in chains eternally except thy soul be rent from that sin as well as from any other thou understandest not the way of God in the dispensing of his grace to the soul if thou thinkest God will pardon some sins and give thee liberty in others thou sottish soul know that when thou goest to God for pardon of sin thou must go with a heart resigned up from every sin or else thou losest all thy labour and art held in the chains of them all 3. Those that never look after their Prayers to call it into Question what answer they have had I have prayed to God but have I got any answer in my own heart or hath God come in in any Ordinance and sealed to me my pardon thus the soul should look after pardon in Prayer and all other means Many pray but never look after their Prayers whether God hear or no Psal 85 8. I will hear and hearken what the Lord God will speak thus the Psalmist and thus it would be with thee if thou did'st not dally with God after thou hast cryed for pardon thou would'st be listning at Heaven gates and looking towards God What answer doth God give I have prayed and there comes no answer the soul that sets it self in a solid and serious way to seek for pardon will be often looking out and remain much troubled till an answer come Many cry for pardon but are not troubled till God give answer they deal with God as Pilate did with Christ ask't him What is Truth but never stayed to have an answer but went his way so we do but dally with God in our Prayers and Petitions when we ask for forgiveness of sin and neglect to look after an answer 4. As those that look not after the answer of their Prayers dally with God so those that follow not their Prayers with answerable indeavours they Petition that God would be merciful unto them but what are the indeavours of your souls after your Petitioning if there be not indeavours to attend upon the means of grace that God uses to speak peace to souls in all your Prayers are nothing but of this I shall speak afterwards you are to search into the Covenant and enquire after the Saints what course they have taken and what means they have used to obtain pardon 5. Those that pray for pardon yet are satisfied with other things as thus they pray for pardon but if the world come in they are satisfied and quieted with that as a Child that hath a piece of Gold given him and an Apple he will be still'd with the Apple so many men sue to God for this great work of pardon of sin but let God give them health and accommodations in the world they are satisfied and contented with them and little or never seek after the pardon of their sin that is a fifth sort that are charged this day before the Lord that do but dally with God about seeking pardon for their sins Sixthly They that are quiet upon weak and slight Evidences dishonour God certainly they have not those high thoughts of the mercy of God in pardoning sin that content themselves with poor Evidences about it as most do come to many people and ask them What you hope that God will pardon your sins yes we do hope but upon the poorest Evidences imaginable those Evidences they lay the waight of the pardon of their sins upon are such broken reeds that it would make a man amazed that understands what the worth of a poor soul is that they should venture so great a thing on so slight a reed What is the reason because they have but slight thoughts of the forgiveness of sin that that a man puts a high valuation of he will make sure but that which he slights he is not so intense in as to instance if one give you in payment Silver Gold and Farthings you take the Farthings and do not tell them but you tell the Silver and the Gold you not only tell it but weigh it too What is the reason because you little esteem of the Brass and so will not tell it you more esteem the Silver and therefore tell that but the Gold you not only tell but weigh it because you have a greater esteem of that than the other this is an argument may convince the men of the world that their esteem of earthly things is more than of Heaven and their souls because they labour to make earthly things more sure than the things of heaven a worldly man to make sure his Estate will have Bond upon Bond and Seal upon Seal and carry his Evidences to Counsellors and say I beseech you Sirs see whether there be not some flaw in them I shall lose all my money if there be but a crack in my Evidences he is mighty careful of this because he hath such a high esteem of his worldly concerns But how does it appear that men have but poor low thoughts about the pardon of their sins because they content themselves with such poor mean Evidences for had they a high esteem of it they would labour to make pardon of sin surer than any thing in the world To wind up all those that know what pardon of sin is how do they spend their time and lay out themselves to get assurance Take this one note Because God sees those that are his own people understand what forgiveness is have a high esteem of it and are very solicitous about it he condiscends in his kindness to assure them by all sorts of ways and means methinks God deals with them in this manner the poor soul stands shaking and trembling crying our Oh! that I might have my sins forgiven and have assurance of it Why says God what way do you take to make things sure from one to another says you first we give our word one to another says God you shall have that I give you my Word What have you else Secondly say you we cause it to be written well says God you shall have it written and this is a great mercy the Covenant of grace is written we have it not from hand to hand as our fore-fathers had What do you else require Thirdly you say to have witnesses well says God you shall have witnesses in things between man and man In the mouth of two or three witnesses every thing is established Matth. 10.16 Now God in reconciling a Soul to himself brings no less than six witnesses to confirm a Believer in assurance of his grace and favour to him 1 Joh. 5.7 8. There are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and three that bear witness on Earth the Spirit Water and Blood three in Heaven and three on Earth to assure thee of forgiveness of sin that is a third way Is there any other way yea Lord Fourthly we use not only to have a word and this word put in writing
the grace of the Gospel that thus objectest it is another manner of thing than thou art aware of there is not that malignity in the grace of the Gospel to cause such effects in the hearts of believers Luther compares sin to Lime and the law to Water that makes the Lime hotter but the grace of the Gospel says he is like to Oyl and Oyl will quench Lime but Water will not so the Oyl of the Gospel will quench the sins of men and certainly the more there is of the grace of God revealed in the Gospel the more the lusts remaining in the heart of a believer come to be quenched this is an evident Argument of the great difference between the mercy of God revealed in the Gospel and received by faith and that which is received only in a natural way you that are unbelievers and receives the Gospel only in a natural way your lusts may be nourished and you may take liberty for wickedness But if once you come to receive the mercy of God in and through Christ Jesus then that mercy will be the greatest opposer of thy lusts and sin as any thing can be in the world certainly thou know'st not the work of God in Christ forgiving sin that reason'st thus I shall shew you plainly The knowledge of the great work of the Propitiation by Christ brings the soul into a hatred of all sin and is no nourisher of it 1 Joh. 1.9 the Apostle speaks of the wonderful grace of God in Christ to us If we confess our sins he is not only ready to forgive but to cleanse us from them And chap. 2.1 My little children I write unto you that you sin not that you take not liberty in any sin