things as the World accounts 'em confounds the Wise There are Instances of it in the History of Moses as to the Plagues of Egypt But it was more manifest in the whole Frame of Christianity and in the Success and Prevalency of it He defeated the Devil's Design and overturn'd his Empire by such Means as could never be supposed by Reason to do it By the Seed of the Woman whom he had seduc'd by the Son of God in our Flesh suffering and dying for us He wrested the Victory out of Satan's Hands by humbling himself to the Death of the Cross and so by dying destroyed him that had the Power Death THERE are other Instances might be given as where God strengthens the spoyled against the strong He brings down those that dwell on high the lofty City he layeth it low He layeth it low even to the ground he bringeth it even to the dust The Foot shall tread it down even the Feet of the Poor and the Steps of the Needy Isa 26.6 7. The Stone cut out out of the Mountain without hands shall dash in pieces great Mountaius all the four great Monarchies of the World and fill the whole Earth HIS Ways are not as ours in that he often prefers the Younger before the Elder and gives them the Precedency and Principal Blessing Abel was preferr'd before Cain and his Offering accepted Abraham the Younger chosen to be God's Favourite before his Elder Brethren Jacob before Esau and He preferr'd Ephraim before Manasseh the Elder Son of Joseph So it is observed by the Spirit of God of Noah's Children Shem is preferr'd and called the Brother of Japhet the Elder Gen. 10.21 And David the Youngest Son of Jesse is chosen to be King and the Man after God's own Heart To manifest the Freedom of his Counsels and the Soveraignty of his Grace and Providence Was not Esau Jacob's Brother yet Jacob have I loved 3. HIS Ways and Ours differ also in this that he is never frustrated or disappointed in his Work as to what he designs He brings the Counsels of Men to nought and the Devices of the People to none Effect but the Counsel of the Lord shall stand Psalm XXXIII 10 11. He speaks the word and it shall stand He confirms the Word of his Servants and performs the Counsel of his Messengers saying to Jerusalem be thou inhabited and to the Cities of Judah ye shall be built that saith to the Deep be dry and I will dry up thy Rivers He saith of Cyrus he is my Shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure even saying to Jerusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy Foundation shall be laid Isa XLIV latter end Our Ways are not like his he will always overcome when he judgeth He will fulfill all his Pleasure and accomplish all that is in his Heart which we cannot pretend to do II. Secondly GOD's Ways not only differ from ours but do Transcendently exceed 'em are infinitely above them as high as the Heavens are above the Earth There is an unsearchable Depth in the Ways of God which we are call'd to adore but cannot comprehend We may cry out with the Aopstle O the Depth both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out Rom. XI His Judgments are a great Depth Psal XXXVI 7. He is wonderful in Counsel and excellent in Working His Wisdom is unscarchable and his Ways past finding out Job V. 9. Chap. IX 10. There are many things in Divine Revelation and Providence that transcend our Reach If we will not allow this but must have a particular Reason for all that God speaks and doth before we will believe it What 's this but to make his Wisdom finite like ours or ours Infinite like His On this Account the great Masters of Philosophy in former Ages were the worst Enemies to the Gospel of Christ because the Apostles nakedly represented their Doctrines without that Wisdom or Demonstration from Natural Principles which they used and therefore the Gospel was Foolishness to them 'T IS the not owning God's Ways to be above ours but making our Reason the Supream Judge concerning Doctrines supernaturally revealed which is the Spring of the many Errors and Blasphemies that abound among us at this Day Whereas we may as well measure the Justice or Injustice of the Providential Works of God by our Will and Choice Whether what he doth be Just and Good or not because 't is what we like or do not like as by our finite Minds comprehend whether that can be true which in a Divine Revelation is delivered as a true Doctrine We can no more conceive the Wisdom and Goodness of God in some Events of Providence than his Veracity in some Truths revealed More particularly First As to Scripture Revelation what we are to believe Let 's consider that God's Ways and Thoughts are Above ours And what is therein asserted we must receive and credit upon the Authority of a Divine Testimony tho' the Doctrine there laid down may be such as hath no Foundation in Nature that is it could not be known but by Divine Revelation 'T is a sufficient Reason for us to believe the Doctrine because we find it in the Holy Scripture and we have Reason to acquiesce therein because the