guilty also as well as he But now when the King comes to look upon them he sets his heart on this poor man that perhaps begg'd from door to door and says this poor creature shall be forgiven I will pass by his offence and not only so but advance him into high and great favour at the Court and condemns all the Nobles Now if this poor man shall see all the Noble men in chains that were guilty but of one offence and he perhaps hath been guilty for acting in a treasonable way 40 50 or 70 years and the Noble men guilty but for one offence and this poor wretched creature sees these Noble men in chains and knows that all they and every one of them are condemn'd to suffer most dreadful tortures to dye a most dreadful torturing tormenting death Now what a mighty aggravation is this of the mercy of the King that shall pardon the offence of this poor creature how will he stand amazed admiring at the greatness of it I that am guilty of the same offence yea more guilty than they and that I shall be pardoned and the chief of the Nobility of the Kingdom must die a most torturing tormenting death for their offence what a difference hath the Kings favour made between me and them certainly this is the case for all the world with any poor soul whose sins are pardoned God has done as much for thee to the full the Angels were the most glorious creatures that ever God made and thou art but a poor worm in comparison of them they sinned against him but once and thou art guilty of millions of transgressions and yet God sets his heart on thee and says I will do great things for thee though I pass by thousands millions of Angels I will magnifie my rich grace to this poor creature in pardoning his sin and advance him to high favour though I condemn them into everlasting chains of darkness now when a poor creature comes to see the infinite riches of Gods grace that hath made such a difference between him and the Angels how will he stand admiring of it me thinks this should mightily work upon the hearts of all poor sinners and make them to say What shall God pass by such excellent creatures as the Angels the most excellent creatures that ever God made and come to me a poor worm to set his heart on me and shew mercy to me Oh let me pass by all the excellencies of the creatures to perform my duty unto him Hath God past by the most excellent of his creatures that mercy might come to me Oh let me pass by all the glories and excellencies of any thing in this world that my Soul may come in in a way of duty and service unto him Shall God leave the glorious Angels to shew mercy to me and to do good for me and shall not I leave my base lusts for him Shall not I be content to leave any thing to serve him Shall I satisfie any base lust with the neglect of him God forbid This is another Argument that they are blessed that have their sins pardoned because God does that for them that he will not do for the faln Angels CHAP. XI Of Pardoning Mercy being given to a few FUrther Blessed is he that hath his iniquities forgiven because it is a mercy that is given but to a little handful of the world the whole world lies in wickedness as carrion in a ditch or as Prisoners under the chains of guilt of sin and yet that God should pull some of these out that lie as in a filthy Dungeon this is a wonderful mercy A Prince that hath many offenders usually pardons the most and executes the fewest But God usually executes the most and pardons fewest But how comes this to pass seeing God is a God of more mercy than any Prince how is it that a Prince should pardon most and execute the fewest and God do the contrary Answ 1. Because the execution of many that are guilty Answ 1 would be a troublesom and dangerous thing unto a Prince he cannot do it when the most have offended but God can easily execute thousands of thousands and all with one word speaking Further If a Prince should execute all that offend he Answ 2 should have a want of his Subjects But God wants not the creatures he has no need of us but a Prince may want his Subjects and therefore if there be any way in the world to preserve them and keep them in any way subject to him the Prince will not destroy them Besides the Prince executes the fewest and saves the most Answ 3 Because the execution of a few may be a means to bring others unto allegiance But when God comes to execute Malefactors the execution of some cannot be a means to work good on others especially at the great day 't is true in this world God is long-suffering and executes a few that it may be a means to work good on others But how is God said to be a God of rich and glorious mercy and yet pardons very few and executes most for all the world have been in Treason against him how is it that God pardons fewest and destroys most I hope to give you very good reason and satisfaction in shewing you how the infinite glory of the mercy of God appears and yet but few are pardoned yea rather the more because that few are pardoned God would thereby manifest the more his glorious mercy 1. It may well stand with the glorious riches of the mercy of God that many are destroy'd and yet but few pardoned thus Because that God would have a proportion between his Justice and Mercy you say he would have a proportion Is not be as merciful as he is just Then there must be as many pardoned as condemned No if God will observe a proportion between his mercy and justice and that he will have his Justice appear as well as his Mercy then more must be damned than saved How does that appear thus Because the glory of Gods Justice in damning twenty hundred is not so much as the glory of his Mercy in saving two you may conceive it by what is ordinarily used among men If the King save but two men that are Malefactors he magnifies his mercy as much in that as his justice if he hang up a hundred so if God save but two his mercy is as much magnified as his justice in damning twenty hundred the reason is this Because there is something in the creature that calls for Gods justice that requires that But there is nothing in the creature that requires his mercy when God manifests his justice he does such a work as is due to the Creature there is something in the Creature that challenges such a work from God but when God comes to manifest mercy there is nothing at all in us that should require such a work from God no his mercy is
