through Jesus Christ grounded rooted establish'd upon and in a Scripture-Christ as the truth is in Iesus and abandon any other spirit but a Scripture-Spirit which blessed be rich grace hath hitherto kept you and led you in the way of life and peace Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace alwayes by all means The Lord be with you all 1 Thes 5.16 Reader who ever thou art if thou art by grace helpt-on to Jesus Christ by what is here presented to thee or in the walk of the New Creature in Christ Give the Lord the glory and pray that he may do so also even in every thing who would gladly approve himself The servant of Christ and of all his A. P. Bourton on the Water 23 of the first Month 1657. THE GOSPEL New-Creature THE FIRST TREATISE Discovering The weight of the Pardon of Sin the Spirits Conviction of Sin and the Souls emptying and reducing into nothing in its self PSAL. 25.11 For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great IN this Psalm you have David's sins laid-in with weight upon his Conscience and in the deep sense of their guilt pleading with God about mercy and pardon The sense of that one great sin in the matter of Uriah meant specially in the Text brought-in the sense of other sins of his youth upon him as is usually Gods way in humbling a sinner and at ver 7. you have him at the feet of God begging as for his life as to the remission of them all Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness O Lord And here at the Text for thy Names sake O Lord c. That which I design to lay before you from the words is to open to you and presse upon you the weight and blessedness of a pardoned condition that you may be awakened to it while the day of mercy lasts and may indeed be in very good earnest about it till through infinite grace you may obtain it and live and dye in the sweet and blessed peace comfort of it through our Lord Jesus Christ That which I intend to give out from hence through the Spirit of grace assisting is but as praevious and preparatory to the opening of a justified estate and the New Creature in Christ That if God will your consciences may be brought to a thorough awakening a spiritual sight and conviction of sin and a self-emptyness which is the good and safe way of a Soul to Jesus Christ which from this Scripture take in these plain Observations Obs 1. That great and weighty concernment that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of poor sinners is that their sins may be pardoned 2. Such who come to God by Jesus Christ to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins for it is Great 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the Plea that a poor sinner hath with God is that God will pardon for his own Names sake 1. To begin with the first proposition viz. That great and weighty thing that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of all the Children of men is that their sins may be pardoned This may be evinced from the frame of blessed David's spirit and other the pardoned ones of the Lord up and down the holy Scriptures exercised with such a violence and importunity with the Lord in this matter of the Pardon of their sins as if they had no other thing besides what conduced thereunto to beg of God in the world and all that God gave them in the world as indeed it is not were nothing without it therefore you have them thus wrastling with God about it According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 51.1 If there be any mercy in heaven let a poor guilty soul have a drop of it yea David layeth a kind of violence upon God Psal 65.2 As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away thou shalt do it I cannot must not will not be denyed this thou shalt do it for me So Moses interceding for the people Exod. 39.9 If I have found grace in thy sight Oh Lord let my Lord I pray thee go amongst us for it is a stifnecked people and pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for thine inheritance with what vehemency of heart doth Moses cry if I have any favour with thee let it be layd out this way Oh Lord let my Lord c. Otherwhiles when the blessed sense of a pardoned condition is upon their hearts Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven Blessed man or woman as ever he was born Blessed He and onely blessed and fully blessed and for ever Blessed whose sins are pardoned And then admiring the blessed God in such riches of grace as to pardon sinners Who is like to thee a God pardoning iniquity Micah 7.18 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful c. Neh. 9.17 Psal 103.1.2 3 10. Blesse the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name why what had the Lord done see verse 3. Oh who forgiveth all thine iniquities who forgiveth and forgiveth All great sins as well as lesse sins of nature as well as life sins before conversion and sins since conversion sins of knowledge as well as of ignorance for David was under all these yet All All All forgiven and that freely too onely because the Lord is gracious verse 8. and so forgiven them as never to come before him any more As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us verse 12. I shall hint some Reasons of the Truth why it is that the pardon of sins doth or should so greatly take up the hearts of sinfull creatures Reasons 1. The pardon of sin should thus greatly take up the hearts of all that indeed expect pardon because t was the greatest thing if I may so speak that ever took up Gods heart how a sinner might be pardoned He laid forth more of his wisdome and goodnesse about it then in the making of the Heavens and the Earth The framing of the New Covenant the giving out of his eternall Son Jesus Christ God manifested in his flesh such a glorious way of reconciling justice and mercy through the death of Christ the choicest piece of divine wisdom that ever was brought forth they were all conversant about and their proper tendency was about this great and weighty concernment how and that a sinner might be pardoned when Moses had that blessed enterview and parley with the Lord Exod. 33. 34. and Moses getting nearer and nearer to God who was glimpsing out a ray of glory upon him breakes out Shew me thy glory I will saith God I will shew thee what way of glory I most design to my self among the Sons of men I
that is paid for the salvation of him from his sins the price of the blood of the eternal son of God How great was sin how sinful and damnable the nature of it in the eye of the righteous God when justice could not be satisfied but by such a way Oh saith a poor soul that comes for pardon what a damnable thing is sin which was once nothing to me that redemption from it is at such a rate God had no greater a price to give then what he layd down to save a wretched sinner from his sin Oh 't was great sin that must crucifie the Lord of life and glory therefore doth my soul hate it 13. Lastly This consideration also greatens sin in as much as a poor creature hath drawn and tempted others to sin with him specially such as have lived more vainly loosly it lies hard upon many a poor soul after thorough conviction Oh how many have I drawn to sin not only by my example but encouragement and perswasion that may be now in hell for such sins or are under a state of impenitency and hardned by me Oh this is an abasing consideration to a poor convinced humbled sinner when God smites his heart with it Use 1. Before we go further let us labour to apply this to the consciences of all I have shewed you the matter we are upon is the weightiest that ever took up Gods heart the pardoning of a sinner and therefore how should it swallow up the hearts of poor undone souls that are so infinitely concern'd in it I beseech you therefore lay to your hearts what hath been spoken as to the greatness of sin And consider If souls that come to God by Christ for pardon see their sins as great sins and 't is their great trouble that they cannot see them greater First then This may serve to take off that woful deceit of heart and delusion of the Devil of poor careless souls that dream of pardon and yet never in any measure thus saw their sins as great This shews the heart was never touched of God never smitten for sin as yet This is the way indeed of unpardoned sinners they are lessening their sins to God and themselves finding out circumstances to lessen them of others tempting them and the Devil and the like and many or most of men or women allow themselves in the same or they were overtaken or the like they think they can easily pacifie God again and that God makes not so great a matter of it thus a deceitful heart and a cheating Devil juggle together and sooth Conscience in a damnable peace And such souls call their great reigning sins their infirmity and God will not be so exact as some of the Preachers make him here 's a sinner riverted in a cursed estate But now take a soul whom God as I shall shew hath made sensible of sin and the weight of pardon and comes to the feet of the Lord for it 't is quite otherwise Oh my sins wretch that I was and am were little sins to me before but now they are great sins I called it my infirmity to lye swear profane the Sabboth allow my self in any excess but now I see 't was reigning sin soul-damning sin great oh great sin Oh that I am out of hell Oh the patience of God! Is there mercy for such a wretch What a wonder will it be if I get to Heaven How great will that mercy be that pardons