the godly are by way of tryal and temptation upon them and because of the good that is in them of these the Apostle James speaks when he bids them count it all joy when they fall into divers temptations of these Paul speaks when he saith he will rejoyce in his infirmities so that the persecutions and miseries which come upon them are an Argument of the good in them more then of the evils as the tree that is ful of fruit hath its boughs more broken then that which is barren and the Pyrates watch for the ship that is fraughted with gold And thus a martyr comforted himself That though he had many sins for which he deserved death yet he thanked God that his enemies did not attend to them but to the good that was in him and for that he suffered so then all the grievances upon the godly are not of the same nature Sixtly The afflictions for sins upon the godly do differ much from those that are upon the wicked This we also grant that when God doth punish the godly and the wicked for their sins though the punishment for the matter of it may be alike yet they differ in other respects very much as in the cause from which one cometh from a God hating their persons the other from anger indeed but the anger of a father Hence secondly they differ in the fittedness of these afflictions to do good God doth moderate these afflictions to his people that thereby grace may be increased but to the reprobate they are no more to their good then the flames of hell-fire are to the damned The Butcher he cuts the flesh far otherwise then the Chirurgion saith August Again in the end they differ All afflictions to the godly are like the beating of cloathes in the Sun with a rod to get out the dust and moths but it is not so with the wicked many other differences practical Divines prove out of the Scripture Seventhly Yet God doth in reference to the sins of his people though forgiven sometimes chastise them This is proved 1. From the Scripture that makes their sin the cause of their trouble Thus of David Because thou saith Nathan 2 Sam. 12.14 hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe also that is born of thee shall die Thus God speaks to all the godly in Solomon 2 Sam. 7.14 15. I will be his father and he shall be my son if he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men but my mercy will I not take away In these places sin is expresly made the cause of those afflictions and it is a poor evasion to say this was in the Old Testament for was not the chastisement of the godly mens peace in the Old Testament laid upon Christ as well as in the New but their folly herein and their contradiction to themselves will be abundantly shewed in answering their objections 2. In the places that do assert Gods judging of his people and rebuking of them and they are divers 1 Cor. 11. For this cause many are sick and weak where again you have not only the affliction but the cause why viz. irreverent prophaning of that Sacrament Thus James 5.14 Is any man sick Let him call for the Elders and let them pray for him and if he have committed sins saith the Text they shall be forgiven him There is none but hath committed sins yet the Apostle makes such an if because he speaks of such sins that may provoke God to lay that sicknesse upon him Thus in the Old Testament Psal 99.8 Thou forgavest them though thou tookâ—st vengeance on their inventions Here the Psalmist cals the chastisements upon those whose sins were forgiven vengeance as in other places his anger is said to smoak against the sheep of his pasture but we must not understand it of vengeance strictly so called as if God would satisfie his justice out of their sufferings 3. From the incouragement to duties by temporal Arguments and threats of temporal afflictions If the godly have these goads then certainly as they may conclude their temporal mercies to be the fruit of their godlinesse which hath the promise of this life and the life to come so they may conclude that their afflictions are the effects of their evil waies which have the threatning of this life and the life to come only here is this difference that the outward good mercies are not from their godlinesse by way of merit or causality but their afflictions are so because of their sins Hence the Apostle urgeth the godly Heb. 12.19 with this that even our God is a consuming fire Thus 1 Pet. 3.10 11. He that will love life and see good daies let him eschue evil and do good So that the Scripture pressing to holinesse because of outward good mercies and to keep from sin because of external evils and pressing these to the godly doth evidently declare this truth and certainly the Apostle speaking of the godly Rom. 8.10 saith the body is dead because of sin for by body Beza doth well understand our mortal body and not the mass of sin as some interpret it 4. From the comparison God useth concerning his afflictions upon his people and that is to be a father in that act correcting of them Thus Heb. 12.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. compare this with Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke now rebuke is alwaies for some fault and this is further cleared because he makes this conclusion be zealous therefore and repent therefore sin was precedent Now in these places God compareth himself to a Father and beleevers to children and we all know that fathers never correct but for sin it would be ridiculous to say the father whips the childe from sin not for sin It is true he doth it from sin by way of prevention to the future yet for sin also The Antinomian saith this is spoken of many beleevers together where some were not converted but this is weak because the persons whom he reproveth God is said to love them and they are children not bastards Again he saith There is no sin mentioned therefore it was not for sin But I answer the very comparison of God with a Father correcting his childe doth evidently argue it was for sin though it be not expressed 5. From the command not to despise or to make little account of Gods afflictions but to humble our selves and search out our waies Why should this be spoken but because they are for our sins Heb. 12.5 Despise not the chastening of God neither faint when thou art rebuked of him Where two things may seem to be forbidden though some make them all one one not to faint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a metaphore from those who faint in the race through languor and dissolution of minde The other is in the other extream not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to despise or to
aggravate their sin under this notion that it was in Gods sight that he especially beheld it and was offended with it and this aggravation the Prophet Nathan doth set home upon David 2 Sam. 12.9 why hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do this evil in his sight Now this would be a falshood by the adversaries Doctrine and not fit to be confessed by the justified but rather to be looked upon as robbing God of his glory Let us observe the places Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Observe that in thy sight Therefore God did see and take notice so as to be displeased with David and of all considerations this did most wound and break his heart so that indeed the Antinomian Doctrine doth properly overthrow that which is the choisest ingredient in godly sorrow viz. because God is angry For what is Davids meaning but this Although men do not know how wicked I was in the matter of Vriah and Bathsheba yet thou doest and although the world would flatter me yet as long as thou art angry I can have no peace Haec regula tenenda est si vero paenitentiae sensu imbui velimus saith Calvin upon the place that is this rule is to be observed when at any time we would be truly affected in a way of repentance This Argument seemeth to be Cogent but see what an answer the Antinomian giveth whereby you may see that true of Tertullian that besides the poëtica and pictoria tertia jam est eaque haeretica licentia besides the boldnesse of Poets and Painters to invent any thing there is a third and that is of Hereticks The Answer is this David doth here judge according to his sense and feeling what he was to finde at Gods hand by the Law so that he doth not speak this according to their divinity in a way of faith but sense and failing and therefore the Author doth compare this with that place Ps 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off Oh boldnesse Shall David be thought in hast and rashnesse to say Against thee have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Then all the other verses Have mercy on me Thou delightest in truth may be said by David to be spoken in hast How unpardonable is this error to make that which was a speciall tendernesse of godly sorrow upon David to be a part of his humane weaknesse But saith the Author he speaketh in the Gospel-way afterwards when he saith purge me and I shall be whiter then Snow But in what sense that is true you have already heard when a grosse actuall sin is committed is repented of the sinfull act is quite passed away and gone the guilt by forgivenesse is quite extinct and so as to that respect remission of sin doth make us as white as Snow But it is not thus with original sin whose guilt though removed yet the proper stain of it doth still abide but of this more when we declare what that is which doth denominate a sinner Therefore David doth not here speak contradictions but his soul may be made white by Justification and yet in the committing of new sins God be angry and much offended with him A second Text to this purpose is Psal 90.8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance Where Moses the pen-man of the Psalm speaks in the behalf of the Church then afflicted that God had put their sins before him so that God did not only take notice of them to chastise them but he put them before his eyes How the sin of a justified man may at the same time be covered and yet put before God is to be shewed in answering their Objections And the Text to put the matter out of all doubt addeth in close they are before the light of his countenance which is very emphaticall God as is to be shewed hath in the Scripture a three-fold eye to our purpose the eye of omnisciency which the Antinomian will grant and all agree in the eye of his anger which they deny and an eye of condemnation which the Papist pleads for now we go further then the Antinomian we say God hath an eye of omnisciency and of anger upon the sins of justified persons but not so far as the Papist to say he hath the eye of condemnation upon them You would think this Text stood unmoveable but let us hear how they would shake it First It may be said that these are places in the Old Testament whereas they speak of Beleevers under the New I answer first The chiefest places which they bring for seeing no sin are in the Old Testament Thus God seeth no iniquity in Jacob Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow Thou art all fair my love Their sins shall be blotted out These places and the like were true in the Old Testament and applied particularly to the godly Jews then living by way of comfort to them as the context plainly evidenceth Secondly As I shewed in the Treatise of the Law there can be no sound reason given why God should see sin in the justified person then and not now For did not God elect them from all eternity Were not they in Christ and their sins laid upon Christ Now these are the great Arguments why God seeth no sin in beleevers as they hold and were not all these as verificable upon the godly in the Old Testament 2. It may be answered that Moses speaks here in the behalf of the whole Church then and there were many among them that were not justified But this is easily taken away 1. The Scripture speaks universally and Moses reckoneth himself in the number with them 2. The calamity was generall and who can say none of the Justified suffered under it and this chaftising of them is that which is called setting of sins before Gods face Lastly Some places of Scripture which they bring and the chiefest ones for seeing no sin in beleevers are universal as this is and spoken of the whole Church thus my Text The iniquity of Judah and Israel shall be sought for and not found so God seeth no iniquity in Jacob that is spoken of the body of them when yet they must acknowledge all were not justified among them I will name one place more in this rank and that is Luke 15.21 Where you have a confession of a penitent son I have sinned against heaven and before thee This penitent was a son and therefore calleth God Father and indeed he could not cease to be a son therefore he doth not say I am not thy son but I am not worthy to be called thy son As for Grotius his observation upon the place Haec fabula declarat quod omnes homines sunt ortu filii Dei sedâ—eâ— jure excidunt semet à Deo alienando that
the imperfection being done away by Christ But in their way as God takes no notice of Pauls sinfull motions to be offended at them so neither of all his labourings and sufferings in the Gospel way Lastly If the Spirit of God do only mortifie as to our feeling and not to Gods sight then when the soul departs into glory all that inherent purity must only be declaratively also but in heaven we are made holy perfectly in Gods sight and that without any imputed righteousnesse of Christ though Christ did purchase and obtain that for us Now what the Spirit of God doth finish and consummate upon the souls dissolution he had begun even in this life A third sort of Arguments is from those places which commend repentance humiliation and godly sorrow for sin for if God takes no notice of our sin be not offended at it we may indeed be sorrowfull for sin because of men but not because of God Shall I be sorrowfull because God is offended when he is not offended shall I weep because God is angry when he is not angry If you ask Peter why he weeps bitterly will he not say Because he offended God If you ask the Corinthians why they are so deeply humbled will not they say because by their sins they provoked God to bring temporal calamities upon them so that the poisonous nature of this Doctrine appeareth in nothing more then in this it taketh away all grounds of humiliation and repentance of sin in those that do believe Therefore mark it He that saith there is no sin in the Church of God now which is their express opinion he must likewise say There is no godly sorrow in the Church of God now For what is the reason there can be no godly sorrow in heaven there was none in the state of innocency but because there was no sin there and it must be thus now in the Church of God This error eateth into the vitals of godlinesse therefore beware of it Say I will have no such free grace as shall take away godly sorrow Remember the gracious Promise Zech. 12. where God promiseth a spirit of prayer and mourning for sin as well as to blot out sin he shall not obtain the promise for the later that feeleth not the promise for the former And certainly if this Doctrine were true why did Paul say Though I made you sorry I did not repent We Ministers ought to repent that ever we made you sorry and you are to repent that ever you have been sorrowfull A fourth kinde is from all those places where God is said so to take notice of the sins of justified persons as that he doth grievously afflict them for their transgressions This Argument doth properly and directly overthrow the whole Antinomian assertion but because I have largely proved this already I will not insist on it To make good their assertion that God seeth no sin they are forced also to hold that all the afflictions upon the godly are only trials of their faith preservatives from sin but not correctives for sin But did not God see sin in Moses when for his unbelief he kept him out of Canaan Did not he see sin in David though pardoned grievously chastising him afterwards Did he not see sin in Jonah who would fain have run from Gods face that he might not have seen him Did he not see sin in the Corinthians when many of them were sick and weak for abusing the Ordinances yet many of them were such that therefore were chastened that they might not be condemned of the Lord. There are more arguments but at this time I conclude with an use of exhortation to broken-hearted and contrite sinners again and again to meditate upon the great and glorious expressions which the Scripture useth about forgivenesse of sin Your fears and doubs are so great that only such great remedies can cure you Tell me ye afflicted and wounded for sin is not this the best oyl that can be poured into your sores Tell me ye spiritual Lazarusses that lie at the gate of God daily who is rich in mercy desiring the very crumbs that fall from this table of grace are you thankfull because God provideth food and raiment and not much rather because of a pardon how great is Gods goodnesse he might have removed us out of his sight and he hath done so to our sins he might have thrown us into the bottom of hell and he hath cast our iniquities into the bottom of the sea he might have blotted our names out of the book of life and he hath blotted out our sins from his remembrance LECTURE VIII JEREMIAH 50.20 In those daies and at that time the iniquity of Judah shall be sought for and it shall not be found c A Fifth rank of arguments is from those places of Scripture wherein the people of God in their petitions and supplications doe necessarily imply this truth that God seeth taketh notice and is angry with their sins Now all petitions use to be in a two-fold faith one applicative and fiduciall the other doctrinall and assertive which is the foundation of the former If a Papist pray for the deliverance of any out of purgatory it is a vain prayer because there is not a theologicall verity to ground his prayer upon thus a Socinian cannot truly pray to God in Christ because he hath not a dogmaticall or assenting faith to the truth of Christs divine nature and so cannot have a fiduciall faith in the same Thus it would be with the people of God how can they in their prayers entreat God to turn away his anger from them to hide his face from their sins if he were not indeed angry Now that the petitions of Gods people are for this end will appear by severall places I shall not here mention that petition we are directed to in the Lords prayer viz. forgive us our sins for that is a noble instance and deserveth a single consideration of its self but we have many other instances as Psa 51.9 Hide thy face from my sins It is plain by this praier Gods face and so his eyes were upon Davids sins though justified and that a godly man falling into grievous sins hath them not presently covered from Gods eyes for his meaning by this phrase is that God would not regard them to visit them on him the contrary whereof is Psa 119.15 Let their sin be continually before thee and this is observable that David doth again and again petition for pardon whereby is shewed how difficult a thing it is to obtain the favour of God after we have offended him by our sins Neither let that be replied that this is done by Believers in the Old Testament for Paul bringeth a proof from Psa 32.1 to shew what is the nature of Justification even under the Gospel And that I may once for all this dissolve this objection of theirs I shall handle distinctly this question
Whether the Justification of believers under the Old Testament and New be not uniform and altogether the same which is to be affirmatively maintained and therefore remit you to that question For the present we see how David here doth twice and thrice with much vehemency desire that Gods face would not be upon his sins Here may be one considerable question made seeing Nathan the Prophet had told David his sin was forgiven him Was not this great unbelief and diffidence to pray for pardon after that consolation To this it may be answered 1. That Nathans comfort might be given after this penitential Psalm for although 2 Sam. 12.13 the History makes mention of Nathans oyl poured into David as soon as ever he was wounded yet it is a frequent thing in Scripture to have those things immediatly connected in story when yet there was a great distance in the practice But grant it was immediatly upon Davids repentance yet faith in God for pardon may well stand with prayer for pardon The deep sense and feeling of Gods offence cannot but provoke to earnest petition though faith at the same time perswadeth the heart God will hear Hence David doth not here pray in unbelief thinking God would not pardon him therefore some translate v. 7. in the future tense Thou wilt purge me with hysop because of his assurance Again though God removed Davids sin in respect of condemnation yet not in respect of all other effects of his anger for so his sin did still lie as a burden on him and in this respect he still seeketh Gods face In the next place consider Psa 32.1 3 4. Of all parts of the Scripture the Psalms have this excellency that they do in a lively experimental way set forth the gracious works of God upon the soul and David doth in many Psalms still as it were play upon the Harp to drive out the evil spirit of unbelief and diffidence out of a mans heart Now this Psalm is a most excellent directory for the obtaining of pardon after sin committed wherein David being for a while grievously crushed by Gods anger for his sins at last feeling the Sun-shine of his favour breaking through the clouds he doth in the beginning of the same joyfully break out admiring the happines of those who have their sins pardoned and he doth in several words repeat the same benefit because of the excellency of it and certainly were your hearts touched with the sense of Gods displeasure for sin neither riches nor good trading or any advantage in the world would so glad your heart as to have a pardon of sin For how cometh David to be thus affected with forgivenesse of his sins even because he confessed it not was not humbled under it till Gods wrath was heavy upon him and then he resolved to acknowledge it whereupon God immediatly forgiveth him Now lest any should think What is this to us in the times of the Gospel observe v. 6. For this every one that is godly shall pray unto thee that is for this remission for this pardon every one that is godly shall pray so that its ungodlinesse by Davids judgement not to confesse sin or to pray for the pardon which how can any Antinomian do by his principles that holdeth God seeth not or taketh notice so as to be offended with the sins of justified persons and so they are not only Antinomists but Anti Confessionists Anti-Petitionists and Anti-penitents Take one more instance Psa 6.1 where David prayeth God would not rebuke him in his hot displeasure Compare this with Jer. 10.24 where you see the servants of God do suppose an anger from God will fall on them for their sins and they do not refuse his rebukes only they desire God would moderate and set bounds to his wrath that it may not overwhelm them Many other places there are where its plain the people of God praying do suppose him to be angry with them for their sins and it is a truth so ingraven in the heart of a godly man that no error can ever quite obliturate it A sixth sort of Arguments shall be from those places where God is said to take notice of our sin more then we can or do 1 Joh. 3.18 19 20. where the Apostle presseth believers to a sincere love of one another with this Argument that hereby we shall assure our hearts before him the Greek word signifyeth to perswade and doth excellently set forth the difficulty of being assured in Gods presence Now this great benefit he illustrates by the contrary if our hearts condemn us God is greater then our hearts and this holdeth universally in every holy duty as well as that of love if our hearts condemn us for hypocrisie and insincerity in them God doth much more for he knoweth more evil by our selves then we do Now how can this Apostolicall assertion be true if so be God took no notice or were not offended at the sins of his people It s an argument of sweet meditation to humble us that if where there is but a drop of grace our sins are so lothsome and offensive how much more must they be to the ocean of all purity To this the Antinomian replieth Honey-Comb p 89. that John speaks this of hypocrites and not the justified children of God But 1. he gives the expresse title of little children to them ver 18. and my little children so that he taketh upon him the bowels of a father to them Again let it be granted that he describes hypocrites yet there is no godly man but this text will in some sense belong to there is no man so godly but he hath some hypocrisie and insincerity in his best love there is that worm in his best fruit that drosse in his best gold It followeth then by proportion that so far as the godly do discern imperfections and insincerity in their duties so far they are to be humbled before God who knoweth much more by them then they discern as you see little moats are discerned by the Sun-beams in the Air which were not discerned before therefore when John addeth If our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence with God his meaning is not as if we could have no confidence where our hearts doe condemn us in some degrees for then none in the world could have confidence but he speaks of condemning our selves upon a discovery of a total and wilful hypocrisie and so we will indeed grant that he speaks of hypocrites but yet it proveth as much as we desire namely that where there is any condemnation of our selves for any degree of insincerity in any duty we are to tremble and to remember that God is greater then our hearts knoweth more by us and so his wrath might break out hotter then we can imagine Neither is the former answer weakned though we grant it to be understood of total hypocrites for it is usuall with the Apostle to threaten even
his people now in heaven is an Ocean of infinite comfort LECTURE IX JER 50.20 In those dayes and at that time the iniquity of Judah shall be sought for and there shall be none c. I Shall now conclude with the last sort of Arguments which are from those Scriptures that speak how God is affected with his people when they have sinned which affections do necessarily imply Gods seeing of sin so as to be angry with them yea in some respects Gods anger is more to them then others and we say in some sense God doth more see and take notice of the sins of believers then others The places of Scripture which speak in what manner God takes the sins of believers are these Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God c. where the godly in their sins are said to grieve Gods Spirit Now can the Spirit of God which is also God be grieved to speak after the manner of men at our sins and not take notice of them certainly if they grieve God they ought to grieve us let us not neglect that which the Spirit of God is so offended with This place seemeth to be taken out of Isa 63.10 They vexed his holy Spirit So that it is such a grieving as doth vex and imbitter the holy Spirit of God O what a dreadfull consideration should this be against all falshoods in this point Doth not God doth not the Spirit of God take notice of thy corruptions yet it is grieved and vexed at them furthermore the aggravation of this sin is seen in that it is against the Spirit that doth seal us to the day of redemption A Metaphor saith Zanchy in loc from Merchants who having bought such goods seal them as their own that so leaving others they may transport them Now for the godly to sin it is to deface this seal and if it be so great an offence to violate humane seals how much more divine Observe likewise that passage of God to Moses Ex. 4.14 where Moses out of the sense of his infirmity refusing the office God called him to twice or thrice it is said The Lords wrath was kindled against him In the Hebrew it is very emphatical The fury of the Lord was angry against Moses and the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which expression was signified God was not lightly but grievously angry with him So Ps 74.1 the Church crieth out Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture and in many other places Now can God be angry and that in so high a degree with that which he doth not see or take notice of It is true Isidor Pelus l. 1. ep 144. will not suffer that notice and affliction which God layeth upon us to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but then anger is to be taken in a strict sense for punishment by way of satisfaction but otherwise the Scripture doth frequently use this word and that of God to his own people yea vengeance which is more Ps 96.8 But that it may the better appear how great the guilt of sin in believers even in the sight of God is and what his account is of it take notice of these particulars First What the Scripture stiles them 1 Sam. 2.29 There God reproveth Eli in his indulgence about his sons with this remarkable expression Thou honourest thy sons above me Is not this an aggravation which God taketh notice of and yet Eli did reprove his sons but because he failed in the measure of zeal therefore is God thus angry with him so that God doth not only see the grosse sins committed by his people but a lesse measure of their graces and is angry for that So Rev. 2. because the Church abated in her first love and her works were not perfect therefore doth God threaten her As the godly are said to honour the creature above him when they sin so they are likewise said to despise God and can God but be offended with them that despise him 1 Sam. 2.13 They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed saith God again to Eli. Thus likewise to David 2 Sam. 12.9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord God cannot but take notice of that which is a despising and contemning of him As their sins are a despising of God so are they said to displease God which cannot be if God see no sin for if God see no sin it is all one in reference to God whether a believer wallow in the mire of sin or whether he live holily so that this Doctrine must needs eat and consume like a Gangrene Is God as well pleased with Peter denying Christ as Peter repenting as much pleased with David in his adultery and murder as when making his penitential Psalm The Papists indeed would fasten such prodigious consequences upon the Protestants Doctrine but they abhor it whereas it followeth naturally from the Antinomian assertion Indeed the Orthodox say David and Peter in their lapses did not fall from the state or grace of Iustification but wherein the Antinomian and they differ is hereafter to be shewen That God is thus displeased with justified persons when they thus sin is plain 2 Sam. 11.29 where what we translate displeased according to the original is was evil in the eyes of the Lord where you see expresse Scripture That God did see sin in David because that which he had done was evil in Gods eyes so again 1 Chron. 21.7 Davids numbering of the people is said to be evil in the eyes of the Lord. Thus the very letter of the Scripture is against them Lastly Their sins are offences against God and can God be offended with that which he doth not behold Elihu speaks true and excellent Doctrine Iob 34.32 though he erred in the application Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have born chastisement I will offend no more where he acknowledgeth That chastisements are for sins and that sins are offences If then the sins of Gods people are a dishonour to him a despising of him a displeasing of him they are evil in his eyes and an offence to him it cannot be but that he must see sin in his people Secondly The Scripture describeth Gods threatning and upbraiding of them with all his kindnesses he did to them so that God doth not only take notice of them but in the several aggravations of their ingratitude and unkindnesse unto him in all that they offend Thus observe Gods dealing with Eli 1 Sam. 2.28 Did not I choose thy father out of all the Tribes of Israel to be my Priest to offer upon my Altar Did I not give unto thy father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice What a cutting sword must this needs be in Eli's heart and because the children of God have a Spirit of love in them these upbraidings must needs wound their heart the
expresly mention a place yet he takes this out of the Doctrine of the old Testament for so God did begin first with his people Isa 10.12 Jer. 25.17 18. Ezek. 9.6 begin at my Sanctuary Ezek. 21.4 There God in publique calamities maketh no difference between the righteous and the ungodly now this is so great that the Apostle saith the righteous is hardly saved The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used of those things that with much labour are brought about Act. 14.18 Act. 27.7 These tribulations are so great that they almost destroy the godly themselves see also Jam. 5.13 Is any sick where the godly man is supposed to be sick and the cause if he hath committed sin that is such sins as were the causes of that disease they shall be forgiven him so that even justified persons afflicted by diseases are to inquire what sins the Lord would humble them for and to labour that the sicknesse of the body be the sanctified occasion of the health of the soul 2. Gods anger is seen in bringing extraordinary and unusual calamities upon them because of their sins so that they have strange punishments which even the wicked do many times escape Jonah who endeavoured to flie from Gods face and that he might easily have done by Antinomian Doctrine with what a prodigious judgement was he overtaken Jonah 2. The Prophet cals it the belly of hell and how deeply his soul was afflicted under that punishment appeareth in that he saith his soul fainted within him and he concluded he was cast out of Gods sight He that voluntarily ran from Gods presence doth now bewail that he is cast from it He makes the Whales belly an house of praier and this came up to God in his holy Temple that is Heaven You see by this that God prepareth strange judgements sometimes for those that offend him though his children so in that 1 Cor. 11.30 when he saith that many of the Corinthians were dead for their unworthy receiving it is to be understood of an immature and untimely death they did not live out to the term of those daies that according to natural causes they might have done so that it is the same with being cut off in the old Testament Exod. 12.15 Whosoever did eat the Passeover with leaven was to be cut off from Israel Therefore even godly men may procure to themselves untimely deaths and may provoke God to cut them off in the midst of their years 3. Yea further God may not only afflict them in an extraordinary manner but even strike them with sudden death and that while their sins are upon them I will not instance in Ananias and Saphira nor in Nadab and Abihu though some have thought charitably of them we have a clear instance in Vzzah wherein Gods anger was so apparent by striking him suddenly dead that the thing is said to displease David 2 Sam. 6.7 The anger of God was kindled against Vzzah and he smote him for his error His error was not because he was not a Levite for its plain he was but because they put the Ark upon a new cart whereas they should have carried it upon their shoulders although its thought the carrying of the Ark was limited only to the Levites that were the sons of Kohath and that no other Levite might touch the Ark which if so then it was a second offence against the Law because he touched it and indeed this seemeth to be the proper cause because it was a personal fault of Vzzah whereas the putting of it on a new cart was the error of others besides him Thus Vzzah in his very sins is stricken dead you have likewise another sad example of Ely Lege historiam ne fias historia 1 Sam 4.18 Because he failed in the measure of zeal about the reproof of his sons therefore he fell backward and broke his neck Ely manifested his pious affections in submitting to the hand of God punishing and in being more affected with the publique calamity then his own private yet this is his sad Tragical end 4. Gods anger doth not limit it self to them only but it reacheth even to their children and to those that are dear to them Thus Davids childe is stricken dead for his sin and thus Flies daughter gives up the ghost with sad grief The family both of David and Ely have remarkable calamities following them and all because of their sins When any of Elies posterity shall be forced to crouch for a morsell of bread this is a Memento of Elies sin Here a man may see the seed of the righteous begging bread but for their Parents sins Therefore that of David Psal 36. must not be understood universally That this calamity may the more wound his heart God telleth him what he will do to his house after his death if any were left alive it should be like that indulgence to Cain to carry up and down a token of Gods displeasure and if you ask for how long should this anger of God endure 1 Sam. 3.14 His iniquity must not be purged away from that house for ever Well may the Scripture say that whosoever heareth this judgement of God his ears shall tingle By this instance how watchfull should godly parents be lest for their sins committed a curse should cleave to the family for many generations I acknowledge these calamities as they fel upon Ely a godly man so they were wholsome medicines and fatherly corrections but as they came on his wicked children or posterity continuing in wickednesse so they were strictly and properly punishments Lastly These temporal evils will reach even to the publique Church and State wherein they live so that the sins of godly men may help to pull down publique judgements Thus it was with Hezekiah for his unthankfulnes and pride there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chron. 32.25 so Davids sin in numbring the people it was the death of many thousand in Israel for Elies sin the Israelites are slain in the Army and the Ark is taken Hence you have Esay Daniel and Ezra joining themselves in the number with others who made publike confessions of their sins upon daies of humiliation It is therefore a cursed and secure opinion that faith the godly when they keep Fast-daies do it not because they have any sins that God punisheth bâ—t because of wicked men The Scripture doth manifeâ—t the contrary and the holiest men living do bring some sparks and fire-brands to increase the wrath of God and therefore they ought to bring their buckets for the quenching of it The aggravation of this anger will appear if you consider what kinde of sins they have been for which God hath been so sore displeased and in them enumerated or instanced in you may perceive they were the Belzebub-sins the first-born of iniquities Vzzah failed only in the order God had appointed what he did was out of care and a good intention yet the Lord
