and pains and did all you could do here 's a great difference between Gods forgiveness and mans a King may forgive but he cannot change and heal but when God forgives he heals and takes away that evil disposition from thee that did so weaken thee for all good Christ when he comes he comes with healing in his wings now blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven for that there follows deliverance from the power of sin and a healing of the soul Of comfort against Death following on Pardoning Mercy 6. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven because such a man may look in the face of Death and Judgment with comfort Death when he comes to a Natural Man he comes as a Messenger of God to arrest the Soul at Gods suit but where sin is forgiven Death is made a means to bring thee to rest that that would have arrested thee is a means to bring thee to thy rest Heb. 2.14 15. Christ came to die Now what was the great business he came to die for it was to purchase a pardon for sin and by his death to take away the power of the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage through the fear of death and nothing in all the world can deliver from the fear of death but forgiveness of sin and then this makes a man look on the day of Judgment with comfort for one special end of that day is that there may be a Declaration of the Infinite Mercy of God in forgiving of sin Act. 3.19 Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord when he shall send Jesus again which before was preached to you Certainly assoon as ever a man comes to believe his sins are blotted out I but when the times of refreshing shall come they shall appear to your own selves and to all the World Men and Angels more fully than ever before some Interpreters think and I dare not deny it but that there will be a time of refreshing in this world before the great and terrible day that Christ will make it appear that the sins of the Elect Believers are blotted out in another manner than now it doth but however it will fully appear at that day and then that day that will be so terrible to the ungodly will be refreshing to the Saints Why because they shall find their sins blotted out then and that will make that day a refreshing day unto them Although the Heavens be all on fire and shrivelled up like a Scrowl and there be dreadful shriekings of ungodly men yet it shall be a day of refreshing to the Saints because their sins are blotted out Oh blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned now for he shall have that day to be a day of refreshing to him but woe be to thee O soul who ever thou art that hast not thy sin pardoned if but one sin stand upon the score not blotted out woe woe will betide the for ever more but they that find their sin pardoned shall find that day to be a day of such refreshing as ever they beheld and therefore blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven Of Security against the worlds Reproaches the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 7. Where God hath forgiven sin such a one need not care for the censures of all the world and the reproaches they cast upon him the men of the world cast many reproaches on the Saints and say they are hypocrites that though they will not swear yet they will lie that they are false proud and the like Why now the soul that finds it self acquitted before the Lord need not care for all the censures and condemnations that can be cast upon him from the men of the world Rom. 8.33 Having spoken before of the great grace of God in Justification in vers 33. he speaks as if he had made a challenge to all the world let them all come in let me see Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Why because it is God that justifies many will charge them of grievous things I but it is God that justifies What will a man care if the Prince have given him a pardon though some kitchin boy some shakeril about the Court should rail against him so long as the King hath pardoned him Bernard hath a notable speech concerning David when Shimei railed David was not troubled says he he did not feel the injury heapt upon him because he had felt before the grace of God towards him the feeling of Gods grace towards him in pardoning made him not feel the railings of Shimei so Christ himself Isai 50. ver 7. he said before I gave my back to the smiters and hid not my face from shame and spitting they spit upon him this is apparently spoken of Christ but what upheld him vers 7. For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded for all this therefore have I set my face like a flint against all scorns railings and accusations in the world but what was the bottom of all this mark vers 8. He is near that justifies me who will contend with me let us stand together Who is my Adversary let him come near to me let my Adversary come and do his worst he is near that justifies me true Christ had no sin personally to be pardoned but he had the sins of all the Elect charg'd upon him and upon that he suffered death Now we are to know Christ is justified as well as Believer and the very ground why a Believer is justified it is because Christ is justified himself Christ being justified a Believer comes to be justified this might have been opened in the mysteries of Pardon of Sin There is a justifying first in Christ as in a common publick person and then by faith in our own persons Now though in the Fathers Justification of Christ he justifies us yet not as particular persons but in him as a common person in the Name of all the Elect and faith that comes in that we might be justified in our own particular persons as before we were in Christ as a common person Now Christ is justified first and acquitted from all our sins and this acquittance is made the ground of his challenge to all his Adversaries in the world though the Prince of Devils come with all his power yet says Christ he is near that justifies me and he will make my face as a flint it is God that acquits me who is my Adversary let him come near Oh it s a blessed thing when thou hast got the pardon of thy sin thou needest not care for all the reproaches the world can cast upon thee thou may'st go up and down and challenge any in the world to come in against thee 1 Cor. 4.3 I pass not for mans judgment he that judgeth
and he comes on purpose to enlighten you in this great point and to witness this great Truth unto you Heb. 10.15 Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness for after that he had said before this is the Covenant that I will make c. vers 17. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more as the Principal part of the Covenant and of this the Holy Ghost is a witness This great Truth of the forgiveness of Sins the Holy Ghost comes to bear witness of and seal this to thy Soul that thy sins are forgiven this is the great work of the Holy Ghost after believing to seal up the forgiveness of sin and this is one great reason why the Holy Ghost hath the Title of Comforter because as he comes to convince of sin so also to witness and seal up forgiveness of sin to the soul And indeed as it shews the excellency of the mercy of forgiveness because the Holy Ghost is so much in it so the greatness of it that must have so high a Person to witness it and indeed the Soul is not satisfied until it have this special witness of the Holy Ghost 't is true there may be probable arguments drawn by signs of Gods love unto us and the Holy Ghost may come in those signs but besides that there is the immediate witness of the Holy Ghost to limit him to witness by signs only is more than any man can have warrant for and this I say further that all the signs of Gods favour that we can have will not satisfie the soul until there be this special work of the Holy Ghost sealing and witnessing the favour of God unto us 1 Joh. 3. there are many signs of Gods favour in that Chapter Vers 9. He that is born of God doth not commit sin And Vers 19. Hereby we know we are of the Truth and shall assure our hearts before him and he that keepeth his Commandemenâ—s dwelleth in him and he in him that 's another sign and Vers 24 but the conclusion of all is this Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us it is the Holy Ghost must convince satisfie the soul of Gods love many there are that would fain have their sins pardoned and would fain have some signs of it and perhaps I may hereafter give some signs But now know that all the signs in the world will not serve to quiet the heart but that it may return again to its former doubts till God come to pacifie the spirit by the witness of the Holy Ghost for it is so great a matter where once the Soul understands the infinite breach made between God and it by sin that it must needs be more than an ordinary work to assure the Soul of Gods Reconciliation to it and nothing can do it satisfactorily but the Holy Ghost he must come to the Soul to assure it of this thing perhaps the case of a poor Soul is thus Suppose a Prisoner in Goal lies bound in fetters for some great offence against his Prince and some friend comes and tells him there is hope of pardon Oh says he 't is too good news to be true well another comes to the grate of the Prison and tells that he hears from the Court the King hath sealed Pardons and put such a ones name in this is some comfort but yet this frees him not from fears and doubtings But now suppose the Favourite of the Prince come from the King himself one that is of the Kings Bed-chamber and one to whom the King opens his whole soul and nothinâ—â—he King doth but he is acquainted with it he comes to this poor man and bids him be of good comfort I come from the King and bring you a Pardon from him shews it him and says there it is take it Oh this revives his spirit when such a special Messenger is sent unto him so in this case I may compare all signs to be like some friend or other that goes by the grate and speaks of the happiness of such a man that he is pardoned but the soul is under such blindness and fears by reason of the guilt of sin that God knows it is no easie matter to perswade it of pardon But now God for the comfort of those that he intends good will unto sends his own Spirit that lies in his own bosom and knows all his secrets to declare the mind of God and to say to such a soul Peace be to thee thy sins are forgiven now this satisfies the soul But it may be here objected How may I know it is the Spirit of God that witnesses and not my own fancies or delusions of Satan I answer as we know the Sun by its own light so we may know the Spirit by its own testimony and though there be may some ebbs yet it will rise again there is such a witnessing work of the Spirit by a kind of sweet and secret intercourse between God and the Soul whereby God over-powers all doubts and fears though I do not say every one hath it in a like sensible measure yet this I say when this full assurance comes although there may be doubts and many questions before in the soul for fear of being deluded for certainly many are deceived and deluded yet then the Spirit over-powers all doubts and fears and witnesses to the Soul it s own work Do not you say because some are deluded with fancies that there is no witness of the Spirit when as there is scarce any point in the Gospel the Scripture speaks more about than this of the witness of the Spirit indeed they that judge of the mysteries of the Gospel by Humane Reason and understand no further than that reaches too and that are little acquainted with those converses that are between God and a believing Soul they may slight this witness of the Spirit but you must know there is not any Soul that has assurance he shall go to Heaven but it is wrought on by a high supernatural and mysterious way and if there were no other way to evidence this to the Soul but by some signs this would be no higher evidence than by way of reason But we are to know as great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh so also great is the mystery of godliness God justified in the Spirit God justified in the Spirit is a great mystery Christs Incarnation is a great mystery so is a Believers Justification as well as Christs Incarnation so also the witness of Justification is a great mystery and therefore I beseech you look up higher than for such signs as Reason may reach unto and beg of God to reveal this unto you that thou may'st have the witness of the Spirit of God to testifie unto thee that thy sins are pardoned Now blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven seeing God the Father Son and Holy Ghost is so much in it CHAP. VIII
is a new creature Old things are past away and all become new Brethren by reason of the sin of man there is a curse upon the whole Creation and this old Creation must come to confusion therefore it is an evil thing for any man to seek his happiness in any thing here in the old Creation for there is a curse upon it and it will come to confusion But there is a new Creation of all in Christ of all spiritual things in Christ Now a sinner when he comes to have his sin pardoned and be justified he come's into a new state that comes in by the new Creation the happiness of the Children comes by and consists in the new Creation old things are done away and he comes to be seated in the new creation in Christ this is the first thing wherein a man or woman is blessed Negatively in being delivered from so great an evil 2. Of the Positive Blessedness of the Pardon of Sin Secondly Positively he 's a blessed man whose sins are forgiven if we consider the excellency of that mercy God makes that soul partaker of whose sins are forgiven Dan. 9.9 To thee Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses forgiveness is the fruit of glorious mercies Exod. 34.6 The Lord is merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving inquity Now I shall open this positively and shew the riches of mercy in forgiveness of sin When the Scripture applys mercy to forgiveness of sin it hath divers expressions sometimes calls it riches of mercy Ephes 1.7 sometimes plenteous mercy Psal 86.8 sometimes Gods fulness of compassion Psal 78.38 sometimes multitude of mercies Psal 51.1 I might give divers other places but those may suffice it is rich plenteous fulness of compassions and multitude of mercies When God forgives sin he shews mercies in all these expressions For the opening of it unto you I shall shew you what abundance of mercy God shows in the forgiveness of sin consider mery 1. in the Efficient 2. in the final cause of it 1. Of the Efficient Cause of Mercy in forgiveness of Sin First for the Efficient Cause there is abundance of mercy God manifests in the forgiveness of sin he abounds in his mercy there is a Sea an infinite vast Ocean of mercy in which the sins of the Elect come to be swallowed up though their sins be many and great and committed with many grievous aggravations yet when they come to an act of Justification to God to be forgiven I say God comes to the soul as an infinite Ocean of mercy that swallows up all the evil in sin attend unto it Look as in the mighty Ocean whether you cast in a load or a shovel full of earth the vast Ocean makes little difference of either so when a soul comes to God in Christ when it comes to Pardon and Justification whether sins be little or great 't is all one the mercy of God makes no difference at all take heed to what I say while I am speaking of forgiveness of sin I shall make known so much grace that if you abuse it it will be one of the most dreadful things that ever you did and therefore while I go along take heed of abusing it especially you that desire to hear of the pardoning mercy of God whether your sins be little or great when you come to pardoning mercy it is an infinite Ocean that swallows up all those that have not their sins pardoned whether their sins be little or great it makes no difference they are truly damn'd for little as well as great sins both sinks down into Hell and the infinite Ocean of wrath and horrour swallows up all so in point of Justification whether your sins be little or great it matters not pardoning mercy swallows up all 2. Of the Final Cause of Mercy in forgiveness of Sin Secondly but further as Mercy is an infinite Ocean that swallows up Sin so Mercy is the Final Cause It is to this end that God might manifest the riches of his grace when God forgives any one sin this forgiveness comes from Gods mercy and it is to this end That God may declare before Men and Angels to all eternity what the greatness and infinite riches of his grace is what the grace of God is able to do when God comes to pardon sin 't is for this end as if he should say Well I am about now to pardon thy sin and this work I am about to do it is for this very end that it may be known to Men and Angels to all eternity what the infinite riches of the infinite grace of God is able to do for poor sinners Now certainly that man is a blessed man if the man whose sins are pardoned hath such mercy shewed to him and such a blessed work upon him as is to that end that God may declare to all eternity what the glorious riches of grace of an infinite God is surely this is a great blessedness when God shall seperate a man or woman for this end it must be very glorious certainly therefore pardon of sin is no light and mean thing but it must be a most glorious work of God wheresoever it is And this Consideration is a mighty Argument to uphold a poor soul under trouble of sin and a great incouragement for him to come in for pardon Dost thou see O troubled soul Gods wrath against thee and dost thou stand quaking at the apprehension of the evil of sin let not thy heart sink come in and cast thy self on the free grace of God there is a possibility for the pardon of thy sin for when God comes to pardon sin the mercy God shews in pardoning of any one sin he does it to the end that he might magnifie the riches of his grace to all eternity and such mercy that serves to that end must needs be glorious And will not such mercy serve thy turn as must set out the infinite rich grace of God God is pleased to manifest thus much mercy for the forgiveness of thy sin and where a sinner is forgiven it is this mercy that is manifested when men judge of God by themselves they think slightly of him when they judge of Gods thoughts by their own What is the reason that makes sinners have such slight thoughts of sin but because they judge of God by themselves that he abhors sin no otherwise than man does and so hope they may do well enough measuring the infinite hatred that God hath to sin by their own so on the other side the sinner that is convinc't of the dreadful evil of sin is ready to dispair Why because he judges of God by himself as if the mercy of God were no other than the mercy of man not considering the mercy of God in pardoning sin is such mercy as is to shew his grace in the riches of it to all eternity Well then that man to whom