me 2. Therefore in the second place examine how it is with you and whether you have had some such workings of heart Have you been before the Lord in David's posture Oh mine iniquity is great Oh I have sinned against a great God wearied great patience turned great mercies into sin Oh I have sinned against great light How shall I be pardoned Sins continued in and multiplyed from my youth up and these against serious purposes under the reign of it there 's an infinite fountain of all evil within me If I have been any way restrained no thanks to my own heart for it Oh saith a poor soul I was led by the Devil befool'd by the Devil served the Devil against God And now what can I challenge at the hands of God What belongs to me but wrath great wrath everlasting wrath infinite wrath If one sin deserves a thousand hells what do innumerable transgressions do If mercy be not infinite how shall I look up to God or how shall God look down upon me Oh I say let your Conscience answer hath it been thus in some good and real measure though not so deep as your soul desires I know there are degrees and I also know till God come to let out Himself in such a way as this that sin is ☞ great and greater in mine eye then ever we make but slight work of it in out spirits want of this makes many in these dayes run away with pleasant notions of Grace Christ Light though blessed be the Lord for ever for the more glorious Revelation of all these but I speak of abuses but sin was never great by the appearance of God and so they wanton with such notions which at last weare off and so they come to nothing but a reproach to the Gospel 3. In the third place therefore let it serve to exhort sinners to look back upon your lives even from your youth up you may find one more of the discoveries mentioned of the greatnesse of sin that you will fall under specially such as have bin given to the profanesse and vanities of the age you live in lying swearing profaning of the Sabbath to riot ungodly pastimes and sports reviling the godly or other more secret wickednesses and pollutions any of which may be speak thee in a state of sin and wrath joyned with thy living in the neglect of known duties upon which neglect God hath pronounced a curse as the neglect of secret or Family-prayer Jer. 10. ult Or if thou hast not been engaged in grosse sins but hast bin sober and well carriaged from thy youth up yet thou mayst be still in a state of sin but go a little more soberly to hell and in more danger of being damned in thy civill sober carriage then great sinners with which thou art apt to compare thy self and seeing thy self not so bad as them thinkest all is well But remember well what hath bin proved that sin is greater in the Fountain then the streames though it make a greater noise or shew to others in the streame of ones life thou hast a Hell in thy nature an infinite fountaine of any wickednesse that ever any of the Sons or Daughters of men did commit An Idolater An Adulterer A Murderer A Sodomite A devil in thy heart and whole frame thy nature In a word one sin which thou callst little reigning but in thy heart and cherished there is enough to send thee to hell as if thou wert the veryest reprobate living
with them But say canst thou canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins Canst thou well live and dye hated by the great and righteous God Canst thou well be where the fire is never quenched and the worm never dyes Say canst thou well miss the presence of the ever blessed God to all eternity Are damned screeking Spirits good company for ever and ever Away away sinner to the blessed God betake thy self put it not off an hour longer to crying repenting mourning to God for free pardon for Christ for the Spirit and look up to the Lord to give thee a heart to do it wait humbly and carefully on the Gospel of grace preached and yet though thou hast hitherto been idle thou mayest attain to this blessedness as well as the blessedst Saint in the world if thou wilt be serious diligent earnest as so weighty a matter requires about it The good Lord give thee a heart to do it 2 Do not rest in false evidences false hopes of pardon Many sinners might seem to have got pardon and gone well to Heaven if they had not vainly and foolishly hoped so Oh rest in nothing and never rest without it as I have pressed thee in love till thou canst say from a well grounded Gospel-evidence wrought forth with fear and trembling Now I have the blessedness that accompanies pardoned souls Now oh now rejoyce with me blessed souls I am I am a child of God I have access to the blessed God and my soul pleads with him every day Ah now God my God doth love me Now I am justified in a state of justification from which my God will never let me fall Ah my sins though great shall be remembred no more no more I shall be kept safely kept in all my waies If I fall the Lord will take me up and I shall not utterly fall however it is or may be with me as to the world and the things of it I am rich though poor worthless nothing in my self with all the riches unsearchable riches of my Christ I am an Heir of God I need nothing Oh the sweetness peace joy contentment Heaven of such a blest for ever blest condition Now tell me sinner and let it stick with thee till thou art got well to Heaven is not is not the pardon of thy sins the work of the greatest weight before thee on this side the grave which is that I first promised thee to prove to thy Conscience from the first Observation 3. I might from hence insist to stir up poor souls who have been awake for Heaven and have been and are crying and waiting for the pardon of your sins to be in this matter with all your might because you see 't is wonderfully weighty and concernable to you beyond all imaginations get your doubts and fears and misgivings of heart well removed see from whence your doubts do arise and follow them home to your hearts and then be with the Lord much and in his Word and Ordinances till the Lord make it clear day in thy soul and thou walk in a sweet spirit of Adoption before him 4. Let pardoned ones whom it hath cost much as to means to get it made good to you make much of your comfort and do not Triflle it nor sin it away and keep the sense of a pardoned condition warm and lively upon your spirits and then you will love the Lord much Luke 7.47 Lord thou hast forgiven much as much as to any Oh let me let me love love much very much Conviction of sin and self-emptiness THe second Consideration we observed from the words and proposed to be opened was this Obs 2. Such who come to God to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins Pardon my iniquity for it is great c. The Original word as well signifies Many as Great my sins are great and many Many great sins lye upon me pardon Oh pardon them oh Lord c. Thus you have this blessed man David in several Psalms aggravating his sin Psa 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burden too heavy for me to bear against thee only have I sinned Psa 51. So blessed Paul Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am chief That sin by the Commandement might become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 So Peter at the first glimpse of Christ and a word from him falls upon his knees cryes out Depart from me for I am a sinful man c. Luke 5.8 So the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner a great vile sinner nothing else but a sinner So the Prodigal Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight c. Luke 18.13 ct 15.21 In the opening of this Point first I would shew Why such as come in a right way for pardon do look upon their sins as great sins 2. How they come to see them so 3. When a sinner may be said to have seen his sins so great as a pardoned soul should do First Sinners that come to God for pardon and find it do look upon their sins as great sins because against a great God great in power great in justice great in holiness I am a worm and yet sin and that boldly against a God so great for a worm to lift up himself against a great and infinite God Oh this makes every little sin great and calls for great vengeance from so great a God 2. Because they have sinned against great patience despising the goodness forbearance and long-suffering of God which is call'd treasuring up of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Oh saith a poor abased sinner at Gods feet How have I wearied the patience of God I have not wearied thee saith God but thou hast been weary of me and hast made me to serve with thy sins and wearied me with thine iniquities Esay 43.23 24. Oh this is an humbling and heart-breaking word to a poor soul before the Lord this makes his sin appear great indeed I have wearied the blessed God with my sin and yet he calls upon me that he may pardon me ver 25. of the same Chapter This greatens sin to purpose to a poor soul that hath abused much patience 3. Sins do appear great because against great mercies Oh against how many mercies and kindnesses do sinners sin against and turn all the mercies of God into sin Oh saith a poor soul drawing near to God I turned all the mercies of the Lord against him took his mercies and fought against him with them and served the Devil and my lusts with them If God will come and account with me for them how shall I answer him 4. That which greatens sin in the eyes of poor sinners that cry for pardon is that they have sinned against great light light in the Conscience this heightens sin exceedingly specially to such as are under Gospel-means and is indeed the sin of all in this Nation there 's nothing more abaseth