his righteous men yet that would not avail us Yea as long as there is but a farthing the least sin unpaid so long are we unable to give an account to God We therefore desire of God that he would not call upon us to pay for the least vain thought or idle word much lesse for those more grievous sins which we have committed As it is Not unto us Lord not unto us let the glory be given so Not of us Lord not of us let thy justice be satisfied 2. We pray That God would lay our sins upon Christ and accept of satisfaction in and through him for seeing God hath declared his will that man shall die for sin if we should pray that God would absolutely forgive our sins it would be to pray that he might be unjust There is a twofold difference between Gods forgivenesse of our sins and our forgiving of others First We may and ought in some cases to forgive others freely without any satisfaction at all but God hath bound himself to another way Yet Gods grace is much to be magnified and extolled in pardon as we shall shew against the Socinian Again secondly We may and ought to forgive others though they do not repent and ask pardon of us but God hath declared his will otherwise we do not therefore pray that God would out of an absolute soveraignty and dominion remit our sins but that he would account them upon Christ and take him for our surety As the Prophets wife who died in debt was wonderfully relieved by the Prophets oyl so that she was enabled to satisfie all her creditors no lesse advantagious is the bloud of Christ to us whereby the justice of God is appeased towards us Therefore in this prayer thus we may argue O Lord we call not upon thee to repeal any threatning to nullifie thy word to become unjust but thy wisedom hath found out a way that we may be pardoned and thou satisfied Neither will this be any injury to Christ to lay them upon him though innocent for this he voluntarily undertook and he is not made a Surety or Mediatour against his will neither in the midst of all his agonies and troubles he grapled with did he repent of his suretiship or desire to give it over so that there goeth more to make this Petition good and possible then did to make the world at first for there it cost Christ but a word Let there be light and there was light but it is not so here Let there be pardon and there shall be pardon besides Christs speaking there must be his doing and suffering 3. As we pray thus for Justification so also for continuance and preservation in it As we pray for daily bread though our store be full so Though our Justification be sure and persevering yet by prayer we are to be preserved in it A certain knowledge and faith of a thing takes not away prayers we know certainly God will gather a Church and preserve it to the end of the world yet we pray Thy Kingdom come Paul knew Act. 27.24 that none in the Ship with him should perish because God had given him their lives yet none can doubt but he prayed for their preservation as well as used other means Howsoever now grievous sins committed by a David or Peter may fasten upon them as the Viper upon Pauls hand yet by the grace of God they shall not be able to unstate them out of Gods favour but at last their repentance will revive and so they will sue out a pardon and certainly Gods power and grace is no less seen in preserving of us in the state of Justification then at first justifying us 4. We do not only pray for preservation in this estate but for daily renewed acts of pardon and imputation of Christs righteousnesse Howsoever as in the controversal part is to be shewed Justification is not reiterated but is a state in which we were at first believing put into without Apostacy from it either total or final yet those particular acts of pardon and imputing of Christs righteousness are continually by God communicated unto us neither may we think That our sins past present and to come are all taken away by one sentence so that there is no new or iterated pardon Then indeed Bellarmines Argument would have strength in it That it were as absurd to pray for forgivenesse of sin as to have Christ new incarnated or that we might be predestinated according as some have falsly said Si non sis praedestinatus ora ut praedestineris If thou art not predestinated pray that thou mayest be We might indeed pray for the believing of these things in a more setled manner but not for the things themselves But this is the proper answer to Bellarmines Objection We pray for pardon of sin and not for the Incarnation of Christ or the making of the world because these were so once done that they are never to be done more The Incarnation of Christ was once done and is not to be done again but remission of sin is so done as that it is continually to be done for us and the ultimate compleat effect of it will then only be when sin shall be quite taken away so that a total and full remission will be only at the day of Judgement as appeareth Act. 3.19 That your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come Not but that every sin here forgiven is fully and perfectly forgiven but because we renew sin daily therefore there is need of a daily pardon Away therefore with all such opinions as shall either plead such an inherent righteousnesse in the Pelagian way or such an imputed righteousnesse in the Antinomian way that will overthrow this Petition for forgivenesse of sins If all thy former sins be forgiven and no pardon for future thy case would be desperate for sin like Samsons hair though it be cut yet it will grow again and come to great strength 5. We pray for the sense and feeling of this pardon in our consciences more and more For although God hath pardoned our sin yet if we know not of this it taketh off much from our comfort and Gods glory we are in this case like some Heir or Prince that hath many temporal dignities but by reason of his infancy doth not understand it Hence David though Nathan told him His sin was pardoned yet Ps 51. he prayeth for mercy and pardon and that in a plentifull manner so that although a sin is perfectly remitted so that it cannot be more of lesse forgiven then it is yet the assurance or knowledge of this may be more or lesse and indeed though to have sins pardoned be an objective happiness yet to know that they are pardoned is formal happiness so that he is compleatly happy who both hath his sins pardoned and also knoweth they are so and this made David Ps 103. so exult and rejoyce
it self it is plain by all those places of Scripture which make repentance requisite to pardon Ezek. 14.6 Ezek. 18.30 Mat. 3.2 Luk. 13.3 The learned Dr Twisse Vind. grat p. 18. confesseth that there are Arguments on both sides in the Scripture Sometimes he saith Pardon of sin is subjoyned to confession and repentance of which sort he confesseth there are more frequent and expresse places but yet sometimes remission of sin already obtained is made an argument to move to repentance and he instanceth in David and Mary Magdalen who did abundantly and plentifully break out into tears upon the sense of pardon But these instances are not to the purpose for David repented of his wicked ness before Nathan told him That his sin was taken away and his penitential Psalm was not made so much for the first pardon of his sin as the confirming and assuring of him in his pardon Thus it was also with Mary Magdalen But more of this in time 4. There is a necessity of Repentance if we would have pardon both by a necessity of precept or command as also by a necessity of means and a way Whatsoever is necessary Necessitate medii by a necessity of means or a way is also necessary by a necessity of command though not è contra That repentance is necessary by way of a command is plain by the places fore-quoted and in innumerable other places I do not handle the case Whether an actual or explicite repentance be necessary to salvation of every sinner but I speak in the general It is disputed Whether it be a natural precept or a meer positive command and if it be a natural or moral command to which command it is reduced Those that would have it under the command of Thou shalt not kill as if there were commanded a care of our souls that they should not be damned are ignorant of the true limits and bounds of the several Commandments It s disputed also When this time of repentance doth binde It is a wonder that some should limit it only to times of danger and fear of death Certainly this command binds as soon as ever a man hath sinned Venenata inducias non patiuntur A man that hath swallowed down poison is not to linger but presently to expell it And one that is wounded who lieth bleeding doth presently dispatch with all readinesse for Physitians to have his bloud stopt and thus ought men to take the first opportunity Hence in that famous miracle wrought at the pool of Bethesda not the second or third but he that stept first into it was the only man that was healed As repentance is thus necessary by way of command so also by way of means for the Spirit of God worketh this in a man to qualifie him for this pardon So that although there be no causality condignity or merit in our repentance yet it is of that nature that God doth ordain and appoint it a way for pardon So that the command for repentance is not like those positive commands of the Sacraments wherein the will of the Law-giver is meerly the ground of the duty but there is also a fitnesse in the thing it should be so even as among men nature teacheth That the injurious person should be sorry and ask forgivenesse before he be pardoned 5. Concerning this duty of repentance there are two extream practical mistakes the one is of the prophane secure man who makes every empty and heartlesse invocation of mercy to be the repentance spoken of in the Scripture whereas repentance is a duty compounded of many ingredients and so many things go to the very essence yea the lowest degree of godly sorrow that by Scripture-rules we may say Repentance is rarely to be seen any where for if you do regard the nature of it it is a broken and a contrite heart Now how little of the heart is in most mens humiliations Men being Humiliati magis quam humiles as Bernard said humbled and brought low by the hand of God rather then humble and lowly in their own souls Again if you consider the efficient cause it is from the Spirit of God the spring of sorrow must arise from this hill Zech. 12. Rom. 8. Further if you consider the motive it must be because God is displeased and offended because sin is against an holy law and so of a staining and polluting nature Lastly If you consider the effect and fruit of repentance it is an advised forsaking and utter abandoning of all those lusts and iniquities in whose fetters they were before chained so that a man repenting and turned unto God differs as much from himself once a sinner as a Lazarus raised up and walking differs from himself dead and putrifying in the grave Do not thou then whose heart is not contrite who dost continually lick up the vomit of thy sin promise to thy self repentance No thou art far from this duty as yet On the other side There is a contrary mistake and that is sometimes by the godly soul and such as truly fear God They think not repentance enough unlesse it be enlarged to such a measure and quantity of sorrow as also extended to such a space of time and by this means because they cannot tell when they have sorrowed enough or when their hearts are broken as they should be they are kept in perpetual labyrinths and often through impatience do with Luther in such a temptation Wish they never had been made men but any creatures rather because of the doubts yea the hell they feel within themselves Now although it be most profitable bitterly to bewail our sins and to limit no time yet a Christian is not to think Pardon doth not belong to him because his sorrow is not so great and sensible for sin as he desireth it David indeed doth not only in his soul but even bodily expresse many tears yea rivers because of his sin and other mens sins yet it is a good rule That the people of God if they have sorrow in the chiefest manner appretiativè though not intensivè by way of judgment and esteem so that they had rather any affliction should befall them then to sin against God if this be in them though they have not such sensible intense affections they may be comforted When the Apostle John makes this argument He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how shall he love God whom he hath not seen implieth That things of sense do more move us then matter of faith David made a bitter out-cry upon the death of Absolom with sad expressions Would to God I had died for thee O Absolom my son my son c. But when Nathan told him of his Adultery and Murder though he confessed his sin yet we reade not that he made such sensible lamentation Thus Hierom writeth of a godly woman Paula that at the death of her children would be so dejected that she did hardly escape death yet
affection and turning of bowels within him proclaim this truth as David did What is said of Pauls Epistles is also true of Davids Psalms Nunquam Davidis mentem intelliges nisi prius Davidis spiritum imbiberis You can never fully understand Davids meaning unlesse you be possessed with Davids spirit Now that you may be moved hereunto consider the motive in the Text and the means to get it The motive is blessednesse a man is never an happy man till his sinnes be pardoned What makes hell and damnation but meerly not forgivenesse thy wealth thy greatnesse thy honours cannot bring that happinesse to thee which remission of sins doth Hence this is the cause of all other blessednesse And observe here is a great deal of difference between this place Blessed is the man whose sinnes are pardoned and those Texts where he is said to be blessed that feareth alwaies or he is said to be blessed that walketh not in the waies of the wicked for in the Text is shewed the cause or fountain of blessednesse viz. remission of sinne but in other places there is only deciphered who they are that are blessed A man that feareth is blessed but his fear is not the cause of his blessednesse A man that liveth godly is blessed but his godlinesse is not the cause of his blessednesse but his pardon of sin makes him blessed in all his graces Thou art blessed not because thou praiest hearest livest holily but because God doth forgive all thy sins and imperfections in these duties If therefore your graces your holy duties are not the cause of your blessednesse never think your outward mercies can be The means to obtain this is in the Text by having no guile in the heart that is by not hiding our sins but repenting of them and confessing them to God For this saith David every one shall pray unto thee in an acceptable time for this that is for this remission and because thou wast so ready to forgive when I said I will confesse my sin Therefore shall every one seek to thee where by the way let none abuse that place vers 5. David said he would confesse and God forgave it David did but say it and God pardoned it so some have descanted upon it But to say there according to the use of the Hebrew word in some places is firmly to purpose and decree so resolvedly that he will be diligent in the practice of iâ— Doe not therefore think that a meer lip-labour is that brokennesse and contrition of spirit which God requireth as the means to pardon LECTURE XXVI PSAL. 51.9 Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities YOu have heard of the peculiar usefulnesse of the Psalms in respect of our conditions or temptatians What some Authours I know not upon what ground have said of the manna that it had the taste of all delicate meats in it and gave a respective rellish to what every palate desired this may be truly affirmed of the Psalms they have a respective direction or comfort to every ones affliction or temptation Hence they have been called by some the little Bible or the Bible of the Bible for although all the stars be of a quintessâ—ntiall matter as the Philosophers say yet one star differs from another in glory And this Psalm among the rest hath no mean excellency or usefullnâ—sse it being a spirituall Apothecaries shop wherein are choice antidotes against the guilt and filth of sin so that every one may say that of this Psalm which Luther of another O Psalme Tueris meus Psalmus Thou shalt be my Psalm The occasion of this Psalm is set down very diligently and punctually in the inscription it was made when Nathan reproved David for his adultery after he had gone in to Bathsheba The Hebrew word is translated in the time past and so those that excuse Naaman 2 King 5.18 translate those words wherein Naaman begs for pardon for his bowing down in the house of Rimmon in the time past Thus pardon thy servant when my master went into the house of Rimmon-and I bowed my self And they bring this inscription of the Psalm to confirm such a translation We are in this Psalm to look upon humbledâ—or â—or his grievous sins as a Job sitting upon the dunghil abhorring himself because of the ulcers and loathsomenesse upon him or like a wretched Lazarus full of sores lying at Gods throne who is rich in mercy For mercy is the scope of the Psalm which he praieth for in the negative effects of it such as blotting out of his favour c. and in the positive effects thereof such as creating a new heart filling him with joy and gladnesse c. And this Petition is enforced with several arguments from Gods multitude of mercies from his confession and acknowledgement with a ready submission to all Gods chastisements from the pronenesse of every one to sin because of that original corruption seated in him from the good effect this pardon shall work upon him he will teach transgressours Gods waies so that his sinnes as well as his graces shall instruct others My Text is a praier about that negative effect of mercy which is expressed in two Petitions to the same purpose The first is Hide thy face from my sins The Scriptures give a face to God in a two-fold sense There is the face of his favour and his love This David in the 11th verse praieth God would not take from him And there is the face of his anger and his indignation This David perceiveth upon him and against him wherefore he desireth God would hide it from him So that it is an expression from a guilty person who cannot endure the just Judge should look upon him or rather from a childe offending who cannot bear the frowns of his father casting his eyes upon him David hath that filth and guilt now upon him which he knoweth God cannot behold but with much wrath and indignation therefore he praieth God would not look on him You see here David acknowledging That God doth see and take notice of the sins of justified persons in a most provoked manner This praier is expressed to the same sense in the next Petition Blot out all mine iniquities wherein consider the mercy praied for Blot out a metaphor as you have heard from merchants that cancell their debts or as the Suâ—doth dissipate and cause the cloud to vanish 2. The extent of the object all my iniquities Whether this extend to future sins so that all sins past present and futâ—re are pardoned together shall be considered in the second place From the first Petition Observe That God seeth and taketh notice of in a most angry and provoked manner the hainous and gross sins which a Believer hath plunged himself into For this reason David praieth God would turn away his eyes and face from him even as the sore eyes desire to have the light removed as being unable to
bear it And this aggravation of Gods seeing it he mentioneth also vers 4. Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight That God did see it and was offended did more trouble him then the eyes of all the world upon him So 2 Sam. 11.27 where this History is related there is this peculiar brand upon Davids sin that what he had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord therefore God did see it and take notice of it so as to be displeased with it This Doctrine is worthy of all diligent examination both because it will be a strong Antidote to keep Gods people from scandalous gross sins as also to inform how far in such sins the people of God make a breach upon their peace with God and claim to the Covenant of Grace And although this Question hath been vexed in some respects with the scratching claws of the Schoolmen yet I shall endeavour not to be so ill a seedsman as to sowe among thorns nor as one of the Ancients alludes Plantare nemus Aristotelicum juxta altare Dei Plant Aristotles dark Grove near Gods Altar And for the clearer proceeding in this great Point I shall consider the Doctrine briefly in the hypothesi as it was Davids case and then in thesi as it may be any believers condition for David take notice of two things First The aggravation of his sin Secondly Of the evil befalling him because of it Davids sin is at large mentioned 2 Sam. 11. where you have several aggravations of this ungodly act First He was a King and so his wickedness was the greater by how much his person was greater Men in place being like the Sun which if in an eclipse causeth much destructive alteration to inferiours Secondly A man advanced by God to special mercies both temporall and spirituall and for him to sinne thus we may cry out What ailest thou O Jordan to runne backward Thirdly The nature of the sin was a very gross one against the light of an Heathens conscience to deflour his neighbours wife Fourthly It was a trespass against his faithful servant Vriah who was venturing his life to preserve David This was horrible ingratitude Fifthly This aggravation God addeth That he had many other wives and for him as Nathan wisely reproved him to go and take the poor mans lamb who had only that this was to become very guilty Sixthly Here was great deliberation and consultation how to cover the matter and to make Vriah the father of it O where is Davids heart that it doth not smite him all this while Seventhly To bring this wretched plot about hâ— sends Vriah with letters to Joab for his own destruction Doth not David here that which he condemned and prayed against so much in others lie in wait like a Lion to devour the poor innocent Eighthly His sin becomes more hainous in that to colour this he will have Vriah and many other innocent persons set in the fore-front on purpose to be killed and afterwards with most transcendent hypocrisie excuseth it with this The battel fals alike to all So that here is a sinne with many sins complicated in it Ninthly When all this is done David takes Bathsheba to wife delights in her and rejoyceth with her Tenthly To make his sinne out of measure sinful after these horrid sins committed thus against natural light as well as spiritual we finde no remorse of conscience no trouble of heart till Nathan the Prophet come and arouse him But presently upon his Reproof How doth this Mountain melt like wax before the fire And therefore let no man encourage himself with Davids sin unless he finde in himself also Davids Repentance And therefore in the second place take notice what way God takes to break him and how much displeasure of God fell upon him First He hath great terrour and trouble upon him which he expresseth by the most exquisite torment that is viz. Broken bones It was with him as if all his bones were brayed and pounced together Thus fearful is it to fall into the hands of the living God who even to his own people is a consuming fire As the Sunne which useth to dart forth resplendent beams of lustre by grosse and thick clouds is darkned and obscured so David who heretofore rejoyced in God took comfort in his Promises doth now like Dives beg for one drop of comfort and findes a great Gulf between that and him insomuch that it cannot come to him nor he to it Now what are all Davids pleasures all his lustful delights to these wounds of his soul Hath he not bought Repentance at a dear rate Let the godly hear this and tremble and do no such thing Secondly As he found hell thus within him So God was also really displeased his sins were uncancelled till he repented So that Gods displeasure was not only in Davids sense and feeling but in Gods heart also As the earth of his own heart was like iron in respect of the yeelding any fruit of comfort so the Heavens were like brasse God had spoke to his soul to be like the mountains of Gilboa on which no dew of his favour shall fall Therefore he doth not only pray for pardon but plenty and iteration of pardon Multiply to pardon as vers 2. I need pardon again and again I need a plentiful pardon because I have sinned many sins in one sin Now David might justly be more solicitous and fearfull about the pardon of these sins because there was no particular Sacrifice appointed for murder and adultery but an expectation of vengeance either from God or man but this must not be stretched to the Socinian errours as before I have shewed Thirdly He found in himself a loathsomnesse and defiling guilt upon his conscience whereby like Adam he could runne and hide himself that God might not see him Hereupon he prayeth Wash me Cleanse me Purge me O how loathsome and abominable was he in his own eyes if Davids Righteousness be accounted a menstruous cloth or dung by him what debasing and abhorring thoughts must he needs have of his sins He looketh upon himself as the Swine wallowing in mire and the dog licking up his vomit Fourthly He feeleth a spiritual consumption and languish upon him that he cannot exercise any of those graces that he used to do Therefore he prayeth for a principal or voluntary spirit that with delight and strength he may do Gods will David ariseth as Samson when his Hair was cut off thinking to doe such great exploits as he had before but he findes his strength gone Fifthly He discovereth a world of Hypocrisie in his heart and crieth out of that praying for truth in the inward parts He now probably fears himself for an Hypocrite questions whether any truth of grace be in him at all and certainly it might justly amaze and astonish him to consider he could do all that wickedness deliberately in cold bloud without any remorse
way of Justification by faith in Christ ariseth because of our imperfection and sinfulness remaining in us and therefore is justificatio viae not patriae a justification of us in our way not when we come to our home Fourthly Although pardon of sin be compleated at that great day yet this is not to be understood as if Gods pardon of any sin were imperfect and something of sinne did still remain to be done away No those expressions of forgivenes of sin in the Scripture denote such a full and plenary pardon that a sin cannot be more remitted then it is But because we commit new sinnes daily and so need pardon daily Therefore it is that we are not compleatly pardoned till then As also because the perfect pardon we have here shall then solemnly and publikely be declared to all the world These things thus premised I come to shew the grounds or particulars wherein our pardon of sinne is thus compleated And first In our sense and feeling For howsoever God pardon a sinne perfectly yet our faith which receiveth it is weak This Jewell is taken with a trembling and shaking hand Hence it is that we have not full faith and confidence in our spirits We may see this in David though Nathan told him his sinnes were forgiven him yet his faith was not so vigorous and powerfull as wholly to apply this to his own soul and therefore he had much anguish and trouble of heart afterwards But now at the last day all these fears diffidence and darknesse will be quite removed out of our hearts There shall be no more disturbance in our souls then there can be corruption in the highest heavens we shall then have such a gourd as no worm can devour Our souls shall not then know the meaning of sitting in darknesse and wanting Gods favour There will then be no complaints Why hath the Lord forsaken me Well may Gods children be called upon to lift up their heads when such a redemption draweth nigh and well may that day be called the times of refreshment seeing the people of God are so often scorched with the fiery darts of Satan Secondly Pardon of sin will at that day be perfected Because all the effects of pardon will then be accomplished and not so much as any scars remain the wound will be so fully healed Although God doth fully pardon sin yet the effects of this are delaied many chastisements and sad afflictions are to be undergone howsoever death it self and the corruption in the grave must seize upon justified persons now these are the fruit of sin and howsoever the sting of these be taken away yet they are not wholly conquered till that last day Then therefore may we justly say Sin is pardoned when there shall be no more grave no more death no more corruption but all shall be swallowed up in immortality and glory Thirdly Then and not till then may we say remission of sins will be compleated because then shall no more iteration of pardon be Here in this life because the root of corruption abideth in us there are daily pullulant branches of sinnes and so frequent guilt is contracted whereby as we have daily sores so we need daily plaisters It is with originall corruption in us as in that Tree in Dan. 4.14 15. although the branches be cut off yet the stump is still in the earth and that sprouts out too fast by the temptations that are alwaies by it Hence it is that we alwaies pray Forgive us our sins and because of thâ—se failings the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.20 writeth to and exhorteth the godly Corinthians who were already reconciled to God to be further reconciled to him But then this Petition shall wholly cease then there will be no serpent to sting us nor will the eye of justifying faith to look upon the brazen serpent exalted be necessary any more The Lord will not only wipe away the tear of wordly grief but also of godly sorrow at that time Then and not till then will it be true That God seeth no sin in his children Then will the Church be without wrinkles or any spot within her In this respect it is the Church of God pâ—aieth so earnestly for the Bridegrooms coming For this it is They look for and hasten in their praiers that day Fourthly At that day will pardon of sin only be compleated if you consider the nature of justification For what is that but an overcoming the accusing adversary and clearing of us against every charge Now this is most eminently and fully done in those last assizes The Syriack word to justifie is also to conquer and overcome because when a man is justified he overcometh all those bils and indictments which were brought in against him now this is manifestly done in the day of judgement when God shall before men and Angels acquit and absolve his people and if the Apostle say in this life Rom. 6.7 of a godly man dead in Christ he is justified from his sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of sanctification that sin doth not conquer him but he sinne how much more will this be true at that day when all the guilt and filth of sin shall be totally removed Oh what a glorious conquest will that be over sin hell and the devil when the Judge of the whole world shall pronounce them free from all sinne and command them to enter into his glorious rest Having thus cleared the Doctrine one Question may be briefly touched upon Whether the sins of Gods people shall be manifested at the day of judgement and God for Christs sake then acquit them There are learned men for the affirmative They shall be published and there are learned men for the negative Those that are for the affirmative they say indeed godly mens sins shall not be examined for their ignominy or confusion but only that the goodnesse and grace of God may be made the more illustrious For this they urge these Arguments First Those places of Scripture which speak of the universality of the reall objects and personal Of the reall as when it 's said A man must give an account of every idle word Mat 12.36 2 Cor. 5.10 an account must be made for every thing done in the body For the universality of the object personal 2 Cor. 5. We must all appear before the Tribunall seat Again They urge the opening of the book which shall be at that day and that is nothing but the manifesting of the consciences of men Furtther Many wicked mens sins and godly mens are mingled together and there cannot be a judgement of discussion preceding that of condemnation unlesse godly mens sinnes also be produced In summe They think this conduceth more to the setting up of Gods justice the exaltation of his mercy neither say they will this breed shame to the godly for in heaven they shall remember their sins committed on earth but without any grief
her self further appeareth in making her Hair heretofore the instrument of her pride and wantonness now a Towel to wipe his feet In the third place Christs love towards her is remarkable and in the general it is so great that the Pharisee puffed up with his own pride was offended at it not considering First That though she had been a sinner yet now she manifested Repentance And secondly That every commerce and communion with a sinner is not forbidden but that which is of incouragement or consent unto his sin but our Saviours was like the communion of a Physician with the Patient to heal and cure Hence our Saviour touched the leper whom he healed yet was not unclean because he touched him to restore him to health But as the people murmured because Moses married a Blackmore so the Pharisees grudged because Christ shewed mercy to sinners but Moses indeed could not make the Blackmore white whereas Christ doth purifie the defiled soul Now our Saviour doth aggravate his love to her First by a diligent enumeration of those several acts of service which she had exhibited to him not mentioning any of her former sins and all this he doth with an Antithesis or opposition to that carriage which the Pharisee had presented him with 2. To convince the Pharisee he declareth a Parable that so from his own mouth the Pharisee may judge her love to Christ to be greater then his In the last place his grace to her is further declared by pardoning her sins though so hainous which pardon is first declared unto the Pharisee in my Text and afterwards to the woman her self In my Text is the first promulgation of her pardon now because the words have some difficulty and the later part is brought to prove love to be a meritorious cause of Remission of sins two Questions are briefly to be resolved First When this womans sins were pardoned And the Answer is That as soon as ever she repented in her heart of her evil wayes and believed in Christ her sins were forgiven her for so God doth promise and this was before she came to Christ but she cometh to Christ for the more assurance of Pardon and not only so but that he should authoritatively absolve her from her sinne for Christ did more then declare her sins pardoned as appeareth by the standers by who with wonder made this question v. 49. Who is this that forgiveth sins also Whereas to declare the forgiveness of sin only any Minister may do as we read of Nathan to David 2 Sam. 12.13 So that her sins were pardoned by God before at the first time of her Faith and Repentance but now Christ as the Mediator doth particularly absolve her and that in her own conscience therefore he bids her Go in peace The second Question is Whether that expression Much is forgiven her for she loved much be causal as if her love were antecedent and a cause of her forgiveness or consequential only as an effect or sign of her forgiveness in this sense She loved much because God did forgive her many sins not she loved much and therefore God forgave her Here is a great and vast difference between these two many Papists are for the later the Protestants generally for the former and there is this cogent reason for it for that Christ doth not speak of Repentance or Love which should go before and be the cause of the pardon of sins is plain by the Parable he brings of a Creditor who forgave one Debtor more another Debtor less hereupon our Saviour asked the Pharisee Which of them will love him most Simon answered I suppose him to whom most was forgiven Now of such a love our Saviour speaketh when he mentioneth the woman which is clearly a love of Gratitude Because much was forgiven not an antecedent love of merit to procure pardon so that as from her actions of anointing and washing his feet by way of a sign or effect we gather her Faith and Love of Christ so by her Faith and Love as by a sign and effect it may be gathered that her sins are forgiven her But you may ask How could she come to know her sins were forgiven before Christ told her I answer By the promise of God made to every true Penitent and Believer though this assurance of hers was imperfect and therefore admitted of further degrees whereas then all this Repentance and Humiliation was not that sinne might be forgiven but from Faith that they were forgiven We may observe this That the sense and apprehension of pardon of sins already obtained doth not beget carnal security but a further mollifying and humbling of the heart in a gracious manner This is a practical truth of great concernment And for the opening of it take notice of this distinction as a foundation viz. That there is in Scripture a two-fold Repentance or Humiliation of the soul for sin the one antecedent and going before pardon and this the Scripture requireth as a necessary condition without which forgiveness of sin cannot be obtained of this Repentance the Scripture for the most part speaks Ezek 14.18 30. Mat. 3.2 Mark 6.12 Luk. 13.3 Act. 3.19 and generally in most places of Scripture In the second place there is an Humiliation of heart and brokenness of soul for sin arising from thâ— apprehension of Gods love in pardoning whereby we grieve that we should deal so unkindely with so good and gracious a God This though more rarely yet is sometimes spoken of in Scripture as first in this woman who out of the apprehension of Gods love in pardoning so much to her did pour out her soul in all wayes of thankfulness After this manner also was Davids Repentance Psal 51. for he was thus deeply affected after Nathan had told him His sin was taken away Although it doth appear by the Psalm also that he had not as yet that sense of pardon which did quiet his conscience This kinde of affection was also in Paul 1 Tim. 12 13 14 15 16. 1 Cor. 15.8 9. in which places the Apostle remembring his former sins confesseth them and acknowledgeth thereby his unworthinesse of all that grace and favour he had received so that the Apostle doth not there humble himself that he may obtain mercy but because he had obtained mercy The most eminent instance of this kinde of sorrow and shame is Ezek. 16.62 63. where God promiseth to establish his Covenant with them and then mark the event of this That thou mayâ—st remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee So then both these kindes of Humiliations are to be owned and practised and therefore it is a false and dangerous error to acknowledge no other kinde of Repentance then the later The Papists will not acknowledge this later Humiliation at all because they deny all Faith and Assurance that a believer may have of