of God and therefore to say boasting is excluded by faith because faith is the gift of God will not serve the turn therefore the mystery of Justification is a great mystery that notwithstanding faith is such a glorious work as it is one of the gloriousest works that ever any creature did yet that this should be excluded by this I cannot but be perswaded that there is more in the work of Faith than in any thing Adam ever had and that faith the power of believing was not in Adam in the state of Innocency Why Because it is now made such a grace as excludes all kind of boasting For were it but the stirring up of any power we had in Adam it would no more exclude boasting than if God stirr'd up any other grace as Love Hope Fear and the like But that it excludes boasting this may be the most satisfactory answer Works they could not exclude boasting Why though they were from the grace and gift of God yet they belong'd to mans nature for if God will make a rational creature he must give it those perfections that are due to that nature Now the Image of God was in some regard due to such a nature But now God when he comes to give faith he gives a higher thing than ever was due to the nature of man hence there is a greater mystery in faith than in any other grace and therefore it is a great mystery that God should justifie a man by faith and yet this excludes boasting more than any other thing I but the Scripture says God imputes faith for righteousness and when God inables us to believe Is it not our own Yea when we have it it is our own and when we are justified it is imputed to us for righteousness but mark what I shall say it will be useful for the understanding that Text in Rom. 4.22 Where it says faith was imputed to him for righteousness ye must not understand it thus that is that God did through the grace of Christ now accept of Abraham's faith as his righteousness whereby he should stand to be justified by it in the sight of God he did not thus accept of faith for righteousness no not through the mediation of Christ nor by vertue of any Covenant made by God with Christ God did never make any Covenant with Christ that whereas man did owe obedience to all the Law and that should have been his righteousnes had he continued in it but man now being unable to perform it that God would be now so favourable to him as that he would accept of faith for righteousness that is not the meaning of it for the word in the Original translated for righteousness it is thus it was imputed unto righteousness it is the same word used in Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth Confession is made unto Salvation Now Confession with the mouth is not made Salvation it self but unto Salvation so faith is not the righteousness it self but unto righteousness that is by faith we come to get righteousness But why says the Scripture God imputed it unto righteousness I take it thus that forasmuch as faith is so glorious a Principle infused of God above any thing of our own God is pleased to account of it as if it were our own and so imputes it unto righteousness the truth is it is not our own no not so our own as other graces are our own but God in point of Justification is pleased to impute it as our own that we may come to have righteousness by it as if it were our own Now this is a great mystery that God in the work of pardon of sin should do it by the grace of faith and that this excludes all boasting and yet righteousness imputed to it as if it were our own Hence by the way let us take heed of the Opinion of those that say faith it self is imputed for righteousness and that God through Christ accepts of faith as the matter of our righteousness The Papists say we are justified by works and that God is pleased through Christ to accept not of Faith only but of Humility Fear Love Repentance Joy c. though they be imperfect yet he is pleased to accept of these for our righteousness says the other opinion faith is our righteousness though God might require exact obedience to the whole Law yet he is pleased to accept of faith both these Opinions are besides the truth and therefore there is the same danger in the one as in the other and therefore both to avoided Of the eight Mystery God is infinitely Just and yet infinitely Merciful 8. The eighth particular is this that shews pardon of sin is a great mystery because where-ever God pardons sin he is infinitely just and yet infinitly merciful there is an admirable reconciliation between Gods Justice and Mercy which shews it to be a great mystery There are three great mysteries in Religion 1. The great mystery of the Trinity that there should be divers Persons and yet but one God The second is that in the Person of Christ there should be two Natures and yet but one Person And then the third is the reconciliation of the mercy and justice of God in the forgiveness of a sinner Many people when they seek for pardon of sin they only think of Gods infinite grace and mercy but not of his justice But certainly who ever he be that comes to be pardoned God shews himself infinitely just as well as merciful that he is merciful that is clear to every one But how does it appear he is so infinitely just for that there is a clear Text for it Rom. 3.26 To declare at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus so that God in the justifying of him that believes in Christ is just as well as merciful Now then poor sinner lay these together that God should work so strangely in bringing about the pardon of thy sin in such a mysterious way as this is certainly it does demonstrate that thou art a blessed man I beseech you think of what hath been said and lay it in your breasts go away with this upon your spirits Lord I indeed heard much of the evil of sin and that it was a greater evil than ever I thought it to be and now I have begun to hear of the mighty work of God in pardon of sin I hope I shall for ever retain higher thoughts of it than before Brethren there is nothing in the world that people have slighter thoughts of than of the pardon and forgiveness of sin they think it a slight matter But if there were any work that ever took up the heart of God from all eternity and shews God to be a God it is this about the pardon of sin this is a great doctrine the doctrine of the work of God in
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
one thing that aggravated the sin of men above the Devils that the Devils believe and tremble and yet some men will not do so much as the Devils so now I say if there were but a possibility of pardon to the damned in Hell how would they rejoyce and shall not you rejoyce more than the damned souls in Hell would Bethink your selves if the damned souls in Hell would rejoyce if they had a message of a possibility for them to be saved me thinks you should not be quiet if you find not the same workings in your hearts as would be in theirs Shall a poor Minister be forc't to say there is less hopes to prevail with you than if he were to preach to those in Hell Shall he say there would be better Auditors in Hell than are here God forbid it should be so that there should be more stirring in Hell if they might but here of a probability of being pardoned than there is with you if your hearts are not stirr'd at the hearing of this blessed Doctrine of the Pardon of Sin that there would be better Auditors in Hell than you are whose hearts are not stirr'd in hearing the glorious mysteries of the Gospel opened how a sinner may come to get the pardon of his sins God forbid it should be so CHAP. XIII Of Pardon of Sin being the special end of all Gods Ordinances FUrther Blessed is he that hath his Iniquities forgiven because forgiveness of sin it is the special end of all the Ordinances of God the Ordinances of God that he has appointed and set up in his Church attain their end in this blessed effect in the forgiveness of sin and it is an argument their is much blessedness in pardon of sin because those precious Ordinances of Christ attain their special ends in it there are three great Ordinances I shall instance in the Word Sacraments and Discipline and the people of God should count themselves in a happy condition when they see those blessed ends wrought on them which God hath appointed those Ordinances to effect 1. For hearing 't is a great Ordinance that Christ hath appointed When he ascended on high he gave gifts unto men upon Christs Triumphal Ascension to God the Father he gave this great gift unto his Church that his Church should have Pastors and Teachers which by the way argues the horrible wickedness of those that slight Pastors and Teachers of his Church because it is part of the glorious gift of Christ when he ascended on high Well did Christ ordain Pastors and Teachers for the preaching the Word surely it is for some great end and purpose that he hath in it there is surely some great glory he intends to reap by it What is the end for which Christ hath set up this great Ordinance 2 Cor. 5.18 And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself and hath committed to us the Ministry of Reconciliation Ministers of the Word are Ministers of Reconciliation that God hath given to his People what is that read the next verse to wit That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespâ—sses unto them Now then there is a word of Reconciliation and this is committed unto us God hath appointed that we should have this Word of Reconciliation to convey it unto you What is this to wit That God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their sins so then forgiveness of sin is the end of this Doctrine of Reconciliation that there should be forgiveness and pardon of sin to poor souls in and through Christ Jesus so that this shews the great scope of this Ordinance and the end of it to wit forgiveness of sin therefore no wonder we stick in this Point because the great business we have to do is to declare the Ministry of Reconciliation when a Minister is about that he is about the work that God hath appointed him to do all other Doctrines are but to make way for this and to teach people how to walk worthy of it and this is the only taking Doctrine to all those that God hath appointed this mercy too though we as Ministers of Christ preach against the vanities and profits of this world but this is not the main thing not the right method of Preaching to work upon the hearts of People nor the great end of Christs Ascention he did not give gifts principally for these things but that men should be able to reveal the great Doctrine of Pardon of sin Ministers need not keep a stir to get esteem and love and to make themselves honourable among the People if they did but apply themselves to Preach this great Doctrine God hath set them about That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their sins they cannot but gain honour in the hearts of those that God hath appointed this mercy too Many complain they want respect and honour let them take pains in this Doctrine and they cannot choose but they must get honour if once this Word of Reconciliation take hold on any mans heart by Faith and Repentance let men speak against such a Minister never so much say what they will of him his heart will not be taken off from him but will be ready to answer as the poor blind man did the Scribes and Pharisees who raised on Christ Joh. 9.24 Saying give glory to God but we know this man is a sinner He answered whether he be a sinner or no I know not One thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see be it was that opened my eyes thus he answered their slander and so when others clamour against a Minister and speak evil of them that soul that hath his eyes opened he will say I am sure God hath done great things for me by him he hath shew'd me the evil of sin and the sad condition I was in by nature and he hath revealed to me the exceeding riches of the mercy and grace of God and my soul hath sound it so God hath come to my soul in his Preaching Now such a Ministry as this will certainly ingage the hearts of people to them 't is not the man so much as Christ in the man and this is the end of our Ministry not to tell this or that conceit or story but to shew you the riches of the grace of God in the pardon of sin and the Justification of your Souls through Christ Jesus your Acceptation and Reconciliation through him this is the first Ordinance 2. The Sacraments for what purpose hath Christ ordained them the main end for which they were ordained is for Sealing in the Supper is sealed up Gods mercy in the pardon of sin Matth. 26 28. Christ tells his Disciples The Cup is the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sin as if Christ had said this is the great Ordinance to seal unto
the senslessness of it in going to God in such a slight manner in seeking pardon of thy sins Fifthly Those are to be rebuked that in seeking pardon of sin dâ— indeed but dally with God and triffle with him they are not at all serious in it whereas if there be any business in the world wherein we had need to be serious 't is in this But you will say Who are they there are four or five sorts that do but dally with God in seeking pardon of sin 1. Those that cry and seem to be very earnest with God in crying to him for pardon and yet still continue in love to their sins and abide in the practice of them in an ordinary course and way I do not speak of those that seek truly for the pardon of their sins and yet may sometimes be overtaken with them agen but I speak of the common course of People they come to God and intreat him to forgive them and yet continue still in them I speak not of those that are sensless in the acts of Confession of their sins but of those that cry mightily unto God for pardon and yet live in the practice of those sins they cry to God for pardon of as for instance consider every one of you what sins have been in your course of life I put this to you either you have prayed to God to forgive them or you have not prayed if you have not prayed then you are most horrible Atheists but I thank God I pray every day Well you pray to God for forgiveness of sin and yet live in it dayly O how do people thus dally with God pray against sin and yet commit sin and fall to it again pray again and commit it again and this is the very way that many people take they draw out the thread of their lives and spend out their day of Salvation in trifling with God they pray that God would be merciful to them in forgiving their sin and yet go on to commit sin they do not think what a strong ingagement against sin Praying is I beseech you note it every one of you that pray against any sin every Prayer thou makest for pardon of sin is a mighty strong ingagement from God to you to take heed of sin afterwards may be you have not thought of this you say you pray every morning consider what you do if you have any care of your souls you will not rest meerly in such a form as your Fathers and Mothers have taught you but if you have any care of your souls you will consider in Prayer to God and say Lord I am guilty of such and such sins such sins my nature is most prone unto and such sins I have lately committed well I will humble my soul before God in Prayer and intreat God to forgive me 't is not Prayer to mumble over a few words this is to prate and not to pray but when you solemnly set your selves to examine your own hearts what you are guilty of and protest against your sins solemnly in the presence of God and say Lord this and this particular sin I am guilty of Lord I was drawn to such and such sins the day before in such and such company O Lord forgive my sin and forgive me these and these particular sins this is the way to seek pardon of sin aright Do you do so this will be a mighty bond upon your hearts to think thus within your selves Lord What have I been setting my self solemnly in the presence of the