they might say you write these things that we sin not but we have sinful natures and so shall certainly fall into sin for all this Well for the comfort of Saints If any man sin says he we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ is presently an Advocate though you sin through ignorance and negligence and do not renew present acts of faith to sue out a pardon yet says the Holy Ghost Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father the Lord Christ stands before the Father pleading that no evil may befal you for your sin this is the admirable priviledge of the Saints of God a most blessed priviledge they have by the Covenant of Grace that when they commit a sin and may be take no notice and may be Conscience is so benum'd at present that they go not to God to seek a pardon but may be lie in sin a long time together yet says the Text you have one that pleads your cause and it is from hence that Gods wrath comes not out against you because you have an Advocate with the Father Well says the 2d vers And he is the Propitiation not only for our sins but the sins of the whole world he means believers Now in the third vers says he Hereby we know that we know him If we keep his Commandements as if he had said If we do not take heed of sin and keep his Commandements we know not this grace of pardon if any that here us Ministers teach this Doctrine and say they know him and have no care to keep Gods Commandements 't is quite contrary to what the Apostle says he says Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandements this knowing of him as it is a means to keep his Commandements so 't is an argument we do know him when we do keep his Commandements vers 4. He that says I know him that is Christ to be a Propitiation and an Advocate and keeps not his Commandements is a liar and the truth is not in him That man that reasons thus and says Well I believe in Jesus Christ and I know my sins are pardoned through faith in him yea and all the sins that shall be committed a pardon is laid in for them and I shall never enter into condemnation Dost thou say so and yet keep'st not Gods Commandements Hast not thou the Conscience and the rather upon the knowledge of this to keep Gods Commandements the Holy Ghost says Thou art a lyar and there is no truth in thee and thou wer 't never acquainted with this mystery of godliness when it is understood in a natural way men may abuse it you may know what I mean by a natural way and God knows you have need of Information by a natural way I mean by the light of Natural Reason and all other helps of learning on this side the work of the Holy Ghost but when men understand it by a powerful work of the Holy Ghost they that know it thus this knowledge will make them more careful and conscionable to keep Gods Commandements and if any man say he knows it thus and does not keep Gods Commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him Further If a man should reason thus Well if there be such a mystery in pardon of sin and that God when he pardons sin at first lays in a pardon for all sin afterward this will make way for more sin Take notice here of the infinite perverseness of the heart of man suppose it were not thus but the contrary were true that God indeed pardoned the sins of a believer coming to him but if ever he sin after pardon let him look to it he shall then be under the sentence of death and condemnation upon this a mans heart would not be more ingaged to seek after Christ but would reason thus Well I may labour and take pains and suffer much to get a comfortable assurance of the pardon of sin but what of all this the next day the next hour I may sin again and be in the same case I was before so that which way soever things go men will reason against God for their lusts I shall put it to you or to any heart that may be supposed to have attended on God yea and hath received grace Which of these Doctrines ingage the heart most for God either this Doctrine or the other whether that you believing that God will pardon sin yet if you fall into any new sin you are under a sentence of condemnation or thus that God is so gracious that he not only pardons sin for present but for your incouragement he so pardons it that though you through infirmity fall again into sin he will not out off his kindness from you Which of these is the greater incouragement certainly to a slavish spirit the one may be more than the other But to a spirit that may be supposed to have any ingenuity in it the latter words must needs far more ingage him to walk with God all his days What is Gods grace so free that he should have such pity on poor creatures not only at their first coming in and casting themselves on Christ as to pardon all their sins
though they be never so many and great But also such a Covenant upon my coming in that God will discharge all sins that shall be committed for time to come though I be ready to fall into sin dayly yet I shall not come into condemnation O what will so infinitely ingage a gracious and ingenious spirit as this does surely nothing like this Now if this be true that man that is forgiven is thus forgiven not only for time past but also for time to come Then blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven and whose iniquities are pardoned Of the tenth Mystery God pardons a sinner not because he is but that he might be chang'd 10. The tenth Mystery is this for I would endeavour to shew you what a mighty work Pardon of Sin is and raise up your hearts to have higher thoughts of it than ever you had before God does not pardon because a sinner hath his heart and nature changed but that he might be changed And thus the pardons of God differ from all other pardons a Prince pardons a Malefactor or a Father a Child but upon what terms a Prince expects his Subject should be changed as far as he can discern and a Father though never so tender will not pardon a Child unless he come in and manifest a change of his disobedient spirit and then he pardons God doth not pardon because we are chang'd but that we might be chang'd his Pardon comes first Rom. 4.5 a very strange place for this and may incourage any poor soul that is troubled for sin to come in and lay hold upon Gods mercy in Christ But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted unto him for righteousness Mark when God comes to justifie a sinner he looks upon him as ungodly he stays not till the sinner be made godly and then justifies him as a Prince stays till a Malefactors heart be changed and he become a loyal subject and then pardons him God is not so in justifying souls he justifies the ungodly one that is ungodly coming to him he justifies This is a mighty Argument I name it for this end because I would teach people that notwithstanding any sin or guilt that lies upon their spirits yet they have a liberty to come in and lay hold upon Christ for Justification do not say I am ungodly I am a great sinner and have a vile heart and I find not my nature changed and therefore How dare I lay hold upon Gods grace for mercy and pardon yea thou may'st because God justifies the ungodly though thy nature be not chang'd and sanctified as thou say'st take it thus Thou must lay hold of Gods grace for Justification that thou may'st be sanctified not only pardoned but sanctified Come but thus with thy heart affected to close with the grace of God that thou may'st be sanctified as well as pardoned though for the present thou feelest not any Sanctification yet thou may'st have right to lay hold upon Christ as well as any one whatsoever Will not this be presumption for a sinner thus to lay hold on Christ If faith were meerly a perswasion that Christ dyed for them or as many men think thus Well God is merciful and he will pardon me Christ having dyed there may be presumption in laying hold on Christ But now as Justification is a great