formally a sin so that its both a sin and the cause of sin and the effect of sin at the same time Now in this particular lieth the greatest part of the difficulty in the doctrine of forgivenes of sin for here sin is in the godly and truly so yet for all that it doth not condemn The Papists finding by experience such motions of original sin in us yet do say they are only penal effects and remain as opportunities by spiritual combate to increase the Crown of glory and this they urge as impossible they should be sins and yet not condemn the godly because guilt is inseparable from sin And the Antinomian doth expresly stumble at this stone Dr Crisps Serm. vol. 2. p. 92. For my part saith he I do not think as some do that guilt differs from sin but that it is sin it self They are but two words expressing the same thing Now if it were so that sin and guilt or the ordination of it to punishment were the same thing there could be no sin in the godly It is true guilt cannot be but where sin hath been yet guilt of punishment may be removed when the sin is past But this the Author doth shew that sin was so laid on Christ that from that time he ceaseth to be a sinner any more Thou art not a Thief a Murderer when as you have part in Christ p. 89. ut supra But of this hereafter 5. When a sin is forgiven it is totally and perfectly forgiven This is to be considered in the next place for when the Antinomian would have us so diligently consider that place Jer. 50.20 where God saith noneâ—â— â—â— If I say this were all his meaning sin shall be as if it had never been in respect of condemnation he shall be as surely freed from hell as if he had never sinned all this is true But they have a further meaning and that is That the sin was so laid upon Christ that the sinner ceaseth to be a sinner as if because a surety payeth the debt of some lend bankrupt that very paiment would make him cease to be a bankrupt that is false yet God doth so forgive sin that it can be forgiven no more perfectly then it is Those sins cannot be forgiven any more then they are which is matter of infinite comfort and as it is totally so irrevocably God will not revive them again Hence are those expressions of blotting them out of throwing them into the depth of the sea and howsoever that Parable Mat. 18. which speaks of the Master forgiving a servant so many talents yet upon the servants cruelty to some of his fellows his master calleth him to account and throweth him in prison for his former debts howsoever I say this be brought by some to prove that sins forgiven may upon after-iniquities be charged upon a man yet the ground is not sufficient For first The main scope only of a Parable is Argumentative The Fathers do fitly represent Parables to many things to a Knife whose edge doth only cut yet the back helps to that to a Plow whose Plow-shear only cuts yet the wood is subservient so in a Parable the main scope and intent is only argumentative the other parts are but like so many shadows or flourishes in the picture to make it more glorious now this instance was not mainly intended by our Saviour but forgivenesse of one another so that this part doth only shew what is in use amongst men or what sin doth deserve at Gods hands not that God revoketh his pardon or repenteth that ever he hath forgiven us but this is more expresly answered afterwards 6. Though sin be forgiven yet there may be the sense of Gods displeasure still for as though God doth forgive there are many calamities and pressures upon the godly so though Christ hath born the agonies that do belong unto sin yet some scalding drops of them do fall upon the godly not that the godly is by these to satisfie the justice of God but that hereby we might feel the bitternes of sin what wormwood and gall is in it that so we may take heed for the future and that we may by some proportion think on and admire the great love of Christ to us in undergoing such wrath Didst thou not judge the least of his anger falling upon thee more terrible then all the pains and miseries that ever thou wast plunged into And by this then thou mayest stand amazed and wondering at this infinite love of Christ to stand under this burden for thee David is a pregnant instance for the truth of this As when Saul was angry with Jonathan and run a Javelin at him he escaped and that run into the wall so the wrath of God which was violently to fall upon thee missed thee and ran into Christ But the sense of Gods displeasure for sin may be retained in us two wayes 1. Servilely and slavishly whereby we run from the promise and Christ and have secret grudgings and repinings against God this is sinfull for us to do 2. There is a filial apprehending of Gods displeasure though we are perswaded of the pardon this is good and necessary as we see in David who made that Psalm of Repentance Psal 51. though he had his absolution from his sin Tears in the soul by the former way are like the water of the Sea salt and brackish but those in the latter are sweet like the rain of the Clouds falling down on the earth 7. No wicked man ever hath any sin forgiven him for seeing remission of sins is either a part or fruit of Justification no wicked man is more capable of the one then the other Indeed we may read concerning wicked men Ahab and the Israelites when they have humbled themselves though externally and hypocritically yet God hath removed those judgements which were imminent upon them and thus far their sins have been forgiven them but God did not at the same time take off the curse and condemnation due to them Though they were delivered from outward calamity yet not from hell and wrath This therefore doth demonstrate the wofull condition of wicked men that have not one farthing of all their debts they owe to God paid but are liable to account for the least sins and it must needs be so for Christ the true and only paimaster of his peoples debts doth not own them so that when their sins shall be sought for every one in all the aggravations of it will be found out 8. This remission of sin is onely to the repenting believing sinner To the repentant Act. 5.31 To give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins So Luk. 44.47 That repentance and forgivenesse of sins should be preached in his name Act. 8.22 Repent and pray if the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee 1 Joh. 1.9 If we confesse our sins he is faithfull to forgive c. These and
many other places do abundantly prove that there is not forgivenes but where there is repentance Therefore look upon all those doctrines as false and dangerous which make justification to be before it Not that we do with Papists make any merit or causality in repentance or that we limit it to such a measure and quantity of repentance nor as if we made it the condition of the Covenant of Grace but only the way without which not the cause for which remission of sins is not obtained neither can there be any instance given of men forgiven without this repentance and the same likewise is affirmed of faith though faith is in another notion then repentance this being the instrument to apply and receive it But of this hereafter 9. This remission of sin is not limited to persons times or the quantity and quality of sins Indeed the sin against the holy Ghost cannot be forgiven we will not explain that cannot by difficulty as if indeed it might be forgiven but very hardly The ordinary answer is that therefore it cannot be forgiven because the person so sinning will not confesse humble himself and seek pardon God is described by pardoning iniquity transgressions and sins Christ is said to take away the sin of the world David and Peters sins were voluntary yet God forgave them LECTURE IV. ROM 3.24 25. Being Iustified freely by his grace c. THe Doctrine about remission of sin being thus particularly declared we come to that great Question How afflictions come upon the godly after the pardon of their sins For the Antinomian goeth into one extremity and the Papist into another so true is that of Tertullian Christ is alwayes crucified between two thieves that is Truth suffers between two extream errors Therefore in prosecuting this point which is of great practical concernment I will lay down First What the Antinomian saith Secondly What the Papist And lastly What the Orthodox The Antinomian in his book called the Honey-Comb of Justification explaineth himself in these particulars by which you may judge that his Honey is Gall. Having made this Objection to himself That the children of God are corrected by God therefore he seeth sin in them maketh a large Answer Distinguishing first of afflictions calling some Legal and some Evangelical and then he distinguisheth of Persons making some unconverted others converted the unconverted again he makes to be either such as are reprobate or else elected now saith he the legal crosses have a two-fold operation either vindicative or corrective Vindicative are such afflictions as God executeth upon the wicked and reprobates in which sense God is called the God of vengeance Corrective are such lashes of the Law as are executed upon those persons that are the children of God by election but not yet converted and so under the Law therefore these afflictions are not in wrath to confound them but in mercy to prepare them to their conversion for God seeing sins in them layeth crosses upon them Now these elect persons he cals unconverted actively and declaratively in a very ambiguous and suspicious manner as if conversion were from all eternity as well as Justification so that as they say a man in time is justified only declaratively being indeed so from all eternity thus he must be said to be converted and if this be true then it will likewise follow that a man in heaven is glorified likewise onely declaratively but actually and indeed glorified from all eternity even while he is in this miserable house of clay In the next place he comes to Evangelical crosses which fall upon them that are actively and declaratively as he cals it converted and these he denieth expresly to be for their sins for this were saith he to deny Christs satisfactory punishment because by his death we have not one spot of sin in us therefore he makes them to be only the tryal of their faith and to exercise their faith so that by his divinity when a godly man is afflicted the flesh would indeed perswade a man hath sin in him but this is to try whether thou canst beleeve thou art cleansed from sin for all these afflictions Therefore if any man yield to this temptation viz. that he hath sin in him when he is afflicted what is this saith he but to deny Christ and his bloud Think you this to be the voice of the Scriptures Hence he laboureth to shew that twelve absurdities would follow from this doctrine of Gods afflicting his children for their sins the strength of which shall be in his place considered I have now only laid down his judgement and he makes the Doctrine of the Protestants opposing this to be Popish and confounding the Law and the Gospel together Hence intending the Protestant Authors and Ministers he saith They paint God like an angry father ever seeing sin in us and ever standing with a rod and staff in his hand lifted up over our heads with which by reason he seeth sins in us he is ever ready though not to strike us down yet to crack our crowns and sorely to whip us whereas the Gospel describeth him to be not only a loving Father but also our well-pleased Father at perfect peace with us so that the upshot of his position is to shew that they are taskmasters and do degenerate to the legall teaching in the Old Testament whosoever preach that God doth correct Believers for their sins and I have saith he somewhat the more largely hunted this Fox because it is so nourished not only by the Papists but also some of us Protestants who by lisping the language of Ashdod do undermine the very roots of the Lords vine And that you may see it is not one mans judgement amongst them see what their great General saith in a Sermon pag. 162. Know this that at that instant when God brings afflictions upon thee he doth not remember any sin of thine they are not in his thoughts towards thee Again whatsoever things befall the children of God are not punishments for sins they are not remembrances of sin and if men or Angels shall endeavor to contradict this let them be accounted as they deserve Thus the Antinomian The Papist goeth into another extremity for thus they hold Bellar de poen lib. 4. cap. 1 2. That when God hath forgiven a sin yet it is according to his Justice that the sinner should suffer or do something to satisfie this justice not in respect of the sin as it is against God for although some say so yet others reject it but in respect of some temporal punishment either in this life or in the life to come which is the ground of Purgatory And that this may be made good they say When God doth forgive a sin he doth not presently remit the temporal punishment therefore men may by some satisfactory penalties voluntarily taken upon themselves rescue themselves from these temporal punishments Now this is a
also Dan. 9.25 Zech. 13.9 Whereby you will presently judge of the mans bold ignorance But as for the place it self certainly the words are very emphaticall Count it implying a man in his choicest deliberation ought to do so all joy an Hebraism full perfect joy when ye fall the word is so fall that ye are compassed round about And lastly divers temptations By temptations Austin seemeth to have understood inticements or provocations to sin and whether such temptations may be desired or to give ground of a just joy is disputed by the Schoolmen but that is impertinent we see the Apostle speaketh of afflictions as appeareth by the word following and not all kinde of afflictions but such as are for Christs name certainly the Apostle writing to the Corinthians and speaking of the chastisements of God upon them for their sins he doth not bid them count that all joy but rather exhorts them to judge themselves that they be not condemned with the world He doth not then speak of all kinde of afflictions but some only and his meaning is not that under even those afflictions they should have no grief for he saith no affliction is for the present joyous but grievous but he giveth one respect why they should rejoyce because of the good work of their faith manifested thereby though in other considerations they may be humbled And I see not but even in those persecutions which befall the godly for the Gospels sake they may not some of them at least and sometimes be humiliations for the Godlies former sinnes as well as explorations of their Graces and more eminent glorifying of them here and hereafter I deny not but even in afflictions for their sins the people of God may take comfort to their souls from severall considerations but I think not that the Apostle doth refer to them in this place Let us now consider what dangerous Absurdities would flow from this doctrine of ours and first saith he this is to confound Law and Gospel together The Law should be preached only to secure sinners the Gospel to broken sinners only whereas if you tell the godly when they are afflicted that it is from their sinnes you preach Law to them But first Then the Apostle mingled Law and Gospel when he commands the Corinthians to judge themselves under Gods hand upon them and how legall was Peter when he said judgement must begin at the House of God 2. The Gospel and the Law are to be mingled in all spirituall administrations but for different ends As they must not in preaching be confounded so neither divided 3. The people of God have still sin pride and hardnesse of heart remaining in them and shall a Minister preach the Gospel to his pride shall we comfort them because their hearts are sometimes dull and froward Lastly Though we say they are afflicted for their sins yet this is not to make the crosses Legal but Evangelical for we do not say they are so for their sins as that thereby they must satisfie the justice of God in their own persons but for other considerations A second Absurdity will be say they hereby to make the Gospel unsufficient to abolish the old man unlesse it borrow help from the Law But first Observe his contradiction The Gospel doth abolish sin in the beleever how can that be when he holdeth there is no sin to be abolished certainly that which is not needs not to be abolished for it is not already Secondly If the Gospel be so powerfull to abolish sin why will he have the Law preached to obstinate sinners certainly by his rule the Gospel would sooner melt the tuffest and most Ironny sinner that is Thirdly That which he would have such an absurdity is an eminent truth the Law and the Gospel are mutually subservient to each other and are to be preached as conjoyned though not confounded one with another Another Absurdity for I cannot take them in order seeing he doth absurdly make one thing several arguments and so doth but tautologize This would be to deny Christs perfect righteousnesse and that we are not made without all spots or blemishes But first It doth not derogate from Christ that we are not freed from sin while here in this life for he himself holdeth the believers in the Old Testament had sin in them and God scourged them for it yet Christ bore their sins and took away their iniquities Secondly If this place prove any thing it would the Popish Tenet That we are inherently without sin and the Antinomian denieth that for he saith we are made perfectly holy not actively but passively whereas those places speak of an active holiness Thirdly If so be the sin remaining in us did not only bring temporal evils but eternal did not bring only a disease but hell also then this would evacuate the fulnesse of Christs death but now it doth not A fourth Absurdity he would fetch from an Argument of Bish Babingtons Ejus quod non est non est poena but sin when it is forgiven is not therefore to forgiven sin there is no temporal punishment I answer first If by that which is not should be meant that which hath a physical and natural existence then the Argument would prove that no sin whether forgiven or not forgiven could damn a man because no sin according to the received opinion hath any positive natural being therefore it must be understood of a moral being that is a desert of punishment Now when sin is said to be forgiven the reason is not at if remission of sin made sin no sin drunkennesse no drunkennesse or as if that sin did not deserve punishment for that is inseparable from the nature of it but forgivenesse of sins takes away the actual ordination of them to condemnation So then a sin though forgiven hath some kinde of being though not that of actual ordination to everlasting death when therefore sins are said to be thrown into the bottom of the sea and they shall be no more that is to be understood quoad hoc in respect of actual condemnation So Davids sin was forgiven viz. as to damn David yet though forgiven it was still viz. to afflict David and to make God angry with him A fifth Absurdity If you say the people of God are afflicted for sin this would trouble the consciences of Gods children exceedingly and make them fearfully to expect horrible temporal plagues every hour because the least sin is so infinitely distastfull to God But first It seemeth then a godly man though fallen into murder adulteries c. his conscience must not be troubled Peter if he denieth Christ must not weep bitterly Secondly we give many cordials and antidotes against despair while we say they are afflictions even for sin for we add further That they are all bounded within a due measure God considers our strength and
thee even as a Creditor doth forgive many thousands to a Debtor by his meer voluntary Act. Now we are apt to think according to the principles of Popery that our Justification is no better then our inherent holinesse is whereas any godly man may sit down and consider that he is not able to goe out with his five thousrnd against the Justice of God that comes against him with ten thousand Grace justifying takes away all guilt of sinne grace sanctifying doth not because as Bonaventure well observeth the remedy given by grace against originall sin is not ordained against it prout corrumpit naturam sed prout personam as it doth infect our nature for so it sticketh till death but as it doth defile the person measure not therefore the perfection of grace justifying by the perfection of grace sanctifying Thirdly This Scripture language doth infer That sin forgiven is as if it had never been now the troubled soul cryeth out Oh that I had never been thus done thus Why God when he doth pardon makes it as if it had never been do not fear the drowned Aegyptians will rise up and pursue thee again We may tell a David a Paul it is so with them as if no adultery murder or persecutions had been committed by them Fourthly As God doth indeed really thus remit so the Scripture commands the repentant sinner to believe this and with confidence to rest satisfied Oh what holy boldnesse may this truth believed work in the tender heart You may see a poor man though he hath much ado to live yet if his debts be discharged how glad he is he can go abroad and fear no Sergeant to Arrest him no writ issued out to attach him and thus it is with a sinner repenting and beleeving and if there be any whose heart is not ravished with this glorious mercy it is to be feared he never felt the burden of sin or else never strongly beleeved this gracious way of God Let not then any Antinomian say we put water into the beleevers wine or wormwood into their bread for who can rationally desire more then this doth amount to but to expect such a pardon such a justification as that God shall take no notice of sin to chastise or afflict for it is to say There is forgiveness with God that he may not be feared contrary to Davids expression LECTURE VII JEREMIAH 50.20 In those daies and at that time the iniquity of Iudah shall be sought for c. FIfthly From this Scripture-expression is gathered That gross sins are blotted out as well as sins of an inferiour nature Though there be sins that waste the conscience yet they do not waste the grace of remission how is the true repentant affected with slavish fears sometimes as if his sins did blot out Gods mercy like a thick cloud as if our transgressions had subdued his goodnesse and thrown it into the bottom of the Sea What a comfortable expression is that Isaiah 1.18 Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow c. It was wonderfull mercy that ever so horrid and bloudy sinners therefore their sins are said to be like scarlet should become so clear yet the grace of Justification doth as totally remit great sins as lesse sins as Christ did with the same easinesse cure several diseases Thus David also Psal 51. after he had wallowed in that mire he prayeth to be purged in an allusive expression with hysope which was the last thing used in their legal purifications and therefore doth imply the total and compleat cleansing by Christ and upon this David saith He shall be whiter then snow which phrase is neither with the Papist to be extended to sanctification as if such perfect clean righteousnesse were vouchsafed to him as that there were no sin in him nor with the Antinomian as if God did quite abolish sin from David out of his sight so as to take no notice of it or chastise him for it for after the pardon was past yet his childe was to die and much more evil to come to Davids house but in respect of final condemnation God having thus pardoned David through Christ would no more adjudge him to everlasting punishment then he would one that was innocent or without any spot of sin And this is to incourage great sinners ten thousand talents was a great summe of money yet how easily forgiven by that kinde Master Thus Exod. 34.7 God is described forgiving sins of all sorts and this he proclaimed when his glory passed by and how necessary is this for the contrite heart which judgeth his sins because of the aggravations of them to be unpardonable If they had not been of such a breadth and depth and length they would not fear overwhelming as now they do There are sins of all sorts described and which is to be observed God putteth no term or bounds to his mercy whereas he doth set some to his anger Let not therefore the greatness of sin be thought more then the greatness of mercy pardoning and Christs obedience suffering as it is hypocrisie to extenuate and make our sins lesse then they are so it is unbelief to diminish his grace and Gods greatness above us is as much celebrated in this his kindness as in any other attribute The sins of all the world if they were thy sins were but like a drop of water to his mercy no more then our essence or power is to his Majesty Take heed then of saying Such and such sins may be forgiven but can he forgive such as mine are also Lastly In that Honey Comb for we may say of these places if of any they are sweeter then honey this sweetness may be pressed out That all their sins though never so many shall likewise be blotted out The Sea could as easily drown an whole Hoast of Pharaohs men as twenty Souldiers The Apostle is excellent Rom. 5. in this making an opposition between the first Adam and second aggravating the superlative power of the gift by grace above the evil through sin Hence it 's called the riches of his grace rather then power or wisdome because of the plenty and abundance of it Who would not think that while Gods goodness in the Scripture is thus unfolded there should not be a dejected unbeleeving Christian in the world shall our sin abound to condemnation more then his grace to justification because sin is too strong for us is it therefore too much for the grace of God also you see by ths that we may drink wine enough in the Scripture Wine-cellars to make our hearts glad and yet swallow not down any dregs of Popish or Antinomian errors These things thus explained I come to confirm you with severall Arguments that God doth see sin so as to be offended and displeased with it in those that are already justified And the first rank of Arguments shall be taken from those places of Scripture where the godly do
those that are godly and dear to him with the condition and punishment of Hypocrites and Apostates as Heb. 6. See another instance 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self yet am I not thereby justified for it is God that judgeth me where the Apostle doth not speak of an Anabaptistical perfection as if Paul knew no sin by himself but his meaning is to be restrained to the faithfull dispensation of the office committed to him in which though he had not perfection yet his conscience did not accuse him of grosse negligence or unfaithfulnes but for all this he doth not think himself justified by any godlines in him and why so because God judgeth him who takes notice of and is offended with more sins then he understands by himself so that Paul doth acknowledge God to see sin in him and therefore he cannot be justified by any thing inherent and this made Bernard say excellently Tutior est justitia donata quam inhaerens Imputed righteousnes is safer to relie upon then inherent Think it therefore a small thing to be acquitted by Antinomian principles when it is God that judgeth and whatsoever the Adversary speaketh about a righteousnesse of Christ communicated unto us so that thereby God seeth no sin yet because they say he seeth no sin in us inherently they must conclude for some perfect inherent righteousnes Lastly Ps 19. David crying out Who can understand his errors prayeth thereupon Cleanse thou me from secret sins and this doth imply that there were many sins that David had which were loathsome and foul in Gods eyes though undiscovered by himself and therefore he would have God wash him and make him clean A seventh rank of Arguments shall be from those places wherein God hath commanded Ministers to binde and retain the sins of scandalous offenders and hath promised to ratifie that in heaven which they according to his will do on earth Experience witnesseth that a justified person may fall into some scandalous sin whereby the whole Congregation may be much offended and God highly provoked Now in this case God hath commanded the Ministers of the Gospel to binde to retain such a mans sins till he doth repent This binding is not by way of authority but ministerial declaration effectual application of Gods threatnings in his Word to such a person sinning and when this is done God hath promised that all this shal be ratified and made good in Heaven against that man Now how can God make good the Ministers threatnings applied to that godly man if he take not notice and be not offended with the person so hainously sinning The places that prove such a binding of sin and Gods ratifying of their sentence are Joh. 20.23 Mat. 16.19 Mat. 18.18 Can any man say that when a godly man is cast out of Gods family the seals of Gods grace denied him and he delivered up to Satan that God is not angry with him yea is not he bound then to apprehend God estranged from him when a godly man is excommunicated he is not only cast out from the externall Church-society but likewise there is a deprivation from internal communion with Christ not as if he were cut off from the purpose or decree of Gods election or as if the habitual seed of grace were quite extinct in him but only as the outward seals of Gods favour are denied him so also doth God being angry with him deny him any inward testimonies of his favour and it would not be faith against sense as the Adversary cals it but presumption against Scripture to say God was at that time well pleased with him yea Divines say Synopsis puri Theol. dis 48. that there is a conditional exclusion of the person so offending from future glory for the Church threatens him that as they judge him now and bid him depart from their society so if he do not repent Christ at the last day will command him to depart from his presence and the holy Angels according to that of Tertul. in Apologetico Summum futuri judicii praejudicium est si quis it a deliquerit ut à communicatione orationis conventus omnis sancti commeroii relegetur The eighth kinde of Arguments is from those places where Christ is said still to be an Advocate and to make Intercession for believers after they are justified which would be altogether needless if God did not take notice of their sins and were ready to charge them upon believers ' consider the places 1 Joh. 2.1 Heb. 7.25 In the former place John having said That Christs bloud cleanseth us from all sin a place the Antinomian much urgeth not considering that at the same time the Apostle ver 9. requireth confession and shame in our selves if we would have pardon in the first verse of the second Chapter he saith He writes these things that they should not sin all true doctrine about Christ and free-grace tendeth to the demolishing and not incouraging of sin but the Apostle supposeth such fragility that we will sin and therefore speaketh of a remedy If we sin we have an Advocate now this makes several wayes against the Antinomian First That sins committed after our Justification need an Advocate it is not enough that we were once justified our new sins would condemn us for all that were it not for Christ Secondly In that Christ is an Advocate it supposeth That though God be a Father to his people yet he is also a Judge and that he so taketh notice of and is displeased with their sins that did not Christ intercede and deprecate the wrath of God it would utterly consume them Thou therefore who sayest God the Father is not offended why then doth Christ perform the Office of an Advocate If thy sins be not brought into the Court what need any pleading for thee In the other place Heb 7.25 The Apostle acknowledgeth a two-fold function of Christs Priestly Office The one is The offering up of himself for our sins The second is The continual Intercession for us which the Apostle Chap. 9.24 calleth Appearing before Gods face in our behalf now we must not so advance Christs sufferings in the taking away of sin so as to exclude the other part of his Priestly Office which is continually to plead our cause for us for the Apostle makes Christ to stand before the face of God as some great Favorite before an earthly Prince to plead in the behalf of those who are accused so that the Doctrine which denieth God seeing of sin in his people doth wholly overthrow Christs Intercession and the efficacy of it Concerning the manner of Christs Intercession it is not to be conceived in that way as he prayed here upon the earth but it is his holy will and expresse desire of his soul that God the Father should be reconciled with those for whom he hath shed his bloud and truly that point of Divinity viz. Christs affections and sympathizing with
more Again see the like dealing with David 2 Sa. 11.12.8 9. I anointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and if that had been too little I would have given thee such and such things wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of God c. Must not this pierce into the very bowels of David Shall God upbraid his people falling into sin spread before their eyes the manifold mercies he hath bestowed upon them and all this while see no sin in them Therefore when it is said Iam. 1.5 That God upbraideth not that is to be understood in respect of his frequent and liberal giving as men use to say I have given thus often and I will give no more which kinde of giving Seneca cals panem lapidosum but if men walk unworthy of the benefits received he doth then upbraid as Mar. 16.14 He is said to upbraid the Disciples because of their unbelief Thirdly The Scripture applieth the threatnings of God to believeâ—s as well as to others making no difference between them unless they repent Indeed we say against the Papists that all the sins of justified persons are venial and not mortal that is such as in the event will have pardon but that is because the seed of grace will be operative in them so that they shall either habitually or actually repent of their sins Neither when the Orthodox say That Election is absolute do they exclude the media instituta means appointed by God in which the fruit of Election is accomplished but conditions antecedanâ—ous as if that decree did remain suspense and uncertain till the will of man had determined 1 Cor. 6.9 10. The Apostle laieth down an universal rule such and such grosse offenders shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven that is those who live so and do not repent and this is to be extended not only to those who are habitually so but actually likewise unlesse they are reformed Therefore no godly man falling into any of those grosse sins may deceive himself and think he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven without a change Godly or ungodly yet if found in the committing of such a gross sin unless they do repent God will not accept one or the other As repentance is appointed for the wicked man as a duty without which he cannot be saved so confession and forsaking of sin is prescribed a godly man fallen into sin without which he cannot have remission 1 Jo. 1.9 There is no such free grace or Gospel as faith to a believer if fallen into a foul sin whether you repent or no your sins shall be pardoned to you Hence 1 Cor. 11. the Apostle makes every man that receiveth unworthily and yet some of them were godly to receive their damnation that is their eternal damnation without repentance and reformation and after repentance their judgement though not of condemnation yet affliction and castigation How terrible likewise is Paul He. 12.29 where speaking to the godly that are to receive a kingdom that is eternal he exhorteth them to duty Let us have grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Let us retain and keep grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ro. 15.4 and observe the manner with reverence and godly fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is such a fear as relateth to punishment compare this place with Ps 2.12 and thus the words following suppose for our God is a consuming fire this is taken out of Deu. 4.24 and the meaning is God is no less angry with Christians sinning against him then formerly with the Israelites it is as easy for him to destroy whom he is offended with as for the fire to destroy stubble How directly doth this place overthrow that Antinomian assertion God saw sin in believers in the Old Testament and therefore afflicted them but it is not so under the New Now when it s said God is a consuming fire this denoteth the great anger of God compare it with Deu. 9.3 Deu. 32.22 Fire is most efficacious and least capable of transmutation as other elements are for which reason the Persians worshipped fire for a god but fire might be extinguished whereas God is such a fire as consumeth all and remaineth immutable Know then brethren that as there are places in the New Testament which speak of the riches of his grace so also of his consuming anger As therefore the promises of the Scripture are for consolation hope to the godly so are the threatnings for a godly fear Between these two milstones a Christian is made dulcis farina as Luther once said and neither of these milstones may be taken for a pledge as the Law was in the Old Testament because one cannot work without the other Therefore for a man to take only those places of Scripture which speak of the goodnesse of the promises and to reject the terrors of the threatnings is spiritual theft in an high degree Doth not Paul 2 Cor. 5 excite himself to run like a Gyant in his ministerial race because of the terror of the Lord at the day of Judgement See ver 10. We must all appear so to appear as to be seen through and made manifest before the judgement-seat of God as those that are to plead a cause in an eminent place before a Judge to receive a reward sutable to his life nâ—w knowing this saith the Apostle we perswade it may relate to himself and to those whom he perswadeth Yet this apprehension of the Lords terror did not exclude love for v. 14. he saith The love of Christ constraineth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either an expression from those who had a spirit of prophecie upon them that was very powerfull whereby they could not but speak or else from women in travell Heb. 12.15 which through pain cannot but cry out so efficacious was love in Paul 4. The sins of godly men cease not to be sins though they are justified We may not say that in Cain killing of another is murder but in David it is not We may not say denying of Christ in Judas is indeed a sin but in Peter it is not No priviledge they have by justification can alter the nature of a sin He that receiveth unworthily is guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord whether he be a wicked man or a Beleever It is not with a Beleever and a wicked man as with a man and a beast comparatively If a beast kill a man it is not sin because the subject is not reasonable but a man if he do so whether godly or ungodly it is a sin because against Gods Law It is not safe to say that God doth with the Beleever and wicked as if a Magistrate should make a Law that whosoever committeth such a crime if he be a free-man he shall only be imprisoned but if a servant he shall be put to death so God whosoever murdereth or committeth adultery