my pardoning mercy And shall my creatures seek after it for no other end nor higher aims but meerly to save their own skins you bring down the grace of God that that is the top of his infinite Majesty and Glory you put to a low and base end therefore put not off seeking it to the last 't is a great dishonour to his grace 2. It is the worst time because you come to seek after pardoning grace when it is the time of Gods wrath Prov. 11.4 the time of affliction and trouble sickness and death is call'd the day of wrath Riches avail not in the day of Gods wrath Riches avail for comfort at present but in the day of wrath they will not God hath his day of affliction and his day of wrath he hath his time to come to visit men for their sins Now then for people to come to seek to have the pardon of their sins when Gods time is to visit for sin that must needs be the worst time that possible can be I reason thus and consider of it if God does deny his mercy in the day of mercy is it likely that he will grant mercy in the day of wrath while you are alive and have liberty health and opportunity to come to hear the Doctrine of the Justification of a sinner and forgiveness of sin opened you are to know it is the day of Gods grace Now is the acceptable time now is the day of Salvation and of grace when God gives liberty and oppertunity thus to have the mysteries of the Gospel opened unto you this is the day of Gods grace Now if God deny you grace in this day of mercy that you are not so much as inlightned your souls melted and your hearts stirred Do you think that now you are upon your sick-beds or death-beds which is a day of wrath unto you for so it is to those that have not their sins pardoned before it is a day of wrath and Gods time of visiting for sin Is it likely that God will now shew thee mercy I beseech you consider the usual way of Gods working on men is according to his Ordinance Now the ordinary way of Gods conveying grace is by the Ministry of the Word Did God ever appoint any other way to convey Christ and grace to thy Soul give me a Text for it Where do you find a Text in Scripture of any other way as an Ordinance appointed by God for the conveying of his pardoning grace in Christ to any Soul No it is in the Ministry of the Gospel and by faith that lays hold of the pardoning grace of God by coming to hear the Word preached Now if God come not in that time to work upon thee and to bestow mercy in his own appointed way it is not likely he will come any other way I remember in a Treatise of Mr. Bolton's he has this expression Let any one give me an example that ever any one that lived under a powerful Ministry and not savingly wrought upon that way was ever wrought upon any other way many he says may be stirred but for his part he knew none that was so stirred by affliction to the conversion of their souls if God had not before in the Ordinances of grace wrought upon them then it must needs be the worst time that can be to seek pardon of sin in a day of trouble or affliction because that is usually a time of Gods wrath visiting for sin 3. The work of the Soul in seeking after Gods pardoning mercy and applying of it to himself as it is the excellentest work that ever a creature did perform so it does require the most exquisite work of the Spirit that ever was required or that ever any creature was set about it is the most intensive work of the spirit of man the applying of the grace of God in Christ and the closing with it for Justification it is the highest most exquisite most glorious and most admirable work of the spirit of man that ever was in the world and it requires the greatest intensness and strength of a mans spirit that ever any work did Now then to put this off till such a time as a mans strength is gone and he through diseases unfit for any thing and when as all the strength he hath will be little enough to help him to bear his pain this must needs be the worst time you are mistaken if you think the applying of Gods mercy in Christ is but in saying Lord have mercy upon me No it is Gods putting the heart of man to do the most glorious work that hath the greatest operation in it that ever he did I remember it related of one that lived wickedly and divers sought to reclaim him says he come when I am upon my sick bed that is time enough and afterwards he being sick was put in mind of it you said you would do it then but then he swore a great Oath saying What is this a time to repent in because he then felt so much trouble and anguish that took up his thoughts that he was stirr'd with indignation to be put upon repenting then in a time when he felt so much dolour of spirit by the pains that were upon him Is this a time to repent in if that be not then do it betimes 4. It is the worst time because God shall lose a great part of his end in pardoning sin for when God pardons sin it is to this end that his poor creatures might honour and worship him in â—his world and do him service but now to seek for Gods pardoning grace when thou can'st do him no more service in this world How can'st thou think that he will accept thee then He came to redeem us that we might serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives and he knows there is no such way to ingage the heart of man to serve him as pardoning grace for when once a soul sees it self delivered from those Enemies of sin and of the Law that would destroy him his heart will be mightily set to honour God and serve him in holiness and righteousness all his days and therefore to seek for pardon when thou can'st do God no more service in this world must needs be the worst time for how knowest thou that he will accept thee then I beseech you observe one Text of Scripture that is abused by many people for I suppose that I am speaking to a great many very ignorant in the ways of God and therefore I desire to speak plainly unto you there is one place though misapprehended and mistaken that is the main prop of many carnal hearts as it is read in some Books At what time soever a sinner repents c. I know no such Text of Scripture it is true there are Scriptures tending that way that do not limit the time but no Scripture does express it so many people run away with that
sin for time to come justifies the ungodly pardons sin yet purchases the pardon These eleven Meditations about the Pardon of Sin make it appear to be a wonderful work of God put these together and then the result according to the point will be clear and full that Blessed is that man whose sins are forgiven And surely if there be such a mysterious and glorious work of God in pardoning sin that man for whom God shall work such a glorious work is a blessed man indeed And now having done with this Argument of the great mystery of Godliness in forgiveness of Sin I proceed to another and it is this CHAP. IV. That Pardon of Sin not only is a Mercy in it self but the Foundation of many other Mercies PArdon of Sin makes a mâ—â— blessed Why Because it is the Foundation of abundance of other Mercies it is an inlet to many other mercies therefore a great mercy it is a leading mercy it is as the Queen of Mercy that hath a great and glorious train of other mercies attending on her indeed it is the very foundation of all the mercies of the Covenant of grace 't is the principal mercy and the very foundation of all the mercies that are in the Covenant and the inlet and opening to them all the Covenant of Grace is a rich Treasury hath abundant store of mercy in it and this opens to them all The current of all Gods mercies was stopt by mans sin though God had an infinite Ocean of mercy yet the sourse and vent of all Gods mercies was stopt Now when God pardons sin he takes away the stop and opens the sluce that his infinite grace and goodness may flow forth plentifully and