Revelation that is contain'd in this Book we have Ground to believe is from GOD and so infallibly true If we will own our Baptism and take CHRIST for our Teacher we must receive the Truth of what HE hath revealed upon a Divine Testimony tho' we cann't comprehend how such a Christian Doctrine may be reconcil'd to our common Notions of things in other Cases I grant the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity for Instance carries a very great Difficulty in it and is more opposed as Incredible and Vnintelligible than other Principles of Christian Religion But this being Reveal'd from Heaven as we affirm and make an Article of our Faith if we find it contain'd in the Holy Scriptures God's Ways being so far above ours will do much to answer the Objection of its being Incomprehensible IF GOD be INCOMPREHENSIBLE why should any thing he 's pleas'd to say seem Incredible to us Where he has interpos'd by his Definitive Sentence our Reason must submit and has no Right to debate the Matter but ought to approve what God speaks and subscribe to whatever he writes The Testimony of God whatever Exceptions our Reason can make should convince our Judgment and doth oblige our Faith Is not His Veracity a firm and sure Foundation for us to relye upon without the concurrent Testimony of Reason Shall we not believe Infinite Wisdom and Truth upon his own Word unless what he saith be in it self Credible and so may be believed without his Testimony The more we consider what God is the more easily shall we be perswaded that he is equally to be believed when he affirms what we cannot understand to be true
as when he declares that which by the common Principles of our Reason we know is so If we own a Divine Revelation we can no more Doubt of the one then the other unless a Divine Testimony must receive its force from the Evidence of our Reason Which is to destroy all the Testimony of Divine Revelation in Supernatural Truths where the Evidence of Reason fails What! tho' we cannot give an Account how it is or can be so as we find it in the Scripture is any thing that God says the less Credible upon that Account 'T is the highest Reason to believe every thing that God hath said His Authority hath Strength sufficient to secure my Faith against all such Objections as arise only from Ignorance and want of Principles to Judge by or from the Incomprehensibleness of the Object IT seems plainly the Design of the Apostle 1 Cor. II. Chap. to obviate the great Objection that is now brought by Infidels and Socinians by granting it to be true That what we are taught to beleive by the Gospel is Inconceivable and above the Reach of Humane Reason That many Doctrines of the Gospel are such as could neither be discovered nor when they were could be received and applauded by the Rational Part of Mankind It was not the Wisdom of Men nor of this World but the Wisdom of God 5th and 6th Verses The Apostle did not go about to perswade the World of the Truth of them in such a Manner as the Wise Men among the Gentiles made use of to perswade the People of their Opinions But the Gospel being a Divine Revelation they endeavoured to prove the Truth of it by the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power i. e. by Supernatural Proofs from Ancient Prophecies by uncontested Miracles and such like Testimonies of God's owning the Gospel to be a Revelation from him So that their Faith did not stand in the Wisdom of Men but in the Power of God And therfore we should not be stumbled nor think Strange if Matters of Divine Revelation should be Inconceivable by meer Reason HE let 's them know that even this was foretold by the Prophets Verse 19. for it is written by the Prophet Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath it enter'd into the Heart of Man c. But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit by which Spirit Christ and his Apostles made known this Doctrine And it follows The Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God And therefore tho' the Things be such as we never thought of before and we cannot well conceive when they are told us yet that is no such Wonder for the Nature of our own Souls cannot be conceiv'd by any Inferior Being nor our secret Thoughts known by any other of our Fellow-Creatures Ver. 11. For what Man knoweth the Things of a Man but the Spirit of Man within him and so the things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God As we cannot know the secret Purposes of other Men 'till they themselves discover them so the Councils of God concerning our Salvation which depend meerly upon his own Will none can know but the Spirit of God and by some Revelation from that Spirit and not by Natural Reason For the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God i. e. is acquainted with all his secret Counsels THE great Question therfore will be Whether the Revelation that contains such and such incredible Doctrines be Divine And accordingly the Apostle adds in the next Verse