if he be a Beleever the wages due to his sin is only temporal chastisements but to a wicked man it 's eternal death I say this is not safe for although a Beleevers sin shall not actually damn him yet God hath made the same Law to both and repentance as a means is prescribed so that we may by supposition say If the wicked man repent his sin shall not damn him If the justified person do not his sin will damn him It 's true it is not proper to say of sin in the abstract it shall be damned no more then that grace shall be saved but we are to say the person shall be damned or saved Yet the guilt of the sin will cause the guilt of the person if not taken off by Christ as the meritorious and faith as the instrumentall cause The sins then of Beleevers and ungodly are both alike only that the guilt of them doth not redound upon the persons alike is because the one takes the way appointed by God to obtain pardon and the other doth not Not that the godly man makes himself to differ from the wicked but all is the work of grace In some respects the sins of godly men are more offensive to God then those of wicked men because committed against more light and more experience of the sweetnesse of Gods love and the bitternesâ—e of sin What is the cause Heb. 10.28 29 30. the Apostle maketh the condition of a wilfull Apostate to be so dreadfull but because of the excellency of the object in the Gospel above that in the Law If he that despised Moses his Law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy c. Observe that interposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 think ye do you not easily think that such sins offend God more Now although the truly sanctified can never fall into such a condition totally and finally yet their sins committed wilfully against the Gospel are gradually and in some measure of such a nature and therefore they fall terribly into the hands of the living God when they so sin against him and consider how that the Apostle speaks these things even to them of whom he hoped better things and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6. If therefore we see a godly man who hath tasted much of Gods favour play the prodigall walk loosely we may and ought notwithstanding Antinomian positions powerfully and severely set home these places of Scripture upon his conscience And observe how in the New Testament the Apostle alledgeth two places out of the Old Vengeance belongeth to me Deut. 32.35 and the Lord will judge his people Psal 135.14 To judge is to avenge so that the people of God have those considerations in their sins to provoke God which wicked men cannot have and therefore have the same motives to humble them as the Apostle argueth To which of the Angels said he Sit at my right hand c. so may we To what wicked man hath God poured out his love revealed himself kindly as unto the godly therefore do they neglect the greater mercies LECTURE X. JEREMIAH 50.20 In those daies and at that time the iniquity of Iudah shall be sought for c. LEt us in the next place consider the particulars wherein Gods eye of anger doth manifest it self upon his own children if sinning against him The effect of his wrath may be considered in that which is temporal or spiritual or eternal in all these Gods anger doth bring forth in one respect or other For the temporal objects take notice of these particulars first When they sin against God they are involved in the common and ordinary afflictions which do usually accompany sin in the wicked Thus 1 Cor. 11.30 for their unworthy receiving of the Sacrament and some even of those were godly as appeareth v. 32. many were weak and sickly weak were such as did languish and sickly is more such as had diseases on them now these were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strokes from God and therefore came from his anger for their sins Though the Lords Supper consist of a twofold bread the one earthly for the body the other heavenly the bread of life for the soul yet both body and soul did miserably decay because of unworthy receiving This Table being as Chrysostom said mensa Aquilarum not Graculorum food for Eagles not Jaies As therefore those children who have fainting diseases upon them and do secretly eat salt oatmeal c. though they have never such excellent food at their fathers table yet thrive not but look pale and consuming so it was with the Corinthians by reason of their corruptions they inclined to death though they fed on the bread of life Now that these bodily diseases are the common issue and fruit of sin appeareth Lev. 26.16 Deut. 28.22 grace therefore of justification can give no Supesedeas to any disease that shall arrest a believer offending but are the wicked in Consumptions Agues Feavers for their sins so are the godly yea the people of God are in these calamities before the wicked Amos 3.2 You only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities I have known you that is acknowledged ye for mine see what that is Exod. 19.5 A peculiar treasure unto me above all people The Hebrew word signifieth that which is dear and pretious and to be desired of all This is aggravated by what followeth for all the earth is mine that is seeing there are so many nations in the world over whom I have full power and dominion how great is Gods goodnesse in taking you for his above others now mark the Prophets reason because I have done this therefore I will visit you for your iniquities for to all your other wickednesses you adde an ingratefull heart So there is another place 1 Pet. 4.17 where God is said to judge them before others and this hath been a great offence to the godly It is time that is a seasonable opportunity by the decree and appointment of God for judgement that is chastisements for former sins which are called judgements because they are publique testimonies and manifestations of Gods anger against sins and are to put the godly in minde of their sins only it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the original The word is used even of the godly 1 Cor. 11.31 32. 1 Pet. 4.6 By the house of God he meaneth the true Members of the Church and whereas he saith it begins in them he thereby intimates that the godly in this life are more exposed to afflictions for sin then the wicked are and this made David and Jeremy so expostulate with God in this matter so that the godly in their afflictions ought to say as that widow of Sarepta 2 Kin. 17.18 This is to call my sin to remembrance It is thought the Apostle though he doth not
smiteth him so Moses was denied entring into the land of Canaan which was an heavy affliction to him because he spake unadvisedly with his lips Commentators are at loss to finde out what his sin was So Davids sin in numbring the people it s disputed wherein the transgression lay Elies heavy judgements that came so frequently one upon another were for a want of that measure of zeal which should have burnt within him Oh therefore consider that God doth not only see sins that are mountains but that are mole-hils comparatively He doth not only see the beams but the motes that are in us he doth not only take notice of our mire and vomit if we return to that but of the least spot and wrinkle how deeply maiest thou humble thy self under every Religious duty performed by thee How often do we fail in the manner of a command as Vzzah in the order How often out of pride and self-confidence do we number our earthly props and refuges relying upon them How unadvised are our thoughts and words now these hairs of sins as I may so call them both for number and seeming littlenesse are all numbred before God As the Lord is angry with these lesser sins and defects in graces so also for Errors in Judgements and false opinions How well would it be for the Antinomian if God did not see this sin in them that they hold he seeth no sin in Believers I fear me God seeth and taketh notice of their erroneous Sermons of their corrupt Doctrines and seducing Books There are indeed those who would make heresie almost innocency and that it is more to be pitied then punished but the Apostle Gal. 5. reckons heresies among gross sins such as exclude from the Kingdom of heaven and how severe Gods anger is to those who do erre though in less matters and although they keep the foundation appeareth in that notable place 1 Cor. 3.12 13 14 15. It is a difficult place and those that would build Purgatory out of it they are the Architects of that hay and stubble the text speaks of Not to join with that exposition of some who by hay and stubble do understand evil works nor with Beza who denieth it to be meant of false doctrine but only of the manner of preaching He makes the building of gold and silver c. to be the pure and sincere doctrine of Christ the hay and stubble to be the vain affecting of eloquence and words but I rather go along with those that interpret the place of false doctrines but not such as do overthrow the foundation only they build superfluous unsound doctrine upon the true foundation which is as uncomely as if you should see a royall palace which hath gold for the foundation and precious stones for the wals yet have the covering of straw and stubble what deformity would this be yet so it is with the best preachers that are who yet adde some errors to the sound Doctrine they deliver Now for the opening of the place it is wholly Allegorical The preachers of Gods word are builders and they are to raise up a stately palace the materials are compared to gold and silver to precious stones The place is an allusion to Isa 54.12 I will make thy windows of Agats and thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones it is a description of the precious Graces and Doctrines which the Ministers of God are cloathed with and this sheweth with what esteem and high price all the truths of Christ ought to be received by you The Ark Ex. 25.3 4 5 6. was to be made of gold silver and other precious materials this is the nature of true Doctrine Now false Doctrine though it be not in fundamentals but in meer accessories is called hay and stubble and he that preacheth these shall come to a severe trial Every mans work saith the Text shall be made manifest where you see the spreading of false Doctrine is called the work of a man as in the second Epist of John it s called evil deeds and this evil work hath a two-fold effect First it makes the owner to suffer losse that is all that labour and pains he hath taken shall bring him no profit whereas if he had imployed himself in the truth his reward would have been great The lucrum cessans is as great a losse as the damnum emergens Oh! what a fearfull thing will it be for false teachers who have made it their whole business to spread new opinions to lose all their labour The other effect is that though he be saved yet it shall be so as by fire that is he shall be in extream danger and he shall have sad tribulations and miseries falling upon him see the like phrase Jude 23. pulling them out of the fire That which thou comfortest thy self with and gloriest in as if it were persecution it may be is nothing but part of the fire in the Text which is to afflict thee that thy drosse may be purged out let therefore all false teachers though belonging to God expect a fire of burning great afflictions and tribulations And if Antinomians have trouble for their Doctrine they are bound to believe God chastiseth them for this very opinion that he doth not chastise for sin I have bin the longer on this place because of the multitude of hay and stubble that is built every where God will have his day when a fire shall rise to consume it all and the true Doctrine will only continue The Apostle speaks as terribly afterwards v. 17. If any man defile the temple of God him shall God destroy where the Apostle calleth the Corinthians The temple of God now this is not so much true of every single Christian as when collected together in a Church or body and the Spirit dwelling among them is much more admirable then his presence in the Ark and he defileth this Temple who by any false Doctrine and error corrupts that society now the greatness of this sin is seen by the words following The Lord will destroy him for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that as God destroyed Athaliah and Beltashazzar for prophaning the Temple and the offerings or gifts of the Temple no lesse punishment unlesse they repent shall fall upon those who pervert the Doctrines of Christ I come to the second demonstration of Gods anger to believers when sinning and that is in spiritual and internal things now they are of two sorts first the consolations of the holy Ghost with the light of Gods favour secondly the flourishing and sprouting of the graces of sanctification In both these you shall finde the godly man after sin much withered What anger in the first sense after sin the godly may feel David will abundantly tell you Ps 11. he cals it the breaking of his bones you know how terrible and grievous that is and in the
godly this must be the more terrible because they are of a more tender apprehension As they say Christs bodily pain was more then other mens could be because of the excellent temper and tender constitution of his body so it is with the godly every expression of Gods anger fals like a drop of scalding lead into a mans eye the conscience of the believer when once awakened feels every frown of God like an hell Thus after the committing of gross sin God hides his face and then for the while they are like so many Cains and Judas's crying out Their sin is greater then they can bear and truly this worm would never die this fire would never be quenched in them did not God again take them into favor there is no difference between a man damned in hell and a godly man troubled in conscience but the adjunct of time one is perpetual and the other is not Now our Divines say That eternity is not essential to the punishment of hell for Christ suffered the torments of hell for us which yet were not in time eternal but accidental because those in hell are not able to satisfie Gods justice therefore they must continue there till they have paid the last farthing which because they cannot do to all eternity therfore they are tormented for ever Look upon David again in Psal 32.3 4. How it fared with him because of his sins My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long my moisture is turned into the drought of Summer Did David speak these things hyperbolically and rhetorically only Did he not finde such anguish and consumption in his soul that he thought no words could express it and all this he saith was because of sin O then believe this and tremble lest such a whale of sorrow and grief should swallow thee up as did David Thus it was also with the incestuous person the devil was ready to swallow him up he was delivered to him to be tormented by him and can all this be done yet God take no notice of sin As the godly in this life time may have that joy in the Gospel which passeth all understanding and more then the heart can perceive so they may have for sin such trouble and spiritual desertions that shall make every thing their chamber the field a very hell to them and David in many Psalms manifesteth such desolation upon his soul especially this is seen in lapses when persecutions do abound and men through fear have denied that truth which in their consciences they were assured of We may read in Ecclesiastical Histories of the grievous wounds and gashes Gods people through frailty have made upon their own souls And as it is thus in matter of consolation so in the particular of sanctification how may you observe some who have been planted by Gods grace like a Paradise through their negligence and corruptions become like a parched wilderness was not David in his fall till recovered like a tree in winter though the moisture of grace was within yet nothing did outwardly appear Was he not like Samson when his hair was cut off not able to break the cords of sin he was tied in some have thought a godly man can no more fall from the degrees of grace then the essence state of grace but if sin increase and grow certainly grace must decrease for whether sin expel grace meritoriously only or formally still the introduction of the one must be the expulsion of the other Thus Rev. 2. the Church is reproved for abating in her first love and the people of God complain Why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear Isa 63.17 not that God doth infuse hardness but only he denieth mollifying grace And certainly a gracious tender heart must fear a deliverance up to hardnesse more then up to Satan Illud est cor durum quod non trepidat ad nomen cordis duri said Bernard That is an hard heart which doth not tremble at the name of an hard heart A godly man therefore may so provoké God that he be left in a senslesse stupid way acting sin without tender remorse and securely lying down therein Lastly The anger of God eternal cannot indeed be in the event upon him but yet it doth conditionally oblige him till he doth repent so that you may suppose a Believer to be damned if you suppose him not to repent A conditional Proposition Nihil ponit in esse but it doth in posse and therefore the Scripture makes such hypothetical Propositions wherein a possibility of Apostacy is supposed in the godly if left to themselves as in that famous place Ezek. 18.14 When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity all his righteousnesse shall not be mentioned in his sins he shall die This place is not as some do to be understood of a righteous man in appearance only for it s opposed to a wicked man in reality and it is such a righteousnesse that if continued in he should have lived eternally Neither may we stretch it to an apostacy from the state of Justification as others do but it is to be understood as comminatory by way of threatning and supposition for it is true that if a godly man should forsake his righteousnesse it would not be remembred to him and therefore if you suppose a justified person not to repent of his grievous sins committed you may also suppose him to die in the displeasure and eternal wrath of God but this is more exactly to be considered of when we handle that Question Whether Remission of sin obtained may be frustrated and made void by new subsequent actual sins LECTURE XI HEB. 4.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do ALthough this Text in the general sense of it will not fully prove Gods eye of anger against sin in justified persons yet because a more special scrutiny and search into the words will make much against the Antinomian Error and also because the Answers which are given to this Text and the like do contain grosse falshoods so that in the refuting of them all things in this controversie will be clearly discovered as also because that principal and noble Question How far Gods taking notice of sin to chastise and punish it is subject to the meer liberty of his will will in some measure be discussed I shall therefore insist upon this Text. Not that the Orthodox make it their shield of Achilles as the Antinomian slandereth Honey-comb p. 73. But because the vanity of that distinction which they make between Gods seeing and his knowing may be brought out from behinde the stuff where like Saul it had hid it self And first for the Text absolutely in it self The words are part of that excellent commendation which is given to Gods word The purity and power
of sin and sin it self is in its due time to be proved Let us consider how he proveth this distinction of Gods seeing and knowing The place he brings is Psal 94 9 10. He that formed the eye shall not he see he that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know Here saith he they are distinctly set down and the Scripture useth this continual practice saying no where That God doth not know the sins of justified persons but in many places That he seeth no sin in them His second reason is because among men and Angels yea in God himself there is a reason to our capacities of this difference for to know a thing is to understand the nature of it though the thing it self be abolâ—shâ—d and hath no existence but to see a thing is to have a real existence of it before our eye As for instance God saith he knoweth the floud that drowned the whole world but he doth not see it having an existence now so God knoweth the leprosie of Naaman more perfectly then Naaman did himself yet he doth not see it upon Naaman and thus God knoweth the sins of the wicked and of his justified children more perfectly then they themselves do and herein is no difference between them but here is the difference that God seeth sin in the one and not in the other because abolished by Christ Thus you have a heap of falshoods and non-sense together as if the Author had no knowing or seeing while he speaks of these things To let you understand the truth in these particulars howsoever it would be very profitable in this place to give you the Scripture Doctrine about the eye or seeing of God as also the different use of it in Scripture namely that sometimes it s taken for a meer naked apprehension of a thing sometimes for the actions or effects that do flow from Gods seeing and then it is used either in a good sense for the eye of his care protection and approbation or in a bad sense and that two waies either for an eye of condemnation in which sense God doth not see the sins of Beleevers or of displeasure and anger in which sense it s expresly said the sinfull actions of godly men are evil in Gods eyes Howsoever I say it would be very profitable to speak of this here yet I shall put it off I shall therefore examine what truth is in this distinction which they so applaud and that shall be by several Propositions First That seeing is attributed to God only metaphorically God hath no bodily eies It is well observed by a Father that the meaner and more debased the things are to which God is compared there is the least danger because every common apprehension will judge it not to be truly and formally so in God And thus it is of eyes and when to see is attributed to God it is the same thing with to know so that to make a difference between these two is grosse ignorance Secondly Knowledge is attributed likewise to God but in a far different sense from what it is in us and therefore differs from our knowledge many waies 1. His knowledge is his substance Hence Synesius said God to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his understanding 2. It s not caused from objects Gregory expressed it well Ipse mundus nobis non notus esse posset nisi esset deo autem nisi notus esset esse non posset 3. It 's simple and one There is properly no memory of things past no prescience of things to come but all things are presâ—nt to him As if there were a body that were all eies that needed not to turn it self backward and forward to see things or as a man standing upon an high Tower doth with one cast of his eye behold Passengers at the bottom of the Tower which go successively one after another Thus Deus est totus lux totus oculus God is altogether light and wholly an eye 4. Knowledge in us is properly taken for to know a thing by its causes but it is not so in God This rightly understood will overthrow that distinction of knowing and seeing Thirdly That text Psal 94. doth no waies suppose such a distinction for the Psalmist doth there intend whatsoever perfection is either in bodily seeing or mentall knowing it is eminently and more transcendently in God neither doth he limit seeing to the sins of wicked men and knowing only to the sins of the godly yea the text maketh thus against the Antinomian if a believer himself and others see sin in him shall not God much more Indeed in the creatures there is a distinction between seeing and knowing in some respects for knowing may be of a thing in the abstract but seeing doth denote the intuitive present apprehension so that knowing hath a perfection which seeing hath not and seeing which knowing hath not but in God all his knowledge is intuitive and all things are present to him because of his eternity and omnipresence so the Schools determine and rightly upon that Text 2 Pet. 3. afterwards to be explained and the reason is because intuitive knowledge or the apprehension of a thing present is the most noble knowledge not that the things themselves do coexist or are present to one another but unto God in Eternity for as Gods immensity is in respect of his essence so his eternity is in regard of time so that although the things themselves vary yet Gods knowledge doth not As an Artificer who hath the Idea or form of an house in his minde before he makes it when it is made and after it is destroyed he hath still the same form in his minde though the house be altered Fourthly Neither doth the Scripture customarily use such a difference yea to know when attributed to God is used many times for a knowledge of approbation and then we cannot say God knoweth the sins of Believers but we may as well say God knoweth no sin in them that is to condemn them for it as well as he seeth none in them so Hab. 1. God is said to be of purer eyeâ— then to behold iniquity that is with approbation and so in this sense we may say God seeth no sin no not in wicked men Besides it is very false that the Scripture doth no where say that he seeth sin in Believers for it is expresly said of Davids numbring the people and of his murder that it was evil in Gods eyes and he confesses that he had done that evil in Gods sight But of this more hereafter So then wheresoever the Scripture saith God seeth no sin there we may also as truly say God knoweth none and where it is said he doth see there we may say he doth know also Fifthly There is in reason no distinction to be made to our capacities between Gods knowing and seeing for in those instances the Author giveth we may say God knoweth in
yet his love and wisdom put him upon that remedy which neither men or Angels could have excogitated so that God doth not let sin go unpunished only he provideth a Ram to be sacrificed for Isaac a Mediator to come between his wrath and us It is true reason as we see doth much gainsay this mystery but we may say mulier ista taceat let this woman hold her peace in the Church of God Though therefore God cannot but execute justice upon sinners yet his justice did admit of a temperament whereby God doth proceed to see the sins of his people to hate them but yet to punish them upon Christ 7. Prop. There is a great deal of difference between Iustice as it is an essential property in God ad intra and between the effects of it ad extra These latter come much under the liberty and freedom of God which appeareth in the variety of his judgements upon wicked men some being consumed one way and some another so that it is meerly at his pleasure whether he will stir up more or lesse wrath Ps 2. there is a little anger of his spoken of but you may read a remarkable expression Ps 78.38 He turned away his wrath from thâ—m and stirred not up all his wrath Here you see the anger of God subject to his free-will If the effects of Gods justice should flow from him as burning from fire or drowning from water the whole world were not able to endure before him who is a consuming fire How could it come about that the wicked do so overflow with prosperity in this world if so be that God did necessarily punish and destroy which are effects of his Iustice So that there is a great difference between Iustice taken for an attribute and Iustice for the effects God cannot but be alwayes just the former whereas there is a liberty in the latter As in man the power of laughing is an essential property in him yet the act of laughter ariseth in some measure by the freenes of his will Hence it is that Gods essential Iustice doth not receive more or lesse but the effects of his Iustice may be more or lesse If many men be in the same sin and God doth punish some of them with a remarkable temporal judgement we may not say God dealeth more justly with these then the other yet we may say the effects of his Iustice are greater upon some then others 8. Propos Christ satisfied God as a just Iudge not as a Father provoked and by this means though punishments are taken away yet afflictions for sin are not and this doth directly answer the whole Question whereas it is demanded seeing Christ fully reconciled God to us and thereby all punishments are taken away why not as well all afflictions If he hath removed greater will he think much at the lesse The answer lieth fully in this Christ by his bloud and satisfaction undertook that the justice of God should never fall upon us to punish us not that he should never be angry with us a Father to chastise us By this redemption it s Christs will that God should not as a just Iudge require compensation of us not that as a provoked Father he should not scourge us for our sins when committed The reason is clear because fatherly anger is an â—ffect of love but punishment the fruit of hatred And thus now you see why God will not see sin to condemnation because Christ hath made up that yet he will see it in believers to angry castigation because Christ did not interpose there it is therefore no derogation to Christs death no injury to his sufferings if notwithstanding them God doth afflict for sin even his own children 9. Propos By reason of this anger of God against sin even still abiding those afflictions which come upon believers are from a conveniency with the justice of God Although we cannot say rigidly That if God did not chastise believers for their sins he were unjust yet we may say his afflicting of them is beseeming his Iustice partly because he hath prescribed this law to himself 1 Sam. 7.14 Even as to wicked men upon their obstinate sinning to punish them so upon his own if they offend to chasten them and partly by afflicting of his people for their sin he demonstrates the hatred of it unto the world Although therefore God do not alwayes chastise every godly man but sometimes by their repentance these very chastisâ—ments are either prevented or removed yet when God doth thus break out in his anger against them this is becoming his just nature and the world thereby seeth how he is displeased with it One of the Articles which Arminius relateth as laid against him was that he should hold The temporal afflictions of believers were not chastisements but punishments properly so called To this he answereth pa. 103. Resp ad Artic. 31. That the calamities inflicted upon David for his sin in the matter of Vriah may be called punishments properly and that the Text seemeth to be better explained so and yet withall that there will be no favour to the Popish opinion for he grants That Christ satisfied both for eternal and temporal punishments but yet God when he takes off the spiritual punishment may for a while reserve the temporal as though Christ hath taken away the jus the power and right death hath over us yet he hath not quite destroyed actual death but all this is a meer itching to innovate needlesly in Religion for if Christ have satisfied for temporal death then though it be not removed presently yet it cannot abide as a punishment strictly LECTURE XIII MATTH 6.12 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors THis Text shall be the last because the noblest to prove that God seeth sin in those that are believers for if they be bound to pray that God would forgive them their debts therefore they are involved in debts and in deep humility they are to acknowledge this withall desiring the cancelling or blotting them out so that as the Church anciently used this place against those Pelagian Doctrines which dreamed of a perfection in this life and immunity from all sin no lesse doth it overthrow those novel Assertions of being without sin though not inherently yet as to Gods eye and account What Terâ—ullian said of the Lords-Prayer in general is most true of this Petition Quantum substringitur verbis tantum diffunditur sensibus it is as comprehensive in sense as straightned in words so in this Petition you have few leaves of words but much fruit of matter It s like Christs Mustard-seed which by a good Interpreters managing will grow into a tall tree The material things that belong to remission of sins I shall inclose as pertinent to my purpose In the words you have the Petition it self Forgive Secondly The Subject Vs Disciples and Believers He that thinketh himself without sin that very thought is
to be wounded and melted within us at that time And indeed why is there a promise Zech. 12. for the spirit of prayer and mourning together if it were so easie and customary a work Why Rom. 8. are these groans unutterable wrought by the Spirit of God in us at that time insomuch that a soul in prayer is in spiritual travel and heavenly Agonies All which cannot be unlesse the heart of a man be deeply humbled within for sin so that this Petition doth not only imply sin is in us and that God seeth it but also that all within us ought to be moved and troubled at it Beg therefore for pardon with the same zeal and movings of bowels as David did Psal 51. who had his broken bones A tear in our eye for sin doth more adorn it then a jewel doth the ear Now the Antinomian Doctrine is like an Eastern or Northern winde that drieth up or bloweth away this spiritual rain If God seeth no sin in us then he would see no humiliation nor debasement in us for sin and so whereas as heretofore repentance in believers hath been necessary now it shall be prejudicial to salvation and all sorrow shall be ungodly What direct Antipodes are these to Scripture-directions Hence they repent that ever they did so much repent and look upon their sorrow for sinne as Christ upon his enemies Lord forgive me for I did not know what I did But we have not so learned the Gospel The people of God when sinning are called upon to afflict themselves and to mourn and because the Corinthians did not so at first though afterwards they did therefore the Apostle threatens to come with a rod unto them Take heed then of all Doctrines or practices that may obstruct the running streams of thy soul Keep thy self alwayes in this spirituall sweat Take not the Limbeck from the fire that so spirituall distillations may flow continually 4. It supposeth earnestnesse and importunity with perseverance till we do obtain That which is requisite in every prayer must not be excluded here Prayer without fervency is like a messenger without legs an arrow without feathers an advocate without a tongue Hence are those phrases Be instant in prayer and Watch unto prayer and Pray without ceasing Till the heart be deaded to every creature and minde this thing only it will not pray aright Seeing therefore our blessednesse and happinesse is made to consist in this That our sins are pardoned how ought we to lay every thing aside till this be vouchsafed unto us Hierom complained of his distractions and dulness in praier Siccine putas orasse Jonam Sic Danielem inter leones Sic latronem in cruce Where is thy faith Did Jonah pray thus in the Whales belly Did Daniel thus among the Lions Did the thief thus upon the crosse If spiritual things were as truly and really apprehended by us as temporal are how should we bid all comforts stand afar off even refusing to be comforted till Gods favour shine upon us If the frowning of a King be like the roaring of a Lion how terrible then are the frowns of God for sin Lastly It supposeth in the subject constant renewed acts of faith For as there is constant pardon begged and offered so there must be a continual lifting up and stretching out the hand to receive As the branch in the Olive doth constantly suck juice and nourishment so ought we perpetually to be receiving from the fulnesse of Christ This then is the only grace that hath the promise of pardon made to it although where this is there will also be the presence of all other graces Neither may we with Spalato judge the distinction that is made between faith and other graces in this matter of Justification and Remission of sins a meer metaphysicall subtilty and formality as is to be shewed If therefore thy faith be asleep within no marvel if such tempests and storms arise that thou fear drowning As a tradesman will part with any thing rather then his tools for they are instrumental to his whole livelihood so above all we ought to look to our faith 3. In the object matter we suppose these things 1. That forgivenesse of sin may be had after Baptism That although we sin after that solemn stipulation yet God will not divorce us or cast us as it were out of the Ark into the deluge There have been some of old as the Novatians and Anabaptists of late who have maintained There is no hope of pardon to those that after their Baptism do fouly sinne for there they suppose is given the plenary Remission but this is false and uncomfortable for we have the incestuous person after his repentance received into favour again How desperate had Peters condition been if this had been true And when our Saviour bids us Forgive our brother seventy times seven we may not think there is more love in the creature then in the Creator and Gods kindenesse beyond that of a mans is most emphatically described Jer. 3.1 Where God promiseth a reconciliation to his people though they played the adulteresse with him 2. That we may with hope and faith pray for the pardon of great sins as well as lesse In Justification by Christ greater sins are as easily forgiven as lesse Though as is to be shewed the party offending doth not come by pardon so easily and more is required of him now this is a good cordial to the afflicted spirit who is apt to limit God in his pardon He may forgive such and such sins but can these great mountains ever be removed out of his sight sins of such a magnitude and aggravation But our Saviour doth not determine us in our Petition but whatsoever your sins are pray for the pardon of them Had it not been a great dishonour to Christ if any diseased man had said his malady was greater then Christ could cure he might heal others but not him No lesse injurious is thy doubting when the greatnesse of thy sin makes thee stagger The obedience of Christ is as much above thy greatest sin as Christs person is above thy person 3. It supposeth iteration of pardon that God is not wearied out neither doth upbraid us Who would not think that the soul should be ashamed and blush to go for the pardon of the same sins committed over and over again How easily might we think What hope is there to have me speed Have I not a thousand and thousand times intreated God to forgive me such pride such vain thoughts such negligence in his service and must I still go to ask pardon How shall I look up into Heaven any more and this temptation is more terrible as is to be shewed if it be a sin or sins of a more grievous nature that the petitioner hath been overtaken frequently with but as we are commanded to forgive to a brother offending in a day many times against us so