Almighty to confess my sins and prayed him to forgive them what care have I need to take that I fall not into the same sin again Thou that hast come this day and confest and prayed against thy sin do not fall into it again you that are apt to break out into passion when you find your selves begin to wax hot if you would but take so much liberty as to bethink your selves that you have been praying to God this morning to forgive such a Passion it would be of mighty concernment to help you from going on in Passion or any other sin to consider that you have been praying to God for pardon and forgiveness of it you that do not consider this but confess your sins in the morning and then go on again to commit sin you make more work for the next time you come to confess sin as in Solemn Days of Humiliation men will rip up all their sins but before another day come they have made work for another and another day and this is the reason when men come to confess their sins before God of their trifling with him and were it not that God is a God of infinite patience he could not bear it might not he say to you you came seven years ago and told me of your Pride Passion Earthly-mindedness and the like and do you now come and tell me the same again were not God infinitely patient he could never bear this dallying with him for the truth is it is nothing else but infinite dallying with God Jer. 3.5 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me my Father thou art the guide of my youth they seem'd to cry to God O thou art my Father and the guide of my youth there are but these words named but it is like they opened their sins before God and cryed for mercy O says God unto them Thou hast spâ—ken and cryed out of the Anger of mine that is gone out against you for your sins and yet thou hast spoken and done evil as thou could'st this is an evil thing and heavy to be laid to the charge of any man to confess sin and pray for pardon and yet commit it again know this day you that have been confessing sin and yet go on in sin know this thing I tell you it is but dallying with God many men and women do ravel out their Prayers this way they make excellent Prayers and when they have done they ravel all again by falling into the same sin 2. A second sort are those that seek earnestly the pardon of some sins and yet still keep the love of some other sin and yet think to obtain pardon of them this is but dallying and trifling with God about this business you never set your selves yet seriously about it when you cry against some sins that are against the Light of Nature and it may be your Consciences fly in your faces and the Word of God hath stricken you for them but there is some other secret haunts of villanies that your hearts close withal and yet you think to obtain of God forgiveness of the other and go on there O thou vain soul thou vain man know that though thou should'st cry thy heart out for the forgiveness of one or more sins yet if thy heart secretly close with some other sin that thou hast secret haunts after the bonds of the guilt of that sin will hold thy soul
such mercy is shewn must needs be very blessed CHAP. III. Of the wonderful Mysteries of Godliness in forgiveness of Sin THirdly Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven because there is a glorious mystery of godliness in forgiving of sin the work of God in forgiving a sinner hath abundance of glorious mysteries in it the Argument stands thus That man or woman for whom God shall work such a work as hath multitude of glorious mysteries in it that man or woman is blessed But where ever sin is forgiven God works for that soul such a strange work the strangest that ever he did a work that hath so many admirable mysteries in it that in the opening of them will declare every way that this soul is blessed And this is the business I would now do to open the mysteries that are in the forgiveness of sin and it is to this end that as I might set before you the great work of God in pardoning sin so also that you might have higher thoughts of it than ever you had before for that 's it I aim at to raise up the thoughts of men to the right understanding of this great point of the Justification of a sinner that so you may sanctifie Gods Name by having such thoughts of it as the thing it self calls for Of the first Mystery it is by means of a Mediator 1. Where sin is forgiven it is by means of a Mediator between God and the Soul it is through the Mediation of the Son of God observe it for there is no point in all Religion is of greater use to understand than this point of the way of God in pardoning of sin because of the many mysteries of God contained in it I hope I shall make it appear it is no slight work and business Mark then when God pardons sin 't is always done through the mediation of the Son of God God never pardons any sinner as a Prince does when a Malefactor hath offended him he comes and humbles himself casts himself down at his feet and cryes I pray Sir forgive me and he says Well I will forgive you God never forgives any sin thus and yet it is thus with people when they come to God for pardon most of them never think of any other way Friends there must be a great deal more than so for whosoever hath his sins forgiven it must be by the vertue of the mediation and intercession of the Son of God he must stand up before the Father and mediate for thy soul if all the Angels in Heaven stood up to mediate it would not be sufficient but the Son of God alone must do it 't is as if a Malefactors condition was so that the mediation of all the Nobles could not prevail with the King for a pardon but there must be the mediation of the Prince himself to obtain it So I say poor soul thou mayst think it a slight business but know if ever thou art forgiven it must be by the mediation of the Son of God he must stand up to mediate for thee and plead Oh Father let such a poor soul that hath been a Sabbath-breaker a Lyer a Drunkard an Unclean person let his sins be forgiven and let him not be damn'd Father put in his Name for pardon I shall not speak of it how Christ mediates but that is and has been his work from all eternity to mediate and make intercession for those he saw before in the eternal Council of God should live in such times and whatever pardon of God is gotten it is through him and if thou poor man ever com'st to be pardoned know Christ hath been mediating to God the Father for thee Oh Father such a poor creature that dwells it may be in such a Cottage or in such an obscure place let his name be put in for forgiveness And now is not this a blessed thing that thou poor creature should'st have the Son of God to mediate for thy name to be put in for pardon this of a truth is so if there be any truth in the Divinity of the Word it is in this That all the forgiveness and pardon any creature hath it is by the mediation of the Son of God and his heart was upon it from all eternity surely here is abundance of grace in this one thing take heed of abusing it this is the first mystery you must not look for pardon of sin in a natural way to cry for forgiveness but you must go in the Name of the Mediator in this mystical way Of the second Mystery It is through Christs undertaking the Debt upon himself 2. The second mystery is this 'T is not Christs intreating the Father will serve the turn If ever any sin be forgiven I beseech you take notice of it for I speak in the Name of God and therefore must take heed of speaking any thing but the Truths of God unto you if any sin be pardoned it is not for the Prayer of Christ that will not do it But God the Father says Son if you would have the sins of poor souls forgiven you must take the debt upon your self you must be their Surety and you must enter into Bonds to pay everyfarthing of what debt the sinners owe you must pay all if you will undertake for them so it is for I will never come upon themselves for it but on you Certainly there are these transactions between God the Father and God the Son from all eternity about the pardoning of any sin however you commit a sin and think not of it and cry Lord have mercy upon me and so you have done with it there 's an end you think that is all But I say unto thee if thy sin be pardoned Christ must take the debt upon himself and be thy Surety 2 Cor. 5.21 He made him to be sin for us that knew no sin the way of pardon is by a translation of all our sins upon Christ Christ himself God blessed for ever the Delight of the Father must be made sin for the soul that hath sinned consider this all the sins thou hast committed if ever they be pardoned they must be by vertue of the Covenant between God the Father and the Son all thy sin must be transmitted on Christ all thy oaths drunkenness and wickedness must be put upon him and he must stand charged with them all Oh you that are so lavish in sin and take such liberty to do wickedly I say if ever thy sin be pardoned it must be laid on his shoulders run on as fast as thou wilt if ever thou be'st saved at the best yet thy sin must be set on him and charg'd upon his score I remember that expression of Nathan to David 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath put away thy sin the words are to be read out of the Original The Lord hath made thy sin to pass over to pass over from thee unto his Son he hath laid them to his
the grace of the Gospel that thus objectest it is another manner of thing than thou art aware of there is not that malignity in the grace of the Gospel to cause such effects in the hearts of believers Luther compares sin to Lime and the law to Water that makes the Lime hotter but the grace of the Gospel says he is like to Oyl and Oyl will quench Lime but Water will not so the Oyl of the Gospel will quench the sins of men and certainly the more there is of the grace of God revealed in the Gospel the more the lusts remaining in the heart of a believer come to be quenched this is an evident Argument of the great difference between the mercy of God revealed in the Gospel and received by faith and that which is received only in a natural way you that are unbelievers and receives the Gospel only in a natural way your lusts may be nourished and you may take liberty for wickedness But if once you come to receive the mercy of God in and through Christ Jesus then that mercy will be the greatest opposer of thy lusts and sin as any thing can be in the world certainly thou know'st not the work of God in Christ forgiving sin that reason'st thus I shall shew you plainly The knowledge of the great work of the Propitiation by Christ brings the soul into a hatred of all sin and is no nourisher of it 1 Joh. 1.9 the Apostle speaks of the wonderful grace of God in Christ to us If we confess our sins he is not only ready to forgive but to cleanse us from them And chap. 2.1 My little children I write unto you that you sin not that you take not liberty in any sin they might say you write these things that we sin not but we have sinful natures and so shall certainly fall into sin for all this Well for the comfort of Saints If any man sin says he we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ is presently an Advocate though you sin through ignorance and negligence and do not renew present acts of faith to sue out a pardon yet says the Holy Ghost Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father the Lord Christ stands before the Father pleading that no evil may befal you for your sin this is the admirable priviledge of the Saints of God a most blessed priviledge they have by the Covenant of Grace that when they commit a sin and may be take no notice and may be Conscience is so benum'd at present that they go not to God to seek a pardon but may be lie in sin a long time together yet says the Text you have one that pleads your cause and it is from hence that Gods wrath comes not out against you because you have an Advocate with the Father Well says the 2d vers And he is the Propitiation not only for our sins but the sins of the whole world he means believers Now in the third vers says he Hereby we know that we know him If we keep his Commandements as if he had said If we do not take heed of sin and keep his Commandements we know not this grace of pardon if any that here us Ministers teach this Doctrine and say they know him and have no care to keep Gods Commandements 't is quite contrary to what the Apostle says he says Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandements this knowing of him as it is a means to keep his Commandements so 't is an argument we do know him when we do keep his Commandements vers 4. He that says I know him that is Christ to be a Propitiation and an Advocate and keeps not his Commandements is a liar and the truth is not in him That man that reasons thus and says Well I believe in Jesus Christ and I know my sins are pardoned through faith in him yea and all the sins that shall be committed a pardon is laid in for them and I shall never enter into condemnation Dost thou say so and yet keep'st not Gods Commandements Hast not thou the Conscience and the rather upon the knowledge of this to keep Gods Commandements the Holy Ghost says Thou art a lyar and there is no truth in thee and thou wer 't never acquainted with this mystery of godliness when it is understood in a natural way men may abuse it you may know what I mean by a natural way and God knows you have need of Information by a natural way I mean by the light of Natural Reason and all other helps of learning on this side the work of the Holy Ghost but when men understand it by a powerful work of the Holy Ghost they that know it thus this knowledge will make them more careful and conscionable to keep Gods Commandements and if any man say he knows it thus and does not keep Gods Commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him Further If a man should reason thus Well if there be such a mystery in pardon of sin and that God when he pardons sin at first lays in a pardon for all sin afterward this will make way for more sin Take notice here of the infinite perverseness of the heart of man suppose it were not thus but the contrary were true that God indeed pardoned the sins of a believer coming to him but if ever he sin after pardon let him look to it he shall then be under the sentence of death and condemnation upon this a mans heart would not be more ingaged to seek after Christ but would reason thus Well I may labour and take pains and suffer much to get a comfortable assurance of the pardon of sin but what of all this the next day the next hour I may sin again and be in the same case I was before so that which way soever things go men will reason against God for their lusts I shall put it to you or to any heart that may be supposed to have attended on God yea and hath received grace Which of these Doctrines ingage the heart most for God either this Doctrine or the other whether that you believing that God will pardon sin yet if you fall into any new sin you are under a sentence of condemnation or thus that God is so gracious that he not only pardons sin for present but for your incouragement he so pardons it that though you through infirmity fall again into sin he will not out off his kindness from you Which of these is the greater incouragement certainly to a slavish spirit the one may be more than the other But to a spirit that may be supposed to have any ingenuity in it the latter words must needs far more ingage him to walk with God all his days What is Gods grace so free that he should have such pity on poor creatures not only at their first coming in and casting themselves on Christ as to pardon all their sins