a soul then this nothing makes it more difficult to believe pardon when humbled for it therefore 't is that many poor souls fear they have sin'd the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost because they have sinned against knowledge and light which though while they are humbled before the Lord it cannot be that they have so sinned unpardonably yet in as much as 't is the sin that borders next upon the sin against the Holy Ghost it much greatens sin to a poor soul under the sense of it Such a sinner is said to reproach the Lord Numb 15.30 31. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin James 4. last To him it is sin that is great sin of which God will take the severest account Therefore such as have the profession of Christianity and the knowledge of the Word in some measure and yet go on unpenitently in sin they are the greatest sinners in the world will have the greatest damnation And this circumstance in sin makes or should do so such souls that never lived in notorious sins be under deep abasement because though their sins were not so gross as many others yet they were against great light and knowledge which makes every little sin continued in great in the account of God and great in the account of the sinner when he comes before the Lord in the sense of it Oh I pleased my self in sins that I knew to be sins and was convinced by the word of God of them yet I went on and loved them 5. Continuance in sin much greatens sin to a poor soul that is after pardon specially such as are not very early converted God will wound the hairy scalp of such a one that goeth on still in his trespasses Psal 68.21 Oh I added sin unto sin saith a poor soul spending the choise time of my youth in sin when I might have been getting the knowledge of Jesus Christ and honouring of God This lay close upon David's spirit as appears in this 25th Psa 7. Oh remember not the sins of my youth c. Yet we do not find that Davids youth was notoriously sinful but in as much as he spent not his youth to get knowledge and to serve the Lord fully 't was his burden and complaint before the Lord much more such whose youth was spent in nothing but vanity prophaness lying swearing prophaning of the Sabbath sports pastimes excess of riot and the like when God layes it in upon their consciences must be grievous and abominable to their souls 6. Multitudes of sins do make sin appear great this made David cry out for multitude of mercies Psa 51. and Psa 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me One sin but a sinfull thought is worthy of a thousand hells much more multiplyed numberless infinite sins in thought words walkings calling worship in all I have done I did nothing else but sin therefore the least sinner in the world is a great sinner when God lays his account before him 7. Another thing that greatens sin is that it was against purposes and resolutions of forsaking such and such sins and yet all broken sometimes against solemn vowes against prayers this consideration upon many a poor soul sticks hard and layes low and makes his sin grievous indeed that against purposes vowes prayers he should return to his sin this makes him cry out Oh my sin is great great indeed Doth will the Lord pardon such a wretch c. 8. Sin appears great when seen by a poor soul because it was reigning sin Rom. 5. 6. Sin reigned to death c. Oh saith a poor humbled sinner I did not only commit sin but I was the servant and slave of sin I obey'd sin as a lord and that willingly I obey'd it in the lusts thereof where God Christ his Spirit Word Law should have dwelt and reigned there sin and lusts bore sway and had the command of my soul A little sin when a reigning sin is a great sin All that sin can do is but to rule the sinner and so it doth the least sinner that is under it though it break not forth into grosse notorious actings against the Lord and this doth much greaten it 9. Sin in the fountain makes it great As it may be said there is more water in the fountain then in the pools and streams it makes because there is a continual issuing and flowing out of it which is able to make far greater streams so sin in the nature in the heart is there as in the fountain and therefore 't is more there than in the breakings forth of it in the outward man so that though a sinner in his youth hath been restrained from many great sins yet in as much as sin in the fountain was as full as in any sinner in the world though restrained pent in which the sinner was not beholding to his own heart for it renders him a great sinner before the Lord when savingly enlightned The want of this consideration makes outwardly righteous persons not look upon themselves as great sinners they see and feel not sin infinite in the fountain of it which mostly greatens it above all the actings of it in life 10. A sinner drawing nigh to God for pardon sees his sin as great because thereby he was led captive by the Devil at his will He that committeth sin is of the Devil 1 John 3.8 comitteth sin so as in a state of sin under the power of sin and not born of God why such a one is of the Devil under the power of the Devil of the Devil and not of God and this because of sin which gives this dominion to the Devil Oh saith a poor Creature I that was the creature of God and should have lived to him lived to the Devil and the service of him and took part with him against Christ his Word his Saints and was an enemy to them this greatens my sin before the Lord. 11. Sin appears great because great is the wrath of God against sin sinners are said to heap up wrath Rom. 2. and they are called the Children of wrath God to manifest his displeasure against sin is fain to powre out everlasting wrath upon an unpardoned sinner to leave the sinner under endless torment of soul and body God hates nothing but sin and for sin and so hates it that infinite endless wrath must be the vengeance of it Oh when God gives a sinner a glimpse of this Oh the greatness of every little sin to deserve such wrath How shall I flee from and escape the wrath to come who can stand before such wrath who can bear it 12. The way of any sinner's deliverance from such wrath shews sin to be exceeding great in the price and ransome
God as a thing melted in heart-melting confessions at least the poor soul mourns over the hardnesse of its heart oh that I have thus sinned and yet my heart will not break blessed be every stroak and every word of God and every Ordinance that though grace breaks my heart more A sincere soul sets a high price upon brokennesse and yet rests not in it c. 5. Such confession that hath the promise is accompanied with soul-abasement He that humbleth himself shall be exalted Luke 18.14 spoken upon the Publicans acceptance with God in his confession under brokenesse smiting upon his breast and deep abasement not lifting up his eyes to heaven So that great promise 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven will forgive their sins This a work of the narrowest search of any other I intend if the Lord will to speak to this more distinctly and fully in another discourse Only now a word of such a humiliation as is joyned with such confession that hath the promise of pardon which is the scope we drive at 1. When the soul is in confession and under the Lords humblings in order to pardon The poor Creature acknowledgeth himself infinitely unworthy that ever the Lord should cast a look upon him or give out mercy and pardon to him This conclusion is fixed upon the soul and the soul falls down abased in the sence of it what ever the Lord do with me I will lay my mouth in the dust I am worthy of nothing from the Lord but a thousand Hells this quiets the heart in some measure what ever the pleasure of the Lord be towards him 2. As the poor sinfull Creature is worthy of nothing so he will give glory to God if God never pardon God is never the lesse righteous or holy wise or good if he never let out one drop of mercy upon so vile a Creature yet he is a God blessed for ever Thou art holy saith David Psal 22.3 But I am a worme and no man verse 6. A worm sit for God and man to tread upon and yet must not rise up against God nor say to him what dost thou no Man I have un-man'd my self with sin I am dust and vanity it self vile dust that 's my make my frame oh I must give glory to his justice though I perish for ever 3. The poor Creature hath no good no not the least to procure pardon or to move God to pardon Psal 14.3 Saith a poor humbled soul treating for pardon if mercy and pardon must come forth upon termes of my good having or doing any thing but what hath infinitely sin enough in it to damn me for ever assuredly to Hell I must No sin enough to send a world of souls to Hell but not a drop of good to move the Lord to mercy If God give our mercy upon a sight of good I exspect not a drop from him 4. It followes from hence when a sinner comes humbled he comes as nothing else but a sinner Luke 18.13 God be mercifull to me a sinner one that 's nothing else but a wretched sinner for so the Publican means it as in a contrary frame to the Pharisee who thanks God that he was not so bad as many were though the Pharisee no doubt would acknowledge some sin but now the Publican is All a sinner in as bad a condition as any sinner in the world ☞ Here 's a touchstone poor souls in these dayes they hope they have not so much need of Christ as many great sinners they be not nothing else but sinners they have or do some good The discussion of this will be the next discourse only now a word more Know sinner that one sin strikes off all thy pretended good as shall at large through mercy be proved to thee stick to one drop of good in thee or from thee when thou comest for mercy and pardon and thou losest all oh to be wholly condemned wholly unrighteous wholly a sinner is a great work t is the most distinguishing conviction of any other While a man hath any thing to live upon he is not fit to beg so while a soul hath a drop of any thing that in his own sense may the more admit him to pardon he cannot have it Take it thus If one came to your doors and beg and he hath good Cloaths on his back and he should say I have good Cloaths on my back I have something of my own therefore I pray Give me would you not answer if you have something of your own are pretty well cloathed why should you beg t is not for you to come and ask almes But if a poor naked wretch come and say cry oh I am a poor creature a poor naked destitute creature I have nothing all 's gone I have lost all pray cover me pray feed me out of great pity you will look upon such a poor wretch and do something for him if you have any bowels So if a sinner as that Pharisee did come and say Lord I have done this and this I have not been so wicked as many I do some good therefore pardon that therefore will make the Lord send thee away without mercy no saith God live upon what thou hast if thou hast any thing Oh sinner thou art not fit to beg to beg mercy and pardon till thou hast just nothing of thy own which the naturall pride of thy heart will very hardly come off to 5. In the way of mens tribunalls of Justice and Courts of life and death If a Malefactor be condemned by the Law and he yet plead Though I am proved a thief or a murderer yet I have kept the rest of the Law I have broken no Law of the Nation that deserves death beside shall not this rather justify me then this crime condemn me No saith the Judge That 's nothing to us though thou hast kept the Law in other things thou must dye by the Law as a trangressour of it for this thou hast done why then saith the condemned person I must plead all mercy Just so it is at the tribunal of God comes a poor soul that is convinced he hath sinn'd oh but saith he in his heart I have kept the Law in many or most things will not that commend me to God will not God look upon my good more then my evil No saith God in his word thou hast broken the Law and thou art cursed therefore the Law can shew thee no mercy I can take no notice of any of thy pretended keeping of it in any other thing oh then must a poor sinner say then it must be all all of mercy if I am ever pardoned this may be enough to discover such a humiliation that follows confession that hath the promise of pardon and doth also further evidence the main point which is to set forth
when a Sinner so sees his sin as great sin in order to pardon 6. One thing more which I shall but mention such a confession of sin as hath the promise of mercy is accompanied with a firm resolution through grace to forsake sin every sin in heart and life He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. as before Mark well that famous promise Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon here 's forsaking wayes and thoughts sins of heart and life and not a forsaking or leaving of some great sins but forsaking and warring against a sinfull disposition sinfull thoughts and not onely a mere leaving of sin but a returning to the Lord which he cannot do if held under the love of but one sin and a turning to God only upon the account of free mercy and then God abundantly pardons A good word suited to a poor soul under the sense of sinning abundantly therefore need of abundance of mercy and pardon Use 4. Therefore the next Use will be of Examination Have you bin under such a trouble as before opened about sin and the pardon of it such a trouble that would not be quieted but by clasping about Jesus Christ hath the Lord smitten you with the deep sense of a particular sin your bosome sin and thereby bin brought to a deep sense of the evil of all sin Have you been upon your knees your faces in as particular a confession as your could hating loathing sin and your selves in it Oh have you driven sin to the root the fountain oh there 's a Hell of it within Say do you know what it is to have broken hearts under the weight of sin and the sense of the patience grace and love of God held forth to you in Jesus Christ Do you know what soul-abasement is acknowledging in confusion of face that you are worthy of nothing from the Lord for ever not so much as a glimpse of mercy a good look from him because you have so sinned against him Have you glorified God though he never pardon you and is he holy and blessed though you are banished from him for ever Have you been so reduced to see that there 's not the least atome of good to commend you to the Lord and so layn down as nothing else but a sinnerr before him Thousands of sins to damne thee but not a drop of righteousnesse to cover thee and so creep to the seat of mercy infinite free mercy yea hast thou seen and felt the difficulty of such a self-emptines that thou wouldst rather part with all thy sinne then thy righteounesse yea rather be righteous and holy than be humble and empty ☞ A poor soul would take up from sin upon conviction of the damnablenesse of it and be more righteous and holy but to be reduced first to Nothing nothing else but a poor vile unrighteous weak empty creature and so to Christ here the pride of heart sticks Now soul be narrow and close in the search of this for faile here and fail in all But I intend a larger discourse to further this Conviction Use 5. Let it exhort you that have never bin under any trouble about your sin and the pardon of it that you do dot ward off and get from under such convincing searching words that may trouble you many poor sinfull Creatures resolve they will never hearken to such a word as shall trouble them and cannot bear such preaching as would trouble their consciences One word with you Why soul Hast thou bin dishonouring God abusing his patience and mercy transgressing his holy Commands slighting his grace and yet thou must not be troubled for it wilt thou have thousands of sins upon thy soul unpardoned and tread upon the brink of Hell every step thou goest and not be troubled about it It seems then thou resolvest not to trouble thy self much about that petty businesse as thou makest it of being damned for ever or saved for ever No nothing about sin guilt pardon heaven and hell must trouble thee Alas poor deluded creature what a care is there to get to hell peaceably for never any one got to heaven so that was never troubled about getting his sins pardoned Away away with such a cursed peace and let it now trouble thee that thou hast put off this work so long that sin and thy soul have bin at such a peace so long Be now at a professed war against it and take part with the Lord and his word that is teaching thee how yet to arive at the blessed haven of peace not with sin but with the blessed God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned Oh look unto him to smite a hard secure heart to strike at a bosome hellish lust for whose peace thou hast so long and so foolishly contended yea go in secret and fall down before the great God particularly confessing and shaming thy self haring loathing humbling till thou cry out as David here Oh pardon what a great matter t is for any poor soul to be pardoned Now great mercy for a great sinner or I am lost for ever Out-sinned pardon thou hast not if thou comest in this posture to God for it But you may further enquire how doth God bring a poor soul to this passe to such a deep sense of sin such a sight of himself so as to be thus before the the Lord in self-loathing and abasement I intend also if God will a fuller and set-discourse as to this matter Only now a word 1. When a soul is brought to this passe God lets out an appearance of himself in measure upon a poor creature such a glimpse of light and purity that makes the creature fall down and cry out oh I am vile vile as the dust I tread on 2. God gives out his spirit in the word which convinceth and searcheth the soul shewes it its condition state sin the damnablenesse and pollution of it the greatnesse of it as was shewed The spirit opens the holiness and spirituality of the Law Rom. 7.9 and shewes the sinner as in glasse what he is The spirit gives a sight of Jesus Christ peirced with the sins of such as will come unto him Zach. 12.10 These do cause loathing and bitternesse upon the soul of a poor sinner drawing near to the Lord for pardon Therefore 't is great wisdome to be where God speakes where God appeares where God gives out his spirit which is usually in the word preacht powerfully among the Saints meetings or setting thy self in secret to muse and ponder about an eternall condition or when the afflicting hand of God is upon thee do not say I am not so great a sinner as to make so much a do about pardon or heaven if that be thy temper thou art the most likely to be