he doth nothing deficienter as falling from that eternal and immutable Law of righteousnesse whereas the Angels and man did missing or coming short of the rule by which they were to be guided but because this Discourse is more remote to our present matter of Pardon of sin we come to that which doth more nearly concern it Therefore in the third place there is the proper effect and consequent of sin which is to make guilty and oblige to eternall wrath To omit the many things that are in sinne Divines doe acknowledge two things in every sinne the Macula or filth and the Reatus the guilt which guilt some do again distinguish into the guilt of sin which they call the inward dignity and desert of damnation which they make inseparable from sinne even as heat is from the fire and the guilt of punishment which they make separable For the present let us examine What is that effect of sinne whereby a man when a sinne is committed is truly denominated a sinner for seeing Remission is a taking away of sin in that respect whereby we are adjudged and accounted of as sinners it is necessary to know what that is which doth so constitute a sinner As for example David after his adultery Peter after his denial have contracted such a guilt upon them whereby they are accounted as sinners though the acts of their sins be gone and passed and in this condition they stand till remission or forgivenesse come which takes away their sins For the understanding of this consider this foundation That every sin committed by a man though the sin be transient and quickly passeth away yet it doth still continue and is as it were still in acting till by remission it be removed And this consideration is of great practical use A man is apt to look upon his sins committed a long while ago as those which are passed and are no more to be thought upon but you must know that there is something which doth remain after a sin is committed which is somewaies the same with the action of sin so that not figuratively but properly the sin it self is said to continue Thus the Scripture cals something by the name of sin that doth continue when yet the commission of the sin is past As David many moneths after he had sinned praieth God To blot out his sinne why where was his sin It was committed long before and it was a transient act but yet David by this doth acknowledge that there is something which doth continue that act of sin whereby David is as much bound up in his conscience as if he had been in the very commission of it Consider therefore that till there be a pardon of sin though thy sins have been committed fourty or fifty years ago yet they are continued still and thou art truly a sinner though so many years after as thou wast at the first committing of them Sin is not taken away by length of time but by some gracious act of God vouchsafed unto us How justly may it be feared that many a mans sins do still lie at his doors Thou art still in thy sins and looked upon as so by God though it may be thou hast left such sins many years ago Thy youthfull sins it may be thou hast left them along while ago yet thou art still in them and they are continued upon thee till by remission they are taken away It is not thy other course of life and abstinence from sin that makes a sin not to be but there must be some gracious act on Gods part removing of this Consider therefore of it that thy soul remaineth as polluted and guilty twenty years after a sin yea a thousand of years if thou couldst live so long as when it was in the very first act of sin Remember the action of sinne doth passe away but not the sinne you may therefore ask Wherein doth the sin continue still What is that which makes me still to be reputed of as if I were a sinner in the very act It is commonly out of the Schoolmen determined That after a sinne is committed there doth remain a Macula a blot in the soul and that continuing the sinner doth thereby remain obliged unto eternal wrath That there is such a filth and blot remaining because of sinne I see generally acknowledged by our Divines only that learned Wootton doth much oppose it and saith the Schoolmen have been five hundred years labouring to declare what it is and are not able to do it Indeed he grants That in Adams sin we may well conceive a blot remaining after the sin was committed because he was endowed with grace but now in a man grown up that hath grace no sinne that he commits takes away his grace and therefore he is not deprived of that beauty by the blot of sinne And as for wicked men they have no beauty at all in them and therefore how can sinne make such a blot in them There must be beauty in them by grace which is nitor animae the lustre of the soul before there can be Macula which is the deformity of it For the right conceiving of this know 1. That it is one thing to acknowledge such a defilement and impurity by sinne absolutely and another to acknowledge it so That justifying grace or remission of sin must take that blot away Herein the Papists erre That they hold sin leaveth such a stain which remission of sin taketh away whereas indeed there is such a filth by sin but that is taken away by sanctifying grace not justifying so that it is a dangerous errour to speak of such a defilement by sin and then to say God by pardoning takes it away This were to confound Justification and Sanctification But in the second place we may according to Scripture say not only in Adams sinne but in every sin we commit there is a blot and stain made upon the soul Matth. 15.20 These things that come from the heart defile a man Ephes 5.27 Sin is compared to a spot and wrinkle So Rom. 3.12 All by nature are said to become unprofitable The Hebrew word in the Psalm out of which this is taken signifieth corruption or putrefaction for such sin is to the soul not that you may conceive that the essence of the soul is naturally corrupted by sin as rust doth the iron and moths the garment but in a moral sense by sin the soul in its faculties is disenabled from doing its duty Thus the Apostle cals sins dead works Heb 9.14 not in that sense as if they did bring death to a man for that the Apostle expresseth otherwise killing us when he speaks of the Law but he cals them dead works because they defile man as dead carcases in the old Testament For the Apostle vers 1. spake of cleansing by the bloud of an heifer which was to be used when a man had toucht any dead thing which made him legally
unclean Thus saith he Christs bloud will cleanse from sin that contaminateth a man Neither is it necessary that grace must really have been in the soul before and then sin by depriving the soul of it so to stain it for it s enough that the soul ought to have grace in it though it were not present before as when a man doth not believe Gods Word though this unbelief do not deprive him of the beauty and grace of faith which he had yet it doth of that beauty of faith which he ought to have And thus as particular actual sins are multiplied so are particular stains and defilements also encreased we therefore must grant a stain by sin though this be not that which is removed by remission Therefore that which continueth a man a sinner in Gods account and is to be removed by remission is that obligation to eternall wrath appointed by God for as soon as a man hath sinned there doth accrue to God a moral right as we may speak with reverence and power being a Judge as thereby he may inflict vengeance upon a sinner and in this respect sin is called an offence because it doth provoke him who is a just Judge unto anger and vengeance This then is that which makes a sin to continue still as if it were in act because upon the sinne committed there is an obligation by Gods appointment to everlasting punishment and when this is taken off then is God said to forgive and till it be sinne is alive crying for vengeance as fiercely as if it were newly committed So that the act once committed that causeth the obligation to punishment and this obligation continuing God doth not forgive When a sinne is committed it may remain in Gods minde and in our minde In our minde by way of guilt and trouble as David said His sin was alwayes before him or else in Gods minde so that he doth will the punishment of such Now when God doth forgive he blots sins out of his minde and remembers them no more He doth not will the obligation of them to punishment being satisfied thorow Christ and the party believing in him By all this you may see That after a sin is committed there remaineth obligation in the will and minde of God to eternal punishment and God when he doth forgive cancelleth this debt or obligation This being cleared we may the easilier judge with what act God doth forgive sinne but of that hereafter Let us consider the aggravation of sin as it is an offence to God which may the more instigate us to pardon In sin we may consider two things First The deprivation of that rectitude which ought to be in every thing we do in which sense sin is a moral monster as there are natural monsters for the soul in sin doth not bring forth fruit answerable unto reason and the Law of God this consideration may much humble us but there is another thing in sin which doth more aggravate it and that is as it is a dishonour and an offence to God and by this means it becometh above our power ever to satisfie God for it Therefore in every sin besides the particular considerations look upon that general one which is in all viz. That peculiar deformity it hath as it is an offence against God Its disputed Whether sin have an infinite evil and deformity in it To answer this If a sin be considered in its kinde so it s not infinite because one sin is so determined to its kinde that it is not another sin as theft is not murder Neither secondly can sin be said to be infinite evil in respect of the being of it for it cometh from finite creatures who are not able to do any thing infinite and therefore sin is not infinite as Christs merits are infinite which are so because of the dignity and worth of the person though the actions themselves had a finite being Besides if sins were infinite in such a sense then no sin could be greater then another because that which is truly infinite cannot be made more or lesse Therefore thirdly Sins are said to have infinite evil in them in respect of the object or person against whom they are committed viz. God who is an infinite object For seeing the aggravation of a sinne ariseth from the worth of the person against whom it is committed if the person offended be of infinite honor and dignity then the offence done against such an one hath an infinite evil and wickedness in it So that the infiniteness of sin ariseth wholly from the external consideration of God against whom it is But of this more when we speak of the necessity of Christs satisfaction to Gods justice by his death Let the Use be to inform thee That every sin committed continueth as fresh to cry vengeance many years after as if it were but lately done till remitted by God Think not therefore that time will wear it out though they may wear out of thy conscience yet they cannot out of Gods minde Consider that of Job 14.17 Thou sealest up my transgression as in a bag and thou sowest up mine iniquity So that what the Apostle speaks of some 2 Pet. 2. is true of all impenitent sinners Their damnation slumbereth not nor doth it linger Therefore till the mercy of God hath taken off this guilt thou art to be in as much fear and trembling as if the very sins were still committed by thee LECTURE XVII MAT. 6.12 And forgive us our Debts THe next Question to be handled is What remission of sin is and how God doth forgive them And although the discussing of the former Question viz. What maketh a man a sinner doth make an easie and quick way of dispatching this because Justification doth take off that consideration and respect of a sinner from a man yet that the whole nature of it may be better understood I shall lay down severall Propositions all which will tend to give us much light in this great and glorious benefit of the Gospel And in the first place as we formerly considered some choice Hebrew words that set forth the pardon of sinne so now let us take notice of some Greek words in the new Testament that expresse this gracious act of God for the holy Ghost knoweth best in what words to represent this glorious mercy to us The word that is most frequently used by the Evangelists and Apostles is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the general is as much as to dismisse or send away to let alone to leave to permit or suffer in which senses the Scripture often useth it and certainly God in this sense doth pardon sin because he lets it alone he leaves it he meddles no more with it but handleth the person forgiven as if he never had been a sinner But commonly this word is used of absolving those who are accused as guilty which appeareth in that famous sentence of Agesilaus
Therefore in different respects we may say That pardon of sin is an utter abolition of it and it is not an utter abolition of it It is an utter abolition of it as it doth reflect upon the person making him guilty and obliging him actually to condemnation in this respect a man is as free as if he had never sinned but if you speak of the inherency of sin and the effects of original corruption that do abide in all which are also truly and properly sins so pardon of sin is not an utter abolition and although Christ wrought no semiplenam curationem as is observed no half-cures upon any diseased persons but whom he healed he healed perfectly yet he works by degrees in the grace of Sanctification as he did perfect the world by severall degrees successively and not as Austin thought all at once So that this particular viz. That forgiveness is a perfect abolition of sin in the former consideration is of transcendent comfort to the believers and indeed it is impossible that sin should be forgiven divisibly and by parts so a man should be at the same time under the favour of God and under his hatred which is impossible Thou therefore who art a believer hast cause to rejoyce for this perfect work of remission of thy sins past wherein nothing more is or can be done for thy good and consolation Do not think it is with God as with men who say indeed They forgive with all their heart yet retain their secret inward hatred as much as before Indeed the pain of sin may roul and tumble in thy conscience a long while after though it be forgiven we see so in David as the sea which hath been enraged by tempests and windes though they be quiet yet the sea will roar and make a noise a long time after The heart of a man awakened and pierced with the guilt of sin doth not quickly and easily compose it self again Prop. 2. It is one thing for God to forgive and another thing not to exact and demand punishments As we see among men a Judge many times through fear or otherwise when Justice is obstructed doth not call such a malefactour to an account but deferreth it yet for all that the man is not acquitted so it is often to be seen in Gods providence There are multitudes of sinners who after their transgressions committed are not onely without punishment but enjoy great prosperity and much outward successe yet these men are not pardoned they have no acquittance from God This hath been such a temptation to David Jeremiah and others of Gods people that they have many times staggered through unbelief But men may have their punishments deferred their damnation may sleep or linger but it is not taken off Let not men therefore delude themselves with vain hopes as if their sins were forgiven because not yet punished No there must be some positive gracious act of God to acquit thee else thy sins are alive to condemn thee Examine thy self therefore whether thy peace comfort plenty be a fruit of Gods forbearance meerly or of his acquittance This later is alwayes an act of his gracious mercy but the other may be a terrible fruit of his hatred against thee insomuch that thou hadst better wander up and down like Cain fearing every thing will kill thee or damn thee then be in such security Prop. 3. A godly man may account not only himself bound to thank God for the pardon of those sins he hath committed but he is to acknowledge so many pardons as by the grace of God he hath been preserved from sin And if a believer enter into this consideration how will it overwhelm him So often as God hath preserved thee from such and such sins which thy own heart or temptations would have inclined thee to God hath virtually given thee so many pardons That God preserved David from killing Nabal and his Family here was interpretatively as great mercy as in the expresse forgiving of the murder of Vriah It is a rule of Divines Plures sunt gratiae privativae quà m positivae There are more preventing graces then positive The keeping of evils from us is more then the good he bestoweth on us Therefore Austin observed well that as Paul said By the grace of God I am what I am So he might also have said By the grace of God I am not what I am not Though therefore we are not so sensible of preventing mercies as of positive yet a due and right consideration of Gods love in this matter might much inflame our hearts Say therefore O Lord I blesse thee not onely for the pardon of those sins I have committed but also for thy goodnesse in preserving me from those many thousands I was prone to fall into which is in effect the pardon of so many Prop. 4. Remission of sin is not to be considered meerly as removing of evil but also as bestowing of good It is not only ablativa mali but collativa boni it is not a meer negation of punishment due to us but a plentifull vouchsafing of many gracious favours to us such as a Sonship and a right to eternal life as also Peace with God and Communion with him God also never pardons any sin but where he sanctifieth the nature of such an one Indeed it will be worth the enquiry Whether this connexion of pardon of sin with inherent holiness arise from a natural neâ—essity so that one cannot be without the other or whether it be by the meer positive will and appointment of God for the present this is enough God hath revealed he will never dis join these Prop. 5. Iâ— every sin there are as to the purpose of Justification these two things considerable the offence that is done to God whereby he is displeased and the obligation of the man so offending him to eternal condemnation Now remission of sin doth wholly lie in removing of these two so that when God doth will neither to punish or to be offended with the person then he is said to forgive We must not therefore speak of two kinds of remissions one remission of the punishment another of the offence and fault for this is one remission and God never doth the one without the other It is true there remain paternal and medicinal chastisements after sin is forgiven but no offence or punishment strictly so taken What kinde of act this remission is whether immanent or transient is to be shewed in the next Question Prop. 6. From the former Proposition this followeth That sin in the guilt of it is not remitted by any act that we do but it is a meer act of God So that neither the grace of repentance or love of God is that which removeth guilt out of the soul but it is something in God onely It is the opinion of many Papists That God in pardoning doth onely inable to repent for sin and then the guilt of
insufficiency in Christs bloud for alas if Christs bloud be not able to cleanse away thy sin how shall thy tears do it Hence it s no lesse then blasphemy which Rivet reporteth of Panigirolla the Papist who cals it foolishnesse and a grievous sin to put confidence wholly in Christs bloud Although therefore God puts up thy tears in his bottle yet if he do not also take notice of the bloud of Christ thy soul must still remain filthy Do not therefore magnifie thy tears and undervalue Christs bloud The bloud of the Sacrifice which represented Christs bloud was to be sprinkled upon the posts of the door but not on the threshold it was not to be trampled upon or despised no more is Christs bloud In the second place There are many reasons of congruity and fitnesse why a man should repent though it procure not pardon as a cause Though God cause the Sunne to shine and the rain to fall upon the wicked as well as the righteous yet pardon and reconciliation is not vouchsafed to the impenitent as well as the penitent The first reason of Congruity is Because hereby a man shall experimentally know the bitternesse of sin as well as the sweetnesse of it For as God though Christ hath fully satisfied his justice to take away all punishment doth yet heavily afflict his own people for sin that so they may in their own sense apprehend what wormwood and gall is in sin so the Lord though pardon come wholly by Christ yet will give it to none but to those that repent that so according to their delight in sin may also be their bitternesse for it Jer. 2.19 Aristotle said Homo est magis sensus quam intellectus much more is he sensus then fides more sense then faith and what he experimentally doth most feel in that he is most affected 2. Another Congruity is this Hereby we shall come to prize pardon the more and to esteem the grace of God in forgiving The sick esteem the Physician The broken bones make a man cry out for ease The famished Prodigal would be glad of crums It is therefore fit that a mans sins should be a burden and an heavy trouble to him that so pardon may be the sweeter and Gods love the more welcome When Josephs brethren were put in fear and dealt with roughly as spies after this to know that Joseph was their reconciled brother did work the greater joy Again we shall hereby judge the better of Christs love to us his sufferings in his soul were more exquisite then those in his body when he cried My God why hast thou forsaken me in this was the height of his Agony Now thou that in thy repentance feelest Gods displeasure art ready to cry out Why dost thou forsake me By these throbs and agonies in thy own soul thou maiest have some scantling of what Christ had in his soul and certainly to think that Christ was thus tempted thus under Gods displeasure for thee will more indear Christ to thee then that he was made poor a worm and no man yea crucified for thee 3. Hereby we shall give God the glory of his Justice that he might damn us if he did enter into strict judgement with us In repentance we judge our selves 1 Cor. 11. that is we condemn our selves acknowledge such sins to be committed by us for which God might shew no mercy for which he might say Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire and by this means God is highly honoured and we debased See this notably in David Psal 51.4 Against thee have I sinned that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest By this expression David doth acknowledge that all the afflictions laid upon him for sin were just and therefore God was to be cleared howsoever Thus in repentance a man comes to know himself how low and vile he is and that if he be saved from wrath and hell it is meerly from Gods good pleasure and therefore repentance is a kinde of a revenge upon a mans self 2 Cor. 7.10 The Lord is set up in his greatness and soveraignty we are made wholly prostrate 4. As there is a Congruity So repentance floweth by naturall consequence from a regenerated and sanctified heart For seeing regeneration is taking away the heart of stone and giving an heart of flesh thereby also is given a flexiblenesse and tendernesse and aptnesse to relent because God is dishonoured As there is in children a natural impression to mourn and relent when a father is displeased so that this godly sorrow floweth from a gracious heart as a stream from the fountain as fruit from the tree From this inward principle David doth so heartily mourn and pray from this Peter goeth out and weeps bitterly It is therefore a vain Question to ask Why a godly man is humbled for sinne it is as if you should ask Why a childe mourneth for the death of his father That love of God within him which doth abundantly prevail and reign there is like fire that doth melt and soften So that as naturall forms are the principles of actions which flow from them Thus is a supernatural principle of grace within the ground of all spiritual actions that issue thencefrom but although it flow as a fruit yet many times this stream is obstructed or dried up 5. There is in godly sorrow an aptnesse or fitnesse to be made the means or way wherein pardon may be obtained And this is the highest our godly sorrow can attain unto in reference to pardon of sinne viz. an ordinability of it to be such a way wherein we may finde mercy And thus we cannot say of impenitency or any other sin That God may forgive a man living in his impieties and wicked wayes for they have no aptitude or condecency in their natures to be referred to such an end We grant therefore that when the Spirit of God doth humble and soften a mans heart for sin that it works that in a man which hath a fitnesse to be used as the means whereby mercy is obtained yet that hath no merit or condignity in it to purchase salvation Hence it is that we may not say It is all one whether a man doth repent or not or that repentance is in a man as a sign only that God hath pardoned but we must go further and say it is the means and way which God hath aâ—pointed antecedently to pardon so that where this goeth before the other cometh after 6. There is a Congruency in repentance for sin Though it be not expiatory or satisfactory If we do regard the justice of God or the mercy and grace of God The justice of God For if he should pardon sinfull impenitent men though they wallow in all mire and filth that despise his grace and mercy how could his justice bear it Though therefore repentance doth not satisfie his justice yet sins unrepented of cannot
changed would be a strong and undeniable inference And indeed for this particular may the Arminians be challenged as holding Gods mutability because they hold That notwithstanding Gods decree and purpose to save such a man yet a man by his own corruption and default shall frustrate God of this his intention Otherwise all know Adam was created in a state of Gods favour and quickly apostatized into the contrary so that we may truly say Adam was one day yea hour as some a childe of Gods favour and in another of his wrath yet the change was in Adam not in God both because God had not made an absolute Decree from all Eternity for his standing as also because he had made no Promise to preserve him in that happy condition In this sense 1 Pet. 2.10 it is said Which in time past were not a people but now are the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy And whereas the Opponent saith God loved us before we did believe it is true with a love of purpose but many effects of his love are not exhibited till we do believe He loveth us and so worketh one effect of love in us that that effect may be a qualification for a new and further effect of love He loveth us to make us his friends and when he hath done that he loveth us with a love of friendship God loved us before he gave Christ for out of that love he gave us Christ that so when Christ is given us he may bestow another love upon us Now because it is ordinary with us to call the effect of love love as the fruit of grace is grace Therefore we say In such a time God loved not one and afterwards we say He doth love the same not that herein is any change of God but several effects of his love are exhibited As we call the effects of Gods anger his anger Poena patientis ira esse creditur decernentis The punishment on the offender is judged the anger of the inflicter and by this means we say sometimes God is angry and afterwards he ceaseth to be angry when he removeth these effects of his anger so a man is said to be loved or not to be loved according to the effects of Gods love exhibited in time and God hath so appointed it that one effect of his love should be a qualification in the subject for another as sanctification for glorification LECTURE XXIII MAT. 6.12 And forgive us our Debts THe next Question to be considered is Whether in this prayer we pray only for the Assurance of Pardon not Pardon it self For thus the Antinomians answer to the Objection fetched from this place that the whole sense of this Petition is That we may feel in our selves and assuredly perceive what pardon God had given us before Honey-Comb p. 155. So Den reconcil of God to man p. 44. making this Argument of the Text against himself If we pray for forgiveness of sins then sins are not forgiven before answereth The Protestants saith he with one consent hold That they do beg at the hands of God greater Certainty and Assurance of Pardon and he instanceth in a condemned person that is upon the ladder who having received the pardon of his Prince may when called into the Kings presence fall down and say Pardon me my Lord and King but this is to abuse Protestant Authours for although many of them may make this part of the meaning yet none make it the only meaning Gomarus in his Explication of this Petition doth excellently confute Piscator for explicating Pardon of sin by a Metonymy of the subject viz. The sense and feeling of this in our hearts and saith That such a signification cannot be proved out of any place of Scripture nor out of the language of any good Authors and one of his reasons is this Prayer for pardon of sin would be imprudently taken out of the Lords Prayer for he who prayeth for the sense and feeling of a thing supposeth it already done Now saith he every wise Petition hath for its object a thing to come and not a thing past This also Bellarmine objecting against special Faith as if it were a confidence that my sins are forgiven already he makes it as absurd upon this ground to beg for pardon as it would be to pray that Christ may be incarnated or made flesh Crocius in his answer to this Disput de fidei justificantis objecto pa. 131. saith as you heard before That those things indeed use not to be prayed for which are so done that they are never done more but those things which are so done as that they may be often done again may be prayed for The incarnation of Christ was once done and can be no more but Remission of sins is so done that it continueth further to be done and its last effect is reserved for the future For as often as we sin so often there is need of Repentance So that by his Judgement Remission of sinne is not like Creation which once was and is not reiterated but conservation More might be said out of Authors but I come to answer the Question First We grant it a duty for that believer who knoweth his sins are pardoned to pray for further Faith and Assurance of the Pardon For seeing our Faith admits of degrees and is sometimes staggering ready to sink no marvel if it needs supports Thus David although he heard his Pardon proclaimed yet makes that poenitential Psalm Psal 51. for mercy to do away his sins which was by appeasing his conscience and satisfying his soul with the goodness of God for as a godly man though he have truly repented of his sins yet upon any sad occasion doth reiterate his Pardon as Paul many times hath his heart-ake for his former blasphemies and persecutions so it is necessary to have the sense and apprehension of his Pardon reiterated to his own comfort and consolation There is no mans Assurance about Pardon so high and unmoveable but it many times meeteth with violent assaults and therefore needeth oil to be frequently poured into his wounds Comfort comfort ye my people saith the Prophet There must be an ingemination of the duty else the soul at first will not hearken In the second place We may conceive of four sorts of persons praying for this Pardon of sin The first is an unconverted and unregenerated man For although he cannot call God Father and so not pray in Faith yet he is bound to pray The Socinians interpret that compellation Our Father not actually but dispositively as if the meaning were who art ready and willing to be a Father But that is not the full meaning of that place There lieth an obligation upon unregenerate men to perform holy Duties though they cannot do them acceptably Their impotency to do them doth not disoblige from the command to do them Now its plain that such a person
praying for forgiveness doth not pray for the Assurance of that which is already past for so no sinne is forgiven to him but for initial Pardon which he never yet hath enjoyed The second sort of persons praying this Prayer are those that at their first conversion humble themselves and seek unto God for his face and reconciliation with him Now those that are thus in their beginnings and new birth they can pray in no other sense but for initial and first Pardon for as that is the first time they begin to have sorrow and brokenness of heart so that is the first time they begin to partake of Pardon Pardon of sin and Faith they are correlates and so are together A third rank is of Believers in their progress of holiness and sanctification walking without any scandal or offence in the wayes of God They in this Petition have a two-fold sense the one an Assurance of the Pardon of sins that are already forgiven them and the other is a renewed Pardon for the renewed infirmities they continually are plunged into Lastly There are lapsed Believers who have fallen into some grievous sins and thereby have made desperate wounds upon their own souls and these have agonies and pangs of heart much like their first conversion Therefore it s called so When thou art converted strengthen thy brother saith Christ to Peter This recovery out of the sinne they were plunged into was like a new conversion By such a commotion as this made in the soul there is nothing but darkness and confusion and they pray for pardon as if this were the first time They fear all their former wayes to have been hypocrisies Thus David Psal 51. prayeth for the restoring of joy to him that his broken bones may be heaeled as also for truth in the inward parts Now although such a mans former sins were indeed forgiven him yet it is to his sense and feeling as if it were not so but rather the contrary is feared by him that Gods wrath doth still abide on him Hence he prayeth for Pardon in his own judgement as one who yet never hath been acquitted by God So that according to the several conditions of the persons prayings we may suppose several senses in the Petition But in the third place to answer the Question we say That Assurance of pardon is not the only thing praied for And that for these Reasons First We are never to depart from the literall sense of the words without an evident necessity but the plain undoubted sense is That God would forgive our sins for our Saviour minding brevity in this Prayer no doubt would speak his sense in the most perspicuous and clear manner that can be As therefore if Christ had said Make us to be assured of the pardon of sin The Antinomian would not have gone from the letter but pressed us to that So on the other side when Christ saith Forgive us and not Give us the sense of forgivenes we have cause to cleave fully to that and this may be illustrated by two further considerations the former of those places where God is said not to forgive the later of those where forgiveness is applied of one man unto another When the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Israelites how their Land was full of Idols and both great and mean men did humble themselves before them Isa 2.9 prayeth that therefore God would not forgive them Can any one make the meaning to be that God would not give them the assurance of their forgiveness Mat. 12.32 The Evangelist saith All other sins may be forgiven but that against the holy Ghost shall never Now in that sense other sins are said to be forgiven in which sense that is denied to be forgiven and that is denied to be forgiven not in respect of Assurance and Declaration to a mans conscience only but really and indeed Therefore the sins forgiven are in the like manner forgiven Again It is plain That by Pardon is not meant Assurance of Pardon only because when applied to men it cannot admit of such a sense Now the Petition runs thus That God would forgive us as we forgive others and there is no man will explain the later forgiveness of Assurance and why then the former Besides The equivalent phrase of forgiveness doth evince more then an Assurance of Forgiveness for when the Scripture cals it blotting out of sinne it is an expression from Debts which are as it were written in Gods book and therefore till he cancelleth them they doe remain in their guilt Furthermore If a sin be not really pardoned till a man do repent and believe then he beggeth for more then Assurance but we have fully proved That there is no remission of sin till confession and forsaking of it As for the above named Authours instance of a malefactour who hath received Pardon may yet upon his coming into the Kings presence desire Pardon it no wayes advantageth him For suppose a Malefactour might the first time do so yet experience doth demonstrate it would argue folly and madness in a Malefactour to doe so frequently Whereas it is our duty daily to begge the Pardon of our sinnes at the Throne of Grace To conclude this Point because we have elswhere spoken to it This Exposition doth overthrow the continual use of the Word the equipollent phrases the proper object of Prayer and departs from the letter of the Text without any just ground at all Which is against the rules of Explication of the Scripture The next Question is of great Practicall Concernment viz. Why God doth sometimes Pardon a sinne and yet not manifest it to the sinners heart It appeareth by David Psalm 51. That when a sinne is forgiven in Heaven it is not also remitted and blotted out in a mans conscience yet God can as easily work the one as the other If he say Let there be light in such a dark heart of an Hell it presently becomes an Heaven We would judge that by this divine Dispensation as the godly man loseth much of his comfort so God of his Glory and Honour But divers Reasons may be produced for this As First It may be God will teach us hereby That Pardon of sinne is not a necessary Effect of Repentance but a gracious Gift bestowed though not without it yet not for it Though therefore thy soul hath been deeply humbled and is greatly reformed yet God suspends the light of his favour upon thy soul that thou mayest acknowledge it his Grace not the merit of thy sorrow where Causes doe naturally produce an Effect there it is a Miracle if the one followeth not the other If the fire doe not burn if the Sunne stand still if Peter walking on the water sink not But it is no wonder to see a true contrite heart without Assurance and Consolation These may be separated that so thou mayest be as humble with thy Graces as if they were not