sweetly to the soul body and state yea to all that belongs to a believer You may conceive Gods mercy to be as an infinite stream of goodness running with a full current towards his creatures for God delights in the Communication of himself to his creatures But now mans sin made a dam and stopt the pipe that not one drop of mercy could come forth not a drop of all that mercy that in the eternal purpose of God he hath appointed in time shall come forth to such and such a poor creature but when he comes to Pardon and Justification he pulls out the plug and pulls up the flood-gates and sluces and then mercies come flowing in amain when sin is pardoned then the full streams of all the mercies in the Covenant of grace come flowing into the soul well then if it be thus that pardon of sin is an inlet to other mercies then he that hath his sin pardoned is a very blessed man I shall open this That Pardon of Sin is the foundation to and opens the sluce to let in all other mercies Jer. 31.31 Behold the days come that I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah here God opens his goodness and tells them he will make a new Covenant not like that he made with their fathers vers 32. but this shall be the Covenant vers 33. and he instances in some particulars I will put my Law into their inward parts and write it in their hearts and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me c. But what is the foundation of all this at the end of the 34. For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more I will make a new Covenant with them and put my law into their inward parts and they shall all know me I will come in with all my mercies and blessings Illumination and Sanctification he mentions these instead of the rest as in a grant of great things some particulars are mentioned but then he comes in with a general For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more As if it should be said Why Lord wilt thou come in thus to thy people in such an abundant way of mercy more than formerly and let in these graces of thy Covenant Why here 's the ground of all for I will forgive their iniquity so that forgiveness of iniquity is the special inlet of the mercies of the Covenant Now more particularly I shall shew you what are those special mercies Pardon of sin is an inlet to and that will further shew the blessedness of those souls that have their sins pardoned because pardon of sin is an inlet to many other mercies As Of Peace with God that Pardon of Sin is an inlet to 1. Peace with God Rom. 5.1 being justified that is pardoned through faith what follows we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ the ground of our Justification and Reconciliation it is not our Humiliation no nor our Sanctification Observe it the very bottom and foundation of our Justification and Reconciliation it is neither of these though we ought to be in the use and exercise of them but pardon of sin is through the free grace of God applyed by faith this is the ground of all our Peace and Reconciliation with God And thus men and women should seek their peace with God the main thing they should lay the waight of obtaining peace of God upon it is the work of faith applying the Righteousness of Christ for pardon rather than any work of Humiliation or Sanctification by the Spirit of God yet both these are sweet and comfortable when we found the bottom and main foundation of all our peace on the free grace of God pardoning our sin and justifying of us through faith in Christ Cod does not say you that are great sinners stay till you are humbled and are brought to hate sin and you shall have peace with God No you may be much troubled for sin and may leave it and reform in many things and live better lives than before and yet your peace not made up with God How then shall it be thus being justified by faith looking up to the free grace of God in Christ for pardon of sin we come to have peace with God and this is a great priviledge but if you consider on the other side a creature not reconciled cannot look upon the infinite Creator without terror and shakings and tremblings of spirit he cannot have any thoughts of God but he thinks of him as his Enemy and that all the excellencies of God are working misery and ruine to him this is a sad thing But when pardon of sin comes God is reconciled and all fears and terrors from the Almighty are gone those fears whereby the soul was afraid God was secretly working ruine to it are dispell'd and if any judgment of God come close and near and befal any in the sight and hearing of a guilty soul he would be thinking God is coming to me next But a justified soul may say though the judgments of God be never so terrible in the world and in
shall be said to those things you have heard in the former Doctrine CHAP. XIV Of the Dishonour that is done by Men to the Pardoning Grace of God by slighting of it FIrst this we have to say to those things Surely if the Pardon of Sin be so great a mercy as you have heard and that there is such a wonderful work of God in it then it must needs be a horrible and vile thing to sin against this grace that the heart of God is so much in to dishonour this great work of God must needs be a very vile and horrible thing And this hath been my intention my very plot as to set forth the greatness of the grace of God in the mercy of forgiveness so also to keep you from sinning against this grace If he be blessed upon whom such a great and glorious work of God is wrought in forgiveness of sin then it must needs be a most horrible and dreadful thing for any man or woman to sin against this grace of God and horrible to dishonour such a great work of God as this is But who are they that dishonour this great work of God or how many wayes may we be guilty in sinning against this great mercy of God in forgiveness of sin I shall shew first who they be that cast dishonour on this great work of God and Secondly Shew the greatness of the sin what a dangerous thing it is to sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin First They sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin that are altogether careless who little or nothing mind it or scarce spend any time about it there are a generation of men and women in the world that have sin and guilt enough upon their spirits yet they scarce ever call to mind or question what are the terms between God and their own Souls how things stand between God and them what God hath to charge them withal whether God hath any thing against them yea or no How few of you now this morning that are come into the presence of God have had your thoughts working thus O my soul how is it with thee How does matters stand betwixt God and thee What guilt is it thou hast upon thy Spirit What hath Divine Justice to charge thee withal Conscience speak freely and fully What is there in Heaven against me Is there any thing upon Record that I am charg'd withal How is it between God and me O what strangers are most men unto such thoughts as these but go on in a sleepy secure and dead hearted way either they