in the road-way of hell in a peace that will end in woes and sorrows of any soul in the world Oh wait for Gods appearance and every little sin will be great a hell of sin within thee though outwardly civil and sober wait for the Spirit in the Word and go and pray for it 'T is one thing to know sin by the Letter of the Law which commands this and forbids that and another thing to know see feel sin and the infinite evil of it the exceeding sinfulness and pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God and holy communion with him which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be thoroughly cleansed Use 6. If sinners that come to God for mercy pardon see their sin as great then it will also follow that great sinners may be pardoned saved You that are great sinners old sinners Oh hearken to this you are yet within the reach of grace and mercy and pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your sin is no barr to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ those great sins are no more before his blood to wash them away then the least sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Esay 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so blessed a truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God Wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your sin only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leasure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched soul to all eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy sins be never so great why wretched man or woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of hell as thou canst I beseech thee sinner great sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of grace ready to be sealed by the Holy-ghost if thou wilt now from thy soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee If the tearms be leaving all this deceitful sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleanesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Use 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of hell it self out of a hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the powers of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath in which thousands that were better then I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater then the greatness of sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When sinners come on to find pardon they see their sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercies sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is
and highest motive with God was and is his own Name his own glorious grace why he ever had a thought of good to an undone creature that there was no motive in the creature unless misery which is no glory but all is done given estated upon souls undone poor sinners freely for his own sake 3. Let it exhort souls to make use of this plea therefore and that with great though humble confidence It never failed poor souls since the world was that made use of it when they were low and helpless and eyed and pleaded mercy for mercies sake they had it and never went away but blessed Gospel-Justification The Second TREATISE WHEREIN The Souls emptying of all its own righteousness is further evinced and Gospel-justification stated how a poor sinner is made partaker of it and the evidences thereof laid down ROM 3.19 20. Now we know that what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight c. HAving spoken as the Lord hath helped me as to the weight of the pardon of sin and the praevious way to it I now come to open the compleating this mercy in a poor souls cōpleat justification before God So it hath pleased the Wisdom of God to order the way of his glorious mercy to poor sinners that shall be saved that he doth not only let forth free grace for the remission of their sins merely pardon them but hath so blessedly ordered the matter to bring them in a state of Righteousness a compleat perfect righteousness as Adam in his perfect estate was in not by making the sinner perfectly holy righteous in himself in his own nature but by giving out his eternal Son Jesus Christ to fulfil all righteousness in their stead by satisfying keeping the perfect Law of righteousness which is imputed to the Believer as if he had fulfilled it were wholly righteous in his own person In which lies the great mystery of the Gospel I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ saith Paul c. for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith c. Rom. 1.16 namely that righteousness of Jesus Christ whereby God will justifie put in a state of righteousness made over to them by faith that shall be pardoned and saved To endeavour to evince and discover the necessity of such a justification and the nature of it and how a poor soul comes to be invested in it to have a right unto it is my design as the Lord shall graciously assist in this ensuing discourse Oh that I might do it in the simplicity of the Gospel plainly convincingly spiritually as I ought to speak In the prosecuting hereof I shall first shew that righteousness is not to be attained any other way not by the exactest keeping of the Law so as to commend us to God not by setting our selves to keep the Law of God as well as we can and so we hope God will accept of it which being naturally rooted in the hearts of all I find it the hardest piece of conviction and most hardly received of any other souls are a thousand times more easily beaten off grosse sins then beaten off the confidence of the good they think they do and so come as ☞ Nothing else but sinners to Jesus Christ want of this conviction makes all the Hypocrites in the world This is that part therefore I shall first begin with according to the Apostles method in this Epistle The Apostle layes down his doctrine which he was to prove in the 17. verse of the 1 Chapter The just shall live by faith to make way for which he first proves in the remaining part of the first Chap. that the Gentiles knowledge of God which they had by the things that are made The Creation of and Providence of God over the world left them in unrighteousnesse because they held the truth of the being of a God in unrighteousnesse even the wisest and learnedst of them such as professed themselves to be wise verse 22. and brake forth into Idolatry and all abominations for which cause God gave them up c. verse 26.28 At the 17th verse of the 2d Chap. The Apostle undertakes the Jew strikes off all his priviledges and at the 9th verse of the 3d. Chapter concludes both Jew and Gentile in the same condition as to the obteyning of such a righteousnesse by the Law that might commend either to God What then Are we who are Jews better then they who are Gentiles No in no wise for we have proved that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin As it is written there is none righteous no not one Which he further proves by severall Scriptures to the words of the text In which the Apostle prevents an objection namely that some might urge The Scriptures urged may concerne some few and grosly wicked persons and not all mankind in generall No such matter whatever the law saith it saith to them that are under the law which are all the Sons and daughters of Adam as in their naturall corrupt estate All under the law from whence the Apostle inserrs 1. That therefore every mouth is stopped 2. All the world is guilty before God 3. That no flesh within or without the Church can be justified by the Law From whence I draw these 4 plain observations to prove what is my main design viz. That no man can attain to such a measure of righteousnesse by all that ever he can do in his best keeping the Law as may commend him to God which 4 are these 1. Every son and daughter of Adam in their naturall estate are under the Law 2. That a transgressour of the Law hath nothing to boast in nor to excuse himself from his sin or the righteous judgment of God due unto him That every mouth may be stopped 3. Every soul in the world is under guilt and condemnation that all the world may be guilty before God 4. Every soul lies under an impossibility of reaching to such a Justification by the best keeping of the Law as for God thereby to accept of him I intend briefnesse in the opening of these and what plainesse also the Lord shall help me with This is a principle rooted in the hearts of all the Children of men That still there is a sufficiency in them to keep the law of God in such a measure as God will accept them for it This being heightned by the ignorance of times and darknesse of Gospell-light and of the New-Covenant of grace upon the spirits of this Generation they are most hardly beaten off it say poor souls If I keep Gods law as well as I can and worship God and do not harme my Neighbour God will accept me and pardon where I fail but to be convinced that all that