at all Yea God hath delighted sometimes in natural Causes to work the Effects without them lest the glory should be given to the instruments Hence he caused light to be before the Sunne and the earth is commanded to bring forth Herbs before any rain that so God may be acknowledged all in all If God do this in the order of natural things how much more of supernatural Yet this is not so to be prest as if therefore God would forgive sin without Repentance No God hath ordered a way inviolably and indispensably wherein he will vouchsafe his Pardon and no otherwayes But although God out of his meer good will hath inseparably conjoined Repentance and Remission together yet the Discovery or Promulgation of this unto the broken and contrite heart is altogether Arbitrary And in this as well as in other things that speech is true The winde bloweth where it listeth Know therefore by these divine Dispensations That though thou dost repent Gods forgiveness is a meer gift of liberality and no natural necessary fruit of thy sorrow Insomuch that setting Gods gracious Promise aside whereby he is a Debtor unto his own faithfulness after thy purest and most perfect Humilation for sin God might refuse to take thy guilt away A second Reason Why God though he pardon may yet deny the manifestation of it is Because hereby God would make us feel the bitternesse and gall of it in our own hearts A Pardon easily obtained takes off the burden of the fault Thus God dealt with David The light of Gods favour doth not presently break thorow the Cloud that so David may feel how bitter a thing it is to sinne against God As God suffered Isaac to be bound to have wood laid on him the knife to be lifted up to strike him in all which space Isaac's fear could not but heighten Thus God also will kill and wound those whom he intends to make alive he will bruise them and break them that so they may judge the seeming good in sin to be nothing to the real evil that followeth it And from this second issueth a third Reason viz. To make us more watchful and diligent against the time to come Peters bitterness of soul was a special preservative against the like temptations as bitter Potions kill the worms in childrens stomacks It must needs argue much guilt in Gods people if after the particular gall and wormwood they have found in sin they shall be ready to drink the like bitter potion when sin presents it self Certainly the heart-aches that Paul found afterwards though pardoned for his former persecutions were like a flaming sword to keep him off from such attempts again He might more truly say then that Heathen did He would not buy repentance so dear 4. By reason of the Difficulty and supernaturall way of believing it is that Pardon may be in Heaven when we cannot apply it in our Consciences Hence though the Promises be never so much for our ease and thereupon infinitely to be desired yet the way of believing this is so far above natural conscience which expects Justification by works that the heart of a man hath much ado to close with it Therefore faith is not like other Graces or Duties viz. Love of God Humility c. which have some obscure footsteps in the natural dictates of conscience but it is wholly supernatural yea Adam in the state of integrity knew not this kinde of believing in the righteousness of a Mediatour For as the object of faith viz. Christ is only by revelation no councel of men or Angels could have excogitated such a truth so faith as it is the hand or organ applying Christs righteousness is a duty not manifested by humane light but wholly from above And as flesh and bloud doth not reveal to us That Christ is the Son of the living God so neither that we are to have remission of sins only by faith in his bloud Hence the Scripture makes faith the gift of God which coming from the Spirit into our hearts meeteth with much contrariety and opposition of doubts and unbelief No wonder therefore if after the heart of a man hath been awakened for sinne there remain some commotions a long while after even as the sea after tempests winds though they be allaied yet for some space after roareth and rageth not leaving its troubles presently as you heard before Though therefore as God pardoneth in Heaven he offereth it also unto our Consciences yet we refuse and put it off we will not be comforted because it is not a comfort flowing in the way we look for viz. by working And for this reason though David heard Nathan pronounce his pardon yet he doth vehemently importune for it afterwards in Psalm 51. as if he had not the least notice of any such mercy to him Lastly God defers the notice of Pardon to thee that so thou mayest be the more able to sympathize with those that are in the like tempted condition For as one end of Christs suffering in his soul lying in agonies under Gods displeasure was because he might know how to have compassion upon his children in such temptations So the Lord doth exercise his people to the same purpose and certainly Christ accounted this the tongue of the learned to speak a seasonable word to a wounded heart Besides hereby shall we speak the more wonderfully of Gods grace and his goodness after our deliverance out of those storms Those that have been in these deep waters see the wonderful works of the Lord and so have their hearts and mouths the more opened to celebrate his praise Another Question may be What Directions are to be given unto a soul tempted about the pardon of sin for many such there are who like Pauls fellow passengers in the ship have been so many dayes moneths yea it may be years and have seen no Sun enjoyed no comfort at all Let the Persons thus affected use these remedies First Acknowledge God and clear him howsoever Thus David Psal 51. that thou mayest be clear when thou art judged If the devils and the damned in hell have no cause to complain of God as unjust or too severe then much less mayest thou who art kept in darkness for a season only that afterwards thou mayest enjoy the more light Let not God be the worse God his goodness the less unto thee because thou art not yet set free out of the bonds of sin By being thus humble thou takest the way to be filled whereas impatiency and discontent causeth God the more to hide his face Secondly Examine thy Repentance whether that hath been so sound so pure so deep so universal as it should have been All sorrow and humiliation for sin is not godly Repentance Ahabs tears and Peters differ as much as the water of the Sea which is brinish and salt and the water of the clouds which is sweet David Psal 32. acknowledgeth the pain
but all venial Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus Therefore Musculus observes well That in this case the persons offending are to be considered whether they be believers more then the sins themselves A second Proposition Howsoever every sin even the least doth thus deserve eternal damnation yet there is a great difference between some sins and others And therefore sin is not a meer negation but a privation as diseases are and so as one disease may be more desperate then another so may one sin be more hainous then another The Stoicks thought all sins alike And Cyprian among the Ancients is reported by the Learned to have been of that minde But Scripture doth evidently confute this He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin John 16.11 So you have the phrase no be worse then an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 Thus Ezek. 16.47 Israel is said to be more corrupted and to do more abomination then Sodom For although to sinne be to miss the mark yet some may shoot farre wider from it then others one sinne therefore may be more hainous then another divers wayes as Divines shew As 1. From the Person offending if he know the will of God or if he be in publick place or office 2. From the Object If it be sin against God immediately or man only as Eli said 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him 3. From the Matter about which If it be in the life of a man and not in his goods that thou wrongest him Some also may be aggravated from the disposition of the man the means he enjoyes to overcome sin from the frequency of it or defending of it and the like Hence some sins are compared to Camels others to Gnats some to Beams other to Moats some to Talents other to Farthings This then being clear let us consider what difference a true believer should make between these in matter of pardon and what difference he should not make And in the first place he is to make a vast difference about them when he sueth out for pardon As 1. He is to believe Gods wrath is more kindled against him and that his indignation burneth more hotly when such an iniquity is committed then in our daily infirmities Thus when Aaron had made the Idolatrous Calf how angry was God both with Aaron and the people How angry also was God with David after his murder and adultery David had continual infirmities but God did not break his bones for them he made not such a breach upon his peace conscience as he did in these sins Therefore it must argue high prophaneness of spirit if a man after the committing of gross and loathsom sins be no more troubled then for the continual motions and incursions which sinne necessarily makes upon us No as sins have a greater guilt in them so Gods wrath is stirred up in a more vehement manner against such 2. There is a great difference to be made in respect of Humiliation and the measure of godly sorrow for it For as the sin may exceed another as much as the Camel doth a Gnat so ought the sorrow as much as an Ocean doth a drop Thus Peter goeth out and weeps bitterly he did not so for every defect and spiritual imperfection in him as for this abominable Apostasie We reade also of the incestuous person as he committed a sin that was not so much as named among the Gentiles so he manifested such sorrow as was scarce heard among Christians insomuch that the Apostle was afraid of him lest he should be overwhelmed with too much sorrow Now if for every sin of infirmity there should be as much sorrow and humiliation as for these crimson and scarlet sins how would the whole life of man be but a continual trouble of soul and in what darkness would he live alwayes Although all thy continual failings ought to be matter of humiliation unto thee yet when such as these shall break out thy soul ought to set open the floud-gates of thy soul Neither may this be thought a low mercenary way as if the party so humbled did intend a compensation unto God But all places of Scripture must be regarded as those which speak of Christs glorious grace so also those which speak of our duties 3. The Spirit of God doth not only in his Word reveal a greater wrath against such sins but he doth also withdraw all those consolations and comforts which were in the heart before So that a man thus offending doth as it were bolt himself in a dark dungeon and shut out all the beams of the Sun against him Insomuch that although Assurance and the consolations of the holy Ghost may consist with the weaknesses and sinful infirmities of Gods people yet they do not with the gross impieties they plunge themselves into as appeareth in David Psal 51. who prayeth for the restoring of that salvation he had lost by his sin The Spirit of God is a Dove and that delighteth not in noisom buildings The Spirit of God may be grieved and quenched in respect of the fruits thereof So that a man thus wounded for sin feels a very hell in his heart admits of no comfort Neither can it be otherwise for when we refuse the Spirit of God sanctifying we presently repel it comforting If we have not the heat of this Sun neither shall we have the light thereof 4. In these gross offences the Spirit of God doth not onely forsake him in respect of Consolation but it s a Command laid upon the Church-Officers to cast such an one out of their society as 1 Cor. 6. neither may the people of God have any familiar communion or acquaintance with such now what horror and trembling may justly arise in such a mans heart who shall thus be cast out of all gracious Priviledges and that by Gods appointment What darkness must this work in his heart when he shall argue thus with himself Its Gods command I should not be admitted to the Seals of his love he hath given his Officers charge to pour no oil in my wounds how can I plead for the grace signified when he denieth me the Seals thereof God hath shut me out like the unclean leper and whither shall I go Now then if the Church of God make such a vast difference between him and others and that following the directions of Christ Ought not the person offending also to judge the same things about himself 5. In some kinde of grosse sins although there may be deep humiliation yet there are many other conditions requisite without which pardon of sinne cannot be obtained and that is in sins of injustice violence and fraud of others Thus Zacheus it is not enough for him to beleeve Christ the Messias and receive him into his house but he makes
respect of the living members Therefore although Gods people in such grievous fals lose their assurance feel wofull commotions of heart yet they are not to conclude That God hath utterly cast them off They are not to look upon themselves as unsound though they have been Prodigals LECTURE XXV PSAL. 32.1 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sinne is covered Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity DAvid is stiled by some Ancients The Divine Orpheus by whose musick the wilde beasts evil men may be made tame and certainly his materiall Harp was not more efficacious to drive out Sauls evil spirit then his Psalms are sanctified means to expell all corrupt affections in us And although all Scripture be equally excellent in respect of the Authour yea and of the matter absolutely considered yet in respect of us our direction or consolation by reason of our present estate one place of Scripture may be preferred before another in which sense Junius interprets those Psalms that have their inscription A Psalm of Degrees A Psalm of Excellencies as the Hebrew word will bear it Now this Psalm I am upon may justly be so stiled because it hath a peculiar usefulnesse to those who are exercised about the guilt of sinne for here we have David like an anatomy opened that we may be instructed Hence the title of the Psalm is Maschil which is as much as giving instruction and it is observed by Commentators this is prefixed commonly to those Psalms that have some choice eminent Doctrine especially about afflictions as this hath about Davids guilt and trouble under sin and also his pardon of it The Hebrews call this Psalm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor The heart of David because he is so affected with Gods displeasure for sinne and the excellency of the pardon Therefore you must conceive the Text to be uttered by David as one groaning and heavily pressed with the weight of his sinne and crying out Oh how blessed and happy are they that have theis sinnes forgiven them In which words you have pardon of sin described First From severall expressions to magnifie the mercy Sins forgiven covered not imputed It is much to consider how ancient Interpreters have made a difference between the sins enumerated as if there were divers kindes or at least degrees of sinne enumerated and hereupon also they make a difference between forgiving covering and imputing as if one were more then the other but we are rather to take it according to the Scripture-custome which doth use for amplification sake to say the same thing in divers words and this is autology but not tautology The difference that is is from the severall metaphors that are in the words As the first word doth signifie the taking away of sin which is a burrhen blessed is he that is eased of such a weight The second which is covering doth suppose the loathsome filthinesse of sin in the eyes of God and therefore by grace is taken out of his sight The third not imputing or reckoning is a metaphor supposing sinne a debt and God in his account will not set it upon our score so that the severall expressions are wonderfully comfortable if sinne trouble thee as an heavy weight on thee pardoning is the easing and taking off this burden if sinne make thee to judge thy self loathsome thou canst not endure thy self pardon of sin is covering of it if sin put thee in such a debt to God that thou knowest not how to satisfie pardon is not imputing Secondly This is described from the adjunct adherent to remission of sinne viz. blessednesse The Apostle Rom. 4 alledgeth this place to prove That a man hath righteousnesse imputed to him without works But the pertinency of the Apostles argument is disputed of for how doth it from this place follow that a man hath righteousnesse imputed to him without works This is as if a man should argue He is a rich man because his debts are forgiven which is a non sequitur because they are two distinct things This makes Piscator and Wotton with others to make justification to be nothing but remission of sins and that imputation of righteousnesse and remission of sins are the self same thing a man being therefore accounted righteous because his sins are not imputed unto him Hence they deny that the Scripture ever saith Christs righteousnesse is imputed unto us although in some sense they grant it may be said so inasmuch as by his death for us he purchased remission of sin which is our righteousnesse This is to be considered of when we speak of the other part of justification viz. imputation of Christs righteousnesse Although they that are for imputed righteousnesse say The Argument is good which Paul useth because imputing of righteousnesse is immediatly contrary to the imputing of sinne and therefore Paul might argue righteousnesse imputed from sinne remitted even as we truly argue The night is not therefore the day is because darknesse and light are immediate contraries and the subject must necessarily have one of them Lastly This forgivenesse of sin is described from the subject in whom it is viz. in him in whose heart there is no guile that is who doth not cover his sins by not confessing and not repenting of them as David acknowledgeth he did for a while From the Text I shall raise such Observations as are to my particular scope As First That forgivenesse of sin is a covering of sin This truth deserveth a diligent unfolding because the mistake about it hath brought forth dangerous errours in two extremities The one of the Papist That because it is covered Therefore there is no sinne at all in the godly otherwise God could not but see it and hate it as Pererius and others argue The other of the Antinomian who inferre from thence That therefore God seeth not sinne or taketh notice of it in justified persons as Eaton To understand this aright take notice That to cover is a metaphorical expression and we must not squeeze it too much lest bloud come out in stead of milk Some make the metaphor from filthy loathsome objects which are covered from our eyes as dead carcases are buried under the ground some from garments that are put upon us to cover our nakednesse some from the Aegyptians that were drowned in the Red Sea and so covered with water some from a great gulf in the earth that is filled up and covered with earth injected into it Lastly some make it an allusive expression to the Mercy-seat over which was a covering which might signifie Gods grace through and in Christ abolishing our sinnes Hence the Apostle attributes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Christ and his bloud which is given to the Mercy-seat We may not strive for any of these Metaphors they all in the generall tend to shew this That God when be pardoneth doth not look upon us as
sinners but deals with us as if we had never sinned at all as it is here made blessednesse to have sinne covered so it is made a woe and misery Nehem 4.5 not to have sinne covered as Nehemiah praieth against Sanballat and Tobiah This expression is also used Psal 85.2 In the next place we may consider in what sense God doth cover sin when he pardons and in what he doth not 1. God is said therefore to cover sinne from his eyes because he will not take notice of it in justified persons to punish it with wrath and condemnation although it be not so covered as that God doth not see it to be angry with it and chastise beleevers for it yet it is so covered as that he doth not see it to condemn beleevers for it We do not therefore make God to cover sinne as an Antinomian saith we do as if a man should cover a thing with a net where the object is still seen Honey comb pag 57. but as to Gods hatred and revengefull condemnation so it is wholly covered and therefore those expressions of taking away blotting out of sinne c. do fully imply that God giveth not an half pardon but that he taketh away the offence and whatsoever punishment properly so called belongs unto it 2. It doth imply That God when he hath thus forgiven deals with a man as no more in that particular a sinner Therefore David after his murder and adultery are washed away he is as white as snow in respect of those actuall sinnes and every true beleever repenting is bound to beleeve that God doth this graciously and gloriously to him That he is no more in Gods account that loathsome leper and unclean person he was It doth imply That God by degrees and in his due time will cover the beleevers sins as from his own eyes so from the beleevers eyes So that the guilt of conscience those arrows of the Almighty shall not alwaies stick in his heart Thus as mans love to another covers a multitude of sinnes he will not mention charge or upbraid the party with them so doth Gods love cover the multitude of beleevers sins committed by them dealing with them as reconciled persons not upbraiding of them but bestowing all encouraging mercies upon them so that if we improve this phrase of covering sin no further we shall split on no rock and yett he soul have as much comfort as it can rationally desire In the next place hear what it doth not reach to and wherein the phrase is abused As 1. When we dream of such covering of sinne as that sinne is wholly taken away so that no reliques of original corruption abide in us Thus the Papists We must not say they suppose such a covering as if sinne were still there only God will not impute it but it is such a covering as is a blotting sinne out Now for actual sinne we grant covering to be a blotting it out but for original sin in the lusts thereof We say they are still in the godly and properly sins only covered because not imputed to them for the grace of regeneration though it cut the hair of sinne as Dalilah did Samsons yet it groweth again as long as the root is there 2. We may not conceive sinne covered in this sense as if we by our subsequent good actions did cover sinne so some have expounded holy works to be the garment that covers our nakednesse but this would be our covering and not Gods covering whereas the Psalmist attributes it to God Psa 85.2 Therefore that Exposition will not hold which some bring out of Austin explaining this covering of sinne as Emplastrum tegit vulnus the Plaister covers the sore by healing of it for although healing grace accompany justification yet it is not justification 3. We may not conceive it said to be covered in this sense As if God when he had pardoned did not yet still retain anger against the persons sinning and so chastise them Though this doctrine be much pleaded for yet Scripture is evident against it David had sin covered yet God would not let the sword depart from his house Thus Job aweth himself against sinne with this consideration That God would see it in him and take notice of it Job 10.14 If I sinne thou markest me God seeth sin in Job and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity and Cha. 14.16 17. he saith God doth watch over his sin and seal it up in a bag Let not then the people of God delude themselves into security by any false doctrine and what woful conclusions there are of a godly mans peace when he fals into a grosse sin I shall handle in another Question Neither fourthly may we conceive of sin covered in a carnall grosse manner As if there were something interposed between Gods eyes and sinne as if a mans face were covered with an hat or a candle put under a bushell The Antinomians similitude is grosse and carnall Honey-comb pag. 275. as a man looking thorow a red glasse seeth the water all red within it so God looking upon us in Christ seeth nothing but the righteousnesse of Christ and no sin at all for the reason why our senses judge water red thorow a red glasse is because it depends upon the fitnesse of a medium and that being indisposed the eye is deceived but God in looking upon us doth not depend upon any intervening thing and indeed Gods seeing of sin in this point is not so much an act of his understanding as of his will decreeing to punish sin or not to punish it So that this similitude doth no waies hold for God in this matter of forgiving or punishing sinne is not to be looked upon as a natural agent but voluntary So that all these things rightly understood we may take that which is good and comfortable leaving that which is corrupt and false And if the Question be made Whether the phrase of covering sinne make for that errour That God doth not see sin in beleevers offending I answer No by no means for these Reasons First Gods covering of sinne is to be limited only to condemnation as I have proved Davids sinne was at the same time open to God and covered open to fatherly chastisements covered to revengefull condemnation God did see it as a Father to be angry with him not as a Judge to hate him 2. Because this covering is limited to those sins which are paâ— and repented of not to new sins committed they are not covered without a new gracious act of Gods favour David before this sinne committed that is spoken of in the Psalm he had his former sinnes covered but this was not covered till he did acknowledge it and then saith he Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne Though therefore God should not see the sinnes past yet the new ones committed they are taken notice of by him 3. Because though God hath covered them yet God may and
doth sometimes afflict his people for their sins so that they cannot be in every sense said to be covered But I have spoken largely of this already Two material Objections are to be answered and then I shall proceed The first is If sinne be in the regenerate yet covered and not imputed How will this stand with the omnisciency truth and holinesse of God His omnisciency for he cannot but see sinne if it be there His truth for God must needs judge of things as they are if therefore sinne be there he must judge it to be there otherwise we make him like the wicked who covers sin he will not acknowledge it to be there Now what truth is this to say of a regenerate man he is cleansed and washed from all his evil and yet his evil is in him This the learned among the Papists doe much urge Pererius Tiriuus c. At most saith Suarez de justificatione it makes remission of sin to be nothing but a remission of the punishment not of the offence or fault The very same is urged by Antinomists Lastly How doth it consist with Gods holinesse for he must needs hate sinne in whomsoever he findes it and therefore for the Saints to have sin in them and yet God not to impute it to them seemeth a contradiction But to all this the answer is easie As for Gods omnisciency none say but by that God beholds sinne where it is and in that sense sinne is not at all said to be covered for he knoweth all in man As for his truth God doth judge as the thing is for as he seeth sinne so he judgeth sinne to be in them and according to that eternal rule laid down Psal 89.32 33 He chastiseth them with the rod though he take not his loving kindenesse from them so that God doth not judge things otherwise then they are And as for his holinesse he is not only angry with their sins but also would proceed to their eternall condemnation were it not for Christ their surety so that their sins are punished though not in their own persons Neither is this a taking away of sin only in respect of the punishment but of the offence also God being wholly reconciled with his people though the corruption which is removed by sanctification not justification is by degrees purged away The second Objection is How can God see sinne seeing they have Christs righteousnesse and there being no sin in that therefore God must look upon them as in Christ which is without any sin at all The answer is that when we say Christs righteousnesse is made theirs it is not to be understood subjectively as if it were a quality inherent in them for then indeed God could not see sin in them but relatively he is their Mediatour and by his obedience they are acquitted so that the righteousnesse is in Christ but by faith it becomes theirs not formally but as the merit for which God doth justifie them and God doth account it to them as theirs now this is no contradiction to be sinfull in our selves and yet at the same time acquitted by the righteousnesse of another It is true those expressions of making Christs righteousnesse a formall righteousnesse or as others a materiall righteousnesse and those disputations Whether Christs active or passive obedience both or either of them be imputed to us hath much darkned the Question whereas if we consider of it as a relative righteousnesse performed by our Surety in our stead the matter will be made much clearer yet I speak not this as if Christs active obedience were not made ours as in time may be shewed I come to the second Observation out of the Text which is That those only do esteem pardon of sinne as a blessednesse who feel inwardly the anger of God for sin David here in this Psalm being deeply wounded with the guilt of his sin judgeth not his kingdom his wealth his conquest over enemies an happy thing but pardon of sin Now the ground of this is because such is our custom though it be our weaknesse to esteem of mercies more carendo quà m habendo by wanting of them then having of them The blinde man earnestly desireth sight The lame man prizeth sound limbs A people distressed with warre and finding the bitternesse of it commend peace Thus it is here a man afflicted and imbittered in his soul because of sin he doth highly admire forgiveness and accounts those happy that walk in the sense of Gods favour Though innocency or freedom from sin may be majus beneficium a greater mercy then pardon and reparation yet this is dulcius beneficium a more sweet mercy to the sense and feeling of him who enjoyeth it Hence that Christ and the Gospel might be exalted God permitted sin to be and the Law is on purpose to discover sin and aggravate it that Christ and his grace may be the more welcome The Uses of both points together are 1. From the former Doth God in pardoning cover sinne then with what boldnesse may true faith triumph Why is the godly penitent as if his sins were alwaies in bloudy characters before God Why is he as if there were no bloud of Christ wherein these Egyptians are drowned If thou hadst never been a sinner thy heart would not have trembled Is not forgiveness making of a sin not to be as you have heard So that as Rachel is mourning for her children because they are not so maist thou be rejoycing because thy sins are not and although they be not covered out of thy sight yet if covered out of Gods sight that is thy blessednesse better have them rise up alwaies in thy conscience then once before God From the second we may be instructed who are the bâ—st Preachers of Christ and the grace of the Gospel who are Gospel-Preachers even such who make deep incisions and wounds first in mens consciences by the Law The only way for a Minister to make his auditors rellish and savour of Christ and grace indeed is to keep them in a godly sense and apprehension of their infirmities We are not in our first conversion only to have throbs and pangs after Gods grace but also this hunger and thirsting after Christ is to be kept up in the progresse of sanctification and therefore as those Ministers are to be blamed if any such that do only presse duty discover sinne but never set forth the fulnesse of Christ So they also are to be blamed who only presse such Texts as manifest Gods grace but never open that issue and fountain of all filth that is within us Both these tempered together are like Aarons excellent compound The last Use of Exhortation is to be so deeply humbled and tenderly affected within your selves that all within you may cry out Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne O that every Auditour which heareth me this day could with the same spirit
for a long while This might justly plunge David into such a Chaos that he might fear the very pillars and foundations of his soul were shaken Sixthly He had lost all that boldnesse and liberty arising from a good Conscience in declaring Gods truth and reclaiming transgressours from their evil wayes vers 13. Some have said that David in this intervall lost the gift of Prophecie and making of Psalms I cannot tell that but certainly guilt and shame had so sealed up his mouth that he could not reprove others for murder adulteries destructive craft which he himself was so foully guilty of It was the Ancients Rule Quicquid dicturâ—s aliis prius tibi ipsi dic Speak that first to thy self which thou art to speak to others But how could David have any boldness here till there was a cole of fire from the Altar to sanctifie him So that all these things duely pondered you may say this Sermon is a spiritual-Anatomy-Lecture wherein Davids sin and punishment hath been so dissected before you that every wise hearer may prevent the like desperate disease in himself And now I proceed to the Thesis or this Doctrine in the general And this method I shall use First Speak of the sins briefly the godly may fall into And then more largely of their relation they stand unto God after the commission of them till they repent And to the former two things are considerable 1. The nature of the sins they commit And 2. The quality of them whereby they may be differenced from the sins of reprobates For the former There is no sinne except that against the holy Ghost which a justified person being left to himself may not fall into even such sins that moral men by the help of a natural conscience only would readily abhor Thus David with deliberation and consent fals into adultery and murder sins condemned by Natures Statute-Law You have Aaron guilty of Idolatry Josephs brethren the Patriarchs as much as lieth in them murdering Joseph and when they have cast him away into the pit they sit down to eat which implieth their wonderful security and we reade not of their Repentance till many years after being awakened thereunto by Joseph Samson he was like one of the Roman Emperors a compound of vices and virtues insomuch that doubt might have been made of his godliness had not the Scripture put him in the Catalogue of Saints Peter although it was a passion of fear that caused his sinne yet his sinne was very dreadful to lie swear and curse in the denying of Christ This was such a sinne that Peter thought it not possible he should fall into it For first at the maids accusation by comparing of the Evangelists together he doth not only basely deny himself to be Peter but addeth He knew not Christ yea he knew not what she said an expression which we use about a thing that we are in the highest manner ignorant of and this he doth before all them that stood by In the next place after a little while which as Maldonat computes must be at least three hours he denieth Christ again we might have thought that Peters heart might have troubled him in that space but in stead of repentance he aggravates his crime with an oath he denied himself to be Peter Here was lying against his own conscience accompanied with perfidiousness against Christ Then the third time a little while after being accused again he still increased his sin and did not only swear but curse that is devote my self to the horridest judgements that can be if he knew Christ and this he did often as that phrase He began to curse seemeth to imply and his sin will yet rise higher if that cursing be referred to Christ that he cursed and anathematized him and all this while though as some probably think he heard the Cock crow yet he repents not till Christ looked upon him and without question would have denied him as often as the temptation was had not Christ preserved him Thus I have given you Examples of the hainous sins of Gods people which are not to encourage in sinne but if duely considered a bridle against it As he said Plus debeo Thomae quam Petro he was more beholding to Thomas doubting then Peter believing because by Thomas his doubt Christs Resurrection was more confirmed So in some sense we may more acknowledge Gods Wisdome and Goodness in his childrens fals then in their Graces for hereby we are to tremble in our selves at our own weakness be more careful against sinne Observe the way they took for pardon and admire Gods goodnesse who doth not utterly cast off his prodigal children Thus you see there is no kinde of crime which the people of God through their own neglect may not fall into And as for that other Question Whether they may not frequently commit the same sins We have examples in Scripture for the Affirmative onely the greater Doubt is Whether after a thorow and deep Humiliation they may relapse in the same sins But although we scarce have any instances of such in the Scripture yet Gods command upon us to receive a brother seventy seven times offending if he repent may keep up the heart of such a sinner against despair because goodnesse and love is in him as in the Ocean in us as in the stream only The second thing considerable is What kinde of sins these are whether they may be called sins of infirmity though so atrocious in their nature or raigning sins Now herein godly Divines have differing expressions though they mean the same thing Zanâ—hy in his Thesis of the perseverance of the Saints doth industriously assert That all the sins which elect Believers fall into are sins of infirmitie Thus he cals Davids and Peters His main ground is Because every regenerate man hath a two-fold principle within the flesh and the spirit both which fight one against the other by which means they are never carried out to a full consent and purpose in any sin they commit Hence he denieth they can be called raigning sins or sins against conscience that waste conscience or that are from resolved purpose within He giveth an instance from Jonah and the Mariners We know the Mariners had not any intent at first to throw Jonah into the Sea again they rowed and used all their utmost endeavour to preserve him Lastly they pray to their gods if possibly they may not be necessitated to drown him Now in all this the Mariners though they did throw him into the Sea with their will and consent yet they did it very unwillingly also Thus saith he Jonah in this respect is like Christ or grace in the hearts of Gods people And first the people of God have no purpose to cast him out Again they use their diligent care in temptations not to do it Lastly they beseech and importune God they may never fall so foully Therefore if at any time they are