believe there is no guilt at all upon their spirits or no great evil in that guilt or else think 't is no great matter for God to pardon you are very solicitous for the flesh what you shall eat and drink and what you shall put on and for your Estates how to get and increase in the world But to make up the Records between God and your Souls to get them discharg'd and the Records of Heaven cancell'd that are against you O how seldom do these things take up your thoughts know you that are of such careless spirits about this great matter of pardon of sin that it is a great aggravation of your sin that you are so careless about that great work of God in pardoning sin you are careless and spend but a few thoughts about that that hath as I may so speak with holy reverence taken up the heart of the infinite God from all eternity certainly there is not any in the world not any of the works of God towards his creatures hath taken up the thoughts and heart of God so much as this one work of the pardon of sin yet your thoughts are not taken up with it you little mind it certainly there is a great disproportion between your thoughts and Gods whereas those that are godly should labour to work as God works and those things that hath taken up the heart of God should take up their hearts whereas those things that are even unworthy of an immortal Soul take up your thoughts and those objects that take up the thoughts heart of God about pardoning sin your own Consciences can tell you is very little in your thoughts and hearts Certainly my Brethren were the thoughts of men and women taken up about this serious and great business of getting pardon of their sin it would prevent and cure them of thousands of other vain slight foolish and wicked thoughts there are I suppose many of you begin to be sensible of sin and of the base wandring filthy unclean and wicked thoughts of your hearts and you say O that we could but help our selves against these wandring vile and wicked thoughts surely this would be a great help if you would get your thoughts possest with serious subjects it would have a great deal of waight in it to help you against those light and vain things your thoughts work about Now of all subjects in the world this is the most serious about the grace of God How his infinite wisdom hath wrought to reconcile himself to your souls in the bringing about the pardon of sin and making peace between himself and the Children of men Now if you would take up your thoughts about the great business of getting pardon of your sins it would take off your thoughts from other things Suppose a man have a vain slight wandering foolish heart yet if he were condemned to die some dreadful tormenting death his thoughts would quickly be taken off from other things and taken up about using means if there were any possibility to deliver himself from death Jerom in one of his Epistles hath this Relation of one that was troubled with vile thoughts and he that he complained unto had this device I name it not to approve it but he had this device he brought the man to have a charge of a crime laid against him and caused him to be brought before a Judge and put into Prison and afterwards he came to him and askt him How is it now with you Does your vain thoughts still abide with you as they were wont to do he gave him this answer says he I cannot live and what shall I now think of Uncleanness and Fornication I am in danger of my life and I have now no time to think of such things and that help't and cured his thoughts from this we may see that if a soul was possest of the evil of sin and the danger of condemnation the necessity and great consequence of a pardon what a mighty means would it be to take off your thoughts from other things and turn them upon this and certainly who ever you are whose thoughts are not mightily taken up about this great subject of the pardon of your sins you take the name of God in vain and do not sanctifie him in this great work of his and know this you that spend
we must act faith upon it in a mystical way or act faith upon it as a great mysterie and therefore you that have been made sensible of sin it may be you have thought of Gods grace for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins and for to quiet the trouble of your spirits Have you done that there is I suppose many a poor soul may say I have been often with God when no eye saw me but only Gods seeking the pardon of my sin in trouble of spirit you have done so but has your eye at that time been fastened on the Son of God as the great Mediator between God and Man to interceed to God the Father for the obtaining this mercy by making satisfaction to infinite Justice Together with your cries for pardon have your eyes been upon the Son of God at the right hand of the Father pleading for man Have your hearts been taken with the great mysteries of godliness and wrought upon by the infinite grace of God Have you put forth a mighty power of the Spirit of Faith to tender up to God the Father the Attonement that his Son has made by his blood and death for your sins Have you seen that the pardoning grace of God is so high that it is impossible to be reach't unto by any thing you can do but only by the mediation of the Son of God If it have been thus with your spirits then you have somewhat of the sense of the great work of God in this thing but otherwise though you have been never so much wrought on and have had floods of sorrow and have cryed never so earnest for the pardon of your sins yet except you have had some such kind of thoughts of Gods grace as these are upon your hearts working after God this way you were never throughly acquainted with the way of Gods pardoning grace and so you have dishonoured him by having too low thoughts of it except your hearts have been raised to this height Psal 51.7 in that time when David was on repenting he called unto God to purge him with Hysop David desired the renewing of the assurance of Gods mercy in Christ in the pardoning of that horrible offence he had committed and therefore prays that he may be purged with Hysop What is the meaning of that there is a great mystery in it in the time of the Law when the blood was sprinkled it was done with a bunch of Hysop and it was a Type of the Blood of Christ that was to make an Attonement Levit. 