there but through thy grace thou hast heard my voyce hide not thy ear at my breathing at my cry thou can'st not cry yet if thou beest one whom God hath received to mercy thou may'st have confidence that God will hear the voyce of thy breathing thou com'st to Prayer and can'st not tell what to say mark can'st thou breath Gods ear lies open to the breathings of a soul he hath received to mercy thou cam'st to me I was a great way off shaking trembling and thou drew'st near to me and said'st fear not v. 57. so a poor soul under the guilt of sin he stands shaking and trembling but when God comes to pardon he says to thee fear not and because thou dar'st not come to him he comes to thee and says peace be to thee fear not Heb. 10.16 the Apostle speaking of the Covenant that God will make in the 17. verse says Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more and 18. verse Where remission of sin is there is no more offering for sin in the 19. verse he infers that now therefore We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus and vers 21. Having an High Priest over the House of God let us verse 22. draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith God having made a new Covenant and said Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more therefore we have boldness says the Apostle to enter into the Holy of Holies In the time of the Law under the Jewish Pedagogy none might enter into the Holy of Holies but the High Priest there was but little access into the Holyest in the time of the Law but now when the Gospel comes Christ having offered up himself a Sacrifice there needs no more Sacrifices he at once having purged away sin by his own blood has opened a new and a living way that we may come with boldness now into the Holiest so that a believing soul need now not stand a far off shaking but may come in to the Privy-Chamber and enter into the Holy of Holies and draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith and this comes from sin pardoned Oh blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned that has such a priviledge following thereupon Ephes 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Christ being our High Priest we have boldness liberty of speech so the Original a great many know not how to pray and they think all the Prayers of the Saints have nothing in them but a great deal of Non-sense because they understand not what the work of God is in the hearts of his people the Saints have by faith in him liberty of speech there is a blessed freedom a gracious heart hath being once justified by Christ to open his soul unto God which connot be done by any other way in the world to have liberty to pour out our whole souls into his bosom is from faith and comes in as a fruit of Justification David pardoned Absolon but would not let him see his face but God never pardons any soul but he gives free liberty for that soul to come into his presence and open it self fully unto him this is a second priviledge Pardon of sin is an inlet to many other mercies Of Pardon of Sin making all other Mercies to be Mercies 3. Pardon of sin is not only an inlet to many other mercies but it is such a mercy as makes all other mercies to be mercies and without which no other mercies would be mercies by this all other mercies are mercies when once a soul comes to be pardoned it may look upon all it hath in a far more sweeter way than ever it could before by this he may look upon House and Land Wife and Children Estate and Friends he may look upon these as mercies indeed Why for he has a pardon his sins are pardoned as a man supposing he is charged found guilty and condemned having a fair house rich furniture sweet yoak-fellow and children and all things he could desire but says he What are all these to me seeing I am a condemned man Well he goes and gets a pardon unexpectedly and now he returns to his House Wife and Relations again and all are sweet unto him when he injoys them with a pardon he looks upon them with another manner of eye than he did before thus there is this difference between the enjoyment of outward comforts in this world when sin is pardoned and before it was pardoned thou hast Houses and Land sweet Yoak-fellow and Children trading at Sea and Land and all things thou canst desire but what is all this to thee while guilt of sin lies grating on thy Conscience Well God comes into thee with pardoning mercy and takes away thy sin the guilt of which lay corroding on thy Conscience then thou may'st look upon thy Estate Wife Children and all thy comings in to thee as coming from the same eternal Fountain of Gods eternal love that Jesus Christ himself came from this is a mighty Argument to perswade men to seek after the pardon of their sin that you may have your comforts and enjoyments in this world in outward things sweet unto you and if there were no other reason to perswade you to seek after forgiveness this might be enough that you may have all your outward mercies in mercy to you you may have an Estate a sweet Yoak-fellow and sweet Children and all thou canst desire and these are mercies but they are but such mercies as God may give to those that are Enemies unto him they are but outward mercies at the best coming not to thee as fruits of the Covenant and so are not the sure mercies of David nay not worthy to be accounted mercies Consider but two things First The guilt of sin upon thy soul is so great an evil that take all these things at the best they are but as a grain of Sugar put into a tun of Gall a tun fill'd up with bitter Gall and one grain of Sugar put into it would not all the sweetness of it be swallow'd up in the tun of Gall so were the Monarchy of the whole World made over to thee yet if thy sin be unpardoned there is so much evil in it as all that thou canst enjoy is but as one grain of Sugar put into a tun of Gall the evil of sin would swallow it all up Secondly Thou know'st not what thou hast whether it be out of Gods love or hatred Nay thou hast rather cause to conclude it is out of Gods anger and hatred than out of Gods love How canst thou then account it a mercy when all the comforts thou hast may come out of Gods infinite anger and hatred to thee rather than out of love therefore till thou art assured of pardon thou hast no mercy thou canst be assured of is in mercy to thee This shews 1. The
has pardoned thy sin and delivered thee from death and nâ—w my soul return unto thy rest the word translated rest in the Original is plural return unto thy rests there are rests enough for a soul whom God hath delivered and pardoned all afflictions to him are but as the Viper on Paul's hand that he may shake off they will do him no hurt the sting of death is sin and the sting of afflictions is that they are the beginners of death but to one that has his sin taken away the property of affliction is altered they come not as acts of revenging Justice but as effects of Love and Mercy the Principle from whence they come and the end to which they tend is differenced from what it was before when Trespasses are forgiven Deliverance from Evil will follow after as it is in the Lords Prayer true as you heard before in the former point If once we come to have afflictions as the fruits of sin then they are heavy and grievous indeed in this case when affliction comes for sin and sin comes to prey upon a man in time of affliction it is just as a Bayliffe set on by a cruel Creditor that comes to a poor man in debt and he lies sick the Bayliffe takes away his Stools Table Bed and Pillow and all he hath to help and comfort him leaves him not a Pillow to rest his weary head upon so when a sinner lies sick and under affliction guilt of sin comes and takes away all thy comforts if thou hast any Promise as a Pillow to rest thy head upon guilt of sin will take it away guilt of sin pulls and tears away every comfort and every good that sinners should have to refresh themselves withal in affliction But when the guilt of sin is gone thou may'st lay thy head down in quiet and rest upon a Promise and it will make affliction very easie that thou shalt have no cause to make complaint as formerly thou had'st Isai 33. ult The Inhabitant shall not say I am sick mark the ground of it for the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity when God comes to bestow this great mercy of pardon the Inhabitants shall not make such dolorous complaints of affliction and trouble upon them says Luther strike Lord strike for I am absolved from my sin if once God has absolved thee or any poor creature from their sin it is not in the power of any affliction to disturb them Job 34.29 When he gives quietness who can give trouble and when he hides his face who then can behold him when God gives quietness as he doth in forgiveness of sin then who can make trouble let there be never so many rumors in the world of war bloud and miseries as if Heaven and Earth met together yet if God give quietness to the heart in assurance of forgiveness of sin who can bring trouble it is not in the power of all the world to disturb his sâ—ul whose sins are forgiven Pardon of sin is that peace the world cannot take away therefore blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned Of Healing the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 5. Where God pardons sin he heals that soul and sanctifies it by the immediate fruits of the Spirit wheresoever it is and this is a great blessedness who is there that understands the evil of sin that sees not this a great blessedness not only to be delivered from the guilt of sin but also from the uncleanness of sin too and that Sanctification or freedom from the power and slavery that there is under the bondage of sin is a fruit of forgiveness of sin will appear by divers Texts of Scripture I shall not speak to all but only some that make this blessing to be the consequence or immediate fruits that slow in upon forgiveness Jer. 31.33 34 there God promises to put his law into our inward parts But what 's the ground of it in the 34. verse I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more the writing of Gods Law in our inward parts delivering us from the power of sin and sanctifying our hearts comes in as a fruit of Gods forgiving us our iniquities Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you why because you are not under the Law but under Grace Now this is the great grace of the Gospel forgiveness of sin you are under that and therefore it is that sin cannot have dominion over you as if the Apostle had said you may resolve against sin and do what you can to oppose it and strive as much as possible you are able to subdue it yet so long as you remain under the law sin will certainly have dominion over you and you will be under the slavery of it until you come under the grace of the Gospel and partake of that Col. 2.13 ult And you hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses so that quickning and Sanctification is a fruit of forgiving of all their trespasses 1 Cor. 15.56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God that giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ the strength of sin is the law Gods Justice in the Law giving men up unto sin there lies the strength of sin But now God through Christ coming to men in the grace of the Gospel there comes deliverance from the strength of sin perhaps some of you have lain under the burden and power of sin and you have thought the only way to get victory hath been to resolve and strive against it and you have done so and yet you cannot get power over your sins I remember one writing to Luther tells him that he had vow'd and covenanted against his sin and yet his sin prevail'd against him until he understood the grace of the Gospel and so may be have you done and yet your sin prevails because you take not this course try the work of faith in point of Justification renew your faith in God for the forgiveness of your sin through Jesus Christ that 's the ready way try that course you that have been tired in labouring against corruption you have resolv'd and pray'd and shed tears and yet that will not do try this way renew your faith dayly in point of Justification by laying hold of the infinite riches of the grace of Christ in the Gospel for pardon for healing power to come in to help you against that which holds you and this will not hinder your duties you may pray resolve and fast as much as before but be sure your great care be to renew your faith in point of Justification and there will come more healing power by that in your souls than by any thing else if once you can touch Christ the bloody issues of your sins that run before come to be dryed up which you could not dry up though you spent your time
me is the Lord the world translated judgment in the Greek it is mans day Man has his day here and he thinks to weary out the People of God why says Paul I pass not for mans day he that hath the supream judgment in his hands he hath acquitted me and I am well enough Of the Foundation of Eternal Life laid in Pardoning Mercy 8. Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven for this is the foundation of eternal life whoever hath this mercy hath a certain pledge put into his hands of eternal life Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified and whom he justified them he glorified thou who art justified and hast thy sin pardoned thou shalt certainly be glorified A Prince may pardon a man but he cannot assure him of eternal life though he give him his natural life But God if he pardon he makes it known to that soul that he shall live eternally with him in glory Oh blessed is he then that hath his iniquities forgiven for this is a pledge unto him of eternal life Of Pardon of Sin being the bottom of all true Comfort 9. Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned for pardon of sin is the very bottom of all true comfort Be of good comfort your sins are forgiven if Christ speak but this word to a soul though he be never so much dejected it is enough to raise any drooping soul from the gates of Hell it self Be of good comfort oh soul thy sins are forgiven thee Isai 40.2 Speak you comfortable to her for her iniquities are pardoned God calls to comfort her when her iniquities are pardoned this is the foundation of all true comfort if you lay any other foundation to build your comforts on certainly that building will totter and come to nothing if this be not the foundation You would fain have comfort and you are every one looking out for comfort and indeed it is as natural for the soul of man to seek for comfort as it is for the fire to burn there 's no man but would fain have comfort now look to the foundation if you would not have the building totter lay a good foundation Many lay the foundation of their comforts in their sins and others in the creatures but thou must lay it in the pardon of thy sin in the free grace of God justifying thy soul and that building will hold lay it there and thou shalt be comforted here and for ever hereafter And thus we have done with that Particular That Pardon of Sin is a great mercy because it is a foundation and inlet to many other mercies Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven that hath such a grand mercy upon which many other mercies follow CHAP. V. Of Pardoning Mercy passing through a great many difficulties BLessed is the man that hath his sins forgiven for indeed it is a mercy that passes through many difficulties before it comes to the soul and that that passeth through many difficulties is strong and great indeed and therefore makes the man blessed because it is grace that doth pass through many difficulties it is an argument of a great deal of strength of grace when grace shall pass through many difficulties as it is an argument of the great strength of sin when sin passes through many difficulties to bring forth a soul being set upon sin there lies a great many difficulties in the way yet lust to that sin being strong it will break through all difficulties to get to it so in mercy when God comes with mercy to forgive a soul this mercy of God must go through abundance of difficulties before it gets to you which argues it to be wonderful strong mercy and therefore makes him blessed that partakes of it When God made the World it was done with a word speaking God said Let there be light and there was light But when God comes to pardon a sinner Heaven and Earth must be moved there must be a greater work of God in pardoning of a sinner than in making of the world certainly the work is greater and passes through more difficulties As First All the wrongs that ever thâ—u hast done to God stand betwixt thee and pardon never did any man in the world wrong another man as thou hast wronged God How sin wrongs God has in part been held forth to you in the evil of sin and how contrary sin is to the infinite holiness of God yet mercy breaks through that yea above all that great and difficult work of the satisfying the infinite justice of God yet mercy breaks through that and there stands in that 1. This difficulty that before thou canst be pardoned God must be made Man and yet must remain the same God he was before thou cryest for pardon of sin or thou art undone suppose now that Gods bowels of mercy did even yearn towards thee for to pardon thy sin yet before this is done there must be this great work done that God must be made man and yet remain the same God he was before here 's a mighty difficult work a greater work than making of the world and yet mercy breaks through this 2. Here 's this stands between sin and pardon That when God is made Man he must die and be made a curse and not only so but God the Father must do it he must take his own Son and stab him for thee he must himself take him and put him to death and himself must pour out his wrath upon his own Son before thy sins can be pardoned Now that God the Father should take his own Son the Son of his delight stab him to the heart and himself put him to death this is a mighty great work and yet this must be done before thou can'st be pardoned 2. There 's this difficulty stands in the way That before sin can be pardoned the blind dead wicked carnal sottish heart of Man must be raised up to perform the most glorious Act that ever any creature did which is an Act of believing yet says God that thy sin may be pardoned I will put forth my infinite power to effect it to raise that blind dead sottish carnal wicked heart of man so full of all wickedness to perform the greatest work that ever any creature did for so is believing Gods mighty power is put forth to effect this Now there is all these difficulties lying in the way and yet mercy passes through them all to pardon sin surely then that soul must needs be blessed that hath his sin pardoned that God sets his heart upon him so much that rather than he will not shew mercy unto him he will pass through all these great difficulties that lie in the way and truly on consideration of this before I pass any further there are three Meditations that may be collected hence and may come with a great deal of power upon all our souls First Then it