overtaken it is with an unwilling willingness Thus he Neither is it any marvel if he judge so When Bucer thought an Elect man ever before ever he be converted doth not sin with that full consent as reprobate wicked men do but have many motions to the contrary Now although Peter in his denial of Christ might be thought with unwillingness and reluctancy to do what he did yet it is hard to say David who so deliberated and plotted to accomplish his wickedness did it not with some full consent at that time And it may seem hard to call all the sins of the godly sins of infirmity Therefore others will grant them the name of raigning sins but with this limitation that this is not a total raigning sin raigneth as a tyrant over them not as a King and although at some times as in Davids case there be no actual resistance made because all the actual exercise of Grace is suspended yet the seed of God doth in time revive again and so doth cast out that usurper So then the conclusion is That the gross sins which some regenerate persons do commit may be said to be sins accomplished with a full consent and delight and for the time no actual resistance made by the regenerate part and so far may be called raigning sins but because God hath promised to blow up those sparks of grace in the godly in his due time therefore they raign but as tyrants and that for a while not as Kings which then properly is when sins are customarily committed with an antecedent and consequent consent But for the general That there is a great difference between Sauls sins and Davids Peters and Judas's will appear evidently 1. From that principle of supernatural life which although much weakned yet is not quite taken away 1 Joh. 3. He that is born of God cannot sin viz. so as Cain or as one that is of the devil his father because the seed of God abideth in him And Paul Rom. 7. doth excellently describe this in the person of a regenerate man where some Expositours do not limit the good he would do or the evil he would not do to motions and desires only of the heart but extend it to the outward actions done in the flesh 2. There is a difference in respect of God He doth not wholly cast off the one offending as he doth the other Compare Sauls sin for which God rejected him and Davids together and you would think Sauls sin far the less for Sauls was because he spared Agag 1 Sam. 15. and the best of the spoil pretending it was for Sacrifice and he dared not do other for fear of the people but for this God rejected him Now Davids was in a more gross sin against the light of nature whereas Sauls was against a positive command of God only and was a sin only because forbidden not from itself yet God sheweth mercy to the one and not to the other Certainly though Gods grace be the great reason of the difference yet Saul sinned with more contempt and slighting of God then David did There was a more bitter root in one then the other 3. A difference also may be seen in the consequent When David was reproved how presently did he melt and condemn himself There could not be such a sudden thaw of Davids heart if like Nabals it had been like a stone within him Thus Peter also as soon as Christ looked upon him He went out and wept bitterly It is true we see Saul and Judas after their wickedness committed cried out They had sinned but yet it was only for temporal motives fearing the loss of their honours or fame and at most out of a slavish fear of Gods wrath not from any love of him or faith in him The Use is If David lie thus in his gore and what Michal said falsly concerning him is now true hath made himself like one of the vile fellows let him then become a Pillar of salt to season the godly Without a gracious solicitude and diligent depending upon God how quickly may a star become like a dunghil You see that the snakes and other poisonous creatures which lie lurking in the holes of ground when the season is cold do yet crawl abroad under the hot Sun-beams And so those sins which thou supposest crucified in thee may revive upon a warm temptation Peter could not be perswaded he should ever be plunged into such foul perfidiousness he thought all the men in the world would sooner do it then he Now to prevent these scandals hearken alwayes unto the motions of Gods Spirit While the Cock croweth do thou go out and weep bitterly while the Angel stirreth the pool do thou presently step in and if thou art at any time overtaken continue not in the sin return presently The Candle newly put out if presently blown upon may be kindled again The longer in the sin the more sensless and stupid thy heart will grow and know that of Bernard to be true Illud est cor durum quod non trepidat ad nomen cordis duri That is an hard heart which doth not tremble at the name of an hard heart LECTURE XXVII PSA 1.51.9 Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities VVE come in the next place to declare How far a regenerate man upon the commission of such grosse sins doth make a breach upon his Justification And for the further clearing of this I shall lay down First What it doth not And secondly What it doth And in the first place No grosse sin committed by a justified person doth make void the former pardon of those sins he hath been guilty of God when he pardons he pardons absolutely not with a condition suspended upon our future conversation which if not performed his pardon shall be revoked The Lutheran Divines do generally oppose this Truth Musculus also in his Common-place De remissione peccatorum handling this Question doth encline to the affirmative That new grosse sins committed make void the pardon of all former sins so that all his by-past iniquities do reviviscere live again in their guilt and accusation of such a man Tompson in his Diatriba pa. 48. Though he plead vehemently for the intercision of a believers Justification upon the committing of grievous and loathsome sins yet he denieth That sins once pardoned are ever imputed again because saith he the irrevocability of that Remission doth only depend upon the immutability of Gods counsel whose gifts are without Repentance For although saith he there is a necessity of Faith and Repentance that sins be at first pardoned yet that they should continue or abide pardoned there is no necessity of Faith and therefore none are damned for past sins pardoned upon a defect of new Faith and Repentance when new sins are committed The Schoolmen handle this Question and generally deny That sins pardoned ever are imputed again unless in a certain
dispelluntur poison is driven out by oison And thus much for the Negative we come to the Affirmative and in the general we say A godly man committing such a gross sin till he doth repent is in a state of suspension from all the effects of Gods Grace in Justication though not of abdication or exheredation He is under Sequestration though not Ejection he is under an interdiction though not an exile He is as Absolom that was cast out of his fathers family though not from being a son The English Divines expressed it well in the Synod of Dort by a leper who was shut out from his own house so that although he had a right to his house yet he had no claim by any law to enjoy his house So though a godly man have a right to pardon of sin yet he cannot claim this as due to him as long as the guilt of sin abideth on him Hence that is expounded Purge me with hysop as an allusion to the leper who in such a manner was cleansed not that this state is to be conceived a third estate between a state of Justification and Condemnation but a suspending of the benefits of the former In which sense a godly man justly cast out by Church-officers for a sin is said to have his sins bound in Heaven And in this respect Zanchy saith he doth Quodammodo excidere à gratiâ Dei and that they are made quasi inimici as it were enemies Thus Perkins also Upon the committing of such sins saith he God turneth the effects of his grace into the effects cujus dam odii of a kinde of hatred to their sins so that quodammodo fiunt inimici Dei Now that the terrour of this condition may more fasten on the godly to make them cautelous against such fals let us consider what particulars this general doth include And first it supposeth a present unfitness for the Kingdom of Heaven or any gracious Priviledge There is no aptitude or preparation in a godly man so lapsed for comfort or salvation but like the unclean man is to stand aloof off from all this Now how woful is this to consider that such a man who had Gods gracious Scepter alwayes held out to bid him come into his presence must now finde the doors and gates of mercy for a season shut upon him Now the Master of the feast may say to him How camest thou in here without a wedding Garment When David sate not according to his custom at the Kings Table it was excused he had uncleanness upon him Alas it is a godly mans aggravation of this guilt why doth he not apply the Promises as formerly Why is he not had into the Spouses Wine-cellar Alas uncleanness is upon him As Christ said to Mary Touch me not for I am not yet ascended we may apply otherwise the Promise of Grace Christ saith to thee Touch me not lay not hold upon me for thou art not yet risen out of thy filth 2. As there is no aptitude for gracious priviledges So also God doth now change all his dealings and administrations towards them Those effects of love delight comfort assurance and sweetness they had are now turned into the bitter effects of wrath displeasure trouble and grief of soul sad pangs and convulsions of conscience so that they have no peace with God nor themselves Thus their sins swallow them up like Jonahs Whale and they are as it were in the bottome of hell God is really offended and displeased with them hereupon their conscience doth truly and sadly accuse them And all this being set home by Gods Spirit convincing of them of sin in all the aggravations of it O the groans and agonies their souls must needs conflict with This David doth evidently teach us in what he felt upon him Hearken then to Davids cryings and groanings and take you heed how you abuse the Grace of God either doctrinally or practically to a secure committing of gross sinne Be sure if ye belong to God your sinne will finde you out and no Doctrine of free Grace will be Altar or Sanctuary safe enough for you to hide your selves in God who was the God of all consolation is now the God of all sorrow and fear Thou thinkest on him and thy meditations are not sweet but troublesome Now it s not the Spirit of God that seals and comforts but of Conviction and Humiliation Now Christs bloud which thou despisedst doth speak bitter things against thee A drop of Gods anger fals into the conscience of a godly man thus awakened like a drop of scalding lead into a mans eye O what comfort do those pleasures those lusts now afford him Now he may say of them as she of her husband Thou art a bloudy husband 3. Although he hath a right to the Covenant of Grace to the priviledges contained therein yet as you have heard He may not without renewed Repentance claim any of these He cannot say my God my Christ my Pardon No God hath spit in his face as the expression is to Miriam and the soul is become filthy and noisome and she must be washed again ere Christ will receive her Though there be a Well of Salvation yet thou hast no bucket to draw out of it As long as a godly mans heart stands thus averse from God and hath a purpose to continue in sin all the Promises are like a fountain sealed up and a Garden enclosed He is in a worse condition then the wounded man in the way to Jericho for not only the Priest and the Levite the Moral Law pass by him but even the good Samaritan Christ and the Promises pour no oil into his wounds All the while he applieth comforts to his soul and supports himself with hopes of Gods favour he liveth upon spiritual robbery And he can with no more truth if we speak of the actual use and application say of the Promises then the devil of the world and the glorious things thereof All these are mine 4. By this they incur the guilt of eternal damnation There is a two-fold guilt as some distinguish one potential which by others is Reatus simplex a simple guilt another actual which by others is Reatus redundans in personam a guilt falling upon the person Now it is upon all sides agreed That by those sins he deserveth eternal damnation And therefore a godly man so offending ought to bewail the forfeiture he hath made If God should deal with him according to that strict rule Cursed be every one that abideth not in all the things that the Law requireth where should he appear But may we not say they have an actual guilt obliging them to eternal wrath not absolutely but conditionally till they take the means appointed by God for their pardon I see not but in a sound sense this may be said for God doth not will to them salvation while they abide in that state though at that time he wils to give them
such effectual Grace that thereby they shall recover and so remove that gulf which is between them and God So that at the same time God doth will to give them grace to repent and recover and yet he doth not will salvation to them till they do recover Here is no contrariety in Gods will because though this be about the same person yet not in the same respects for Gods will not to give salvation while in such an estate and to give Repentance that he may come out of that estate do no wayes oppose one another and because of this later mercy it is that we may alwayes say There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus Their sins are never imputed to them for their condemnation but there is a conditional obliging of them till they sue out their pardon So that it is here as Solomon did with Abiathar 1 Kin. 2.26 Thou art saith Solomon worthy of death but I will not at this time put thee to death 5. Because of this guilt and demerit of sin it is that our Divines do say That if such an one David for example should die before these sins be repented of he would be damned For if you suppose a justified person to persevere alwayes in gross and vile sins without reformation you may as well suppose him to be damned Hence there is as some observe a two-fold impossibility There is an impossibility that David elected and justified should be damned There is also an impossibility that David a murderer and an adulterer should without Repentance be saved but God by his powerful grace will untie this knot by a certain and infallible recovery out of his sins for that is a perpetual and sure rule Election hath obtained Rom. 11. otherwise speak of David as in that state before Repentance we may say if he had died in it he would have been damned Thus Beza Twiss c. Yet Gods grace which was so potent at the first to raise out of the grave of sin how much rather if life be in us will it quicken us to turn unto God 6. From hence further it ariseth That he needeth a particular Justification in respect of that guilt which is to be done away Some Orthodox and learned Writers Abbot and others distinguish of a two-fold Justification one universal whereby a man is absolutely received into the grace and favour of God becoming his Son A second is particular whereby sins are remitted to them that are already made the children of God without which they would fall from their first benefit of sonship The one is called Justificatio simplicitèr The other Secundùm quid and this particular Justification they make to be often repeated Thus Peter Martyr Rom. 3. Lapsis post Justificationem repetitâ denuò Justificatione per fidem condonari Thus Bucer Defensio pag. 85. acknowledgeth an iteration of Justification after we repent and arise from more grievous sins Others call it not a particular Justification but an application of that universal Justification And certainly Justification doth denote the state of a man but seeing the Remission of such sins doth not put them into a new estate for they never fell from that we cannot so properly call it Justification and I know not any place where the Scripture cals it so and it would be very hard to say That Justification is re-iterated as often as sin is pardoned Though therefore there may be some difference in the words yet the matter it self is clear viz. There is a necessity of the removing of this guilt that so the person offending may be brought into Gods favour again 7. Seeing all this is true then it followeth That such a man so offending must renew an act of Faith and Repentance So that the former acts of faith and godly sorrow will not discharge or acquit from the new sins committed Therefore lastly it is a most dangerous errour in practice to hold That after a known sinne committed the first thing a believer is to do before Repentance or Humiliation is to believe that that sin is already pardoned Thus a late Writer Cornwell in a Treatise called Gospel-repentance wherein he labours to prove That a believer entred into the Covenant of Grace upon the commission of an actual known sin ought to believe the actual pardon of that sin before he actually repent of the same Now although this is to be confuted when we handle Faith and Repentance yet thus much we may say That this Doctrine must needs be very unsound for first There is no sin actually pardoned before Repentance as at large I have shewed and no sin is pardoned before it be committed as in the next Question is to be shewed So that it would be abominable presumption yea and falshood to believe such a thing Hence such a perswasion as this God hath or will pardon my sins can bring no comfort or peace to our conscience till we repent for a Scripture perswasion is That God enabling me to repent and to use the means will vouchsafe pardon and in this only can I have comfort Besides the Author makes the last work of Faith the first for upon a known sin committed Faith is to be exercised first in the threatnings of God to believe those due to him In the next place Faith is to relie upon Christ for pardon that he may receive remission of sins for as Rivet and Perkins urge well There is no pardon offered on Gods part or received on mans till he do believe and then when these acts are done God doth many times incline the soul to believe the sin is pardoned But the pardon of sin must be received by a direct act of Faith before we can believe that it is pardoned by a reflex But this is more largely to be confuted Now the Objection may be How can sinne thus far prevail in the filth and guilt of it and yet the man so sinning not fall from his Justification This will be cleared if you consider these things First That Justification is an act of God meerly it is not our act We are said to be justified and God he doth justifie Now Opus Dei non potest irritum fieri per opus hominis Those acts of God which he doth we cannot make void but he ordereth them for their time and continuance as he pleaseth Secondly Consider That sin doth not expel the Grace of Justification efficiently or physically as darkness doth light or coldness heat but meritoriously by way of desert Now God doth not with us according to our desert when he entered into a Covenant of Grace with us he so appointed it that no sin should break the league of friendship whereas if he had pleased he might so have appointed it that the least sin should have dissolved this bond and if sin did expel the Grace of Justification efficiently the least sin would have done it But now if it was wholly at Gods pleasure to make this
state dissoluble or indissoluble and if so then that neither great sins or less should break it and this makes us to wonder how David in his adultery and murder could be justified because we prepossess our selves with this principle That sin doth by a natural necessity expel the grace of God whereas many Schoolmen are bold to determine That de potentiâ absolutâ God might pardon sin though there were no Repentance or infused grace at all in a man Thirdly That a particular partial guilt is not the immediate opposition to universal Justification of the person unlesse it were to abide in him Justification of a mans person will keep him from being actually condemned though not from the guilt of condemnation As a guilty person thrown into prison is kept from the use of his house goods and all comforts but he is not deprived of them till he be actually condemned so a believer falling into gross sins is deprived of the use of all spiritual comforts but not cast out of the right of them because he shall never actually be condemned LECTURE XXVIII PSAL. 51.9 And blot out all my iniquities THe next thing in this Text to be considered is the second Petition which though differing from the former in words yet is coincident in the matter In this was observable as you heard the Petition it self Blot out my iniquities 2. The extent All all my iniquities Now from hence we may justly take an occasion to handle that Question Whether God in pardoning do forgive all sins together So that sins past present and future are remitted together for that is the opinion of some That as soon as ever a man is actually entered into the Covenant of Grace all his sins even future are actually forgiven and that they are bound to believe the same even before they actually repent of any iniquity committed This at large Cornwell maintaineth in his Book of Gospel-repentance Yea there are some learned and worthy Authours who seem to encline this way D. Ames in his Medulla in the Chapter of Justification saith Not only the sins of justified persons that are past are remitted but also in some sort those that are to come Neither saith he can sins past and present be altogether and fully remitted unlesse sins to come be in some sort remitted also Only he makes this difference sins past are remitted by a formal application sins to come only virtually sins past are remitted in themselves sins to come in the subject or person sinning But this in effect to say they are not remitted but that God by his Covenant of Grace will as sins are committed give Grace to repent whereby there may be a forgiveness of them This is to say rather No sin shall hereafter actually condemn them rather then to say they are forgiven Doctor Twisse Vindic. Gratiae pag. 82. de Eurat lib. 3. Quid si dicam in Justificatione nostra c. What if I say in Justification we receive the forgivenesse of our sins not only that are past but of future also that is we are made more certain of their forgivenesse For saith he that internal act of God whereby he doth remit sins cannot be renewed in God Certissimum esse judico c. I judge it most certain as he goeth on to whom God once doth forgive sins to the same man he forgives all his sins whatsoever they are of which absolution there is indeed a frequent pronunciation iterated to Penitents often in the Scripture Thus that learned Authour going upon those two grounds 1. That Pardon of sinne is an immanent act in God 2. That application of Pardon to us is no more then the sense and manifestation of that pardon which was from all Eternity But the weakness of these grounds hath been already demonstrated and we have other Orthodox Writers speaking more consonantly to Truth denying that future sins are forgiven before committed and repented of When Grâ—tius had objected That the Protestants Doctrine was Peccata condonari antequam fiant That sins were forgiven before they were committed Rivet in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 467 replieth Imo id nos absurdissimum credimus c. Yea we think such a Doctrine most absurd and the imputation of it to us most unjust For though saith he God decreed to pardon our sins from all Eternity yet the execution of this is not from all Eternity As God decreed from all Eternity to create the world yet the world was not from all Eternity Those that know God hath decreed from Eternity to pardon sinne upon the condition of Repentance Those that know God hath not decreed the end without the means will never ascribe to themselves Pardon of sin without these exercises of Repentance Thus the same Author in the same Book pag. 533. Absurdum est credere c. It is absurd saith he to believe a Remission of sins which are not yet committed for neither in the Decree of God is there an actual Remission decreed without Repentance preceding Remission To this purpose Perkins in his Book of Predestination There is no actual Pardon saith he offered on Gods part to us nor on our part received without Faith and Repentance When Thomson in his Diatriba had made mention of an answer formed by some Author That in Justification all sins past present and future were forgiven and a justified person was bound to believe this Bishop Abbot in his Answer cap. 24. cals this incommodè dictum an incommodious expression and argueth against it Having premised this I come to lay down the grounds that sins are not pardoned to a justified person before they be committed and repented of and therefore it is dangerous presumption to believe such a thing Only these things must be acknowledged First That God when he pardons sins past to those that repent He forgiveth all them together God doth not pardon some and leave out others Thus the gracious Promise Heb. 8. of remembring our iniquities no more and blotting them all out is to be thus farre universally interpreted that all those sins which then are found in the lives of believing persons shall be removed and taken away All past sins are forgiven together And the ground of this Truth is two-fold partly because the same Grace and love of God which moveth him to blot out one will also stirre him up for the other And indeed if it were not so God would have love to a man as his friend and hatred to him as an enemy at the same time whereas Remission is Reconciliation with God and therefore every obstacle must be removed partly this ariseth from the nature of Repentance for where that is truly for one sin it is also for all other sins and then the guilt of all must needs be taken away Secondly We must grant That to speak properly there is nothing future to God and those things that are not yet to us they are present to him For he calleth
things that are not as if they were but although it be thus with God yet we are not to conceive of things any other wayes then according to that manner of his dispensation whereby things decreed from Eternity are produced to act in time and certainly as sins future to us are present to him so Repentance also future to us is present to him And therefore Gods Decree for Remission was also for Repentance and both are present to him Thirdly This must be granted That although future sins are not pardoned before committed yet by the Covenant of Grace God will so preserve that as sins are committed so Grace will be dispensed that no sin shall actually condemn us And this may be the virtual Remission of future sins which some speak of So that although a justified person may not believe that his sins are pardoned which he shall commit yet he may believe that God will keep him by his power through faith to salvation and that if he fall in sin God will renew Repentance in his soul and our peace of conscience doth not simply arise from hence That God will pardon our sins but that he will so preserve us from evil and lead us into every good duty that so pardon may be vouchsafed unto us These things explained I come to lay down the Arguments Why none should presume that because of his Justification all future sins not committed or present sins not repented of are forgiven unto him The first ground is from those places which presume and necessarily suppose sinne to be committed before it is pardoned One place is brought by some learned men Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth a Propitiation to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of sins that are past Here say they Remission of sins through Christs bloud is restrained to sins past and upon this some argue Therefore future sins are not remitted Thus as I take it argue Peter Martyr Hiperius Domnam but it is more probable that by sins past are meant those committed before Christ came into the world And Beza who is followed by other learned men make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to be pardon but connivance as if the sense were God did passe by the sins of our Fathers before Christs coming and did not manifest his wroth in a Sacrifice expiatory of their sins till Christ himself came and suffered upon the Cross So he makes this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here with that which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Act. 17.30 Therefore I leave this and urge one or two places more 1 Job 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Here we see is intercession for sin and a way for Remission but how upon a supposition that sin is If any man Ezek. 18.22 speaking of a wicked man that turneth to God and now shall surely live he expresseth it thus All his transgressions that he hath committed shall not be mentioned to him Observe All that he hath committed not all that he shall commit A third place is eminently set down Jer. 33.8 Where God makes a glorious Promise of the pardon of sin but take notice to wâ—at sins he limits it even to those that have been committed I will cleanse them from all their iniquity wherby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me It s of what they have done not of what they shall do A second sort of Arguments is from the expressions Gods word useth about Pardon All which do suppose That sinne goeth before and that God doth not antidate his Pardon Such as these are Remember not iniquity Now although this be attributed unto God improperly yet the very sense of the word supposeth That sins were precedent and how God by his grace will remember them no more So the phrase to blot out supposeth sin was already registred in Gods book Men do not use to forgive Debts before they be Throwing them into the sea what doth this imply but that sins did appear before and that in a terrible threatning manner Covering of sin How can that be understood if sin be not with some loathsomnes Thus we might instance in all the expressions used by Scripture to represent Pardon Thirdly This truth may be proved from the necessary qualifications required in those that have Pardon which cannot be unless a man have already committed the sin as 1 Joh. 1.9 If we confesse our sins he is faithful to pardon Now confession is alwayes of a thing already extant How absurd would it be for a man to go and confess the sins he will commit This would rather be impudence then humiliation look over all the confessions made by the people of God for themselves or in the behalf of others as Davids Ezrahs Nehemiahs Daniels and you shall observe them all limited to sins that have been done never extended to what they shall commit Thus in the old Testament when any had sinned they offered sacrifices There was no sacrifice appointed for a future sin but only for that which was already committed Thus to pardon is required forsaking of a mans sin Prov. 28.13 Now how can a man be said to forsake that which is not to leave that which is future especially as you have heard repentance is commanded as the way wherein only pardon may be had now how can repentance be about that which is to come Can a man repent of any â—hing but what is past The two Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be wise and understand after the fact is done and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reditus a turning again to those whom we have offended make it as clear as the Sun that there is no pardon of sin before committed Fourthly There is no promise in all the word of God made for the pardon of a sin before it be committed and repented of If therefore the Word of God give no such encouragement what presumption is it to make a faith that all sins are pardoned the Gospel-faith for grant that such a thing were true and to be beleeved viz. That all sins are pardoned yet that could not be the Gospel-faith for the Gospel-faith is justifying faith now the object of justifying faith is not ens complexum a proposition such as this is All my sins are pardoned but ens incomplexum a single object which is Christ himself received and applied by faith I am not justified by beleeving my sins are pardoned but by relying upon Christ for pardon But this by the way The strength of the Argument lieth in this God hath made no promise for the pardon of a sin before it be committed and repented of Therefore none may either beleeve or claim such a thing The grand charter or priviledge for pardon as it is laid down in the Covenant of Grace is contained in Jer. 31.34 which is also repeated Heb. 8.12 Now this
Covenant of Grace as it promiseth pardon of sin so also a new heart and actual exercise of grace so that they shall walk in all Gods waies Now the way wherein pardon is to be had is repentance and faith We must not therefore conceive of the Covenant of Grace as promising pardon and forgiveness without any qualification in the subject this would contradict other places of Scripture Therefore in the Covenant of Grace some things are promised absolutely supposing nothing to go before such are regeneration the working of faith in us giving his holy Spirit to us and union with Christ 2. There are many priviledges in the Covenant of Grace and those are given where God hath wrought some former effects of his grace and suppose them to be such are Justification pardon of sin increase in grace Glorification all these things are promised in the Covenant of Grace but made good where there are the former effects of Gods grace wrought in them We do not therefâ—re say God doth not pardon sin unless repentance go before as if God needed repentance as if he could not do it without repentance as if repentance made God the better or made him amends These are idle calumnies cast upon this Doctrine in some Pamphlets But only God hath appointed one effect of his grace before another in order and he will not vouchsafe one before he hath wrought the other As for instance God hath appointed no unclean thing shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven God will not give glory where he hath not given grace If one should tragically exclaim upon this This is to make God need our graces This is to make grace meritorious with God This is to be a Papist a Formalist to make men rest in themselves you would presently judge this a vain weak cavill No less is it when we are charged thus for holding God will not forgive sin but to those that believe and repent It is not for any worth in what we do but because God will have an order and a method in his graces Justification where Repentance is Glorification where Holiness is It being not fit to give pearl unto swine nor childrens meat to dogs Fifthly If a man may believe his sins are pardoned before they be committed and so before repented of then he may have full joy and unspeakable boasting in God while he lieth wallowing in the midst of sins The reason of the consequence is this By such an act of faith we have peace with God and we glory in him This floweth as a proper effect of faith though it do not alway follow yet it may follow and happily it is our weakness if it doâ—â—â—ot And if so then it was Davids weakness to bâ— troubled about sin It was for want of a right considering of the Covenant of Grace that he had no joy in his heart and that his bones were broken The Adversary seeth the necessity of this consequent and therefore is not afraid to say That a justified person even when sin is most prevalent and the heart most hardened yet then can glory in Jesus Christ with a large heart breaking forth into thanksgivings Cornwel of Gospel-Repentance pag. 125. How contrary is this to Davids experience Psal 32. who while he humbled not himself for his sin found nothing but terrour and trouble in his own soul And certainly this Doctrine must be very distastfull to â—very gracious heart which shall make faith and assurance in the glorious effects of it amicably concording as it were with great and grievous sins And let the Adversary shew such an instance in all Scripture For as for his example in Paul Rom. 7. who found himself captivated unto sin doing the things he would not yet giving thanks to God through Jesus Christ this is clean contrary to him for Paul did greatly humble himself and was deeply sensible of this tyranny of sin which made him cry out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin So that we cannot with any colour call him an hardened sinner Somnium narrare vigilantis est said Seneca and to complain of sin especially in the first motions and suggestions of it as Paul did argues a tender life of grace in him No less absurd is it to bring Habakkuk to patrocinate this great errour for although he said He would rejoyce in God and glory in his salvation Hab. 3.8 9. in the midst of Gods judgements upon the publike yet this doth not suppose any personal grievous sins he was fallen into Sixtly If sins be pardoned thus before committed and repented of then it would be in vain to pray for forgiveness of sin seeing it is already past This Argument as before was said Gomarus urged against Piscator explaining that Petition Forgive us our sins for the sense and assurance of it only in our hearts It is true we may pray for a thing that is past thus far for the continuance of it but not for the thing it self Although there can hardly be an instance in all Scripture given of such a Petition We do not reade of any prayer in Scripture that God would elect us and predestinate us yet that might admit of the same interpretation which they give for pardon of sin viz. To make us more assured and perswaded of it in our own hearts Hence when God speaks of pardon of sins he useth many times the future tense Jer. 31. I will forgive their iniquities which if pardoned before would be very difficult to say even as hard as if God should say I will predestinate and elect such men It is indeed often said That when we pray for pardon of sin we pray for the sense and feeling of it but let such that interpret so give any parallel place for such a sense yet we deny not as before hath been said but reductively this may be included in that Petition Seventhly If a mans future sins be already pardoned in a justified man then in a reprobate man all his future sins are actually condemned The consequence is firm upon that rule Eadem est ratio contrariorum there is the same reason of contraries Therefore if a mans future sins be pardoned before they be committed then a reprobate mans sins shall be punished before they be Now how contrary is this to Gods dispensation revealed in the Scripture Where can we finde any one man punished for a future sin Were not all the sins men are afflicted for in Gods Word because they had done them not because they were to do them Indeed the Scripture Matth. 5. sometimes makes the desires and lusts of the soul after sin to be the sin it self but that is because they are the proxime and immediate cause of such a sin but we are now speaking of future sins that it may be as yet have no preparation at all for them in any cause Eightly By what principles the Opponents can prove That God pardons sins future by