14. They were to take a bunch of Hysop to sprinkle withal Now says David Purge me with Hysop that is apply to me the blood of Christ for I have need of fresh applications of the blood of Christ I have sinned against him and have done what in me lay to bring my self under Gods wrath and have brought new guilt upon my soul Now for the assurance of thy love to me let there be fresh applications of the blood of thy Son let there be a new sprinkling of the blood of thy Son upon me I suppose many of you in reading this place did not think of the meaning of the Spirit of God in it that may be a great help unto you when at any time you are seeking the pardon of your sins to cry to God to be purged with Hysop O Lord sprinkle the blood of Christ afresh upon me for I know that all my Prayers and Tears and all that I can do cannot purge me from the guilt of that sin I have committed against thee except thou purge me with Hysop that is by applying of the Blood of thy Son unto me And this is the Eighth way of dishonouring the grace of God in seeking for it any other way than through the blood of his Son and remember when you are seeking it that it may be the last time and therefore remember you look up to God for it in by and through the death of his Son for otherwise though you are never so earnest in Prayer you dishonour this grace It is an easie matter to convince men and women that they are guilty of dishonouring the grace of God if they seek for pardon in a negligent and sluggish way but now though you are never so sensible and put forth never so much strength in seeking for it yet you dishonour God except you look upon it as such a high thing that can never be reacht unto but through the mediation of the Son of God 9. The ninth way of dishonouring the grace of God is for any one to venture on sin the rather because they hope they shall be pardoned that dare to venture on sin on that ground hoping that God will at last pardon them I spake before of those that did nothing else but increase their sins in stead of seeking pardon of sin and of the miserable sad condition of such But those we now speak of are not such as are come to this height of sinning to do nothing else but increase their sins but such men and women who being convinc't of sin and if they were perswaded that God would never pardon that sin they would find knots enough to stop them from the commission of it but because they have some hopes that God will pardon therfore on that very ground they venture on sin 't is true it is an offence but God is a merciful God he will forgive though it be an evil there is more evil and mischeif in this than thou can'st imagin What art thou convinc't of sin and wilt thou venture on sin meerly on this ground because thou hopest that God will pardon thee I may say unto thee as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8.22 Pray O pray to God that if it be possible this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee for this thought of thy heart hath so much malignity in it and is so great a provocation against God as possible can be imagined except the sin against the Holy Ghost for any man or women to venture on any sin in hopes of pardon some will say What need we be so strict and trouble our selves so much God is merciful and therefore they think upon that ground they need not be so strict this is a horrible degree of turning the grace of God into wantenness Jude 4. the Apostle speaks of such there that profest they did believe in Christ mark what he says of them There are certain men crept in unawares ungodly men turning the grace of God into laciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ 't is a most dreadful place if there be any one in the Congregation that have ever had the glorious light of the Gospel revealed to them that can reason thus I do such and such things yet God is merciful O that God would convince thee of this evil give me leave to open it unto you how men creep in they were Christians and were
for one sin but how have these sinned against thy pardoning mercy that has been offered to them again and again which was never offered us Fourthly I might shew you the evil the Scripture says of it take two or three Texts Joh. 3.18 19. He that believeth not is condemned already and vers ult He that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him it sticks fast upon such a one and that place in Heb. 10.29 If they that sinned under Moses Law died without mercy who had but little of this grace revealed unto them How much sorer punishment shall they have that sin under the Gospel under the full revelation of this grace but to conclude all there is nothing will be such an aggravation of thy torments in Hell as these Sermons of Gods pardoning mercy if thou go on in sin When we speak of the pardoning grace of God we cannot do it without trembling hearts Why Because we know God will be exceeding quick with those that have the grace of the Gospel preacht unto them And therefore when we come upon this argument we cannot but do as a Physitian that is giving his Patient a Potion that is of mighty operation that will either cure him or dispatch him suddenly if it cure not A Physitian cannot but come with a trembling hand with such a Potion when he knows it must work one way or other we know God is exceeding quick with those to whom he reveals his pardoning mercy in the preaching of the Gospel and those truths we preach will have a quick operation either to bring you out of your sins to Salvation or else they will quickly dispatch you for condemnation Mark 16.15 16. Go says Christ and preach the Gospel to every creature and he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned As if Christ had said go open the Doctrine of the Gospel and the Justification of a sinner by the freeness of the grace of God through Christ Jesus and whosoever will come in and believe and close with it shall be saved but he that believes not shall be damned there is no trifling in the business he that believes and comes in shall be saved but he that believes not shall perish he shall be damned let people know when they have the Gospel preach't unto them there is no trifling no dallying with it 't is not to be put off he that comes in shall be saved but he that stands off shall perish shall be damned and shall know that I will fetch up my glory from him another day in another way as if Christ had said Go preach make quick work of it either come in and be saved or stand out and perish And so John when he came to preach the Doctrine of forgiveness of sin Matth. 3.10 says Now the Axe is laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire Now also the Axe is laid to the root of the tree Why not before No all that while they went on in Ignorance and understood not sin and the grace of God brought unto them for the pardon of their sin all that while God let them grow though they bore no fruit or but ill fruit but now also the Axe is laid to the root If he bears not good fruit now he is hewn down and cast into the fire Now when you hear of pardon of sin and grace revealed in the Gospel either you bring forth fruit or you do not if you do not God is peremptory if you come in and imbrace the Gospel you shall be saved but if you do not the Axe is laid unto your root to cut you down the Gospel makes quick work with you as Paul says in 2 Cor. 2.14 it is so strong that it kills with the very savour of it it has such a savour as it can kill with the very smell of it To him that believes it is the savour of life unto life but to him that believes not it is the savour of death unto death Act 17.30 In the times of Ignorance God winked when men understood not what the evil of sin was but now he commands all men to repent before you heard the dreadful evil and malignity that is in sin God might wink at you