that he built his Faith not upon the Philosophy or Inventions of Men but upon the Revelation which God hath made We have not received the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given us of God These Things could never else have been known and therefore it should not offend any that we do not endeavour to prove these Doctrines by Philosophical Arguments But by such as are proper to prove them by viz from Divine Revelation Which things also we speak not in the Words which Man's Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual That is the Revelations of the Old Testament with those of the New And after all he he tells us in the 14th Verse That the Natural Man who will believe nothing but according to his own preconceived Notions from Natural Reason He receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God they are Foolishness to him He will not allow that to be divinely revealed which is above meer natural Reason He considers only the Difficulty in the Doctrine it self how it can be true not what Reason he hath to believe such a Revelation to be from God And so he cannot know them because they are to be spiritually discerned that is to be judged of by the Revelation and Testimony of the Holy Spirit and not by the meer Light of Reason They are to be received upon the Account of a Divine Revelation THE the whole Tenor of the Apostles Discourse seems to obviate or answer this Objection of the Doctrines of the Gospel being Incredible and Vnintelligible And if we apply it to the Doctrine of the Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ it will hold good notwithstanding the Difficulty how Three can be one or how our Blessed Saviour can be God and Man How there is one Divine Nature or Essence common unto Three Persons united in Essential Attributes and yet distinguish'd from each other in order and manner of Subsistance and by peculiar Idioms and Relations These Notions may puzzle our Reason to conceive but should not stagger our Faith to believe as Reveal'd in the Holy Scripture Considering what God is and what We are 't is unreasonable to reject any Article of Faith because we cannot fully conceive the Nature and Manner of its being True Shall we compare our Darkness with his Incomprehensible Light Or equal our Understanding with his Shall we refuse to believe what he hath declar'd for Truth unless we can reconcile it with our Maxims What room is there left for Faith at this rate What Credit is given to Divine Testimony if we believe nothing to be True in Gods Word except we can Fathom it and would otherwise believe without his Testimony IF we consider the Imperfections of our Understandings both as to the Finite Nature of the Soul and the Manifold Experience we have of it every Day we must be content to be Ignorant of many Things What is well known in many Civilized Countries as some have observed to illustrate this may appear very strange to a great Part of the Heathen World The Fabrick of a Watch or the mutual Communication of Thoughts by Writing would it may be be as unconceivable to a Barbarous Indian as the Mistery of the Trinity is to us yet the Truth of the Thing doth not depend upon his Conception of it AND how short do the
GOD's Thoughts and Ways Above Ours especially in the Forgiveness of Sins IN SEVERAL SERMONS UPON ISAIAH LV. 7 8 9. By John Shower LONDON Printed by the Widow Astwood Iohn Lawrence at the Angel in Poultry MDCXCIX THE PREFACE I Am Encouraged to think that the following Sermons did Good in the Preaching and with the Hope they may be of some further Use they are now Published It hath been desir'd that I would Transcribe them in the Words wherein they were deliver'd which with very little Variation I have consented to as to the First Four It may be the peculiar Turn of Expression tho' popular and less exact in the Pulpit which renders the plain Truths of Christianity Acceptable to most Hearers may be more Useful and more Affecting to several Readers than what is more Concise and in more studied Words I can never reckon it a Fault in a Sermon to a Numerous Auditory that the Stile is different from what is expected in a close and just Discourse Or that what might be said in two Words or Sentences is exprest in three or four Perhaps the greatest Part of the Hearers need such Enlargement and Repetition and their Capacity could not otherwise be reached so as to Profit them any more then that Game may be taken by a Net Unspread Very Wise Men have Thought that it is a Mistake in a Consciencious Preacher to endeavour to please only a few of the more Knowing and Judicious Hearers But that which is suited to do Good to the Generality of those we Preach to will ordinarily be best Thought of by Wise Men whose Capacity and Judgment could reach what was more Accurate For they must needs know that it would not be Proper here They themselves have Sins to be forgiven and Corruptions to be mortify'd and Immortal Souls to be sav'd and so have their Inferiours And