he removes them as far as the East is from the West and if that be not enough to satisfie thee Micah 7.19 He will cast them into the bottom of the Sea things that are cast into the bottom of the Sea are utterly thrown out of sight never to be lookt for again Well but though God cast them into the bottom of the Sea he may think upon them Therefore Fifthly mark another expression further to satisfie thee God says He will remember them no more they shall be so far from being thought upon that God says he will not remember them any more but you will say it is impossible for God but to remember them yea but when God pardons it shall be as Irrevocable as if God did never remember them there are divers Texts remarkable for this Isai 43.25 I will blot out thy transgressions and will not remember thy sins I may be not now thou may'st say But he will hereafter see what is said in Jer. 31.34 I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more neither now nor hereafter I will remember their sin no more Sixthly They shall be so forgiven as that there shall be no more mention of them there shall never be the least mention of a believers sins before God and for that see Ezek. 33.16 it is spoken of every godly man indefinitely that turns to God and is a Believer None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him by the way let men take heed how they upbraid the people of God for any of their former sins Perhaps you knew such a one in the times of his ignorance and you say he was a lyar a Drunkard but now God has reveal'd his mercy to him in the pardon of his sin and God says he will not mention them any more Take heed how you cast their sins committed in the times of their ignorance in their teeth saying oh you are so precise now I knew what you were a little before Shall the God of Heaven say he will not mention them any more and yet will you do it God will take it very ill at your hands this is admirable comfort to every Believer that God will not remember their sin any more he would have thee to remember them to humble thy soul for them and to renew thy repentance but he will not remember them to upbraid thee with them nor would he have others do it Beza speaking of himself when he was young He made some vain and sinful Poems which his Enemies upbraided him with afterwards and casts them in his teeth says he These men envy me the grace of God because God has vouchsaf't to me his grace they envy me and cast in my teeth the evil that I have formerly done Oh what a comfort and priviledge is this to thee Oh thou believing soul though thou wer 't never so wicked and abominable before yet I tell thee from God this day in whose presence thou standest that he will never remember thy sin any more and this may be a mighty encouragement for men and women to believe and turn from all their wicked wayes though thou hast been never so vile abominable and wicked yet be it known unto thee this day that if thou wilt come in and believe God will never mention any of thy wickednesses more they shall be so forgotten as they shall never be mentioned thou it may be art afraid that either here in this life or at the day of Judgment all thy sins shall be charged on thee well be not afraid perhaps there are many of you that are conscious to your selves of great sins committed and you would give a thousand Worlds to be discharged of them Oh say some there are such and such sins committed that are so great that they cannot be forgiven I may mourn and grieve for them but what shall I be the better the sins of my youth lie so heavy on me and God and my own Conscience upbraids me and what comfort can I have in my life when God and my own Soul upbraids me Well be of good comfort and be incouraged this day to come in and believe this blessed tidings that where God pardons sin he will mention them no more and he will take it very ill at the hands of any that shall mention them to upbraid thee for them Seventhly Yet further to set forth the fulness of this mercy when God pardons sin they shall be so done away as that they shall not be found Jer. 50.20 In those days the Iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve and if I pardon them then they shall be so done away as that they shall not be found Yet further the righteousness Believers have in Christ is called an everlasting righteousness and therefore abides for ever and cannot be afterwards taken away Dan. 9.24 Seventy weeks are determined to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness the righteousness that is put upon thy Soul by Christ in the pardon of thy sin it is an everlasting righteousness and will abide everlastingly Yet further Heb. 10.14 it is said That Christ by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified that is justified Justification being call'd by the name of Sanctification or them that are sanctified that is set apart to be made partakers of the great blessing of the new Covenant to have a share in the blood of Christ for Justification Christ by one offering has for ever perfected them that are sanctified therefore being perfected in Justification there is no recalling this mercy back again Once more this mercy is set out by the typical service of the Scape-Goat Levit. 16.20 On whose head they were to put all the sins of the People all their transgressions and all their iniquities and send him into the Wilderness or Land of forgetfulness amongst wild beasts never to be lookt after again so are the sins of all Believers laid upon Christ and carried into a Land of forgetfulness and shall never come to be charged any more So much for that particular of the Irrevocableness of Pardon of Sin which shews that blessed is that man or woman that hath their sins pardoned because they shall never be recall'd again CHAP. X. Of Pardoning Mercy being such a Mercy as is denyed to the fall'n Angels BLessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven for this is a mercy that God hath denyed to the fall'n Angels God in pardoning thy sin does more for thee than he would do for those thousand thousand millions of Angels it is a mercy that God has deny'd to those millions of Angels that sinned against him Suppose a poor wretched man be guilty of Treason against the King and as he is so a great part of the chief Nobility of the Land are
People the pardon of their sins Brethren the King does not use to set his Broad Seal to trifles and toys and fancies but unto things of great concernment and consequence they must be such that shall have the Broad Seal so here because pardon of sin is such a blessed thing the Broad Seal of Heaven is ordained to seal it and when the Sacrament is administred rightly it is no other but the Broad Seal of Heaven to Seal up the pardon of thy sin and so should men and women come to receive the Sacrament they should think this day is a sealing-day as in Courts of Justice they have their Sealing-days and 't is usually said such a day is a Sealing-day so a Sacrament day is a sealing-day sealing up to you the the great blessedness of forgiveness of sin a Soul thinks thus I am a poor wretched vile sinner before the Lord woe unto me thus and thus have I done woe is me But I have heard of the riches of Gods grace in pardoning my sin and this day God calls me to come in and have the pardon of my sin sealed with the Broad Seal of Heaven that my soul may be assured and I may go away in peace and be comforted and quieted in the great business that lies upon me those sins of mine that have so grated on my Conscience and for which I have had dreadful apprehensions of the Clouds of Gods displeasure hanging over my head this day I am to go to have the sealing of a pardon of them all Thus should men and women come to the Sacrament with such thoughts upon their hearts as an Ordinance appointed and ordained by Christ for the sealing up the pardon of their sins 3. The third Ordinance is the Ordinance of Discipline whose sins soever you remit they are remitted Joh. 20.22 and those who are cast out of the Church and then received in again find it to be an Ordinance of Christ to assure them of remission of their sins It casts out those that are scandalous and when they repent it receives them in again and thereby assures them of the pardon of their sins A Transition to the Application Having done with the Explication if you would run over and make some recollection of what has bin delivered of the glorious blessedness of this mercy of forgiveness of sins you might see the effects following thereupon I have shew'd you the abundant grace of God that is declared in the forgiveness of sin I have shew'd you the many mysteries that there are in it and that it is an inlet to many other mercies I have shewed you the great difficulties it passes through and how much the heart of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost was in this mercy I shewed you it was a perfect and an irrevocable mercy a mercy denyed to Angels and shewed but to a few of mankind compared to those that are past by I have shewed it is a mercy the very possibility of it would make the damned to rejoyce and it is a mercy that is the end of all Ordinances And now having come to some period of the Explication methinks that Scripture comes presently into my mind that notable place in Rom. 8.31 If these things be so if God thus gloriously appear in the riches of his grace for the pardon of sin What shall we then say to these things the Apostle after he had spent some time in opening the Doctrine of free Justification for the working it upon the heart of the Romans and his own heart too says What shall we say to these things the holy Apostle stood as a man amazed at the wonderful richness of the grace of God in pardoning of sin in the verse before having said Moreover whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them he justified and whom he justified them he also glorified And having spoken much to the point of Justification in this Chapter he concludes at vers 31. Now what shall we say to those things as if he had said Lord how does thy glory appear in the Justification of a sinner and pardoning his sin through Jesus Christ that we cannot but stand amazed at the greatness of thy glory appearing herein that we know not what to say there is so much of thy glorious grace appears that our mouths are stopped What shall we say to these things So now after we have heard of these glorious things of the glorious Revelation of the grace of God in and through his Son working in such a glorious and mysterious way of godliness for the justifying of a sinner and pardoning of his sin if we could now sit down as men and women amazed and astonished as having our hearts so fill'd with the glory of these things as being not able to express our selves but even sit down amazed at the brightness of the glory of them it would be an excellent fruit of our attendance in hearing those things we should sanctifie the Name of God in it and t' would be very happy for us but if not while we are here together yet get into your Closets and look into this mystery of godliness and recollect what you can of that which you have heard and let this consideration lie warm upon your hearts and thoughts O Lord what shall we say to these things that God should have such thoughts of such mercy and grace in the pardon of sin as we have heard What shall we say to it and though for the present your hearts be not able to express more yet by meditation sure the fire will kindle and bring forth some admirable expressions in glorifying the Name of God or in singing some Psalm to his praise or in doubbling and trebbling that blessed acclamation with the heavenly Host Luk. 2.14 Glory to God in the Highest on Earth peace good will towards men O here is the good will of God towards poor wretched vile men Glory be to God in the Highest Lord What is man that thou should'st be so mindful of him thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels nay as you have heard this day God has set him above those Angels that sinned against him Christ would not shew mercy to them they could not be pardoned this is for poor sinners in the world a generation of those that seek him that have this great mercy of pardon and forgiveness of sin revealed to them What shall we say to these things the Apostles expression may help us to make way to the Application and as I have told you we should sanctifie the Name of God in standing amazed at the wonderful grace of God that gloriously appears in the Justification of a sinner as we have opened in many Particulars And now we have many things to say in the Application of these things for the answer to that question What shall we say to these things attend in the fear of God and you shall hear in the Application what
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
in chains eternally except thy soul be rent from that sin as well as from any other thou understandest not the way of God in the dispensing of his grace to the soul if thou thinkest God will pardon some sins and give thee liberty in others thou sottish soul know that when thou goest to God for pardon of sin thou must go with a heart resigned up from every sin or else thou losest all thy labour and art held in the chains of them all 3. Those that never look after their Prayers to call it into Question what answer they have had I have prayed to God but have I got any answer in my own heart or hath God come in in any Ordinance and sealed to me my pardon thus the soul should look after pardon in Prayer and all other means Many pray but never look after their Prayers whether God hear or no Psal 85 8. I will hear and hearken what the Lord God will speak thus the Psalmist and thus it would be with thee if thou did'st not dally with God after thou hast cryed for pardon thou would'st be listning at Heaven gates and looking towards God What answer doth God give I have prayed and there comes no answer the soul that sets it self in a solid and serious way to seek for pardon will be often looking out and remain much troubled till an answer come Many cry for pardon but are not troubled till God give answer they deal with God as Pilate did with Christ ask't him What is Truth but never stayed to have an answer but went his way so we do but dally with God in our Prayers and Petitions when we ask for forgiveness of sin and neglect to look after an answer 4. As those that look not after the answer of their Prayers dally with God so those that follow not their Prayers with answerable indeavours they Petition that God would be merciful unto them but what are the indeavours of your souls after your Petitioning if there be not indeavours to attend upon the means of grace that God uses to speak peace to souls in all your Prayers are nothing but of this I shall speak afterwards you are to search into the Covenant and enquire after the Saints what course they have taken and what means they have used to obtain pardon 5. Those that pray for pardon yet are satisfied with other things as thus they pray for pardon but if the world come in they are satisfied and quieted with that as a Child that hath a piece of Gold given him and an Apple he will be still'd with the Apple so many men sue to God for this great work of pardon of sin but let God give them health and accommodations in the world they are satisfied and contented with them and little or never seek after the pardon of their sin that is a fifth sort that are charged this day before the Lord that do but dally with God about seeking pardon for their sins Sixthly They that are quiet upon weak and slight Evidences dishonour God certainly they have not those high thoughts of the mercy of God in pardoning sin that content themselves with poor Evidences about it as most do come to many people and ask them What you hope that God will pardon your sins yes we do hope but upon the poorest Evidences imaginable those Evidences they lay the waight of the pardon of their sins upon are such broken reeds that it would make a man amazed that understands what the worth of a poor soul is that they should venture so great a thing on so slight a reed What is the reason because they have but slight thoughts of the forgiveness of sin that that a man puts a high valuation of he will make sure but that which he slights he is not so intense in as to instance if one give you in payment Silver Gold and Farthings you take the Farthings and do not tell them but you tell the Silver and the Gold you not only tell it but weigh it too What is the reason because you little esteem of the Brass and so will not tell it you more esteem the Silver and therefore tell that but the Gold you not only tell but weigh it because you have a greater esteem of that than the other this is an argument may convince the men of the world that their esteem of earthly things is more than of Heaven and their souls because they labour to make earthly things more sure than the things of heaven a worldly man to make sure his Estate will have Bond upon Bond and Seal upon Seal and carry his Evidences to Counsellors and say I beseech you Sirs see whether there be not some flaw in them I shall lose all my money if there be but a crack in my Evidences he is mighty careful of this because he hath such a high esteem of his worldly concerns But how does it appear that men have but poor low thoughts about the pardon of their sins because they content themselves with such poor mean Evidences for had they a high esteem of it they would labour to make pardon of sin surer than any thing in the world To wind up all those that know what pardon of sin is how do they spend their time and lay out themselves to get assurance Take this one note Because God sees those that are his own people understand what forgiveness is have a high esteem of it and are very solicitous about it he condiscends in his kindness to assure them by all sorts of ways and means methinks God deals with them in this manner the poor soul stands shaking and trembling crying our Oh! that I might have my sins forgiven and have assurance of it Why says God what way do you take to make things sure from one to another says you first we give our word one to another says God you shall have that I give you my Word What have you else Secondly say you we cause it to be written well says God you shall have it written and this is a great mercy the Covenant of grace is written we have it not from hand to hand as our fore-fathers had What do you else require Thirdly you say to have witnesses well says God you shall have witnesses in things between man and man In the mouth of two or three witnesses every thing is established Matth. 10.16 Now God in reconciling a Soul to himself brings no less than six witnesses to confirm a Believer in assurance of his grace and favour to him 1 Joh. 5.7 8. There are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and three that bear witness on Earth the Spirit Water and Blood three in Heaven and three on Earth to assure thee of forgiveness of sin that is a third way Is there any other way yea Lord Fourthly we use not only to have a word and this word put in writing