but now he commands you all having heard so many Sermons of the evil nature of sin to repent or else God will be very quick with you Heb. 4.12 an excellent place The Word of God is quick and powerful but what word is it mark in the 2d verse Unto us says he was the Gospel preached It was the Word of the Gospel and vers 8. If Jesus had given them rest It is that rest spoken of in the Gospel and mark what he says in the beginning Let us therefore fear least a Promise being left of entering into rest any of you should seem to come short of it Let us therefore fear for the Word of God is swift and will make quick dispatch No Sermons make such quick dispatch as Sermons of the Gospel fear least any seem to come short let us fear least any of us should go on in any way that makes it seem to appear we reject the Gospel It is very observable what we find in Gods dealings with Israel of old we never find God swearing against them till they rejected the Land of Canaan and preferr'd Egypt before it when the Spies were sent forth to search the Land and brought some of the Grapes of it Numb 13 14. Chapters and told them what an excellent fruitful Land it was but because of some difficulty in the getting of it they fell a murmuring then God took up a solemn Oath they should not enter into it though they had provoked him ten times yea forty years in the Wilderness yet God never sware against them till that time That soul is in a sad condition that God shall swear in his wrath it shall not enter into his rest Thou that walkest in the Wilderness of thy sins and hast thy heart hardned against all the Truths of God But now if God has come in to thee and opened Canaan and brought you any clusters of those Grapes revealed the mysteries of the Gospel and pardoning grace through Christ If you now hang off and be longing after the Onions and Garlick of Egypt fear and tremble least God should swear you should never enter into rest you that are wicked unclean persons that went on in sin though you had some light of Nature that caused Conscience to check you yet God was patient and your condition was not so dangerous then But now after the hearing of this grace of the Gospel and pardoning mercy a Drunkard an unclean person or a vile liver now is in a thousand times of more danger least God should swear against him now than before Take heed in every act of the renewal of thy sin thou art in
might have been sorrowful and I might have reformed and said God is merciful though Christ had never come those that never knew Christ nor heard of him yet they may be sorrowful reforme and say God is mercifull I beseech you consider this note I can never be pardoned and saved in such a way as it might be done though Christ had never come I can then never be pardoned and saved by all the means I take for pardon and Salvation if those things might be done though Christ had never come and if you have nothing else but them to rest upon then you can never be saved put this to your hearts what have I wrought in my heart that I might not have had if Christ had not come into the world certainly the most things that most people have to rest upon for pardon and salvation they might have had though Christ had never come into the world Further Thou saist God is merciful True the mercy of God is sweet and a blessed argument and our souls much delight to open the grace and mercy of God and I have endeavoured to open to you what is revealed in the Gospel yet Gods mercy is free though he delight to glorifie his mercy and he hath thousand thousands of Subjects to glorify his mercy in though thou perish eternally Though thou perish eternally yet God may be glorious in the blessedness of his mercy God hath others to magnifie his mercy unto besides thee a beggar comes and asks an almes of a man and he gives him none that is not an argument the man is not merciful for he hath other objects that are more suitable and fit though he give not to every one t is no dishonour to his compassion so it is with God he hath thousands of objects to bestow his mercy on though thou perish Further Thou saist God is merciful and thererefore thou hop'st for pardon Why God is and hath been merciful to thee beyond all that thou canst conceive God hath shew'd his mercy to thee already thou saist God is merciful true or else thou hadst not been alive at this present that thou shouldst hear and see and have all thy members whole and the use of all thy sences and that thou shouldst stand here this day under the meanes of grace and that thou shouldst hear God call on thee to repent and believe in his Son while thou walk'st on in thy sin and art dead in sins and trespasses he sends his son and spirit to thee to tell thee that he would rescue thee and give life unto thee again is not here rich mercy perhaps thou hast had thy portion of mercy already that God intends for thee yea so much mercy that all the Angels and saints will give acclamations to God for that mercy thou hast had though thou perish God hath many waies shewd mercy to thee in so much as that the very devils themselves will acknowledge that God was very good to his poor creatures Further Thou speakest of mercy hast not thou abused and turn'd mercy into wantonness perhaps the mercy thou speakst of now is at this very present pleading to God against thee saying how have I been abused by this wretched man the more my beauty excellency hath been displayed the more wicked he hath grown what if mercy be now pleading against thee even those mercies that thou hast abused and therefore thou hadst need to look for somewhat else to settle thy soul upon then this to say that God is merciful this is to the first sort those that are grosly Ignorant Secondly There are others that mourne pray and reform and then have some kinde of relyance on God to pardon them for his mercies sake and therefore to them I shall say thus much Know the mercy of God must be received after Gods own way he hath appointed the communications of it and so it must be received otherwise it can never attain to such an effect as the pardon of thy sin note this that all the mercy in God considered as he is creator of Heaven and Earth and not let out through the Mediator Christ Jesus God-man it never wrought to the pardon of any one sin and therefore if you looke upon the mercy of God and do not look to the right way of the conveyance of it you may most dangerously mistake The ground and bottom of faith that justifies is not meerly to cast ones self on the mercy of God for there is none but in a natural way know that God is a merciful God but the main ground of Justification or of justifying faith is the free grace of God through Jesus Christ That God is merciful through a Mediator Otherwise the ground of your faith is but on a meer confused notion of the mercy of God which will certainly faile you a heathen may have as much to be the ground of his faith that the great creator of Heaven and Earth pitties those that are in misery and I am a poor creature in misery I le cry to him and I le reform my life and I le relye on him thus