mystery so is faith and faith is a mighty work of the Spirit of God in the soul that causes the soul to roul and cast it self on the free grace of God in Christ and venture it self and all its hopes for good and happiness on him there is not only a coming to Christ for pardon but for grace holiness light good and happiness here and for whatever it doth expect hereafter it looks for all from him Now when there is such a work of God upon the soul in casting it self on God in Christ though there be nothing at present but ungodliness in him appearing yet such a one may and hath right to come unto God for pardon for God justifies the ungodly Rom. 5.6 Christ died for the ungodly and vers 10. If when we were Enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son when we were Enemies and had base hearts full of enmity against God yet then Christ died to reconcile us unto God thou may'st then venture to come to him for pardon and it is no presumption though thou seest no change in thy self yet he pardons that thou may'st be chang'd now here 's a glorious work of God in pardoning a sinner that God should pardon justifie and reconcile us when we were Enemies to him here is a glorious work of God for a sinner to be justified and reconciled and yet when the sinner was an Enemy unto him Of the eleventh Mystery God himself purchases the Pardon 11. When God pardons a sinner he himself is fain to purchase the pardon and this is different from the manner of pardons among men A Prince pardons a malefactor but the Prince himself doth not purchase the pardon and if one have offended you you pardon the offender but you that are offended do not purchase a pardon for the offender possible some friend may come and purchase a pardon at the Kings hands for an offender but the King himself doth not purchase it yet thus it is with God God doth not pardon any one sin but it costs God himself dear before he gets it therefore 't is not such a slight thing to be pardoned you must not think to go to God and cry mercy and that he will pardon 〈◊〉 thus in a natural way God never pardons sin but it costs God dear yea that which is more worth than all the world if that could have done it God would rather have dissolved Heaven and Earth than have given that that he did give What was that It was the bloud of his own Son God gave him up to death for the sin of mankind and for the purchasing a pardon for man But some may say What need God have purchast a pardon for man Could he not have forgiven him by his absolute Prerogative I answer there was need because of the satisfaction of Justice he did purchase it out of the hands of Justice God was fain to lay down a price to Justice before he himself could pardon one sin Justice must be satisfied before he could give out one pardon Well take all these together Christ must be our Surety take the debt upon himself and suffer as much punishment as we should have done in Hell to all eternity and to make the soul stand righteous before God yet this righteousness to be in another yea a near union is made between Christ and the Soul And yet further 't is by faith and yet boasting is excluded and God is infinitely merciful and yet infinitely just and when he pardons one sin he lays in a pardon for al
the Word which before terrified my Conscience yet now my sin being pardoned my soul is reconciled and the Word of God speaks nothing but good unto me and all those fears that before so terrified me are dispell'd But may not a pardoned man have these fears or somewhat of the nature of them resting on his spirit after he is pardoned Yea he may but the ground of them is dispel'd and gone it is not the work of Gods Spirit that causes these fears as it did before Rom. 8.15 You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of adoption whereby ye cry Abba Father may be you may have some fears but being justified by faith you have not again received the spirit of bondage if hereafter you have any fears of Gods judgments and wrath against you it is not the spirit of bondage the Spirit of God that causes these fears your own selves may mistake the matter for those that once receive the spirit of bondage never after receive it you may have fears through your own mistakes but not by the Spirit of God as the spirit of bondage shewing us our bondage by our sins and working terrors on the soul for it these fears are dispell'd for in our peace with God in the pardon of sin the matter of enemity between God and the soul is taken away there is this in it which might have been added in the mysteries When a Prince pardons a malefactor he gives him his life and he is glad goes away but the Prince regards him not any more and possibly he may yet have enmity in his heart against the Prince still But God when he pardons a sinner not only is the enmity taken away but forthwith that soul is brought into the state of infinite friendship he receives the soul into his very heart so that there shall be a greater and more intimate love and friendship between his Majesty and that Soul than ever was between the greatest and dearest friends in the world this is wonderful and yet this is so for as when God comes to pardon sin there is not only taking away the guilt of sin but the soul is made actually righteous in Justification so also there is not only a taking away of the enmity between God and the soul that was there before but he receives the soul into infinite love and takes him into infinite friendship with himself Oh the sweetness and blessedness of that mans state whose sins are pardoned Reconciliation with God follows thereupon and he takes the soul into his bosome-love Further upon this there follows two things Peace in Conscience and with the Creatures being justified by faith he hath peace with God and as the immediate consequence thereof peace in Conscience and with all the Creatures 1. Peace in Conscience those fears and grating terrors that arose on guilt of Conscience are gone those dismal accusations of Conscience are still'd though 't is true a mans Conscience may trouble him after Pardon and Justification but it is through mistake the ground of all those troubles of Conscience are gone 't is with trouble of Conscience after pardon of sin as with the Sea you that are Marriners may see the wind at Sea raising the boisterous waves on high yet after the wind is quite down 't is a great while before they be still and quiet so in mens souls it is guilt of sin that causes woful disturbances but when God pardons sin he comes into the Soul as Christ in the Ship and bids all be still and though through our weakness after the sting and guilt is removed Conscience is troubled yet is God pleased to help the weakness of his People sooner or later not only to pardon sin in the Court of Heaven but in the Court of Conscience too and then all fears and troubles are gone certainly those that know what the burnings throbbings and ailings of an accusing Conscience means they know what a blessing it is to have Peace of Conscience a great blessing to have all well there because the Soul hath much to do with Conscience and Conscience hath much to do with God yea only to do with God and if all be well with that which hath so much to do with the Almighty it is a great blessedness blessed is the man that is thus pardoned 2. There follows this also Peace with the Creatures If I should meet with these in a full Text each of them might require a Sermon themselves to shew the excellency of a quiet Conscience and peace with the Creatures But I must but touch it here God is Lord of Hoasts and all the creatures stand armed ready to avenge Gods quarrel and not only do they stand in readiness but there is a kind of cry in the creatures to God to make them the Executioners of his wrath Shall I go and strike this Drunkard says one and shall I strike this Blasphemer says another All the creatures