I mean not of that to come but of this present world though none of you certainly desire more than may carry you to Heaven yet you are true and proper heirs of the whole world All is yours the Scripture is very clear in it but I cannot now stand to inlarge upon it 1 Cor. 3. latter end Fifteenthly For any thing thou knowest thou art one of Gods Elect and there is nothing thou art to do but God hath promised to inable thee to do it for there is such a transaction between God and Christ that he that shall be saved shall not have only savour vouchsaf't unto him but shall be inabled to do whatsoever God requires of him there shall be grace given to every one of the Elect of God And now if thou comest in and givest up thy self and all that thou art hast or can'st do to Christ How knowest thou but thou art one of those that art Elect and so shall be made for ever happy But if after all that has been said thou goest away with slight thoughts of this rich and transcendent grace of pardoning mercy and dost not set presently upon the work to obtain it Be thou for ever ashamed and confounded but let the pardoning mercy of God be for ever magnified FINIS A TABLE of the Principal Things contain'd in this Treatise CHAP. I. THe Text opened and the main Doctrine propounded viz. pag. 1 Doct. That the blessedness of a man or of any soul consists in the free grace of God forgiving of his sin 4 CHAP. II. Of the blessedness of the pardon of sin which appears 6 1. Negatively in the evil it frees us from ibid. 2. Positively in the good bestowed upon us therein consider 8 1 The Efficient cause of mercy in forgiveness of sin ibid. 2 The Final cause of mercy in forgiveness of sin 9 CHAP. III. Of 11 wonderful Mysteries of Godliness included in in the great mercy of forgiveness of Sin 10 1 It is by means of a Mediator 11 2 It is through Christs undertaking the debt upon himself 12 3 It is by Christs sufferings 13 4 Sin pardoned makes the soul stands righteous before God 14 5 This righteousness is in another ibid. 6 A near union is made between Christ and the Soul 15 7 It is by faith yet boasting is excluded 16 8 God is infinitely just and yet infinitely merciful 18 9 When God forgives sin at present he forgives all to come 19 10 God pardons a sinner not because he is but that he might be changed 25 11 God himself purchases the Pardon 27 CHAP. IV. Of Pardon of Sin not only being a mercy in it self but the Foundation of many other Mercies 28 1 Peace 1 with God 2 with 1 Conscience 2 Creatures 30 32 33 2 The Revelation of Gods secrets to them he pardons ibid. 3 It makes all other injoyments to be mercies which otherwise are not 38 1 By reason of guilt of sin 39 2 Not known whether they be given in love or hatred ibid. 4 It makes all afflictions easie to be borne 40 1 The great good of pardon makes the bitterest evil nothing 41 2 It assures the soul the evil of affliction is gone 42 5 Pardoning mercy brings healing with it into the soul 43 6 Comfort against death the effect of pardoning mercy 45 7 Security against the worlds reproaches 46 8 It is the foundation of eternal life 48 9 It is the bottom of all true comfort ibid. CHAP. V. Of Pardoning Mercy passing through a great many difficulties by reason of the wrong that man hath done to God by Sin 49 1 God must be made Man and yet remain the same God he was before 50 2 He must die and be made a curse ibid. 3 The dead heart of man must be raised to do the gloriousest work that any creature ever did 51 Hence 1