far a heathen may go but the ground and bottom of faith is not the mercy of God in general but the mercy of God in and through a Mediator observe a little further the ground of justifying faith is not thus that God for Christs sake will forgive me for what Christ hath done to purchase my pardon but there is another work of faith in the souls of believers though the soul apprehend it not t is not the work of faith in justification to believe that Christ hath paid so much as my debt comes to but thus the work of faith is to bring the soul unto Christ and to pitch it upon the person of Christ to be made mine first and then the righteousness of Christ to be mine T is not thus I believe this is my debt and there is so much money to pay it but this is the work of faith to bring thee to be marryed to such a person and so the debt is transacted on him to whom thou art marryed and he will discharge the debt because thou art marryed to him so that the ground of faith is not to look unto God meerly through his son that so I may have pardon but thus I must come to have Christ to be mine I must be marryed with Christ and so through my union with the person of Christ I come to have all that Christ hath done and suffered to be made over to me and therefore when I come to look upon the riches of the grace of God in the mediation of his son I must come with an eye of faith to be marryed unto Christ and Christ with me the riches of Gods grace in Christ was opened before we now make use of it as a trial to shew the danger of false grounds in relying upon God for pardon Further Though it be through the mercy of God to
pardon sin yet it does not work thus viz. You have sinned and my law requires such and such obedience to be performed on such tearms or else you must perish but I through my mercy will remit something of the rigour and strictness of the Law And most people confess that by the strictness of the Law they are condemn'd but they hope the mercy of God will grant some remission of the Law as it is with men if all Penal statutes should be executed it would be very hard but there is a Chancery to abate something of the rigour and strictness of penal statutes and thus men think to come to have pardon and deal with God after the manner of men you think the crying to God for mercy wil abate something of the strictness and severity of the Law but you mistake in taking this way to get peace and reconciliation with God to look upon Gods mercy to lye in this to remit something of the strictness and severity of the Law No but the work of Gods mercy lyes in this to finde out a surety for you and to transact the debt upon him Further Consider the work of Gods mercy in justification of a sinner when faith layes hold upon it faith must not lay hold upon it as a meer single Act but look at all the concomitants of the work of Gods grace in making way for the justification of a sinner The mercy of God workes many waies and faith must exercise it self on Gods grace according to the multiplicity of the work of it in bringing about the justification of a sinner as thus you have sinned and you cry to God for pardon but the mercy of God does not work thus to pardon you as t is a single act but the mercy of God works thus to mankind First he is pleased to enter into a second covenant with mankind after he had broken the first A second work of Gods mercy is to set his wisdom on work to finde out a way how mankind should be reconciled unto him and his sin pardoned and yet that God should be no looser this was the work of his infinite wisdom And Thirdly when this is found out this can be done no other way but only through the Son of God taking mans nature upon him and suffer for him then here 's the mercy of God to be willing to send his Son to mediate for poor creatures and then a further mercy in giving thy soul to his Son he sent not his Son that all might be pardoned but a certain number that God the Father had given to his Son from all eternity now there 's a great work of Gods mercy in passing by others and giving thee to his Son And further It is a work of Gods mercy in the powerful Ministry of the Gospel to reveal this And then further It is a work of Gods mercy to draw thee to close with his Son and thereby to unite and marry thee to his Son And then further It is a work of Gods mercy to assure thee of the pardon and justification of thy soul 't is a great deal more for faith to look upon God in this manner than to come in such a way as this God is merciful and I trust in his grace that he will pardon me we mistake mightily about the mercy of God when we do not look upon it in an Evangelical way as it is revealed in the Gospel Further know thus much that if Gods mercy will work so far for thee as to pardon thy sin and save thy soul certainly it will work so far as to take away the power of sin and let thee not live in the filth of thy sin Many think Gods mercy will do great matters hereafter but nothing now in comparison of what he will do hereafter they think he will give them outward blessings now but keep spiritual things till hereafter Certainly this is an infallible truth If Gods mercy work not so powerfully here in this world as to bestow spiritual good things on thee thou may'st be assured that it will never work so powerful on thee as to save thy Soul in the World to come Can it be thought a Prince pardons a Malefactor that he shall not be hang'd and yet suffer him to lie in Prison and rot in the Dungeon this were but a poor pardon a half pardon to be delivered from the Gallows and rot in the Prison Certainly whatever a Prince may do God never pardons a sinner so to shew him mercy to save him from Hell and yet to lie rotting all his life long in sin no God when he pardons he delivers and shakes off the fetters as we shall see further therefore thou that say'st thou hopest in Gods mercy that he will pardon thee let me ask What hath he done for thee if thou thinkest that Gods mercy will work so strongly hereafter to save thy soul certainly it will be as strong for thee here to sanctifie thee if it work not so strong on thee now as to sanctifie thee certainly it will never work so strongly for thee hereafter as to save thee 4. Others say in the last place we are not only sorry for sin and reform and trust in Gods mercy but we relie upon Gods mercy through Christ and therefore we hope we shall be pardoned this I might speak much too we must rest there but there is a mistake there too the relying on Christ is not relying on him by acting of some transient thoughts that passes over but it is an abiding thing when men hear there is no way to be saved but by Christ and they cannot deny it and because they are loath to think they are such as cannot be saved they are loath to have such ill thoughts of themselves hearing this is the way and no other therefore they will perswade themselves that they shall find mercy through Christ Now what great work is this so to rely on Christ the work of faith is a mighty work it is not a short transient work a few thoughts upon thy heart to be saved by Christ No wheresoever faith is right and a true reliance on Christ it is a mighty work of the Spirit of God working this grace in raising the soul higher than it self and carries it through and above all difficulties when it brings the soul to relie upon God there may be great mistakes when People say they rely upon Christ and therefore take this for conviction Relying on Christ is not barely to think my sins are pardoned by Christ but it is a receiving of Christ a possessing of Christ a coming into Christ a living in Christ and a bringing Christ to live in me 't is eating of the flesh of Christ and drinking of his blood and so finds nourishment and strength from him as really as the body by the meat and drink it takes that abides with it is strengthned by it so does faith to the soul therefore faith is