in heaven earth cry against thee every day But when God pardons thy sin all the creatures presently become thy friends when the Judge hath quitted a Malelefactor the under-Officers have nothing to do with him Conscience and the Creatures they are under-Officers and when God is at peace they are at peace too When Joab came and stab'd Absalom the ten young men that were his Armour-bearers did so too so if God come to a sinner unpardoned and give him a stab all the Creatures will be ready to stab him too but when God comes and pardons thy sin He makes a league with thee and the stones of the field as the Scripture speaks that is the first great mercy that flows in to the Soul upon pardon of sin and peace with God Of Gods Revealing his Secrets to those whom he Pardons 2. This follows upon pardon of sin God comes in a wonderful gracious way to reveal himself to that soul he comes to reveal his secrets to that soul he pardons and pardon of sin is the very ground of the Revelation of the Secrets and Mysteries of God by the Spirit to that Soul Jer. 31.33 among other particulars in the New Covenant God promiseth they shall be all taught of God in Heb. 8. that Text is quoted something more fully than in the Prophet vers 10 11. They shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest Mark For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Pardon of sin is made the ground of Gods teaching them his Covenant They shall know me from the least to the greatest you little ones and young ones if God please to bring you to Christ and pardon your sin a glorious light shall come into your souls God will shew himself in a glorious manner to you there shall be another manner of light
God promised to make all his goodness pass before him and Exod. 34.6 he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and then to the point in hand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here 's the glory of God Would you have a demonstration indeed that Gods heart was set upon this as the greatest work that ever was done take it in this that the very thoughts of effecting this by the death of his own Son made God very well pleas'd and delighted with his death surely then his heart was much set upon it for rather than he would not effect it he would part with his own Son Never was there such a hideous thing as the death of the Son of God and therefore if there were any delight to be taken in it that God the Father took delight in it there must be some great thing to sweeten it such an horrid thing as the death of the Son of God had need have some great thing to sweeten it what now sweetned this to God the Father that his own Son should be put to death Why nothing but this that hereby sinners might come to be redeemed justified and pardoned nothing else would sweeten it to God the Father but this does Isai 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and again the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Scripture says God takes no delight in the death of a sinner and yet God did take delight in the death of his Son it pleased God to see his Son bruised when God the Father saw his Son under his wrath swetting drops of water and blood under the curse of the Law it pleased God well certainly then there must be some mighty thing that must sweeten this and make the death of his own Son a delightful object to him Why the very thing that did it was this that Christ being made a curse he thereby did redeem us from the curse procur'd the pardon of our sins and reconciled us unto God and this very thing sweetned the death of the Son of God unto God the Father therefore the heart of God was much in it 2. For Christ What was the business that brought him from the Fathers bosome made him content to take our nature upon him to suffer and to be a man of sorrows so as to delight in it there was a kind of delight to Christ in induring the wrath of God for with desire says Christ have I desired to eat this Passover because it was the Preparation to his Death and Sufferings of the wrath of God in all the fruits and effects of it for the sin of Man and when Christ came to institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and to give his blood for the remission of sins the Text says He gave thanks What did he give thanks for surely the thing for which he gave thanks for upon which the Supper of the Lord is called the Eucharist from the Greek word that signifies Thanksgiving was this that by his death Remission of sins should be obtain'd when Christ was to die suffer all the wrath of God that was due for our sins Christ blessed God thanked God the Father for it surely there must be some great matter to sweeten it that he should be so affected as to bless God the Father for that that cost him his life and yet he did Mark what it is that satisfies Christ for all this Isa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and his soul was made an offering for sin all was laid upon Christ Well but what did Christ look for for all this Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied that that shall satisfie Christ for all his pains labour and sufferings shall be to see of the travel of his soul What is that What is the travel of Christs soul What Why by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many as if Christ had said this is the very thing my Soul travels for in all that I have done or suffered in all my life that I might but bring this great business to pass to justifie some souls to get the sin of those poor souls that are thine Elect pardoned and their persons justified this my soul travels for and oh Father let me but see this the travel of my Soul and I am satisfied Christ accounted it worth all the travel of his Soul in all he did and suffered that he might justifie some souls as if he had said he would have no other boon from his Father but only this Father if thou wilt but recompence all my travel with this I shall for ever account my self that I am satisfied and have enough How should we be satified with Christ when Christ accounts the pardon of our sins satisfaction enough Shall Christ say notwithstanding all my sorrows let thy sin be pardoned and I have enough Wilt not thou now say and let me have Christ and I have enough Christ says to God the Father let me have those souls pardoned and I have enough Oh then do thou say let me have Christ and I have enough Surely Christ is enough to satisfie thee when the pardon of thy sin is enough to satisfie him 3. As the heart of God and Christ so the heart of the Holy Ghost is in this business too the great work the Holy Ghost hath to do in this world and the great business for which he was sent it is to convince poor souls of the righteousness there is to be had in Christ for Justification Joh. 16.8 9 10. Christ will send the Comforter and first he will convince the world of sin 2. Of righteousness What is that that is when the Spirit comes he will clear it up unto believers and convince them that the righteousness that they must have to stand righteous before God in is the righteousness of Christ alone and this is a mighty work of the Spirit of God and a work that would never have been done had not he come to have done it it is such a great mystery that we should be righteous by anothers righteousnes that it is above the reason of all Men and Angels all Men and Angels were never able to fathom this infinite depth it is above their apprehensions that ever we should come to be righteous in Christ and very few yet where Christ is made known are convinced of it Those men that take up Religion in a natural way they never are convinc't of the Righteousness of Christ it is a riddle and a mystery to them only those few souls whom God intends eternally to save the Spirit of God is sent unto them from the Father and the Son to clear it unto them that the righteousness wherewith they must stand righteous before God is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ this is the great work of the Spirit of God
