the Sabbath and be drunk and a Whore-master But sins in thought and of a lesser nature I hope they may be born withall And what need a man be so strict and precise I but know that a gracious heart would never reason after such a manner O no such a one knows that the least sin is a greater evil then the greatest affliction that there is more evil in the least sin then there is in all the torments of Hell besides And a godly man that understands the wayes of God doth know that the least sin must have the blood of Jesus Christ to purge it out that is more worth then ten Thousand worlds and therefore he will noâ— allow himself in the least because it is a little one The Third ground is this Why the best of all have their sins as well as we Those that we read of in Scripture have they not fallen into foul sins But I beseech you mark though godly men have their infirmities yet shew me any example that ever there was since the beginning of the World any one godly man that did plead for his sin upon this account because another godly man had committed it O! he doth not commit sin upon such a ground as this is He will not venture upon the practice of sin because he sees others are guilty of it as well as himself Oh no If God hath dishonour by another let me take heed how I add to this dishonour saith a gracious heart Fourthly Another ground is because their sin is not so bad as the sins of others mine is not the worst Come and rebuke them for a sin why God grant you never do any worse Indeed in matters of affliction we may reason from a less to a greater and take up a less to prevent a greater but in matters of sin we should never make such comparisons there is a kind of infiniteness in sin and the least sin is enough to be my eternal ruine What 's that to me because others do worse I beseech you consider of it as we name these things for I do not stand to enlarge every one For the truth is there 's never a one of these but might be inlarged into a Sermon and might be a great use to take away these grounds of sin upon which ungodly men do commit their sin Fifthly Another is this A wicked heart will venture upon sin why because he heart that God is merciful and God's not so strict as many make him This is a sign thy spot is not the spot of Gods Children Where do we ever find that a gracious heart would ever reason thus there is mercy with the Lord and therefore let me sin O no the reasonings of a gracious heart are There is mercies with thee O Lord that then mayest be feared and therefore thou shalt be feared Not there are mercies with thee and therefore thou shalt be dishonoured If there be such kind of reasonings in thy heart that thou venturest upon sin upon this ground because God is merciful know that the Lord speaks to thy soul this day that thy spot is not the spot of Gods Children Sixthly And farther Not onely because God is merciful but God hath been already merciful Indeed I hear that there is a great deal of danger in sin but I have liv'd all this while and nothing hath come of it O! for men to sin upon reasoning of Gods patience because the Lord hath been patient and suffered them all this while O this is wicked boldness in thy heart thou knowest not with whom it is thou hast to deal Thou hast escaped all this while O but a sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed Thy spot is not the spot of Gods Child that dar'st venture upon thy sin because thou hast escap'd so long a time as thou hast done Seventhly And then yet farther There 's another ground that is worse then all these that some will venture upon sin why because Jesus Christ hath died for sinners because there is a purchase for the pardon of sin Oh this is a most desperate turning the grace of God into wantoness to dare to venture upon the commission of thy sin because Christ came to purchase the pardon of sin why did not Jesus Christ come into the World to dissolve the works of the Devil and dost thou make Jesus Christ to be a means to strengthen the works of the Devil Bold and presumptuous heart the Lord rebuke thee that dost account the blood of Jesus Christ not onely as a common thing but as a polluted thing as an unclean thing surely thy spot is not the spot of Gods Children Eighthly Another ground is this A temptation comes to sin and they will venture upon it Why they hope they shall repent afterwards and though I do sin it is but repenting afterwards and if I do repent afterwards then my sin shall be for given me and not laid to my charge But have you any thing in Scripture That any Child of God committed sin upon such a ground as this is and if thou dost so thy spot likewise is not the spot of Gods Children O foolish and base heart thou wilt do that now that thou dost know thou mayest wish thou had'st never done This is in finite folly and surely God doth not leave his Children to such wickedness as this is to venture upon sin upon such grounds as these are Ninethly Another ground may be this They will venture upon it why because it may possibly stand with grace You shall hear sometimes many that make some kind of profession to be reasoning after this manner They will not indeed commit such things as they think cannot possibly stand with grace but if they think it may possibly stand with grace they will make that to be the ground of their venturing upon it O wretched and vile heart that shalt thus reason to commit sin because it may possibly stand with grace Suppose it should be so that many a man that commits such a sin should go to Heaven but is it possible that a man commiting sin upon such a ground may go to Heaven There 's a great deal of difference between a thing done and a thing done upon such a ground Tenthly Lastly though many others might be named for a man to venture upon a sin why because he hath done much good This likewise is not the spot of Gods Child for one to sin upon such a ground I have done some good and therefore I may venture upon some sin This is the wickedness of a mans heart that if he hath as they use to say kept his Church he thinks he may have liberty in the week-day the more if he be devout upon the Lords day he may take liberty so much the more upon the week-day O this is an Argument of a base and carnal heart that knows not the wayes of God To take liberty upon sin at one time because they have been