this world Hence our Saviour cals it The day of our redemption upon the coming whereof they are to lift up their heads The Observation is That a compleat and full absolution from all sin is not enjoyed till the day of judgement The Beleevers have not a full discharge till then we are in this life continually subject to new sins and so to new guilt whereby arise new fears so that the soul hath not a full rest from all till that final absolution be pronounced at the day of judgement Before we shew the grounds whereby it may appear that the remission of our sins is not fully compleated till then we must lay down some Propositions by way of a grand work First The Scripture not only in this priviledge of remission of our sin but in others also makes the complement and fulness of them to be at the day of judgement Redemption is the totall summe as it were of all our mercies and we are partakers of it in this life Col. 1.14 Rom. 3.24 Yet the Scripture cals the day of judgement when we shall rise out of our graves in a peculiar and eminent manner the day of redemption Ephes 1.7 Ephes 4.30 because at that day will be the utmost and last effects of our redemption Adoption that also is a priviledge we receive in this life yea a learned man Forbes in his book where he handleth the order of Gods graces makes adoption as I take it to be the first and to go before justification yet the Apostle Rom. 8.23 calleth the last day the day of adoption Hence 1 Joh. 3.2 the Apostle though he saith We are now the sons of God yet he saith it doth not appear what we shall be because the glory God at the last day will put upon us is so farre transcendent and superlative to what now we are Thus Mat. 19.28 the last day is also called the day of regeneration unto the people of God yet in this life they partake of that grace but because then is the full perfection and manifestation of it therefore the Scripture cals it the day of regeneration Even as the Apostle Act. 13.33 applieth that passage of the Psalm to Christs resurrection This day have I begotten thee because then was such a solemn and publique declaration that he was the Son of God No marvel then if the Scripture do also call the day of judgement a time when sins shall be blotted out because then is the publique absolution of the godly and according to philosophy motions receive their names from the term to which they tend Secondly Howsoever Justification be said to consist in pardon of sin yet there is a great difference between the one and the other for Justification besides the pardon of sin doth connote a state that the subject is put into viz. A state of favour being reconciled with God Hence it is that this state cannot be reiterated often no more then a wife after that first entrance into the relation is frequently made a wife In this sense the Scripture alwaies speaks of it as connoting a state or condition the subject is put into as well as a peculiar priviledge vouchsafed to such It is true There are indeed learned men who think Justification may be reiterated as you heard Peter Martyr and Bucer Others call it a continued action as conservation But although there is a continuance of Justification and the godly are preserved in that estate yet we cannot say God doth renew Justification daily as he doth pardon of sin There are some that think the Scripture gives a ground for a second Justification or the continuing and encreasing of it and bring those places Tit. 3.5 6 7. Rev. 22.11 The learned and excellent Interpreter Ludovicus de Dieu in Cap. 8. of the Romans vers 4. largely pleadeth for a two-fold Justification The first he makes to be the imputing of Christs righteousness to us received by faith which is altogether perfect and is the cause of pardon of sins The second he makes an effect of the former whereby through the grace of God regenerating we are conformable unto that love in part and are day by day more and more justified and shall be fully so when perfection comes of which Justification he saith these texts speak Jam. 2.21 24. Revel 22.11 Mat. 11.37 1 King 8.32 This two-fold Justification he makes to differ toto coelo from the Papists whose first is founded upon the merit of congruity the second upon the merit of condignity But the discussing of this will be more proper in the other part viz. of imputed righteousness Austin seemeth to hold Justification a frequent and continued act lib. 2. contra Julianum cap. 8. When we are heard in that prayer Forgive us our sins we need saith he such a remission daily what progress soever we have made in our second Justification He speaks also of a Justification hujus vitae which he cals minorem the lesser and another plenam and perfectam full and perfect which belongs to the state of glory Tract 4. in Joannem lib. de spiritu lit cap. ultim But the more exact handling of this will be in the place above-mentioned It seemeth more consonant to Scripture if we say That Justification is a state we were once put into which is not repeated over and over as often as sin is forgiven neither can it admit of increase or decrease so that a man should be more or less justified for even David while he was in that state of suspension was not less justified though the effects of Justification were less upon him It is true in some sense learned men say Justification may increase viz. extensivè not intensivè as they express it by way of extension when more sins are pardoned not intensively in its own nature Even as the soul of a man in its information of the body admits of no increase intensively but it doth extensively the more the parts of the body grow the further doth its information extend But of these things more in their proper place Thirdly Howsoever an absolution shall be compleated at the day of judgement yet our justification shall not abide in such a way as it is in this life Now our Justification is by pardon of sin and a righteousness without us imputed to us which is instrumentally applied by faith but this way shall then cease for having perfect righteousness inherent in our selves we shall need no covering It is true the glory and honour of all this will redound upon Christ and he shall not be the less glorified because he hath then brought us to the full end of all his sufferings I know some may doubt whether any righteousness but that which is infinite can please God and therefore as some think the Angels were accepted of God through Christ though perfect so it may of the Saints in heaven but I see no ground for this This seemeth to be undoubted That the
commendation of the Psalms 225 Q There is a two-fold Quickning 177 178 R Nine Ranks of Arguments to prove that God seeth sin in a believer and is offended with it 53. to 68 When we receive the fulnesse of Remission of sin 256 Five Rules for the understanding the nature of Justification 14 15 16 Remission of sin is such a taking it away as if it had never been 43 How the Papists and Antinomians do agree and differ concerning Remission 45 Remission of sin what declared in fix Propositions 139 140. to 145 Remission of sin is not only ablativa mali but collativa boni 145 Remission of sin how obtained 145 146 Why repentance and faith is urged as necessary to Remission 146 Eight Propositions declaring how repentance being our duty may stand with free grace in the Remission of sin 147 148 to 154 When God remits sin he gives repentance 148 How repentance is necessary to remission of sin 149 150 Two extreams in Repentance confuted 150 151 Gods free grace and mans duty of Repentance may be reconciled 155 Repentance why required 157 158 God doth indispensably require Repentance in all 157 Six Reasons of congruity between remission of sin and Repentance 158 to 161 Perfect Repentance cannot take away the guilt of sin 161 A two-fold Repentance 267 Why Repentance is not as great a good as sin is an evil 163 Six courses God took to bring David to Repentance 228 229 Imputed Righteousness a more solid ground of comfort then the most perfect and exact inherent righteousnesse and why 10 S The Question whether repentance of it self may not take away sins answered three wayes 161 162 163 The full satisfaction of Christ to God takes not away the precedency of faith and repentance to justification 189 190 How Christ satisfied Gods wrath 191 In what relation Christ satisfied God 101 God seeth and is angry with the sins of his people 225 How God can see sin in the believers when they have the righteousnesse of Christ to cover them 219 Rules concerning God seeing sin in a believer 45 46 Six Reasons proving that God doth afflict his people for sin 30 31 32 Sins may be said to be pardoned five wayes 18 19 Six things considerable in sin when it is said to be forgiven 19 20 What it is to have sin forgiven 20 No sin hath a positive natural being 40 Sins forgiven are as if they had never been 50 God is affected with the sins of his people 68 Sins of the godly and ungodly how they are alike or differ 73 74 The most eminent sanctified person hath sin in him 121 Every sin hath a double weight punishment offence to God 124 We may ask pardon for great sins 126 Sin and the effects of sinne what 130 to 136 Habitual sin forbidden by the Law 132 A man cannot intend sin formally 133 There is in every sin the Macula and Reatus 134 Sinâ— continue untill pardoned 135 Two things considerable in every sin in it self 138 Two things considerable in sin relating to Justification 145 Whether sin be an infinite evil 138 There are degrees in sin 206 The sin of David aggravated by ten circumstances 225 226 No sinne though never so great for nature except the sin against the holy Ghost but the godly may fall into it 228 229 In what sense the sins of the godly are reigning sins 230 231 How far gross sins make a breach upon Justification 233 c. Why sins are called debts 104 Whether God may not by his absolute soveraignty adjudge man to eternal misery with consideration of sin 27 28 T Spiritual theâ—â— what 7â— Threatnings applied to believers 71 Not to trust to repentance 165 There is a two-fold trouble for sin 41 U Whether we be United to Christ before Justification 183 How all sin is voluntary 132 God doth sometimes upbraid his people 70 71 W There is no new Will in God 167 193 Five words used in Scripture to express Justification 13 14 The several words used in Scripture to express forgiveness of sin 46 47 The Word preached and written differ not essentially 86 Words used in Scripture to declare Remission of sin 139 140 141 The effects of Gods wrath upon his own children how considered 70 71 A Table of divers Scriptures which are opened or vindicated by this TREATISE Genesis Chap. Vers Pag. 3 21 47 4 13 47 Exodus 4 14 69 Deuteronomy 8 2 38 2 Samuel 12 9 53 12 13 62 Job 34 32 70 Psalm 32 12 47 63 214 32 5 224 51 4 53 51 7 51 51 9 61 90 4 91 92 90 8 54 223 94 9 10 90 99 8 30 103 12 49 130 4 269 Isaiah 44 22 48 53 5 36 37 63 17 83 Jeremy 9 7 38 50 20 21 41 42 Ezekiel 18 14 84 Chap. Vers Pag. 18 24 26 136 255 Micha 7 19 48 Matthew 5 22 206 6 12 103 104 12 36 206 18 27 8 21 18 32 34 238 Luke 4 18 140 7 47 264 265 15 22 55 10 3 141 Acts. 3 19 115 257 258 17 30 157 Romans 3 24 25 12 247 5 19 7 163 5 12 34 35 129 6 19 132 260 8 33 11 1 Corinth 2 2 12 270 3 12 13 14 17 80 81 4 4 65 11 30 75 80 11 31 27 2 Corinth 7 1 270 Galatians 5 18 56 Ephesians Chap. Vers Pag. 4 30 68 Colossians 2 13  3 13 140 1 Timothy 6 4 41 Hebrews 4 13 85 7 25 67 8 12 141 142 9 14 136 10 28 29 30 14 12 5 6 7 8 31 32 12 29 22 James 1 2 3 4 37 38 1 Peter 3 13 160 4 17 76 2 Peter 3 8 91 92 1 John 1 9 121 2 1 66 67 3 18 19 20 63 5 15 17 205 Jude  23 81 Revelations 3 19 31 FINIS 2 Tim 1 5. Mat. 24.24 2 Tim. 2.19 Ioh. 1.1 1 Tim â— 4 Ioh 1 7.17 Epâ— 4.23 Tit. â— 1 Eph. 4.21 Heb. 13 9. De perfec 1 Tim. 6.4 1 Tim. 6.10 Probl. Sect. 9. quae 2. Adversus indoctum The Coherence The division and opening of the Text. a In what sense righteousnesse is taken here See Lect. 12. b whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be so well translated remission of sin as indulgence connivance as Bâ—za rendereth it you have largely discussed Lect. 12. Propositions clearing the nature of Justification 1 The doctrine of Justification ought to be kept pure And why 2 Satan hath endeavoured the corrupting of it Loc Com. de Justâ—fic 3 God in the way of Justification goes above our thoughts and reason 4 The Scripture hath proper words to expresse this doctrine by 1 Justification implies an accounting just 2 To make righteous 3 To deal with as a just man 4 It is a judiciâ—ll word 5 There can be no Justification but where there is accusation 6 No man can do any thing whereby to be accounted just before God 7 We are made just only by Christ 8 Terror and comfort in the word justification 9 The
of Instruction to the godly Observ It is the duty of justified persons to pray for forgivenesse of their sins The meaning of the Petition Forgive us c. 1 â—hat God wâ—uld not require of us the satisfaction of his justice for our sins 2 That God would lay our sins on Christ A two-fold diffâ—rence between Gods forgiving our sins and our forgiving others 3. As we pray for justification so for the continuance in it 4. We pray for daily renewed acts of pardon and imputation of Christs righteousnesse Bellâ—rmines objection answered 5. We pray for the sense of this pardon in our consciences more and more We pray for pardon it self and not for the sense thereof only Reasons proving this Reas 1. Reas â— Reas 3. Reas 4. 6 We pray that as God forgives the sin so he would release the punishmâ—nt 7 We pray to be delivered from the effects of sin 8 We pray for pardon and the concomitants thereof Three things implied in this Petition 1. On the part of the subject or he who praieth is implied 1 That all men are sinfull 2. A sense of sin within us 3 Godly sorrow for sin 4 Earnest perseverance till we obtain 5 Constant renewed acts of faith 3 In the object or matter praâ—ed for are implâ—ed 1 That fâ—rgâ—venâ—ss of sin may he had after Bâ—ptism 2 That a remission of great sins may be hoped for 3 That there is an iteration of pardon 3 In the person to whom we pray are implied 1 That God only can forgive sins 2 That he takes notice of sin Vse Sin considered â—our vvayes 1 Abstractedly in its own nature The nature of sin expressed in the severall names of it 2 In the definition of it Hovv all sin is voluntary 2 Of sin relating to the person sinning A man possibly may not or rather formâ—lly cannot intend sinne 3 The proper effâ—ct of sinne which is to make guilty Whence comes 1 A stâ—in upon the soâ—l taken out by sanctification Liv. de Rec. â— An oâ—â—igation to â—tâ—râ—â—l â—â—â—shment 〈◊〉 by reâ—ission Sin considered as an â—ffence to God Whether sin bâ— an infinite evil Vse What remission of sin is From the names of it Propos 1. Propos 2. Propos 3. Propos 4. Propos 5. Propos 6. Object Answ Vse How our duty of repentance consists with Gods free grace in remitting Propos 1. Propos 2. Propos 3. Propos 4. 5 Two great practical mistakes concerning repentance observed The first of the prophane man The second of the godly Propos 6. Propos 7. The scope of the whole Vse 1. Vse 2. Practical Objections concerning repentance Object 1. Of what use repentance may be Answ 1. Answ 2. Six Reasons of congruity betwixt repentance and remission Reas 1. Reas 2. Reas 3. Reas 4. Reas 5. The sixt Reason two â—old 1. In regard of Gods justice 2 In regard of his grace and mercy Object 2. Whether repentance of it self may not take away the guilt of sin Answ 1. Answ 2. Answ 3. Why repentance bears not the proportion in satisfaction that sin does in the offence Object 3. What harm to God in sin Answ By distinguishing Gods Attributes Vse 1. Vse 2. What kinde of act in God forgivenesse of sin is Two cautions concerning the workings of God 1. There are no accidents in him 2. No new will in him Differences between an immanent traâ—sient action 1. An immanent action produceth no outward effecâ— * Exâ—ra controversiam est remissionem peccatorum prout actâ—â— est in Dâ—o immanens antecedere nostram fidem resipiscentiam Twiss Vin. gr pag. 18. 2. An immanent action in God is from eternity Arguments proving our belâ—ef and repentance antecedents of justification Argum. 1. Argum. 2. Argum. 3. Arg. 4. * Den reconcil with God p. 25 Arg. 5. Arg. 6. Den. Arg. 3. to prove we are justified before vve believe Arg. 7. Vse Whether Justification precede faith and repentance Arguments for the affirmative From authority of orthodox men What the opinion above-said may mean That so expounded it seemeth but weak for thâ—se Reasons Reas 1. Reas 2. * Den recon of man with God p. 3 4. Reas 3. 1. Argument fâ—om Infants * Neither may this seem such a wonder seeiâ—g that the orthodox hold even in men growâ— up the first grace is wrought in us as meer patients our understandings wils no waies antecedently concurring to it so that the grace of God is then wrought in us without us Argum 2. Arg. 5. Answ Arg. 7. Ans 1. Answ 2. Answ 3. Answ 4. Answ 5. An elect person unconvâ—râ—ed and a reprobate in many things differ not As Argu. 4. and Argum. 6. Answ 1. Answ 2. Answ 3. A two fold condition of faith Arg. ult Answ Whether we pray here for Pardon or for Assurance of Pardon only The Answer to the Question propounded 1. Thâ—y who are assured of Pardon ought yet to pray 2. This Petition relates to four sorts of men 3 Assurance of pardon not the only thing prayed for proved by four Reasons Reas 1. Reas 2. Reas 3. Reas 4. The instance for the coâ—trary opinion answered Why God doth sometimes pardon sin not acquainting the sinner vvith it Reas 1. Reas 2. Reas 3. Reas 4. Reas 5. What directions should be given a soul under temptation about pardon of sin Direct 1. Direct 2. Direct 3. Whether in repentance the difference between great sins and Less is to be respected Propositions premised concerning this Quâ—stion The Question stated in these Propositions following 1. This difference is to be attended in suing for pardon 2. In respect of humiliation 3. Gross sins procure wrath and hinder the consolations of Gods Spirit 4. Gross sins exclude from the society of the faithful 3 Some gross sins requste mâ—ny conditions before pardon 6 Grosse sins require a more intense act of faith to apply pardon Some particulars wherein no difference is to be put between great and lesser sins 1. In respect of the efficient cause of pardon 2. Nor in respect of the meritorious cause 3 Neither in the means of pardon 4. No difference to be made as to the state of justâ—fication Illustration The text contains a description of the pardon of sin 1 From several expressions to magnifie the mercy of it 2 From the adjunct of remâ—ssion viz. blessednesse Observations raised from the Text. 1 That forgiveness of sin is a covering of sin What is meant by covering of sinne How God by pâ—rdâ—n is said to cover sin Some particulars not extended to in this phrase of covering sin Whether the phrase of Gods covering sinne favour the errour That God seeth not sinne in beleevers Answer negative Two Objections answered Object 1. Object 2. Answ Pardon of sin duly valued by those only who inwardly feel Gods anger against it Vse 1. Of the first Observation Vse 2. Vse 3. The text divided into tvvo Petitions A face attributed to God in a double sense Observation from the first Petition The aggravation of Davids sin in ten particulars The degrees of Davids repentance The teâ—t considered in theâ— What sins Gods children may fall into The sins of Gods people in what kinde to be ranked Differences between the sins of the godly and reprobate Differ 1. Differ 2. Differ 3. Vse How far grosse sins make a breach upon Justification Answered negatively The Question answered affirmatively Why the guilt of new grosâ—e sins doth not take avvay Justification The second Petition handled Whether God in pardoning do forgive all sins together Three things laid down by way of concession The Question held negatively upon these grounds Vse Observ Propositions laid down in prosecution of this Observatâ—on Wherein the compleatnesse of the pardon of sin at the day of judgement consisteth 1. In our sense of that pardon 2. In the accomplishment of all effects of pardon 3. Then no more iteration of pardon 4. Then justification shall be perfected Whether the sins of Gods people shâ—ll be manifested at the last day Vse 1. Vse 2. An Entrance into the Text from the consideration of the history Two Questions resolved for cleâ—ring the Text. Answ 1 When this Penitents sinne was pardoneâ— 2. Whether the expression in the text favour any causality in the Penitents love in reference to hâ—r pardon Observ 1. A two fold repeâ—taâ—ce in Scriptâ—re The Observation proved from Scripture By reason Further evidence from experience Vse 1. To press this use upon us two things especially to be insisted upon 1. The doctrine of oâ—iâ—inal coâ—ruption 2. The strict obligation of the Law Vse 2.
know is to understand the nature of a thing but to see according to them is to behold the real existence of a thing now that cannot be of sin because it s taken away Thus say they God did know the sins of Abraham and men did reprove him but God did never once rebuke him in all his life after his calling for any one sin So that by these Positions you may see their meaning to be That a justified man is by Christ so cleansed that God seeth nothing but what is perfectly holy in him sin not only in the punishment but in the existence of it is removed quite away as to Gods sight Hence God takes no notice never chastiseth them never reproveth them because he seeth nothing but what is exceeding good and therefore because the justified feel the contrary that they have sin they commend and presse faith to live above sense reason and all our experience for say they as a man that looks thorow red glasse seeth every thing red so God looking thorow Christ seeth not only our persons but all our actions perfectly righteous with Christ righteousnesse What else may be said of their opinion is to be spoken of when we treat of imputed righteousnesse In the next place let us consider what is Popery in this point The Papists as Bellarmine lib. de Justif c. 7. say with the Antinomian That forgivenesse of sin is the quite abolishing of it and that whether it be original or actual so that no sin abideth any more in a man so justified till he fals from it and saith Bellarmine If the Scripture would have invented words on purpose to shew that sin is quite extinguished it could not use other then it doth and they think it impossible to conceive that there should be sin in a man and yet justified for this is say they to make him at the same time a childe of God and the devil The devil to dwell in him by sin and Christ by Justification Thus they distinguish not between sin reigning and sin being Though sin be in a godly man yet it neither hath vim damnatricem or dominatricem condemning power or reigning power Now its wonder the Papists should conceive this so impossible when they hold that the godly have venial sins which yet are truly sins and so by their own argument God must hate and punish them yet God doth not break off his friendship for all that now compare these two errors together in their agreement and difference 1. Both Papist and Antinomian agree in this That remission of sin is quite abolishing and extinguishing of sin both in the existence of it and punishment although some Papists hold for the later viz. of punishment at least temporal that that may abide though the sin be forgiven 2. They both agree in the places of Scripture as Christ cleansing us from all sin Thou art all fair my love To purchase to himself a Church without spot or wrinkle These and the like they both insist much upon 3. They both agree in reason to prove it viz. That sin is so odious to God that he hateth it wheresoever it is and therefore a godly man must at the same time be the object of Gods hatred and love which say they is absurd to affirm but here they differ the Antinomian makes a believer without sin because of Christs righteousnesse which he is cloathed with The Papist he makes him to be without sin inherently because of the grace of sanctification perfectly renewing him And indeed though the Antinomian seem to shew more zeal to Christ and grace yet the Papist speaks more to reason and if those places of Scripture did prove an utter extinguishing of sin it would carry it fairer for an inherent perfect holinesse then such a mystical perfection as they imagine In the third place I shall lay down the truth and wherein Scripture-doctrine doth indeed sail between these two rocks And 1. The Orthodox do distinguish of the nature of sin especially original and the guilt of it now say they the Scripture makes forgivenes to be the removing of the guilt but the nature doth still abide in some degrees 2. This sin even in the godly is seen by God taken notice of he hates it and doth punish it only he doth not punish it in their own persons but in Christ so that the sin of a godly man doth offend God and he abhorreth and will punish it but Christ intervening it fals upon him so that our being in Christ doth not hinder Gods taking notice of our sins and hating of them but onely freeth us from final destruction by them 3. If by seeing of sin should be meant judicial and final punishing of a man then we would say God doth not see sin in the godly in that sense and this some Orthodox have spoken which the Antinomian mistaking have lost the truth Thus Pareus lib. 2. de Justific cap. 9. p. 491. maintaining That the godly mans sins are covered which saith he supposeth not that sins are not but that they are not seen maketh this objection but nothing is covered or hid to God and then answereth True but what he would have covered but he will not fasten his eyes upon believers sins because through Christ he turneth away the eyes of his justice that he may place the eyes of his mercy upon them and to this purpose he quoteth Austin Tecta peccata quare dixit ut non viderentur quid enim erat Dei videre peccata nisi punire Brockman likewise de Justific cap. 2. qu. 10. p. 526. In vain is it objected That nothing is covered to God for that is true with this restriction unlesse it be that which he would have covered so that if by seeing were meant Gods judicial punishing and condemning in that sense God doth not see the sins of believers for he throweth them behinde his back but if by seeing be meant as the Antinomian doth Gods not taking notice of nor being offended with the sins of the godly so that he doth not chastise them for them this is a very dangerous error and is far more then a difference about words for the truth is That the sins of a Godly man do offend God and he is angry not as a Father but as a Judge hence as you heard the afflictions upon the Godly are for their sins and called Judgements onely he is a Fatherly Judge There is an excellent temperament of both these in God relatively to his people For the further discussion of this main point let us consider practically the sweet and full expression of the Scriptures about pardoning of sin One word frequently used is Nasa which signifieth to lift up and take away a thing so as that it was an heavy burden and so some translate that Psal 32.1 Blessed is he who is eased of his sin for you may see in that Psalm David feeling an insupportable weight upon him by
his iniquities such as he could not stand under now to pardon is to take this weight off so Gen. 4.13 My sin is greater then can be born or taken away i.e. forgiven again If thou dost well is not Levatio that is pardon and ease It is then no marvel if forgivenes of sin be accounted such a blessed thing by those who truly feel the burden of their iniquities Hence you have it excellently Zech. 3.9 10. made the cause of all quietnesse and content when their sins were pardoned then they called to their neighbours to sit under their fig-trees And well doth Calvin call this The chief hinge of Religion and the truth of this Doctrine is to be sought out with all care for what quietnesse can a man have till he know what judgement or esteem the Lord hath of him and in what manner it is wrought Another expression of it is called covering of sin there are two words for this the one is Chasah and is used properly of such a thing that is put between the object and the eye Numb 9.15 It is used of the Cloud that covered the tabernacle it s applied to a Garment or any other thing that doth cover Gen. 3.21 It s applied to God covering Adams nakednesse Hence a learned man thinks those skins were of beasts sacrificed which did prefigure Christ and God by this covering would as by an outward Symbol teach them by whom their sins should be covered and to this an allusion seemeth to be Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me white garments that thy nakednesse may not appear A like word is Caphar which signifieth covering with pitch or the like which doth so cleave to the thing it covereth that it can hardly be removed It s applied Exod. 15.27 to the propitiatory or covering made of pure gold wherein God shewed himself gracious It is used Levit. 16.30 The word also is used of the pitching of the Ark and as that pitch kept the waters from coming in so doth the bloud of Christ our sins from overflowing us and this doth excellently describe the nature of pardoning of sin God doth as it were hide it from us he will not punish it but you must not stretch this word too far with the Antinomian as if indeed God did not take notice of them for Davids when it was covered yet was visited afterwards by God but it s covered so far as that it shall not condemn We do not therefore as the Antinomian saith make God peep under the covering again but we say the word is a Metaphor and must not be understood grosly and palpably as if there were any real thing put before the eyes of God that he could not behold our sins but only that God will not finally condemn us for sin Furthermore when a sin is pardoned it is said to be hid from Gods eyes as if God did not know it Jer. 16.17 The Hebrew word Zaphan is applied to the Northern part of the world because it is hidden from the heat of the Sun Hence Joseph is called Gen. 41.45 Zapthnath paaneah because he was a revealer of hidden things Those iniquities therefore which are so often before thee they are as it were hidden from God Another is Mechah and I will name no more which is to blot out or wipe out a Metaphor from those who cancel or blot out their debts when once discharged Now besides these verbal expressions you have many real phrases that do declare this great mercy as Micah 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast them into the bottom of the sea where the Prophet doth admire the goodnesse and freenesse of God herein Who is a God like thee passing by iniquity subduing sins The word implieth that our sins were as our enemies the guilt of them did inslave us and keep us like vassals in fear but now they are mastered And further He throweth them in the bottom of the sea there is no more memory or footsteps of them as when the Aegyptians were drowned in the bottom of the sea they could never hurt the Israelites more Thus God doth to thy sins when they are pardoned Another expression you have Isa 44.22 some expound it thus As the Sun rising doth make the thick clouds to vanish away and there is nothing but serenity to be seen so it is with God pardoning but Junius understands it thus As the thick cloud dissolved into rain washeth away the soil and filth of the earth so will the Lord in pardoning take away that noisomnesse and offence their sins made Consider Hezekiahs expression Isa 38.17 Thou hast cast all my sins behinde thy back It is an expression from men who when they will not regard a thing cast it behinde their backs and thus God doth not as if he did not take notice to chastise for them but they shall not have their proper effect which is to condemn And these expressions are very necessary to a contrite heart which is apt to imagine God as alwaies beholding his sins and sending forth his judgements because of them whereas it must be as a foundation laid That God is gracious and mercifull not only in the generall but even to us in particular The last I will pitch upon is Psal 13.12 As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our sins from us where the Psalmist makes Gods mercies as much above our sins as heaven is above earth and lest the guilt of sin should hinder the descent of it he makes God to throw away our sins from him as far as it can be Thus you see how abundant the Scripture is in describing this mercy of mercies This mercy which if not injoyed every thing our beds our fields and houses will be an hell to us The summe of these words and phrases amounteth to these comfortable considerations First That God pardoneth sin and removeth the guilt of it totally and perfectly so that a sin cannot be more forgiven then it is not that all the pollution of sin is likewise totally taken away for that would contradict other places of Scripture which say sin is still in us but only the condemning power is subdued and therefore this doctrine doth afford as much comfort as any Antinomian would desire and yet doth not fall foul with other places of Scripture Those sins committed by thee and repented of are as absolutely forgiven as can be desired they can be no better pardoned if thou wast in heaven or hadst perfect righteousness bestowed upon thee It hath pleased God that the guilt of thy sin should be perfectly remitted though the power be not fully mortified Secondly These phrases imply That its Gods meer act without us which doth expell the guilt of sin not any thing done in us or by us and therefore thou art not to build thy hope of pardon upon any work of Regeneration or Mortification within thee but Gods goodnesse without
and gripes he had within because of sin and no wonder he did not confess it and bewail it before God If therefore God keeps thy heart in many doubts and fears giving thee no rest consider whether thou hast cast all that leaven out of thy house whether every Achan within thee be stoned or no. It is in vain to cure the wound as long as any splint of the poisoned arrow lieth within it or if thou finde no sin unrepented of search whether thy formal lazy duties be not the cause of all the blackness that is in thy heart We reade in the Canticles that the Churches laziness and her not opening the doors to Christ when he knockt was the cause of that spiritual desertion she was plunged into seeking up and down for her Beloved but not finding of him The standing pool begets the croaking Frogs not the running stream and it is the dull negligent Christian whose heart is filled with sad fears and doubts whereas the hidden Manna and white stone is promised to him that overcometh 3. Though thy soul walk thus in darkness yet exercise acts of dependency and recumbency upon Christ howsoever As David many times cals upon his soul to trust in God and not to be sinfully dejected How is that woman of Canaan commended for her faith who though our Saviour called her Dog and did in effect tell her she was excluded from pardon did yet earnestly pursue him and gave him no rest till he gave her rest And certainly this is the noblest act of Faith this is indeed to give glory to God when in the midst of all thy fears and guilt thou canst relie upon him for pardon as in wicked men who are filled with Satan as Ananiaâ— was there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a desperate boldness whereby they dare venture upon sin So in the godly there should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a confidence of Faith whereby maugre the devil and our consciences we dare throw our selves into the arms of a Promise Thus by frequent putting forth of strong fiducial applicative acts of Faith we shall at last enjoy obsignative Howsoever hereby thou wilt shew thy heavenly courage in enduring a kinde of spiritual Martyrdom As that Love is the highest Love which is carried out to enemies so those are the strongest acts of Faith which make us depend on God though he seem to kill us yea to damn us LECTURE XXIV MAT. 6.12 And forgive us our Debts ANother Question which is also of great use we are to dispatch at this time viz. Whether a Believer repenting and suing for pardon is to make any difference between a great sin and a lesse For if a man should be perswaded of the negative then would gross and notorious sins which Tertullian cals Devoratoria salutis whirlpools and gulfs wherein the party offended is plunged be no more then those sins which Austin cals Quotidiana levia daily infirmities which continually flow from the most sanctified person Again on the other side A Christian falling into such a gross sin may so far be swallowed up with sorrow as that he shall think the whole bond of friendship is dissolved between him and God that he is cast out of that spiritual Paradise he was in and that God is no more his Father nor he his childe It is therefore necessary to have a pillar of fire to guide us in this wilderness And that the whole truth of this matter may be understood observe these Propositions First Every sin even the least sin doth deserve eternal death As appeareth by those general places Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things the Law commands Gal. 3.10 Now every sin is a transgression of the Law This the Apostle speaks universally of all sin without any exception Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death And indeed this must needs be so if you consider the least sinne is an offence against an infinite God and in this respect because God is not a little but a great God so every sin is not little but a great sin Again if you consider the necessity of Christs bloud to expiate this no sinne can be thought little for if a man had no sin in the world but one of these little ones he could not escape eternall wrath without Christs mediation Therefore we cannot say any sin is venial either from its kinde and nature as Papists distinguish such they make to be officious or jesting lies or from the imperfection of the act such they make those that are committed indeliberately or out of ignorance without full consent or knowledge Or from the smalness of the matter as to steal a farthing or the like None of these sins are so small but that they deserve hell because they are the transgression of the Law of an holy and great God and our Saviour confirmeth this when he saith Of every idle word a man shall give an account Mat. 12.36 and that phrase of giving an account is not a diminutive but aggravative expression Our Saviour doth there argue from the less to the greater Thus If a man must give an account for every idle word much more for blasphemy against the holy Ghost Take we heed therefore how we bring down the weight and guilt of the sinne here also we may see why Paul found such a mountain upon him by sinful motions only arising in his heart There are two places that seem to import such a difference between sins as if some only deserved hell and others not The first is Mat. 5.22 where our Saviour speaking of three degrees of sin doth proportionably assign three degrees of punishment and the last only is guilty of hell fire But the clear Answer is That our Saviour speaks allusively to those three Courts of Judicature among the Jews the least punishment whereof was death so that the first Court punished with death the second death with a more grievous torment The third with a most grievous For that our Saviour doth only allude to these Courts and not speak of what faults the Courts punished is plain for none can think that the Court put any to death for calling his brother fool It was murder and such â—ins that they punished with capital punishments The other place is 1 Joh. 5.15 17. where the Apostle makes a difference between a sin unto death and a sin not unto death but that is clearly to be understood either of the sin against the holy Ghost which in those times when the spirit of discerning was frequent might easily be known or of such sin that did plainly discover obstinacy and impenitency accompanying of it otherwise no man might pray for another man that hath committed a mortal sin if by a sin unto death the Papist will mean every mortal sin Lay therefore this foundation That every sin is mortal in respect of its desert and guilt howsoever to the godly believing and repenting no sin is mortal