we must act faith upon it in a mystical way or act faith upon it as a great mysterie and therefore you that have been made sensible of sin it may be you have thought of Gods grace for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins and for to quiet the trouble of your spirits Have you done that there is I suppose many a poor soul may say I have been often with God when no eye saw me but only Gods seeking the pardon of my sin in trouble of spirit you have done so but has your eye at that time been fastened on the Son of God as the great Mediator between God and Man to interceed to God the Father for the obtaining this mercy by making satisfaction to infinite Justice Together with your cries for pardon have your eyes been upon the Son of God at the right hand of the Father pleading for man Have your hearts been taken with the great mysteries of godliness and wrought upon by the infinite grace of God Have you put forth a mighty power of the Spirit of Faith to tender up to God the Father the Attonement that his Son has made by his blood and death for your sins Have you seen that the pardoning grace of God is so high that it is impossible to be reach't unto by any thing you can do but only by the mediation of the Son of God If it have been thus with your spirits then you have somewhat of the sense of the great work of God in this thing but otherwise though you have been never so much wrought on and have had floods of sorrow and have cryed never so earnest for the pardon of your sins yet except you have had some such kind of thoughts of Gods grace as these are upon your hearts working after God this way you were never throughly acquainted with the way of Gods pardoning grace and so you have dishonoured him by having too low thoughts of it except your hearts have been raised to this height Psal 51.7 in that time when David was on repenting he called unto God to purge him with Hysop David desired the renewing of the assurance of Gods mercy in Christ in the pardoning of that horrible offence he had committed and therefore prays that he may be purged with Hysop What is the meaning of that there is a great mystery in it in the time of the Law when the blood was sprinkled it was done with a bunch of Hysop and it was a Type of the Blood of Christ that was to make an Attonement Levit. 14. They were to take a bunch of Hysop to sprinkle withal Now says David Purge me with Hysop that is apply to me the blood of Christ for I have need of fresh applications of the blood of Christ I have sinned against him and have done what in me lay to bring my self under Gods wrath and have brought new guilt upon my soul Now for the assurance of thy love to me let there be fresh applications of the blood of thy Son let there be a new sprinkling of the blood of thy Son upon me I suppose many of you in reading this place did not think of the meaning of the Spirit of God in it that may be a great help unto you when at any time you are seeking the pardon of your sins to cry to God to be purged with Hysop O Lord sprinkle the blood of Christ afresh upon me for I know that all my Prayers and Tears and all that I can do cannot purge me from the guilt of that sin I have committed against thee except thou purge me with Hysop that is by applying of the Blood of thy Son unto me And this is the Eighth way of dishonouring the grace of God in seeking for it any other way than through the blood of his Son and remember when you are seeking it that it may be the last time and therefore remember you look up to God for it in by and through the death of his Son for otherwise though you are never so earnest in Prayer you dishonour this grace It is an easie matter to convince men and women that they are guilty of dishonouring the grace of God if they seek for pardon in a negligent and sluggish way but now though you are never so sensible and put forth never so much strength in seeking for it yet you dishonour God except you look upon it as such a high thing that can never be reacht unto but through the mediation of the Son of God 9. The ninth way of dishonouring the grace of God is for any one to venture on sin the rather because they hope they shall be pardoned that dare to venture on sin on that ground hoping that God will at last pardon them I spake before of those that did nothing else but increase their sins in stead of seeking pardon of sin and of the miserable sad condition of such But those we now speak of are not such as are come to this height of sinning to do nothing else but increase their sins but such men and women who being convinc't of sin and if they were perswaded that God would never pardon that sin they would find knots enough to stop them from the commission of it but because they have some hopes that God will pardon therfore on that very ground they venture on sin 't is true it is an offence but God is a merciful God he will forgive though it be an evil there is more evil and mischeif in this than thou can'st imagin What art thou convinc't of sin and wilt thou venture on sin meerly on this ground because thou hopest that God will pardon thee I may say unto thee as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8.22 Pray O pray to God that if it be possible this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee for this thought of thy heart hath so much malignity in it and is so great a provocation against God as possible can be imagined except the sin against the Holy Ghost for any man or women to venture on any sin in hopes of pardon some will say What need we be so strict and trouble our selves so much God is merciful and therefore they think upon that ground they need not be so strict this is a horrible degree of turning the grace of God into wantenness Jude 4. the Apostle speaks of such there that profest they did believe in Christ mark what he says of them There are certain men crept in unawares ungodly men turning the grace of God into laciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ 't is a most dreadful place if there be any one in the Congregation that have ever had the glorious light of the Gospel revealed to them that can reason thus I do such and such things yet God is merciful O that God would convince thee of this evil give me leave to open it unto you how men creep in they were Christians and were
Church that falls into sin is as a bone out of joynt and you that are spiritual must set it again if once you have a bone out of joynt the longer you let it go the more painful it is so if you fall into any sin the longer you let it go the more unweildy you will be No marvel you cannot go about your business handsomely when you have a bone out of joynt but has God been so merciful as to put you into joynt again you know what Christ said to the man Thou art made whole c. so I say to you you that have sinned and God has pardoned you set you in joynt again Go your way you are made whole take heed of sinning again least a worse thing befal you 2. A second sort that dishonour the grace of God are such that though they fall not into the same gross sins again after pardoning mercy yet are negligent in the wayes of God loose slight vâ—in sensual carnal dead-hearted in their conversation and do not answer the grace of God revealed to them but are more drossie in their spirits than before It may be for the time wherein they were seeking this grace of God they were strick't in their conversation in their wayes conscientious and in every thing walk't close with God durst not for their lives omit a known duty attended on the Word with a great deal of patience their hearts closed with it and it was as meat and drink unto them and in their conversation they were very fruitful in the places where they lived But now having had some