there is but one Way for the Learned and Unlearned to get to Heaven that I know of 'T is True the Things treated of will be despis'd by Many who do not Relish what 's contained in such Discourses The Matter is out of their Way They are not Sensible of Sin nor Solicitous about Forgiveness And so think not themselves concerned And it is to be fear'd there are Many Others who hear and read Sermons only to Judge of them without any Desire of Advantage to their Souls They are not better'd for the Sermons they Commend any more than by those they Condemn They may say perhaps it was an Excellent Discouse He 's a Good Orator or a Judicious Preacher and This Sermon exceeded even his Last But their Consciences are not touch'd they feel nothing that doth them any real Good However there are Many I hope in this City and Nation who will be thankfull for any such Assistance to prevent their Despair when convinced of Sin as the Doctrine of God's Free Grace in Forgiveness that is display'd in the First Four Sermons And Others who meet with Objections in Conversation and in Pamphlets against the Christian Doctrine of the Sacred Trinity the Incarnation of Christ and God's Wise Government of the World from the Unaccountable Passages of Providence which are apt to stumble them may be willing to consider and improve this Argument of God's Thoughts not being as Ours but far above our Reach which is the Subject of the Fifth Sermon Let me only add that many Younger Ministers as well as Elder have Dyed of Late And tho' Few of us will be miss'd when we Dye there being such Numbers to Supply our Places yet Every One should endeavour to be as Useful as he can while he lives for the Night is hastening wherein no Work can be done If Any Reader get Good let him give God the Glory I most earnestly beg His Blessing to that End J. S. THE First Sermon ISAIAH LV. 7 8 9. Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the Unrighteous Man his Thoughts and let him Return unto the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly Pardon For My Thoughts are not your Thoughts neither are your Ways My Ways saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are My Ways higher than your Ways and My Thoughts than your Thoughts THere are Three Things Considerable in this Passage First A Call to Repentance by a Double Precept or Injunction of Duty The Persons concerned in it are set forth under two Names to take in all sorts of Sinners The Wicked and the Vnrighteous And the Duty is doubly exprest to forsake their evil Wayes and Thoughts and to Return to the Lord Which are the Two Parts of true Repentance Turning from Sin and Returning to God Secondly Here 's an Encouraging Promise that God will have Mercy on such Penitents and will abundantly Pardon 'em That He will Interest them in the sure Mercies of David Ver. 3. or in all the Blessings of the Everlasting Covenant by Christ 'T is of him you must understand Ver. 4 5 6. of whom David was only a Type Behold I have given him for a Witness to the People a Leader and Commander to the People c. Thirdly The Ground and Reason why we may believe this Promise shall be made good For my Thoughts are not as your Thoughts saith the Lord God but as high as the Heavens are above the Earth c. i. e. There is a vast Disparity between my Thoughts and yours and mine are Transcendently above yours as far as Heaven is above the Earth And so are My Ways above your Ways This is true as to God's Thoughts and Purposes of Grace in Pardoning Sinners and as to the Effects of those kind Purposes in his Ways and Works And the Highest Assurance of the Truth of all this is added from a Divine Testimony annex'd Thus saith the Lord. He who best knows his own Gracious Designs hath told us this and by our believing it we set to our Seals that God is true Several things might be Observ'd as proper to be Discours'd of from these Words First That if ever Sinners find Mercy with God they must forsake their former Evil Ways and Course of Life Secondly That 't is not enough for such to to reform their outward Practice and forsake their Evil Ways but they must be chang'd and sanctify'd in Heart their Evil Thoughts must be forsaken Thirdly That 't is not sufficient to turn from Sin and Wickedness in Heart and Life without returning unto God Fourthly That the worst of Sinners be they wicked as to Sins against God or unrighteous as to Iniquity against Men yet if they turn from their Evil Wayes and return to the Lord they shall find Mercy Tho' you have sinned as you think so as never any did before and condemn your selves as the chiefest of Sinners and have refus'd the pardoning Mercy of God formerly offer'd c. All this may be forgiven And it is implied that it shall be upon every New Invitation