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
very low thoughts thou hast of the pardoning mercy of God and what Christ hath purchased and what God hath intended from everlasting in the Covenant of grace to those souls for whom he intends good and though for his intentions he keeps them to himself and would not have thee meddle with that till he manifest them in the work of grace yet in the mean time having revealed no further but that thou maist have it as well as any other he expects from thee that thou shouldst venture thy self upon his grace through his Son Jesus Christ and though thou saist thou art vile unworthy and after the use of means that thou art unprofitable vain full of wandring thoughts and deadness and therefore thou canst not expect grace know that thou hast but mean thoughts of the grace of God that sett'st such things as these against it these are poor low unworthy things to set against the grace of God and they do lower the grace of God too much that set such things as these against it A Schollar would think it a dishonour to him for one to come to reason with him and bring nothing but poor low weak objections that are not worth the answering he would think it a disgrace to him certainly it is a dishonour to the grace of God to set such things as these against it thou look'st upon it in a natural way and dost not consider it is the great designe of God above all things in the World to magnify his grace in pardoning of sin certainly were this understood these things would be counted too low and unworthy to be set against such a designe when it is the greatest God hath to magnify his name in Secondly Thou judgest of God according to thy own thoughts and this God will take exceeding ill as they Psal 50.21 Because I kept silence thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thy self 'T is a great evil to measure God by our own thoughts and there are two waies of dishonouring God by it 1. The way of the carnal secure sinner he measured God by his own thoughts he thinks God is not so strickt to be angry for every fault and if thou offendest that if we go and cry him mercy he will be pleased again We think it an easie matter to please God and because God is silent we think he do's not hate sin as he doth that 's one way of dishonouring God A Second way is when a man comes to be troubled for sin and conscience enlightened then we think slightly of God another way It may be thou hast a hard heart and wouldst not pardon one that provokes thee again and again thou wouldst not pass by such and such offences and thou thinkst God is so too thou thinkest God to be like thy self and that he cannot bear with thee in such and such things because thou canst not bear with others This is to judge God by our own line but know that the thoughts of Gods pardoning grace are as far above ours as the Heavens are above the Earth and therefore we must not measure God by our own thoughts Thirdly Thou dishonourest the pardoning grace of God by haveing low thoughts of it because it is contrary to the Scriptures For the main scope of all the Scriptures is to magnifie the pardoning grace of God and to set it out in its greatness to to thy soul and thou mak'st it thy main work to under-value it Luther sais the scope of the whole scriptures are but this that we might know and acknowledge God to be a gracious and merciful God and a greater then Luther speaks this that is a notable Text of Scripture in the Acts of the Apostles 10.42 43. And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testifie it is he that was ordained of God to be the Judge of Quick and Dead To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Marke to him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins So that it is the scope and intention of all the Prophets to witness this to a poor soul that whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sin You will say whosoever believes on him but there is all the Question but thou hindrest thy self of believing thou wouldst have assurance before thou dost believe thou must believe that thou mayest have it that is thou must venture and cast thy soul upon this grace of God all the Prophets witness this that whosoever believes on him shall receive remission of sins therefore by thy sitting down in these sullen discouraging thoughts of thy heart thou givest a lye to all the Prophets of God thou giv'st not a lye only to our preaching for certainly so it is God sees it so but to all the Prophets of God now when God makes it the work of all the Prophets to witness forgiveness of sins by Christ wilt thou make it thy work to object against it Again Know that thy reasonings are quite contrary to the Scriptures for thou reasonest that pardoning mercy will not be thine because thy sins are so great Psal 25.11 David cries to God to pardon his iniquities for they are great he makes the greatness of his sins an argument to drive him too God not from God and this is Gods own argument Gen. 8.21 I will not again curse the Ground any more for mans sake why for the imaginations of Mans heart are evil from his youth one would have thought it should have been thus the imaginations of mans heart are evil and therefore I will do nothing else but curse the ground No saies God I will not because the imaginations of mans heart are evil from his youth as if he should say if I should never leave cursing till man leave sinning I should alwayes be cursing so saies God If I should never pardon sin till mans sins are less I should never pardon at all So in Hosea 2.13 14. You have God reasoning there like to this here She went after her lovers and forgat me sais God 14 v Therefore will I allure her and bring her into the Wilderness and speak comfortably unto her For she had forgotten me and went after her lovers see how the Scripture makes that an argument of Gods mercy Take another Text in Isaiah the 57.17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart Marke what followes I have seen his wayes and will heal him and will restore comfort to him and to his mourners he went on frowardly in the perverseness of his Spirit saies God I have seen his ways and will heal him thus God expresses himself to the end of the Chap. to incourage the hearts of those that are sencible of their sins and would be sensible of the evil
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
danger least God in his wrath swear against thee that thou shalt never enter into rest Well If the case be so then you may say What shall we do that we might not dishonour this sweet and precious grace but that we might honour God in it Is this the frame of thy heart to be careful above all things in the world that thou mightest not dishonour this precious grace Does thy heart work thus Lord whatever I have been heretofore though I have been a negligent vile wretch yet for time to come it shall be the work of my soul to give up my self unto whatever God shall speak unto me that I may not dishonour God Is this the frame of thy spirit The Lord keep it so Now that I might direct you in this great Point I shall 1. shew who they are that are pardoned for that will be a foundation for direction and then 2ly shew you what you ought to do to get it what we are to put you upon if you find not Evidence of it And then 3ly What is to be done for the honouring of the grace of God by those that have some comfortable Evidence of it CHAP. XVI Of the several Mistakes of Men about the Pardon of their Sins OUr work now is to shew who they are that have their sins pardoned for there is nothing in all the world so much concerns us as to know how things stand with us in relation to God and our souls whether we be pardoned or no for a mistake in this is a wonderful mistake and yet how many thousands are there that venture the weight of this great business upon poor weak and slight grounds yea rather on meer suggestions of their own hearts and therefore we must first labour to convince men of their mistakes about pardon of sin and then lay down some sound Evidences of pardon in which there may be true and solid peace People are exceeding apt to mistake in point of pardon of sin hoping that God has pardoned them and that they shall not be laid to their charge but upon very slight grounds that will deceive them And therefore I desire this day you would look upon your selves as arraign'd before the great God as one day you must be And let your hearts so hear and attend to what we deliver as if God should speak to you and say Thou sinner such and such things thou art privy to and hast been guilty of What can'st thou say why the sentence of everlasting death should not be past upon thee why God should not declare against thee according to his Law I suppose scarce any of you but have some hope that God will never proceed against you according to his Law for indeed if he do you are undone for ever But what are the grounds of your hopes why you think God will not proceed against you for your sins but will pass them by and forgive you let us a little examine the grounds of it for it is of very great Consequence and certainly many people are now sunk down into the bottomless pit of Hell by resting upon false grounds I shall labour to discover the weakness of their standing that rest on false grounds the First Is this many think that God has pardoned their sin because it is but little they have been guilty of and for that they think there is a pardon in course were I guilty of such horrible wickedness and notorious sins as many others are then I think it would go hard with me I should be affraid things between God and me were very grievous but the sins I have been guilty of are no such great sins I hope God will pass them by God forbid I should think he were so strickt as not to pass by such small sins as those that I have been guilty of For answer to this 1 Know thou dost not understand what the evil and malignity of sin means If thou thinkst the least sin does not make such a breach between God and thee as all created power in Heaven and Earth can never make up again if you do not beleive that all those Sermons preacht unto you about the evil of sin are lost unto you But know as a little Pen-knife may stabb you to death as truly as a gash of the greatest Sword and a little shot out of a Pistol may kill you as well as a Canon bullet So a little sin may prove your eternal ruine as well as a great one and therefore that is no argument that God hath past by your sins because they are little ones and for that consider this one thing I am further speaking of 2. Gods pardoning mercy is his own to do with it what he pleases and therefore that God may shew his prerogative he will sometimes to some pardon their great sins and others he will damn for little sins you think your sins are not so great as other mens and therefore you think that God will forgive you do not deceive your selves with this God will do with his mercy what he pleases What if he will pardon the most notorious gross sins in others and damn thee for thy sins in thoughts what if he will pardon the most notorious uncleanness and murder in another and damn thee for a wanton thought he may do it for his mercy is his own For this take the example of David and Saul compared together David committed many sins but especially those two of Adultery and Murder and yet God pardoned him but Saul committed far less sins then those and yet God cast him off for ever the things on which God laid the casting off of Saul were these two sins 1. He did not stay till Samuel came when Samuel had appointed a time to come he deferr'd it to the last minute and Saul was in a great strait he tarry'd for him long and he thought he must not go to war except he offer'd Sacrifice before and he ventured to offer it himself and did not stay out the full time he staid so long till he thought that Samuel would not come and then that he did was but to offer Sacrifice to God and yet God laies this very thing unto his charge as a cause why he would cast him off 1 Sam. 13.13 Samuel tells him that God had thought to establish the Kingdom for ever unto him But now he will not you are gone Saul for this sin the 2. sin in Scripture on which God layes his casting off upon is this God sent him against the Amalekites and bad him destroy all but he spar'd the fat of the flock and the King Now the sparing of the fat of the flock was done out of a good intention he professes it was that the People might have of the fattest to offer in Sacrifice to God a good intention and yet for this God tells him that he would rend the Kingdom from him for that thing 1 Sam. 15.28 True it is that though
repentance that is a truth Esau was very much troubled and shed many tears and yet there was no true repentance but I rather take the meaning of the Text thus he found no place of repentance in his Father Isaac his Father Isaac had given the blessing to Jacob and would not call it back though he sought it with tears there was no place for Isaac to recal it any more though he shed many tears yet he went without it so that there may be much sorrow and thou may'st seek the blessing with many tears and yet God may be so turn'd against thee that there will be no place for repentance that is God will not call in that that is out against thee And of Judas 't is said when he saw Christ was condemn'd that he repented 't is said he did repent yet Judas was not pardoned so that you see plainly there may be repentance and yet sin never pardoned Indeed true repentance hath ever pardon going along with it but the Scripture speaks of a repentance that may be without pardon therefore when thou say'st thou repentest you must not look upon it so because you repent therefore your sins are pardoned as if every repentance was true for thou mistakest in the work of repentance thou thinkest this to be repentance to Salvation for thee to be sorry at the very heart for thy sins certainly thou may'st be sorry at the heart and yet perish for all that I make no question but Judas was sorry at his heart and wisht it had never been done and if it were to do again he would never do it there is as much exprest he repented and he brought the 30 pieces again he was not only sorrowful but made satisfaction he brought the mony back again that he had got in a wicked way and therefore if you think this to be true repentance you are mightily mistaken but wherein is it that we fail It is not for me now to enter on the Doctrine of true Repentance I am to speak of it so far as to convince men that it is not a ground for hope of pardon of sin Mark it when 't is thus with thee thou repentest because thou seest that sin will bring thee into danger Now thou hast had the pleasure or the profit of it and thou seest now it will bring thee into trouble and danger thou art sorry that ever thou did'st it certainly if God would be satisfied with such kind of sorrow he might have enough of it in Hell for there is yelling and sorrow because of the troubles that sin hath brought upon them to sorrow because of the trouble that our sins bring on us is meerly natural and flows from nature it self and far from a saving work of repentance therefore the repentance many hope to have What is it when we tell them of their sins they say they hope to repent What do they mean Why they would take the pleasure of sin and when the punishment comes they would be sorry for it and repent of it the ordinary way to put men off from this plea is to tell them How do you know you shall live or that your hearts shall not be hardned but suppose you do live and that you have a heart to do as you say yet your repentance may fail you if your repentance be no other than that which comes for sorrow of sin because of the punishment it will fail you certainly that