comfortable assurance of Gods mercy pardoning them after this they are grown slight vain loose and dead hearted this is a very grievous evil where ever it may be charged It is a very great evil for any to abuse Gods general Bounty Patience and Long-sufferance and the good we receive from God in the use of the creature but far worse to abuse the grace of God in Christ manifested in pardoning mercy I shall shew this to be a great evil and shall labour to convince you of it 1. Consider and call to remembrance what the dayes of old were How in former times it was with you when you were seeking the pardoning grace of God then you thought if ever Gâ—d come in to my soul and give me any assurance of pardon of sin How infinitely should my soul be ingaged to bless God and how shall I for ever be bound to give up my self soul and body what I am and what I can do to live to the praise of the grace of God if God come in to my soul and pardon this sin of mine the guilt whereof lies so heavy upon my spirit I appeal unto your own Consciences Did not you think in your own thoughts that it was impossible that ever you should come to live as you do certainly if the thoughts of many people might this day appear they cannot but say Time was when I was seeking after the mercy of God to pardon my sin that lay upon my Conscience I thought with my self thus he is a blessed man indeed that has assurance of this and if ever I had peace spoken to my soul I thought my life would have been such that in my apprehension I thought it was impossible that I should have grown to this dulness deadness slightness and vanity that now I see I am then now as Paul said to the Galatians Where is the blessedness you spake of time was you said the pardoning mercy of God it was a blessed thing where is that blessedness you spake of that after you have received it you should grow wanton loose and slight What have you not a mightier Argument to draw your hearts to God after he hath spoke peace than ever you had before The apprehension of guilt danger and trouble of spirit for sin that was an Argument to keep you from sin before but if God have spoken peace in applying this pardoning grace Have you not Arguments of another nature than these which are far more poweâ—ful Certainly those that know the grace of God in Christ know that there is no such powerful argument as the grace of God in Christ in pardoning sin to keep up the heart to God and to keep from sin as this no such argument in the world that is like to this the eyeing of Gods grace is a special thing to quench and keep down lust whereas those that sin after this mercy whose lusts and corruptions overcome the power of this pardoning mercy they are deprived of the best and most special spiritual helps that can be to keep from sin Phil. 4.7 The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus the word in the Original is very significant shall guard your hearts this is the emphaticalness of the phrase as if the Apostle had said The sweet peace of God is such as passeth understanding and shall guard your hearts as indeed the peace of God that comes to flow out from the sweetness of the pardoning grace of God is such as passeth understanding but yet after all this there will be many dangers and you are to be involved with many temptations but this peace of God will be a guard to your souls to keep you from sin and temptation The soul of a Believer that hath peace spoken to it is there compared to a Captain in War or a Prince that apprehends himself in some danger sets a strong guard about his Person to keep him from danger Now what is the guard that keeps the soul of a Believer from temptation and danger It is the peace of God that is the greatest and strongest guard in the world if you complain of sin and temptations and that you are afraid that sin will surprize you What guard would you have to keep you The peace of God is the best guard that can be Now after this hath been a guard unto you if thy sin break in upon thee as fully and as freely as if there were no guard at all thy condition is very sad 2. Let me further speak to súch that sin after the pardoning grace of God and do not walk answerable to that grace that was let forth in witnessing the pardon of sin 't is a thousand to one thou wilt loose thy evidence 't is true it is irrevocable in Gods heart yet thou may'st carry it so that by thy loose walking thou may'st loose the evidence of it in thy own soul and it may be as sad with thee as if thou wer 't not at all pardoned we are to know that when an Evidence is given in concerning pardon of sin every renewed act of sin is a blot to that Evidence A man that having Evidences of Lands or an Estate will keep them fair but if he should suffer them to be blotted one blot after another perhaps so blotted as neither he nor any one else is able to
of sin and account it a great misery that they cannot be sencible of it the Lord would incourage them therefore the greatness of sin is no discouragement at all Further The way that thou takest is the way to perish there can be no good in that way thou mayst pine away in thine iniquity but for to get any Councel help comfort or mercy be assur'd thou canst not therefore reason as the Lepers 2. Kings 7.3 If we sit here we shall certainly dye if we go to the Camp of the Syrians they can but kill us let us arise and go And it was a good going to them for they met with that that helpt and relieved them So do you say if I sit down thus there is no way but I must dye but however though I should never get any comfort or help yet it is better venture that way than the other thou knowest not what thou mai'st meet with may be thou think'st it humility to sit down in this way but know that most desperate pride may be under it and stand with such discouragements We know the most proud spirits may be the most discouraged spirits as the Devil the Scripture sets him forth to be as proud as Lucifer yet none so proud as spirits under such discouragements there may be much pride in discouragements therefore take heed least there be any secret pleasing of your selves this way though you be in some trouble yet if you feel there is a secret pleasure in that smart that falls upon you and some kinde of contentedness in going your own way as many men though they meet with abundance of Crosses yet if they go their own way it pleases them much take heed there may be desperate pride at the bottom of all this If this be to dishonour the pardoning grace of God what would you have us to do We would not speak it were it not so to what end is it for us to study and pray to God for light and help to open the grace of God if a little discouragement of heart and sulleness of Spirit shall turn all aside and make all that we say to be of none effest therefore great reason there is that we should tell you this is a great dishonouring of the pardoning grace of God but what would you have us to doubt no more but go on and perswade our hearts our sins are pardoned and there 's an end No if I should say you could do this it would be in vain for me to say all this for it is not in your power to cast off all fears of Gods anger and presently perswade your selves your sins are pardoned this is not in your power to do and therefore this is not the thing I put you upon it must be the mighty work of God in the 2. of Ezech. When the Prophet had done in the end of the 1. Chap. the next verse of the 2. Chap. he saies Son of Man stand upon thy feet but that was not enough to raise the Prophet no not for God himself to say Son of Man stand upon thy feet but together with the voice of God verse the 2. There enters into him the Spirit of God and sets him on his feet so it is with the Ministers of the Word we speak to souls that are cast down under the burden of their sins to stir up themselves that they may not alwayes lye down drooping