transgression of the law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sinne in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulfulnesse of sin 3. The guilt of actuall rebellion against God sinne brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment sutable to the guilt which is Thou shall surely dye And The wages of sinne is death eternall death Rom. 6. last Use 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to profane the name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience There 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the tribunall of God God the law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately The Law requires Thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. Which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul now Hath God had thy whole heart and soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy heart then God Dost not thou love the world and the things of it Do not thy affections thoughts desires of thy heart even day and night go after it yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witnesse that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the kingdome of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the world No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdome of God read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the traditions and commandments of men you that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grievous manner in the time of your ignorance when superstitious Ceremonies were practised and the Common-prayer-Book worship was upheld when you polluted the Ordinances of Jesus Christ coming to Sacraments with sins upon your souls from which sins you are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your souls then your selves Here 's guilt to purpose who is free from it and how many unhumbled under it to this day Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my conscience is smitten oh guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadfull Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by-words crying oh Lord oh God for Gods sake for Christs sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of his Name then the most Common name in the world And some of you have as many dayes as you have lived since your childhood bin frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the word and thy heart bin after the world and thine eyes gazing up and down that t is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in prayer how oft hast thou babled ore the Lords prayer like a charme with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy soul in thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the words thou speakest much lesse thy heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandements or some Service-book prayers as abundance do grievously profaning Gods Name and offering lip labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath bin often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath bin the highest aggravation of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Esay 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldest make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idlenesse carnall and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendring thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage farr unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetnesse of Communion with him Say sinner and lay thy conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very heaven of thy
part in this blessed Redemption we have been treating of 6. Now to encourage a poor sinner to this coming to God with the Plea of Christ's bloud in his heart and mouth and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting soul Consider the All-sufficiency and worth of the price of the death of Iesus Christ to satisfie the justice of God and procure pardon and sanctification for a poor sinner which may appear from such like Scriptures The Apostle in the 7th of the Hebrews having been opening the excellency of Christ's Priesthood which is chiefly conversant in this Work of Redemption in the offering up of himself a Sacrifice concludes v. 25. of that Chapter Wherefore he is able to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him To the utmost that is with a perfect Salvation that nothing more can be desired to it So in the 9th Chap. v. 11. c. the Apostle reasoning from the Levitical Sacrifices to this of the bloud of Christ argueth the full perfection of it By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place namely into Heaven having obtained eternall Redemption for us and thence concludeth verse 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge the conscience c A much more upon that above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God Which will appear 1. Because of the eternall God-head of Christs person by which he offer'd up his bloud unto his Father Heb. 9.14 Who through the eternall Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his bloud Inasmuch as Jesus Christ was God as well as Man though he could onely dye in his humane nature yet the efficacy of his God-head had an influence upon the price of his dying which put an infinite worth upon it and so renders it full and perfect redemption 2. The price of the bloud of Jesus Christ did not onely give a bare satisfaction to the justice of God but it had an infinite merit in it a redundancy of merit whereby it deserved at the hands of God that sinners that are interessed in it should have remission of sins grace the love of God and glory to come spirituall blessings which the death of Christ purchased for the elect which being also by the free purpose and Compact of God there must necessarily arise an infinite merit in it 3. The all-sufficiency of the price of Christs blood is evidenced by his resurrection ascension into glory implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his death therefore he is said to rise again for our justification Rom. 4. last and to be justified in the Spirit 1 Tim. 3. last that is God by raising him from the dead justified him in the atonement he had made by his death and that he did chearfully accept of satisfaction by it 4. The blood of Christ procures boldnesse of accesse to God therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Bretheren boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus which boldnesse doth arise from the full satisfaction that is made to Divine justice in as much as God upon the acceptance of it hath nothing to charge upon the sinner himself no quarrell against him having charged his sins upon Christ and therefore the poor sinner may come with an humble boldnesse into the presence of God and this is that which puts boldnesse into the Conscience of a believer when he appears before God 5. From the experience of it the foulest sinners that have come unto it have bin washed from their sins by it as 1 Cor. 6.11 Idolaters Adulterers Sodomites Drunkards Revilers have bin washed and justified and sanctified by it The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 John 1.7 6. It cleanseth and perfects them for ever therefore call'd eternall redemption once for all and for ever Heb. 10 10 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified once justified and for ever Now from this satisfaction merit all-sufficiency of the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to cleanse a sinner to commend him to God how safely may a sinner venture his soul upon it which is the first act of faith A poor sinner when under conviction and the terrour of the Lord hath taken hold of him lyes trembling before the Lord whether God will let out justice or mercy upon him he is ready to give glory to the Justice of the Lord if he reject him for ever But now if a poor soul get a sight of the blood of Christ how it deales with the justice of God what full and all-sufficient satisfaction it hath made to God for the sins of such as plead it to him how God more delights in it then in the condemning of the sinner what a stay is this to the wavering doubtfull Spirit of a poor sinner when he can come to see justice to have its due and so God can freely let out remission to a poor soul upon the very first Act of a poor sinners closing with it though not presently evidenced in his conscience Oh sinner venture the issue of all upon this price of the blood of Jesus thou mayst see thou hast the greatest reason in the world to do so thou wilt never come to have a safe bottome for thy soul till thou comest thus to deal with the justice of God as fully satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ thou wilt still be off and on about free mercy till thou come to fix here and be in some good measure establisht in it Be daily in exercising thy soul in such ventures and castings upon it and the spirit will at last witnesse peace and reconciliation to thy conscience In a word sinners you that have had no stay to your spirits for the forgivenesse of your sins but a blind hope of mercy look up look up to the Justice of God and see this way of accesse to God for you by the blood of Jesus Oh! let not any profane sinner trample it under foot cast it back upon the blessed face of God Say not in thy heart let God take the blood of his Son to himself I le not be washed from my sins I le not be sanctified I le rest as I am Desperate sinner Of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy then any sinner under Heaven who rejectest the onely worthy price of a sinners salvation Know the great God will let out all his Justice upon thee to the utmost and Oceans of his death shall fall upon thee if thou thus a-abuse the blood of his Son a greater guilt then all thy ungodlinesse thou hast hitherto bin wallowing in from thy youth up Oh! Come thou despiser and cast thy soul under the droppings of this blood and it shall cleanse thee though thy soul were as black as Hell Zach. 13.1 And