repentance that must go for current in Heaven is of another nature possibly I may shew afterwards what is true and false sorrow but for the present I shall shew where the mistake lies Whosoever therefore that builds their believing of the pardon of their sin meerly on their sorrow and such kind of sorrow they are like a man that would erect a great Building and lay the foundation of it in a quag-mire or on the sand as the Scripture speaks when storms come the building falls I shall speak hereafter to those that build on the Sand but these build on a Quagmire on a few tears sorrow and trouble of spirit they have upon the apprehension of punishment of sin this building will fall in time of straights and danger and this is the reason why people that depend upon sorrow never have peace for how can I tell the measure of sorrow I am to have before peace be spoken and then if they feel not sorrow they are questioning again it is a dangerous thing to lay the hopes of pardon of sin upon our own sorrows where or how then shall we lay our hopes why upon the sorrows of Jesus Christ there you shall find the surest ground there may be some mistake there too but for the present I shall not stay on that we must look ten thousand times more at the sorrows of Christ than at our own sorrows and therefore when your hearts are troubled and you look for mercy depend more ten thousand times on the sorrows of Christ than on all your own sorrows for your sorrows for sin cannot satisfie Gods Justice and that that must be a ground of hope for the pardon of my sin must be something that must satisfie the justice of God for though there be never so much sorrow yet it will not satisfie Gods justice and consider further True sorrow rather follows the work of Justification then preceds it as thus I am not therefore pardoned because I mourn but because I am pardoned therefore I come to mourn so stands the Truth in Divinity in point of Justification and Repentance you pervert the order if you think because you mourn and are a little sorrowful that therefore you shall be pardoned the truth is if your mourning and sorrow be a work of true saving grace you mourn and sorrow because you are justified sorrow of true repentance rather flows from pardon then pardon from it when God pardons sin he lets out the graces of his Spirit and then comes sorrow as a fruit or Evidence of Gods pardoning love and Reconciliation for though God may give outward favours to a man that is not pardoned yet God never gives his Spirit to work any saving grace in the heart till he is reconciled 't is a fruit of his pardoning grace and favour and because he has justified thee he sends his Spirit to work sorrow and repentance Many think Justification flows from sorrow but thou must come to sorrow and repentance another way know that all true sorrow flows from Justification all that sorrow before Justification it is but Legal sorrow and reveals something that may hinder the soul from Christ as sin and the terrors of the Law and the wrath of God but it does not interest the soul in Christ this I affirm as most certain Divinity that there is no sorrow whereby any soul is interested and planted in Christ the sorrow that is wrought in them before Justification in order of nature may be a means to bring them
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
not a slight notion like water running through a Pipe that leaves nothing behind it for so the thoughts of most People are but it is such a thing as brings Christ into the soul and the soul into Christ and so feeds and lives upon him this is relying upon Christ for pardon so as to have the concomitants and comforts of pardon continually going along with it Now you have heard these things go away and beseech God to settle things aright in your souls say to your hearts Lord I see that setling of the heart aright upon Christ for justification and pardon of sin is another manner of business then I was aware of and I am perswaded that if I had died before I should certainly have dyed under some of these mistakes Lord settle my heart aright in this great business Do not go away with such thoughts as these the Minister speaks of such mistakes but I hope it is far otherwise do not venture to put off what we say with such slight thoughts when we speak unto you we speak in the Name of God and it is a horrible taking of the Name of God in vain if we examine not what we say unto you by the Word And therefore know you are charged this day in the Name of God to look to it and examine your hearts what grounds you go upon for the pardon of your sin that you may not mistake in which we shall give you some further help in laying down some positive grounds that you may rest upon for the pardon of your sin CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin BUt if it be asked Who are they that have their sins pardoned surely they are not many this Text puts it in the singular number Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned and by that which hath been delivered about the mistakes it appears there are not very many but yet some there are and this is the work of this day in the Name of the Lord to declare to some poor souls this day their sins are pardoned this is the message from the Lord I am to speak to them I hope divers in this place as from Christ Son and Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned And blessed is that man and woman that this day shall hear that joyful sound in their hearts and that shall have the Spirit of God witness unto their spirit that as I have heard so I have felt this day that what signs of forgiveness of sin have been delivered I have felt them in my own soul Well then What are they to insist upon them The First is that the Apostle gives in Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Justification consists especially in the remission and pardon of sin Now the Holy Ghost says whom he hath called them he hath justified would you know that you are justified and that your sins are pardoned the Spirit of God shews you it is not a note of mine but it is that which comes from the Holy Ghost whom he hath called them he hath justified Vocation is a certain Evidence of Justification this Vocation or Calling is the second link that does unite those two links of that golden chain together mentioned in that place the first link is the foreknowledge of God Gods Predestination and then there is Vocation the next after that Justification and then Glorification the first chain in the link is that God from all Eternity predestinates some persons to have their sins pardoned but there is Vocation comes in between Predestination and Justification and after that Glorification so that while I am giving Evidences of Justification here in this Text I shall give Evidences of Predestination and Glorification too for these are linkt altogether Many People look only after Justification they hope their sins are pardoned but they look not to any other link of the chain as Calling and Vocation whom he hath called them he hath justified but the question then is What is this Calling What do you mean by that how shall we know whether we be called or no in 2 Pet. 1.10 he bids them there to give diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Mark as here Predestination and Calling are put together so their Calling and Election says he Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Election is first sure in respect of God but Vocation is first in regard of our selves make that sure and then you make Election sure Justification sure and Glorification sure too then what is Vocation for answer to the Question Know there is an outward call and an inward call when God sends the Ministers of the Word to reveal the Gospel and the way of Salvation that is no other but Gods calling mens souls from the ways of sin and death to come into the ways of life all that come to hear the sound of the Gospel preacht unto them let them know that is Gods call to sinners to come in and repent God calls to the Drunkard the Unclean person and all others that live in sin to repent when you come to hear the Word God calls you and God requires of you as you would have God to hear your cry when you are calling for mercy in the day of your distress hear my call now I call and cry in the Ministry of the Word Would you have me to hear you when you cry to me do you hear me now I am calling to you O that People would understand the Ministry of the Word that it is the call of God for sinners to return and repent of their sins that they would look beyond man and know that it is the voyce of God by them and therefore it is a dangerous thing for People to neglect resist or rebel against the Ministry of the Word and there is some good hopes that God hath some souls in such a place that he intends everlasting good will unto where he sends the Ministry of the Word God do's not use to send the call of the Gospel to a place but there are some souls to be called And therefore Secondly Besides the Outward Call there is an Inward Call and that is it the Apostle speaks of Many have the Outward Call of the Word to Faith and Repentance and yet they perish eternally But those whom God intends to save and hath love to indeed he comes to them with an Inward Call and this Inward Call of God is on this wise God beholds the poor wretched sinner going on in the ways of sin death and perdition and he comes to him by a secret and powerful voyce speaking to his very heart O Sinner consider where thou art What art thou a doing Whither art thou a going What is the end of thy way like to be thou art going from God from happiness and life to woful misery and blackness of darkness to the infinite
servant hears Now for a soul to be so under God as to wait upon the call of God to any duty service and imployment that it dares not go about any thing but according to the call of God this is a good Evidence that such a soul hath been acquainted with that great call of God that powerful call of God to bring him off from the ways of sin into the ways of life and salvation Further those that have been acquainted with this call of God there is an answerable frame and disposition in their hearts to call upon the Name of God for assistance direction and a blessing on all they undertake they delight now to repair unto God and call upon him as God calls unto them so they call unto him for that is the way of God according to his work in the soul he puts a gracious frame into the soul answerable to it As in Election those whom he elects when God calls them home he puts a gracious disposition in their hearts for to elect him as God chooses the soul from the world so the soul chooses God above all things in the world the soul answers to God God sets his heart on the soul and says I will choose thee for me the soul again sets its heart upon God and says I will choose thee for my God as God calls the soul to come and live to him in the ways of grace while he lives in this world so the soul calls on God for his assistance that he would give his help in unto him on all occasions and therefore the Scripture gives us this expression for the whole worship of God Rom. 10.13 Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved that soul that is acquainted with Gods call that soul calls on God again And by the way those that are thus called are fittest for Church-Communion I mention this because the word translated Church comes from a Greek word that signifies to call out that which in Scripture is usually called a Church signifies nothing else but this a Company of People called out of the ways of sin to the imbracing the ways of Godliness so that the Church should consist of People called out of the ways of sin by the powerful and efficacious voyce of the Spirit of God and they that are thus called have their sins pardoned you say you hope God hath justified you you read what God says and what hath been presented unto you they who are called they are justified then Calling in order of nature goes before Justification this you will find in your own hearts and if not this you must do when ever you come before God to hear the outward call you must come with a waiting frame of heart to hear the inward call and call upon God with such a disposition say Lord I have been taught that there is an outward call of thine in the Word and an inward call and I am going this day to hear thy Word calling me out of the ways of sin O that I might have together with that the inward call of thy Spirit when shall I hear that secret voyce this is the reason though I have been convinced many times at the hearing of the Word yet my sin hath prevail'd against me because that inward secret powerful voyce hath not come to my soul that is the first Evidence whom he hath justified them he hath called A Second Evidence is this Whomsoever God pardons he receives into Covenant with himself all pardoned sinners are Covenanters with God God pardons no soul but such an one as he brings into the Bond of the Covenant with himself that is the way of the conveyance of the grace of God for the pardon of sin to bring the soul into the Bonds of the Covenant the Scripture is evident in this that forgiveness of sin is made a special fruit of the New Covenant that is clear enough Jer. 31.33 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel c. what is the special end of that Covenant I will forgive their Iniquities and remember their sins no more But how does that come in it comes in by way of Covenant I will make a New Covenant I will first receive them into Covenant and then they shall have the fruit of this New Covenant that their sins shall be forgiven and their iniquities remembred no more The New Covenant is a mysterie to most people and yet it is a certain truth the pardon of thy sin and thy eternal good depends upon it thou art one that God has brought into Covenant with himself if thou beest or ever shalt be pardoned as God will manifest to thy soul that he hath through his Son tyed and bound himself to thee to be thy God that whereas before thou wer 't departed from him and an enemy to him yet now he is pleased to call thee to enter into a second Covenant after thou had'st broken the first and wer 't cast off by reason of that breach God is contented to enter into a second Covenant with thee to be thy God in and through his Son thou art to come in and joyn in this Covenant for to a full Covenant there must be assent on both sides there must be a mutual ingagement of either parties when God reveals this to thy soul that though thou be by nature an Enemy to me and hast broken the first Covenant that I made with the Children of men and art cast off yet be it known unto thee O thou wretched soul I am content to enter into another Covenant with thee there is a second Covenant for life and salvation that I have made with poor man through my Son and I require that thou should'st come in and give up thy self in an everlasting Covenant to make me to be thy God and to close with me and my Son in whatsoever I call thee to in whatsoever thou hast or can'st do to give up thy self to the power of me and my Son this thou must ingage and tye thy self unto in the strongest Bonds that can be this is the nature of the Covenant we know there were two Covenants and all the good of mankind in the first Covenant depended on this his closing with the tearms of it Now the tearms of the first Covenant was Do this and live but that is broken and we have lost our ability Now the second Covenant is Believe and live and the soul that God pardons he brings into the Bond of the second Covenant it is brought to come and give it self up to the Lord and to be content to bind it self with all bonds unto God that he and he only shall be my God as I desire him to be mine and his grace and mercy to be mine so all that I have or can do shall be his I surrender up my self and ingage my soul to be his for ever my Estate Abilities