but stand up on their feet But together with our speaking God must speak and convey his spirit to the soul before it is able to stand up Quest Well but what would you have us to do Answ These are the things I would have you do First I would have you turn your fears of presuming into fears of dishonouring the grace of God I would have you be as fearful that Gods grace should be dishonoured by unbelief as now you are fearful lest you should presume upon Gods grace those that are secure they fear not lest they should presume but those whose consciences are awakened their great fear is least they should presume upon Gods grace and dishonour it by presumption if thou fearest thou shouldst dishonour the grace of God by presumption why shouldst thou not fear lest thou shouldst dishonour it by unbelief as well as by presumption certainly the strength of this temptation is from the Devil Those that have their consciences troubled for sin he labours to keep them from venturing on the grace of God least they should presume but the way to cut the Sinews of this temptation is to fear rather least thou shouldst dishonour the grace of God by unbelief many look not at unbelief as a great sin but God is displeased at thy unbelief as much as by those that do presume Secondly The thing I would have you to do you that are under the checkings of Conscience for sin and full of doubts that God will not pardon and you cannot be perswaded your sins are pardonable Labour to set the greatness of the pardoning grace of God in the fulness of it to the utmost you can before the eye of your souls That it may be before you though you cannot reach to it yet set it before you you do not know what an efficacy the pardoning grace of God hath by being presented before your souls and kept there no marvel you find not the power of it when as you set it not before your eyes the efficacy of Gods grace lyes much in presenting it before your souls The Brasen Serpent if they lookt not to it it would never heal So though the pardoning grace of God be in books and Sermons yet unless it be before your eyes and you fix and fasten the eye of your souls upon it it will never heal you therefore keep it before your eyes Psal 5.3 There is an excellent expression In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up I suppose many of you in the morning will not neglect prayer to God but mark the expression I will direct my Prayer T is not I will say my prayers but direct my prayer there 's a great emphasis in it I will level my Prayer aright and dart up my soul aright to Heaven and observe the way that God would have me and so direct my heart in prayer to him It may be some of you go thus far not to content your selves with a dead hearted sluggish Prayer But what do you look to all the day after what shall wandring and discouraging thoughts bring you to look down all the day Would you look up to your morning Prayers and what you prayed for there would come a great deal of efficacy upon your souls Thirdly Be careful to keep your hearts stirring and active be afraid of deadness and dulness take heed of such thoughts Why should I pray and read when as I have no heart to perform any duty Up and be doing and the Lord be with you if ever
servant hears Now for a soul to be so under God as to wait upon the call of God to any duty service and imployment that it dares not go about any thing but according to the call of God this is a good Evidence that such a soul hath been acquainted with that great call of God that powerful call of God to bring him off from the ways of sin into the ways of life and salvation Further those that have been acquainted with this call of God there is an answerable frame and disposition in their hearts to call upon the Name of God for assistance direction and a blessing on all they undertake they delight now to repair unto God and call upon him as God calls unto them so they call unto him for that is the way of God according to his work in the soul he puts a gracious frame into the soul answerable to it As in Election those whom he elects when God calls them home he puts a gracious disposition in their hearts for to elect him as God chooses the soul from the world so the soul chooses God above all things in the world the soul answers to God God sets his heart on the soul and says I will choose thee for me the soul again sets its heart upon God and says I will choose thee for my God as God calls the soul to come and live to him in the ways of grace while he lives in this world so the soul calls on God for his assistance that he would give his help in unto him on all occasions and therefore the Scripture gives us this expression for the whole worship of God Rom. 10.13 Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved that soul that is acquainted with Gods call that soul calls on God again And by the way those that are thus called are fittest for Church-Communion I mention this because the word translated Church comes from a Greek word that signifies to call out that which in Scripture is usually called a Church signifies nothing else but this a Company of People called out of the ways of sin to the imbracing the ways of Godliness so that the Church should consist of People called out of the ways of sin by the powerful and efficacious voyce of the Spirit of God and they that are thus called have their sins pardoned you say you hope God hath justified you you read what God says and what hath been presented unto you they who are called they are justified then Calling in order of nature goes before Justification this you will find in your own hearts and if not this you must do when ever you come before God to hear the outward call you must come with a waiting frame of heart to hear the inward call and call upon God with such a disposition say Lord I have been taught that there is an outward call of thine in the Word and an inward call and I am going this day to hear thy Word calling me out of the ways of sin O that I might have together with that the inward call of thy Spirit when shall I hear that secret voyce this is the reason though I have been convinced many times at the hearing of the Word yet my sin hath prevail'd against me because that inward secret powerful voyce hath not come to my soul that is the first Evidence whom he hath justified them he hath called A Second Evidence is this Whomsoever God pardons he receives into Covenant with himself all pardoned sinners are Covenanters with God God pardons no soul but such an one as he brings into the Bond of the Covenant with himself that is the way of the conveyance of the grace of God for the pardon of sin to bring the soul into the Bonds of the Covenant the Scripture is evident in this that forgiveness of sin is made a special fruit of the New Covenant that is clear enough Jer. 31.33 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel c. what is the special end of that Covenant I will forgive their Iniquities and remember their sins no more But how does that come in it comes in by way of Covenant I will make a New Covenant I will first receive them into Covenant and then they shall have the fruit of this New Covenant that their sins shall be forgiven and their iniquities remembred no more The New Covenant is a mysterie to most people and yet it is a certain truth the pardon of thy sin and thy eternal good depends upon it thou art one that God has brought into Covenant with himself if thou beest or ever shalt be pardoned as God will manifest to thy soul that he hath through his Son tyed and bound himself to thee to be thy God that whereas before thou wer 't departed from him and an enemy to him yet now he is pleased to call thee to enter into a second Covenant after thou had'st broken the first and wer 't cast off by reason of that breach God is contented to enter into a second Covenant with thee to be thy God in