therefore that what I say doth not at all belong to such but how ever it doth belong to many of the Children of God and therefore they must have their portion though such as it belongs not to will be â—eady to snatch at it And that 's the second thing in the different way of Gods dealing with his Children when they sin and with the ungodly Thou sinnest as others do Thy sin for the Act may be the same but when thou hast sinned who stands before the Father to plead thy cause what hath Christ to do with thee or thee to do with him but rather thy Conscience and Law and Devil stands pleading against thee and none to answer for thee But Thirdly When a godly Man sins God deals with him not according to the Law of Justice but according to the Law of Grace We are not under the Law saith the Apostle concerning believers but under grace when another sins the Law passes presently upon him but saith the Apostle in Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus The Law cannot pass upon them to condemn them They are not to be dealt withall according to the Law but according to Grace Now the ungodly when they sin they are dealt withal according to the Law God will do them no wrong but the Law must pass upon them Yea not onely so but they are delivered from the Law and from all the curse of the Law I the Lord hath promised that he will spare them as a Man doth his onely Son that serves him In Mal. 3. last If thou be'st a Child this is thy portion And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a Man spareth his onely Son that serves him This is a Text that hath a treasury of comfort in it to those that are Gods Children that can by those former notes of the difference of sin and their different behaviours towards their sin approve themselves that they belong to God here 's the promise That the Lord will spare them as a Father spareth his own Son that serves him A Father will not cast cut his Son from his House and disinherit him for every offence that he doth commit neither will God deal so with his Children though they have spots though they have infimities And hence we find that God takes advantage against some for a little sin and spares another though he be guilty of a greater sin Gods mercy is his own he may deal with his mercy as he pleases he will do justly with all but he will be merciful to whom he pleases and hence it is the Scripture holds forth this that some men the Lord hath taken advantage against for some smaller sin and other men the Lord hath spaâ—'d when they have been guilty of some greater sin As that notable example of Saul comparing that with David David was one of Gods Children and had spots I foul ones Saul he was none of Gods Child and he had his spots and some of them was not so foul in regard of the nature of them as Davids were and yet see the different dealing of God with Saul and David for Saul you shall find that God rejects him utterly and what for In 1 Sam. 13. 13. You may see wherefore God would reject Saul And Samuel said to Saul Thou hast done foolishly thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God which he commanded thee for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever But now thy kingdom shall not continue As if Samuel should have said Well this is the thing for which God will cut thee off and cut off thy kingdom Why what was it if you examine the thing what it was it was nothing but this That there was an agreement between Saul and Samuel that Samuel should come to him at such a time Well Samuel did not come just at the time or staid as Saul thought somewhat too long Saul was brought into great straits the Philistines came upon him his enemies Now upon this being in such great straits Saul had not sought to God for Gods presence with him in the battel now thought Saul I have staid for Samuel all this time and he comes not and rather then I will go out to battel without making supplication to God and offering sacrifice I will for this once venture upon it my self for so he saith in the 12 ver It was a burnt â—ffering It was to the Lord it was in the time of my straits and I forc't my self to it too I was not so ready and forward to do it it was in an absolute necessity as I thought and yet this is the sin for which Saul must be cut off and rejected and his kingdom not to continue You will say now what was this to the sin of David of Murder and Adulterry Those were sins of another nature well what if they were yet David was a Child and Saul was not and therefore he will pardon one and condemn the other and who can say to God what dost thou And again another sin of Saul you shall find in 1 Sam. 15. God required of Saul to go against Amalek utterly to destroy him Well Saul did do according to Gods command and made a great slaughter but he kept onely some of the Cattel and the fat ones but he profest he kept them not for his own advantage it was that he might offer for sacrifice to God Now Samuel comes to him though Saul had thought he had done nothing but that which God was pleased withal for he stands to justifie himself in the 20 v. And Saul said unto Samuel yea I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me and have brought Agag the King of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalakites I have done what God sent me about Now Samuel he comes and convinces him that he had not done what God had sent him to do why because he had spar'd some of the Cattel Now Saul excuses himself afterwards to Samuel in v. 12. The people took of the spoyle Sheep and Oxen the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God is Gilgal But mark what Samuel saith in the 22 v. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rams for Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord the Lord hath also rejected thee from being King These Scriptures might make any mans heart to tremble and not to dare to venture upon sins that he thinks to be smaller sins one would think that upon the consideration of these Scriptures that no