whatever I have or can do shall be his Now put this to your own souls you hope your sins are pardoned But hath God brought you into the Bonds of the Covenant Hath God ingaged himself to you by his Word to be your God and on the other side Are your hearts ingaged to him by the strongest Bonds that can be and if there be any other Bonds that are stronger to tye your souls to God Can your souls say the Lord knows I am content and willing to be ingaged and that you will account it your happiness to be tyed in the strongest Bonds that can be if it be so with thee Now peace be to thy soul thy sins are pardoned as on the one side God hath made a Covenant with thee so on the other side he hath brought thee to be in Covenant with him then be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned Thirdly Those whose sins God hath pardoned he hath translated them into the Kingdom of his Son the Scriptures express these things divers ways and they have a diverse consideration in them Now I ground this note out of Col. 1 13 14. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son mark what follows In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of sins forgiveness of sin is the end of Gods translating of us into the Kingdom of his dear Son in giving Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of sin so that whosoever God hath given Redemption to through the Blood of Christ even the forgiveness of sin that is forgiveness of sin being the special part of the Redemption we have by the blood of Christ such an one is translated into the Kingdom of the dear Son of God What is that you will say 1. This notes a great change that there must be upon those that are pardoned because the Scripture expresses it thus they are translated into another Kingdom a Kingdom of the Son of God the dear Son of God it is dear mercy of God that translates a soul into the Kingdom of his dear Son it seems naturally we are in another Kingdom and have another King besides the Son of God and have another Soveraign 't is certain we are so naturally we are under the power of Satan and in his Kingdom but now when God comes to redeem a soul and grant forgiveness of sin he translates out of that Kingdom and such a soul refuses to be a subject to Satan any longer or a servant to his lust any longer but now Christ shall be my King the Son of God by whom I expect Reconciliation he shall be my King and his Laws shall rule in my heart and his Scepter shall sway in my soul now no more shall my own thoughts counsels opinions will and affections rule me but Jesus Christ shall be set up upon the throne of my soul and he shall be my King I before was led a poor vile ignorant wretch by the customs of others and example of others and what they required of me by their laws in the matters of his worship but now Christ shall be my King I will expect my law from him and all obedience I do to man it shall be in order to this Christ my King this is a translation into the Kingdom of God when the soul feels the power of Christ ruling in him and overswaying him and the soul looks up to Christ for its protection and provision and desires above all things in the world to set up Jesus Christ as his King in all the ways of his Government both in his own heart and the world too and longs to hear that voyce when it shall be said The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and Saviour Jâ—sus Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Thus those that have redempt on through the blood of Christ even the forgiveness of sins they are translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son and as the Scripture speaks They have the Kingdom of God within them that is an expression of the Holy Ghost in the Gospel Now this you are to examine your hearts upon What of the Kingdom of Christ you have within you Do you live and walk as one that hath the Kingdom of Christ within you Is Christ as King and Soveraign over your thoughts words and actions And do you look to him for the law of your thoughts words and actions and walk before him as your Soveraign Lord depending on him to know his will continually and fear and honour him as a King If the Kingdom of Christ be in you that is if the Gospel have an effectual work upon you for the Gospel in the power of it is ordinarily exprest by the Kingdom of Heaven when the Word comes to any place the Kingdom of Heaven is said to come it would take up a great deal of time to shew wherein the Holy Ghost calls the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven but it is called the Kingdom of Heaven because it is the Kingdom of Christ that is Lord from Heaven and Christ rules in it by the preaching of the Gospel But now though it be the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingly power of Christ be in the preaching of the Gospel yet this does not prevail upon all sorts it is like a net that is cast into the Sea the meaning of it seems to be nothing else but that the preaching of the Gospel among a multitude of People is like a net cast into the Sea wherein some are catcht and others remain worldly filthy and good for nothing that is the meaning of the Text and not any warrant at all for mixt Communions but only thus where the Preaching of the Gospel is there are some fishes good and worthy to be received and others that are to be cast out Now as there is an external Kingdom so there is an internal Kingdom of Christ within our hearts Jesus Christ himself sets up his Throne in the hearts of every man and woman whose sins are pardoned that is a certain truth and this day in the Name of God I pronounce unto you that if your sin be pardoned Jesus Christ hath set up his Throne in your hearts and if you find any other Throne and Lord but Christ to rule you know from God that your souls are yet in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity and your sins are not pardoned but that soul who in the Preaching of the Gospel can say Blessed be God I have felt Christ come into my heart and prevailed upon me and now Christs Laws are the Laws I desire to be ruled by God knows I know but little of them but I will labour to understand them better therefore I come this day that I might know more of the Law of God and that Jesus Christ might rule more powerfully in me than ever he hath done if this be wrought
you do not rest much upon Evidences but then at that very time think with your selves though now I have comforts I may loose them and God may call me to another condition God never granted these helps unto me for my Saviours that I should rest upon them they are but bladders to help me to swim and God may take away these and call me to live upon the meer actings of faith and not at all on sense that 's certain he may do it for when we bring these Signs and Evidences of grace as they come from faith and are effects and fruits of it they are but as bladders to help young swimmers that cannot swim without them and learn them to swim but those that have got the Art though the bladders be taken away they can swim but take them away from the others and they will sink so that these Evidences are for young and weak Christians that cannot live on primary acts of faith which a strong Christian can do when all other things are taken away and therefore when we feel the comfort of any signs depend not on this the Lord may take them away and because he delights in the meer actings of faith that is the reason why God withdraws himself from the souls of his people that they shall not have the use of Signs and Evidences as they had before because he would teach them to live on the more necessary acts of faith God loves the voice of Job though he kill me yet will I trust in him I will venture my soul upon him whatever becomes of me when there 's nothing else to rest on but God then to live by actings of faith merely on him he delights much in this and therefore take heed you do not rest so much on signs as if all your comforts were lost and you undone when you cannot have such use of them as you have had heretofore Ninthly when you have at any time lost the use of signs do not determine that all is gone and that you shall never have the use of them more this is that that mightily hinders many poor Christians that are in trouble of Conscience because they cannot find the evidence of the pardon of their sins and that God accepts of them in what they do what do they do presently they yeild to the horrible sentence of damnation against themselves Gods Spirit say they is now gone and he will return no more he will never come any more unto me take heed you do not fasten on any such kind of thoughts as those are to determine of your own estates or that Gods Spirit will not come again but do you humble your souls before the Lord and wait upon him Tenthly When at any time all Signs and Evidences fail you and you are ready to determine that all is gone yet even then keep up good thoughts of God As the Spouse in the Canticles when her Beloved was gone yet she prized him and said He is the chiefest of ten thousands in Cant. 5. when she was asked What is thy beloved says she he is thus and thus then concludes He is altogether lovely and this was at such a time as he was gone yet she retain'd good thoughts of him so 't is a good sign for any soul that when trouble of conscience is upon them or any other trouble that they retain good thoughts of God and Christ and the wayes of God when the soul says whatever become of me though I perish for ever yet God is good his Word his ways are good his Gospel and the Covenant in his Son is good and whatever troubles are upon me yet God is righteous and though God justifie not me yet I will justifie God if there be any soul that cannot find his Evidences or any of those signs before spoken of you may make use of this if you cannot find any other do what thou can'st to justifie God thou art afraid that God will not justifie thee do thou justifie him sometimes it is with many men as with some wretched servant that has dealt falsly with his Master and may be all the while he can make any advantage of his Master for his own ends he will speak well of him but if his Master turn him out of doors for his wickedness then he rails on him 't is ordinary for bad servants to do so when they are turn'd away for their wickedness and so it is with many when all goes well with them then they like well of the wayes of God but if they come to such a condition as that they think that God will cast them away indeed and that they are like to perish then they begin to have hard thoughts of God and by degrees they speak against God and his ways take heed of this although you want the Evidences of his love and mercy yet retain in your hearts good thoughts of God and of his ways and this will be a special help to bring into your souls the comfort and assurance of your Justification and now I have done with this argument I have shewed you who it is that hath his sins pardoned I have shewed the several mistakes and I have shewed you certain infallible grounds from Scripture Evidences of the pardon of sin and Rules how to make use of those Evidences and now upon what you have heard you have testimony and assurance of the pardon of your sins or you have not if you find your hearts do not answer to these Evidences or that you are afraid that your sins are not pardoned then take a use of Exhortation to put you on to seek after this blessedness CHAP. XIX Of Exhortation to seek after Pardon of Sin with Cautions and Rules how and what we are to do I Am now come to a use of Exhortation and it concerns us all either those that are not pardoned or those that have assurance of the pardon of their sins for there is none that have assurance but may make use of it Christ taught his Disciples to pray daily for the forgiveness of their trespasses as well as for their daily bread and what we are to pray for we are to seek after so that it concerns all blessedness is desirable to all it is as natural for man as a reasonable creature to desire blessedness as it is for the fire to burn only here 's the great mistake in the world all would have it but they look not for it in the right way Now after all that has been said that thou may'st not have slight thoughts of the pardon of sin and say I hope they are pardoned and the like I shall speak to awaken thee suppose thou wer 't now set on the brink of the infinite Ocean of Eternity and the bottomless Gulf were ready to devour thee and the Records of Heaven were opened and there shewed thee that thy sins were not cancelled but remain upon the file What thou would'st then do do
against God that I know not that I cannot tell how to make up his glory for there is care taken for that already and therefore that need not discourage thee Tenthly There are as vile sinners now Triumphing in Heaven as any of you that are here be you never so black and vile and therefore be not discouraged at the greatness of thy sins for though they be very great yet that may not keep thee out others as vile as thou art are now in Heaven Eleventhly Make the utmost of thy sin thou can'st yet this need not hinder thee to come to God for for ought that either men or Angels know thou hast as much interest in Christ as any Saint in Heaven over had and if thou comest in and layest hold on Christ thy very laying hold on Christ will plainly shew thou hast a right unto him and therefore be not discouraged but come in Twelfthly Vpon thy closing with Christ thou wilt find such a change as was never wrought in any creature besides for though thou wer 't vile and filthy more vile and filthy than a child new born by original and actual sins ingendred in thee yet thou shalt be made cleaner than a child and more pure in the eyes of God than any child cleansed from his filthiness would not you do any thing to be pure in the eyes of God make use of what I say and you shall be clean when you hear the Ministers utter the threatnings of God you fall out with the man and say he preaches nothing but terror alas 't is our delight to preach the pardoning grace of God but we must shew the evil of sin and it is that you might come in and imbrace mercy for know we delight to preach mercy more than any thing else and know that if thou desirest that all thy thoughts ways and actions may be for Gods glory he will not upbraid thee for coming in unto him Joh. 6.37 He that cometh to Christ he will in no wise cast out though thou hast been never so great a sinner yet thou may'st come in and close with Christ for he that comes to him be he what he will he will in no wise cast out Thirteenthly Thou wilt fill Heaven with joy and there will be more melody in Heaven than at the coming in of any Prince to his Kingdom and I may say unto you even in this place if you come in the Angels will rejoyce at it for there are many Angels stand about you therefore take heed of your carriage for they come to see your behaviour have a special care your hearts be set upon the work you come about for they are here to see how you carry your selves Fourteenthly In obtaining pardon of sin and closing with Christ by faith thou art made heir of the whole world Rom. 4.13 How does many of you Marriners and others venture upon dangerous voyages to get great Estates in this world and you count them happy that are born to great Estates Why by closing with Jesus Christ by faith for remission of sins you are made heirs of the whole world I mean not of that to come but of this present world though none of you certainly desire more than may carry you to Heaven yet you are true and proper heirs of the whole world All is yours the Scripture is very clear in it but I cannot now stand to inlarge upon it 1 Cor. 3. latter end Fifteenthly For any thing thou knowest thou art one of Gods Elect and there is nothing thou art to do but God hath promised to inable thee to do it for there is such a transaction between God and Christ that he that shall be saved shall not have only savour vouchsaf't unto him but shall be inabled to do whatsoever God requires of him there shall be grace given to every one of the Elect of God And now if thou comest in and givest up thy self and all that thou art hast or can'st do to Christ How knowest thou but thou art one of those that art Elect and so shall be made for ever happy But if after all that has been said thou goest away with slight thoughts of this rich and transcendent grace of pardoning mercy and dost not set presently upon the work to obtain it Be thou for ever ashamed and confounded but let the pardoning mercy of God be for ever magnified FINIS A TABLE of the Principal Things contain'd in this Treatise CHAP. I. THe Text opened and the main Doctrine propounded viz. pag. 1 Doct. That the blessedness of a man or of any soul consists in the free grace of God forgiving of his sin 4 CHAP. II. Of the blessedness of the pardon of sin which appears 6 1. Negatively in the evil it frees us from ibid. 2. Positively in the good bestowed upon us therein consider 8 1 The Efficient cause of mercy in forgiveness of sin ibid. 2 The Final cause of mercy in forgiveness of sin 9 CHAP. III. Of 11 wonderful Mysteries of Godliness included in in the great mercy of forgiveness of Sin 10 1 It is by means of a Mediator 11 2 It is through Christs undertaking the debt upon himself 12 3 It is by Christs sufferings 13 4 Sin pardoned makes the soul stands righteous before God 14 5 This righteousness is in another ibid. 6 A near union is made between Christ and the Soul 15 7 It is by faith yet boasting is excluded 16 8 God is infinitely just and yet infinitely merciful 18 9 When God forgives sin at present he forgives all to come 19 10 God pardons a sinner not because he is but that he might be changed 25 11 God himself purchases the Pardon 27 CHAP. IV. Of Pardon of Sin not only being a mercy in it self but the Foundation of many other Mercies 28 1 Peace 1 with God 2 with 1 Conscience 2 Creatures 30 32 33 2 The Revelation of Gods secrets to them he pardons ibid. 3 It makes all other injoyments to be mercies which otherwise are not 38 1 By reason of guilt of sin 39 2 Not known whether they be given in love or hatred ibid. 4 It makes all afflictions easie to be borne 40 1 The great good of pardon makes the bitterest evil nothing 41 2 It assures the soul the evil of affliction is gone 42 5 Pardoning mercy brings healing with it into the soul 43 6 Comfort against death the effect of pardoning mercy 45 7 Security against the worlds reproaches 46 8 It is the foundation of eternal life 48 9 It is the bottom of all true comfort ibid. CHAP. V. Of Pardoning Mercy passing through a great many difficulties by reason of the wrong that man hath done to God by Sin 49 1 God must be made Man and yet remain the same God he was before 50 2 He must die and be made a curse ibid. 3 The dead heart of man must be raised to do the gloriousest work that any creature ever did 51 Hence 1