and through his Son thou art to come in and joyn in this Covenant for to a full Covenant there must be assent on both sides there must be a mutual ingagement of either parties when God reveals this to thy soul that though thou be by nature an Enemy to me and hast broken the first Covenant that I made with the Children of men and art cast off yet be it known unto thee O thou wretched soul I am content to enter into another Covenant with thee there is a second Covenant for life and salvation that I have made with poor man through my Son and I require that thou should'st come in and give up thy self in an everlasting Covenant to make me to be thy God and to close with me and my Son in whatsoever I call thee to in whatsoever thou hast or can'st do to give up thy self to the power of me and my Son this thou must ingage and tye thy self unto in the strongest Bonds that can be this is the nature of the Covenant we know there were two Covenants and all the good of mankind in the first Covenant depended on this his closing with the tearms of it Now the tearms of the first Covenant was Do this and live but that is broken and we have lost our ability Now the second Covenant is Believe and live and the soul that God pardons he brings into the Bond of the second Covenant it is brought to come and give it self up to the Lord and to be content to bind it self with all bonds unto God that he and he only shall be my God as I desire him to be mine and his grace and mercy to be mine so all that I have or can do shall be his I surrender up my self and ingage my soul to be his for ever my Estate Abilities
Congregation and in others where the Word is preached that he will pardon Mar. 10.46 The blind man hearing it was Christ that past by he cryed for mercy and many charged him to hold his peace but he cried the more and Christ stood still and called him unto him Now if thou seest thy sin and cryest for pardon Christ will call thee to give pardoning mercy to thee as he did Bartimeus Thirdly It may be thou art not only under the means of grace and the outward call but thou begin'st to feel an inward call there are some stirrings of Gods Spirit within thee thou could'st say before thou wonderedst what the matter was with people to run after Sermons but now thou begin'st to feel the effect of it And the glory of God appears to thee in this place when thou art hearing of his Word thou may'st hence reason as Manoa's wife Judg. 13.23 That certainly if God had intended to have killed us he would not have received a burnt Offering and a meat Offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things so say to thy soul if God had intended to kill me he would not have been so willing to have drawn me after him neither would he have shewed me all these things and let that be an incouragement unto thee Fourthly The end why God continues this world in being is that he might give pardon to his Elect certainly this world had been dissolved long ago if it were not that he might bring pardon to his Elect and to those that see their sins this must needs be a great incouragement to a soul viz. to those that see their sins to come in when this pardoning work is done Christ will deliver up his Kingdom to his Father if a malefactor should come to sue out his pardon and one should say unto him 't is well Sir you are come for the King would not have kept his Court so long here but that you should come in were not this a great incouragement so say I were it not that men should come to get the pardon of their sins the Court of the world would have been broken up long before this time Fifthly The principal scope of the Scriptures is for this very end to reveal the pardoning grace of God you have here the heart of God laid open Christ wept and mourned that sinners would not come in that they might be pardoned and saved I have read a story that in Athens there was a Temple and in that there was a woman weeping and in one hand she had a bleeding Heart and with the other she was writing Pardons so Christ he stands weeping over you that you will not come in and he hath a bleeding heart bleeding for you in the one hand and with the other hand he is ready to write you a pardon Luk. 19.41 42. nay he does not only weep But the Sixth incouragement may be He sends his Ambassadors to woe you to come in and tells them they shall not take a denyal at your hands 2 Cor. 5.20 They intreat and beg as in his Name nay it is the beseechings and intreatings of God himself as if a King should send one of the Attendants on him to a poor condemned Prisoner and say go tell such a one that he must come for his pardon and tell him I beseech him and take no denyal of him I beseech him to come in would not this manifest the great willingness of the King to pardon God does so he sends his Ministers and beseeches you to come in and take a pardon 't is as certain God speaks thus by his Ministers as if you heard God speaking by himself this should move you to come in Christ begs and intreats you to be reconciled that his bloud might not be shed in vain seeing it is so that God begs of thee to come in why shouldest not thou come in and take pardon of thy sin Why can'st not thou come in and give up thy self and all thou hast and art to him Seventhly Know it is the great office and work of Christs mediatorship to bind up the broken hearts of wounded sinners Isai 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me he hath sent me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath seat me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound this in the New Testament is applyed to Christ Now this being the great work for which Christ came into the world to bind up the broken-hearted see whether thou canst not rely on Christ by an act of faith this should be a great incouragement Eighthly Consider that that God thou hast to deal withal his nature is mercy in the abstract and if so he is free in his mercy as the Sun shines because it 's the nature of it to shine so the mercy of God must needs work freely because it is his nature as the fire burns naturally Exod. 34. Mic. 7.18 God pardons because he delights in mercy thou say'st thou art a poor sinner well though it be so yet thou may'st say though God can see nothing in me yet seeing that he is a God that delights in mercy this may move me to come in For 1. He hath more delight in pardoning any sinner than in all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God delights in all the works of his hands but in this he delights in more than in all he delights in them all but not so much as in magnifying his grace in Jesus Christ for in this he magnifies his Son and therefore he hath more pleasure and takes more delight in pardoning a poor humbled sinner than in all the works of his hands besides 2. No one can take so much pleasure in the salvation of his own soul as God doth in pardoning of thy sin and the reason is because this is the greatest design that God hath which is the setting out of his glory in his pardoning mercy in Christ and therefore this may be a great encouragement 3. God is more delighted in the work of thy heart closing with free grace than in all the legal works of humiliation what says Christ this is the good will and pleasure of God and David was called a man after Gods own heart Why because he was a man that would do his will so that this is a great incouragement though many abuse this and pervert it to their own destruction yet God will have it taught that thou mightest have the comfort of it and therefore thou shouldest close with God and come in and take hold of his pardoning mercy Ninthly Though God hath taken such a way in mercy to pardon sin yet he loseth nothing in his justice Christ hath taken such order that his glory shall no way be diminished his justice shall be satisfied and therefore thou need'st not say thus I have so sinned