devout and done good at another time That 's the next head the different grounds I shall name but one thing more That a godly man in the commission of sin he makes his falling into one sin to be a means to help him against that sin and against many others If the Lord shall let him fall into some one sin I say he will make that to be a means to cleanse many others but especially to take heed against that sin The bespotting of himself in some one spot will be a means for the cleansing of many spots Though he dare not commit sin upon that ground yet it falls out so in the effect As sometimes if there be a few small spots in a Childs Coat you regard not them but if there be some great spot it causes you to wash the whole Coat So it is with one that hath any grace if the Lord notwithstanding his watchfulness and care shall let him fall into some great spot he makes this use To be cleansing and washing of his soul not onely from that spot but from all other spots he knows in himself but especially to set himself against that particular sin he will take heed of ever falling into that again ☞ And therefore give me an example in all the book of God where any one man that was godly committed the same sin twice I say after an act of repentance It 's true Peter denyed his Master thrice I but that was as a continued thing it was not after Peters heart was smitten and humbled after his conviction and repentance And for my part I know no example from Genesis to the Revelation of any one Child of God that feâ—â— twice into an outward Act I do not say the sins of thought they may be repented of an fallen into again though the heart do labour and strive against them but for an outward aâ—â— of sin that any Child of God did ever fall into after God had shown him the evil and hâ— had tepented of it And therefore the condition must needs be sad when it is such as there can be no example in all the Scriptur to parallel it For I appeal to thee thou the makest any Profession of Religion and thou fallest into some act of sin Either thy Conscience doth accuse thee and thou dost repent or it doth not accuse thee and thou dost not repent If thy Conscience doth not accuse thee and thou dost not repent that 's a sign thy heart is not troubled Well if thy heart be troubled and thou hast repented give me an example of any one Child of God that fell into such an act of sin again Yea I shall shew you in divers examples in Scripture that evermore those Children of God that have been overtaken with their sin they have been more eminent in that grace that is most contrary to that sin than in any other grace Peter he fell through cowardise to betray his Master But yet when the Scripture speaks of him afterwards it notes him specially for his boldness in John 21. 7. Therefore the Disciple whom Jesu's loved saith unto Peter it is the Lord now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he girt his fishers Coat unto him and did cast himself into the Sea Oh the love of Peter towards Christ after he had denyed him He had denyed Christ but now he was the host forward in his love to Christ he would not stay till Christ came to the ship but â—â—rows himself into the Sea that he might presently be with Christ he had broke his love before and now you see how eminent he is in love above the other Disciples And so in boldness In Acts 2. 14. When the Jews did mock at the Apostles and Disciples the Text saith That Peter standing up with the eleven lift up his voice and said unto them Ye men of Judea Not any of the other would speak but Peter he appears the most forward I it was because Peter had denyed Christ and therefore he would be the most forward in manifesting love to Christ You cannot have comfort that your spot is the spot of Gods Children except if you have been overcome with a sin yet afterwards you grow not up in that grace that is most eminently contrary to that sin Another example we have of Nichodemus Nichodemus he began to have some work oâ— grace upon him but the Scripture notes him for a very timerous man and that was him special infirmity that he was afraid and so would come to Christ by night Now afterwards when the Scripture takes notice of this Nichodemas especially it observes him for his boldness for that which was contrary to that sinful distemper of his heart before This you have in John 19. 39. And there came also Nichodemas which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of Myrrhe and Alots about One hundrd weight Then took they the body of Jesus He appeared now openly The third is Joseph of Arimathea v. 38. And after this Joseph of Arimathea being a Disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus He was at the first step a Disciple but dare not appear but afterwards he is noted for one of the most forward of all and would go and own him before Pilate himself yea and at that time when Christ was in his lowest cond tiâ—r That 's a sign indeed of grace to own Christ when he is in the lowest condition when he was crucified and dead yet now to appear to own him and that before Princes O! the Scripture takes special notice of those that had fallen into sin that afterwards they grew more eminent in that grace that was contrary to that sin than any other As it is with a bone that is set it is more strong then before and so it is usual with those that are godly if they be once overcome with their sin they afterwards grow more strong against that sin And thus even Acts come to decrease Habits and that 's a Paradox in Philosophy it 's true in Divinity That the acts of the Saints sin come not only to restrain them from falling into them again but it is used by God to decreass the habits of their sin Now I beseech you carry home these things to your souls and O that the Lord would cause you to lay your hand upon your hearts and say Lord have mercy upon me we are indeed all sinners but we see that God will find a difference between one sin and another and though all have their spots yet as for my part I am afraid that my spot is not the spot of Gods Children The Fourth SERMON August the 23d 1645. I Shall speak to one or two particulars more about this and then we come to the last thing propounded in the opening of this point The behaviour of the heart of a Child of God toward this sin The