Congregation and in others where the Word is preached that he will pardon Mar. 10.46 The blind man hearing it was Christ that past by he cryed for mercy and many charged him to hold his peace but he cried the more and Christ stood still and called him unto him Now if thou seest thy sin and cryest for pardon Christ will call thee to give pardoning mercy to thee as he did Bartimeus Thirdly It may be thou art not only under the means of grace and the outward call but thou begin'st to feel an inward call there are some stirrings of Gods Spirit within thee thou could'st say before thou wonderedst what the matter was with people to run after Sermons but now thou begin'st to feel the effect of it And the glory of God appears to thee in this place when thou art hearing of his Word thou may'st hence reason as Manoa's wife Judg. 13.23 That certainly if God had intended to have killed us he would not have received a burnt Offering and a meat Offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things so say to thy soul if God had intended to kill me he would not have been so willing to have drawn me after him neither would he have shewed me all these things and let that be an incouragement unto thee Fourthly The end why God continues this world in being is that he might give pardon to his Elect certainly this world had been dissolved long ago if it were not that he might bring pardon to his Elect and to those that see their sins this must needs be a great incouragement to a soul viz. to those that see their sins to come in when this pardoning work is done Christ will deliver up his Kingdom to his Father if a malefactor should come to sue out his pardon and one should say unto him 't is well Sir you are come for the King would not have kept his Court so long here but that you should come in were not this a great incouragement so say I were it not that men should come to get the pardon of their sins the Court of the world would have been broken up long before this time Fifthly The principal scope of the Scriptures is for this very end to reveal the pardoning grace of God you have here the heart of God laid open Christ wept and mourned that sinners would not come in that they might be pardoned and saved I have read a story that in Athens there was a Temple and in that there was a woman weeping and in one hand she had a bleeding Heart and with the other she was writing Pardons so Christ he stands weeping over you that you will not come in and he hath a bleeding heart bleeding for you in the one hand and with the other hand he is ready to write you a pardon Luk. 19.41 42. nay he does not only weep But the Sixth incouragement may be He sends his Ambassadors to woe you to come in and tells them they shall not take a denyal at your hands 2 Cor. 5.20 They intreat and beg as in his Name nay it is the beseechings and intreatings of God himself as if a King should send one of the Attendants on him to a poor condemned Prisoner and say go tell such a one that he must come for his pardon and tell him I beseech him and take no denyal of him I beseech him to come in would not this manifest the great willingness of the King to pardon God does so he sends his Ministers and beseeches you to come in and take a pardon 't is as certain God speaks thus by his Ministers as if you heard God speaking by himself this should move you to come in Christ begs and intreats you to be reconciled that his bloud might not be shed in vain seeing it is so that God begs of thee to come in why shouldest not thou come in and take pardon of thy sin Why can'st not thou come in and give up thy self and all thou hast and art to him Seventhly Know it is the great office and work of Christs mediatorship to bind up the broken hearts of wounded sinners Isai 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me he hath sent me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath seat me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound this in the New Testament is applyed to Christ Now this being the great work for which Christ came into the world to bind up the broken-hearted see whether thou canst not rely on Christ by an act of faith this should be a great incouragement Eighthly Consider that that God thou hast to deal withal his nature is mercy in the abstract and if so he is free in his mercy as the Sun shines because it 's the nature of it to shine so the mercy of God must needs work freely because it is his nature as the fire burns naturally Exod. 34. Mic. 7.18 God pardons because he delights in mercy thou say'st thou art a poor sinner well though it be so yet thou may'st say though God can see nothing in me yet seeing that he is a God that delights in mercy this may move me to come in For 1. He hath more delight in pardoning any sinner than in all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God delights in all the works of his hands but in this he delights in more than in all he delights in them all but not so much as in magnifying his grace in Jesus Christ for in this he magnifies his Son and therefore he hath more pleasure and takes more delight in pardoning a poor humbled sinner than in all the works of his hands besides 2. No one can take so much pleasure in the salvation of his own soul as God doth in pardoning of thy sin and the reason is because this is the greatest design that God hath which is the setting out of his glory in his pardoning mercy in Christ and therefore this may be a great encouragement 3. God is more delighted in the work of thy heart closing with free grace than in all the legal works of humiliation what says Christ this is the good will and pleasure of God and David was called a man after Gods own heart Why because he was a man that would do his will so that this is a great incouragement though many abuse this and pervert it to their own destruction yet God will have it taught that thou mightest have the comfort of it and therefore thou shouldest close with God and come in and take hold of his pardoning mercy Ninthly Though God hath taken such a way in mercy to pardon sin yet he loseth nothing in his justice Christ hath taken such order that his glory shall no way be diminished his justice shall be satisfied and therefore thou need'st not say thus I have so sinned