from that which is called in appearance a Legal-New-Creature c. Now let a soul fail in either of these and lost for ever fail of a saving-cloze with Jesus Christ for righteousness or being a New Creature in Christ and you perish in your sins and the wrath of God will overtake you I shall not now take up time in opening the coherence of the words nor will it much be desired as to our Design I shall therefore draw this plain conclusion from them namely Observ There 's an absolute necessity in order to the Salvation of every soul to become a New Creature in Christ Having proved it we shall open the way of being a New-Creature and how in Christ Then how distinguisht from an appearing New-Creature but not so indeed and so give forth the Evidences of it Those Scriptures that speak of the necessity of being born again of the Spirit Ioh. 3.3 5. and of being converted Mal. 18.3 do evince the same truth Gal. 6.15 Neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision avail any thing but a New Creature For we are his Work-manship created unto Christ Jesus c. Eph. 2.10 He that hath wrought us for this self-same thing is God and hath given us the Earnest of his Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 The necessity of this New-Creature doth arise 1. From the tenour of the New-Covenant in which way God hath obliged himself to give out mercy and in no other Now thus runs the New-Covenant this is the great Article of it Make you a new heart and a new Spirit Ezek. 18.31 Which God promiseth to give to all he takes into a Covenant of mercy and peace with himself I will put a new Spirit within you and a new Heart will I give unto you Ezek. 11.19 And to the same purpose Ezek. 36.26 Wherein as we shall shew lyes the special part of the New Creature 2. Because the Old-man all that is of the First Adam the whole frame thereof is corrupted and polluted therefore it must be repaired renewed be made new if ever it enter into glory Ephes 4.22 That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind And that ye put on the New-man that after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness 3. Whosoever shall be saved shall be a new Creature from the great Design of God in giving out his Son Jesus Christ which was that all the Elect should be made conformable to the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 For whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first-born among many Brethren Jesus Christ is called the express Image of the Father Hebr. 1. And to that Image all Believers shall be conformed Jesus Christ the first-born and all his Brethren to be made conformable unto him God was infinitely pleased with such a Pattern and resolved all that he gave to him and designed for glory should be conformed to his likeness 4. All the services that a sinner offers to God are not accepted till a New-Creature till a Soul shall act from a new-living holy-principle towards God Pray and hear and give Alms God regards it not till a New-Creature So the Word of the Lord often casts back the services of unregenerate men upon their faces as loathsome to the Lord because they proceed from the old corrupt Adam from unchanged Natures Isa 1.15 When you cry I will not hear you Why You are in your uncleanness therefore Wash you make you clean Vse Oh let this make for your instruction and conviction that if ever you come to God in glory you must first be New-Creatures If you will have mercy you must have it in the way of the New-Covenant and if so you must be made new While you have nothing but the Old-Adam you are corrupt and polluted and abominable If you shall become the Brethren of the first-born Jesus Christ you must bear his Image and have it renewed upon you Oh you that are yet in your old sins and walk after your Old-Lusts you are not New-Creatures You will not think so therefore sit down with this Conviction That as yet you have no part in this blessedness Oh! All of you who are the same that ever you were whether living in gross sins or sober and civil from your Youth up you are yet of the Old Adam nothing but corrupt Nature upon you your hope is vain and you are blinded in your sins and the grace of God is not in you 2. Oh! Let me before I go further put this to tryall and suffer the word of the Lord which shall one day judge you Can you say in good earnest Old things are past away and all things are become new in me Now I am a vessell in the hand of God wrought by his Spirit and there is through infinite grace a new work manship upon my soul I shall lay down rules for the particular discovery of this only at present yeild up your conscience to the power of the world do not slink from under it If it find you out in your sin in nature the same that ever you were give glory to God and say The word of the Lord is quick and powerfull and go off with this conviction in power upon thy soul I never expect to go to heaven and glory if I become not through grace a new Creature But before I go further I would open that every soul that is a new Creature must be in Christ and why So saith the Apostle to these Corinths in this Epistle 13. Chap. 5. Examine your selves prove your own selves know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates ye are created into Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 If a man abide not in me he is cast out as a branch and is withered Joh. 15.6 Now herein lyes the great Mystery of Godlinesse into which all our evidences for Heaven are resolved and therefore this is a weighty enquiry I am to speak of it specially as it relates to the making and forming by the new Creature This being in Christ is expressed by being rooted into Christ Col. 2.7 Planted into him Rom. 6. Built up in him Col. 2. All which bespeak a reall union with him that this is not a mere imaginary thing but as true and reall as the union between the root and the branches Ioh. 15. and the foundation and the building Eph. 2. which is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord Iesus drawing and uniting true believers unto him The same Spirit dwelling in them Rom. 8.9 10 11. By his Sprit that dwelleth in you Now to consider Why all that are new Creatures according to the Gospell must be so in Christ 1. Such as are Gospell New-Creatures must be in Christ because if they be New-Creatures they must be Living Creatures Now God hath laid up all life that shall be
sin in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might fulfill'd in us c. Gal. 4.4 But when the fulnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law c. So that the Law was fullfilled by Iesus Christ as if the sinner had kept it fully in his own person by Christ's becoming obedient to the death of the Crosse and so suffering the punishment of the Law still in the stead and name in the sinner and by his keeping the Law in the pure originall righteousnesse of his nature 2 Cor. 5.21 and Heb. 7.26 27. and by his actuall obedience to it in the perfect observing of it Rom. 5.19 For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous Namely by the obedience of Iesus Christ which he gave unto the Law Now all sinners being condemned by the Law the Law could not remit them till it was satisfied it call'd for punishment and full obedience which Iesus Christ gave unto it 5. God could not so freely to speak after the manner of men let out grace and mercy unlesse such satisfaction had bin given by Iesus Christ now it can come easily delightfully chearfully from the righteous and gracious God seeing his justice will not plead against it but for it being blessedly satisfied and Iesus Christ by his death did fully merit it and deserve it at the hands of God and laid down as much as God in infinite justice would require therefore t is now as well justice as mercy for God to remit a sinner that comes to God by Iesus Christ 1 Iohn 1.7 God is just to forgive us our sins Now hereupon God having ordained and accepted of such a way of atonement his justice glorified and satisfied his word that the sinner should dye made good his Law to the utmost satisfied what remaines but that the blessed God can remit the bondage guilt condemnation of the sinner having thus accepted of satisfaction what remaines but that he should pronounce as he doth Iob 33.24 Deliver him for I have found a ransome God can now pardon the sinner that comes believingly by Iesus Christ to him for it without any regreat his justice shall be glorified by it as well as his mercy God hath charg'd all upon another and accepted of full payment call'd himself to witnesse of it and will never repent of it Object If any should Object Wherein is free grace glorified if God have received full satisfaction to his justice Answ I answer 1. 'T was infinite free grace for God to give out his blessed Son Iesus Christ when there was no obligation upon him he gave him and sent him freely Iohn 3.16 from his own free love therefore there 's a world of free grace in mans salvation 2. 'T was infinite grace towards the sinner to accept of satisfaction by a Surety Heb. 5. and not on the sinner the party offending himself what abundant grace and love to lay the sins and guilt upon another specially the onely Son of his bosome who was without all sinne 2 Cor. 5.21 and not to condemn the poor helpless sinner for ever 3. 'T was infinite free grace for God himself to contrive the way of such a Redemption had it bin left to sinfull man to have found out a way how justice might be satisfied he could never have done it It could never have entred into the heart of Man or Angels to have offered to God a satisfactory way for the making up of his wronged justice but he must have perished for ever therefore this is a world of grace 4. The Father was at Liberty to impute this Redemption of Christ to whom he would to this sinner and not to another Rom. 9. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy c. So that 't is indeed a debt to Christ but all of free mercy and grace to any Sinner that is saved Use 1. If then Salvation remission of sins came in this way by the death blood of Iesus Christ then it may discover to us the infinite hatred that God bears to sin that to make expiation atonement to his justice there could no sacrifice be found but the death of his eternall Son Iesus Christ Oh! that ever a sinner should delight in that which the holy God so much hates and abhorres 2. Let it be for convincement to poor sinners of the infinite necessity of this way of Redemption by Iesus Christ in laying down his life to satisfie the justice of God and of getting their part in it you have heard the case of a sinner condemn'd by the Law liable to eternall death subject to the rigour of divine justice no way able or in a Capacity to make satisfaction to God mercy as it were bound up by justice Oh! therefore what necessity of a Mediator of a Redeemer to work forth deliverance to lay down a ransome for sinners dye and undergo the curse and wrath of the great and dreadfull God fullfill the Law make satisfaction to the wronged justice of God to the utmost this Iesus Christ hath done for miserable sinners that will come to him Now the most of poor souls have but a notion of Christs dying but know not what is meant by Christ dying for me though sometimes in their mouths Oh! sinner for Christ to dye for thee if thou gettest a part in his death is to undergo the punishment and curse and death that thy soul was liable to which otherwise must have come upon thee to the utmost it was to be made sin and curse for thee to bear thy sins and stand in them Oh! that thou couldst really be convinced of the necessity of this Redemption that thou couldst never come to God without it and therefore to get thy poor soul stated in it 3. If satisfaction to Gods justice can onely be by the blood of Iesus Christ then let me again presse you that you take heed of performing your duties and repentings as if thereby you did satisfie and pacifie God for the sin of your souls This is the most dangerous snare upon poor souls that though they have sinned yet they hope God will be pacified with some praying and sorrowing and amendement now though this shall be in a spirituall manner upon every pardoned sinner and t is a capacity God puts the sinner into when he applyes the death of his Son and so gives out mercy and pardon yet you must most carefully take heed that you offer not up such duties as if they did make God amends and pacifie him for your sins but look above and beyond them as if they were not and so to cast your eye to the great sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ which Alone makes atonement to God and makes way for a poor sinner to come to him 4. That as sinners would learn the blessed Mystery of
this Redemption and the necessity of it and how it makes atonement merits mercy and pardon procures peace and reconciliation with God so they would come and accept of it and fall down before the righteous God and plead it to him Thou hast heard the way of Gods letting out mercy to sinners and no mercy but in that way but by justice being satisfied by the death and blood of Jesus Christ whereby he becomes the Saviour of sinners Now this bloud is offered up to God the price is paid and accepted with God and in the Gospel of God t is revealed and preacht to the guilty world and t is freely offered to any poor sinner that will come and accept of it and make claim to it and plead for mercy and forgivenesse upon the account of it and will come to the termes of it which is to be accepted and pardoned alone by vertue of it to be washed and sanctified and actually deliver'd not onely from the guilt and condemnation of sin but the power and reign and pollution of it Oh Sinner be awakened and stirred up by the word of the Lord to get actuall deliverance from the guilt bondage reign service of thy sin go and cry to God offer him up the blood of his own eternall Son tell him thou seest he may let out justice upon thee to destroy thee and damn thee for ever of thy self thou hast no plea against it But aske the blessed God if it may not be more glory to him and his grace mercy glorified by it if he will accept of satisfaction by his own Son Jesus Christ plead to him that thou hearest he dyed in the room of guilty condemned sinners such as thou art ungodly Rom. 5.6 yea tell him with an humble adoration of his mercy and love in it that thou hearest in his blessed Gospel that 't is offered to any sinner that will come and accept it and that 't is proclaimed from heaven that there 's satisfaction made by the blood of a Iesus for the greatest sinner such as thou art Oh! cry unto him that therefore thou comest and beggst to be heard in thy plea and that it may be entred in Heaven that thou comest for all the ends of his death thou art weary of the service of thy lusts and the pollution of thy nature and therefore thou wouldst have thy nature cleansed thy conscience purged all which thou findest the bloud of Jesus Christ is able to do yea tell him and plead it with some humble boldnesse that thou art acquainted that Jesus Christ prayes in Heaven for such sinners that come and plead his bloud to thee and that he is heard in what he prayes and that therefore forgivenesse must be had yea say thou will hold on thy plea thou hast no other and art resolved against any other If thou shalt to Hell pleading the bloud of a Saviour be it so but I am resolved to plead it to the utmost yea tell him cry to him that it cannot repent him that he hath ordained the sacrifice of the bloud of his own Son and therefore why shouldst thou be rejected Yea Come to this issue through the Spirit of faith upon thee that if it can be that a sinner crying out for pardon upon the account of the death and bloud of Jesus Christ and for sanctification may go to Hell then thou wilt willingly lay thy hand upon thy mouth and open it no more but sinke under divine vengeance to eternity Oh! That every poor sinner might go home with this plea in his heart written there by the holy Ghost and pierce Heaven with his or her cryes and groanes and put the bloud of Jesus Christ before him and plead for mercy and holinesse to be pardoned and sanctified till God say Go in peace thou art pardoned redeemed and blessed for ever Yet a little to excite a poor drowsie sinner to this eternall Concernment 1. Consider thou art under the guilt of thousands of sins one whereof is enough to sink thee to Hell Guilt if continued is Hell begun and wants nothing but the execution of vengeance upon thee Oh what should a guilty sinner do but close with a Saviour and get an interest in Redemption from it 2. Specially considering that all the Duties and Obedience thou hast performed towards God or ever shall have not made nor ever will the least payment to God for thy sins thou art as much in debt to God as ever thou wast as much behind with him All the Items for the sin of thy Nature thy Thoughts Words and Actual Wickedness and thy sinful Neglects stand uncancelled all ready to be charged upon thee And nought will be accepted for payment but the death of Jesus Christ the onely Price that God will hearken to Nothing will cancel the Book where all thy sins are recorded Nothing will blot out the Hand-writing that is against thee but the blood of Iesus Christ Col. 2.13 14. 3. God is resolved never to forgive you the Debt till you have put in this Plea and it be recorded in Heaven and you have it in a Gospel-way No forgiveness of sins but by Redemption pleaded claimed possessed and sealed by the Holy Spirit Ephes 1.7 14. 4. Thou art yet under the Bondage and Reign of thy sin and therefore under condemnation the Law is gone out against thee thy Sentence pronounced Cursed is every one that transgresseth c. saith the Law And thou art in bondage yet and hast not procured actual deliverance from it If a Prisoner be condemned and lye in Fetters in a Dungeon and hears of a Ransome paid for him What 's this to him till he have his liberty So for a sinner to be in the Fetters of his Lusts held fast by them a Bond-man to the Devil hear of a Christ laying down a Ransom What is this to him unless he sue it out and get actual deliverance and liberty the liberry of the Sons and Daughters of God and have a Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.4 5. That being made free from sinne the Reign and Power of it by the power of the Lord Iesus revealed in him you may become servants to God and have your fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting life 5. Consider as thou standest in thy filth and uncleanness of thy sins thou art unfit for God either to please him in any thing thou doest or to be with him in Heaven hereafter thy person and services are loathsome to the Soul of God therefore get washed and purified in the bloud of Iesus Christ Go on to cry and wait and beg a heart to do it and that in Faith till thou shalt feel peace coming in by thy constant Plea of the bloud of Christ till thou shalt feel cleansing vertue of it upon thy Soul till thou shalt experience the power of his death destroying sin in thee and so shalt finde thou hast fellowship with him and so a