sins of the Saints they drive them to Jesus Christ If there be any truth of grace though weak thy sins will drive thee to Jesus Christ not drive thee from him but drive thee to him And make thee prise Jesus Christ as the Immaculate Lamb of God that is come into the World to take away thy sin It will make thee set a high price upon Christ and cause thy heart to follow him with all thy might Wicked men when they sin they turnaway from God and from Christ and the things of Christ are less savoury to them But the Saints when they sin they are put upon the seeking after Christ and prising of him so much the more Lastly Their very sin makes them to long for Heaven O wretched man that I am saith Paul who shall deliver me from this body of death Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ c. O! he flies to Christ and he desires to be present with Christ so the Saints they long for Heaven upon this ground above all other grounds and reasons namely because they know they shall never be delivered from the body of sin and death that they carry about with them till they come to Heaven and therefore they prise the state of Heaven as a glorious state because they shall never sin more against God I put it now in the name of God to your consciences this day you say you hope to go to Heaven what 's that for which you prise Heaven most why a gracious heart would say O Lord though I endure some sorrows and afflictions here yet thou knowest that the great burden of all it is the burden of my sin and when I shall be taken out of this world I know I shall never sin more never sin more against thee O that day when shall that day come that my soul shall never sin more against that God that I do love Thou that knowest all things knowest that this is my desire after Heaven upon this ground above all other grounds whatsoever Are you able to say so as in the pesence of God this would be a good argument indeed that though there be some spots yet they may be the spots of Gods Children And if it be so with thee then attend to the next point and that is The different dealings of God with his Children in regard of their sin with his dealings with the wicked and ungodly in regard of their sins As the behaviour of thy soul in respect of thy sin is different from the wicked so the behaviour of God towards thee will be very different from that of his towards the wicked and ungodly They may not think to escape so as thou mayest escape First As in the first place If a Child of God sins yet he hath a pardon laid up for his sin yea a pardon laid up before the sin is committed I do not say the pardon actually applyed but laid up for to say the thing is actually pardoned before committed it 's scarce English much less Divinity For whatever it be in Gods account or what God will do yet when we say the sinner is pardoned it notes some work of God upon the Creation actual in being As when we say the World was created it was not created from eternity why it 's a work of God upon the creation therefore it has a Time And so what 's a work of God in Himself that is from eternity But what 's a work of God upon the creature that 's in time without any change in Gods nature any more-then the creating of the World did change his nature there are for givnesses with thee that thou mayest be feared they lie up with thee there are Pardons that lie up with God there is an Atonement made for the sins of Gods Children for the sins that they have committed and sins that they shall commit I say an Atonement is made even for them and a ransom is paid Jesus Christ did tender up himself to the Father for a ransom for all the sins of the elect it 's laid up there So saith the Apostle 1 John 2 2. I write unto you little Children that ye sin not and if any man sin that I shall take notice of by and by we have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sins So that when an ungodly man sins there the sentence of death comes out against him But the Lord saith concerning his Children Let their souls be pardoned for I have found a ransom Thou sayest the best have their sin True but one man hath a ransom hath a price paid for his sin and thou hast none none for ought thou knowest In that condition wherein thou art thou canst not know that thou hast any Here 's the difference between Gods dealing with his Children others one sins and the Lord acknowledges a propitiation presently a ransom a price a pardon that 's laid in but he acknowledges it not for thee Secondly Yea in the Second place the Children of God when they sin their condition is far different from the sin of the wicked they have not only a price paid and a pardon laid up But you will say how in case they do not sue out their pardon I confess if they sue it not out they have not the comfort of it But yet the Scripture tells us they have an Advocate with the Fathe If they through ignorance do not know their sin how can they sue out their pardon yet they have an advocate with the Father continually and it 's the work of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father to be an Advocate to plead for believers with the Father when ever they sin against the Father there stands Christ their Advocate pleading he watches if there come in any accusations against them if the Law or the Devil or conscience shal send up an accusation Christ stands as an Advocate to plead their cause you know I suppose what an Advocate in Law doth mean he stands to plead the cause of his Client whatsoever comes in against him he is made acquainted withall that he may stand to plead This is the case of the Children of God notwithstanding their sin they have an Advocate with the Father In 1 John 2. 1. My little Children these things write I unto you that ye sin not ye ought not to sin take heed of sinning But if ye do you have an advoc te with he Father Jesus Christ the righteous These things that I am speaking I confess may prove dangerous to wicked carnal hearts that are ready to turn the Grace of God into wantonness but by that they may know what I say belongs not to them that their spots are not the spots of Gods Children Those that shall hear of this and be hardened or embâ—ldned in sin the more there need no other Argument to prove that their spots aâ—â— nâ—ne â—f the spots of Gods Children than that And