is able to forgive our greatest Provocations and show Mercy to the vilest Sinners that will return We are prone to revenge we are hardly reconciled we are apt to return Evil for Evil we are not easily brought to Forgiveness But My thoughts are not as yours saith God You know not how far my Mercy can reach I am God and not Man The distance between God and Man between the Creature and Creator is infinitely more than between Heaven and Earth What if you can't imagine that ever I should have such Thoughts of Mercy for poor Sinners Do you consider how high the Heavens are above the Earth so are my Thoughts and Ways higher than yours They are like my self infinite And how many by their own Experience of God's kind and gracious Dealing with them who with holy Wonder and Thankfulness have acknowledg'd and attested the Truth of this Many a time have I called my self a Prodigal to use the Words of an * Mr. Baxter of Conversing with God in Solitude 4â—â— pag. 363 364. Excellent Person a Companion of Swine a miserable hard-hearted Sinner unworthy to be called his Son when he hath called me Child and chid me for my questioning his Love he hath readily forgiven the Sins which I thought would have made my Soul the fuel of Hell he hath entertain'd me with Joy with Musick and a Feast when I better deserv'd to have been among the Dogs without his Doors He hath embrac'd me in his sustaining Consolatory Arms when he might have spurned my guilty Soul to Hell and said Depart from me thou Worker of Iniquity I know thee not O little did I think that he could ever have forgotten the Vanity and Villany of my Youth yea so easily have forgotten my most aggravated Sins When I had sinned against Light when I had resisted Conscience when I had frequently and wilfully injured Love I thought he would never have forgotten it But the greatness of his Love and Mercy and the Blood and Intercession of his Son hath cancelled all O how many Mercies have I tasted since I thought I had sinned away all Mercies How patiently hath he born with me since I thought he would never have put up more Tho' I injure and dishonour him by loving him no more tho' I oft forget him and have been out of the Way when he hath come or called me tho' I have disobediently turned away mine Ears and unkindly refus'd the Entertainments of his Love and unfaithfully play'd with those whose Company he forbad me yet he hath not divorc'd me or turn'd me out of Doors O wonderful that Heaven will be familiar with Earth and God with Man the Highest with a Worm and the most Holy with an unconstant Sinner Man refuseth me when God will entertain me Those whom I never wrong'd reject me with Reproach and God whom I have unspeakably injured doth invite me entreat me and condescendeth to me as if he were beholden to me to be saved Men that I have deserved well of abhor me and God that I have deserved Hell of doth accept me I upbraid my self with my sins but he doth not upbraid me with them I condemn my self for them but he condemns me not I have Peace with him before I can have Peace with my Conscience Object But after all these endearing Expressions of the Grace of God may some say we can't tell how to believe 't is hard to be fully perswaded of this Consider therefore the Verses following the Text where there 's this Objection obviated You say you can't have your Hearts duely affected with these Declarations of God's Grace you can't be brought to accept this Mercy to close with this Offer to be encouraged by such a Promise and trust in it It is therefore added as directly suitable to such a Case Verses 10 11. As the Rain cometh down and the Snow from Heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the Earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give Seed to the Sower and Bread to the Eater So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my Mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it That is As the Heavens do not give Light and Heat and Snow in vain but cause a promising Spring and a fruitful Harvest So saith God my Thoughts of Grace manifested by my Declarations of Mercy and Promises of Forgiveness shall have Efficacy and Influence to make you believe to enable you to hope and trust in my Mercy and so to be quiet and satisfy'd that your great and hainous Sins shall be forgiven The very Publication of this Grace shall be attended with a Power to bring Souls to believe it I know my Thoughts toward you are Thoughts of Peace and not of Evil to give you a gracious End and raise your Expectations of it and they shall accordingly be fulfilled The Declarations of this Mercy shall be credited my Word of Grace shall not be in vain it shall take hold of dejected despairing Souls and raise them to Faith and Hope 'T is with this Encouragement we publish the glad Tydings of Salvation and invite Sinners to return to God by Jesus Christ with an Assurance of finding Mercy I say 't is with this Encouragement that we beseech them to be reconcil'd to God and assure 'em that he 's ready to forgive 'T is in Hope that by the Spirit accompanying the Declaration of the Word concerning this Forgiveness with God many Souls might be attracted and won perswaded and overcome and so prevail'd with to return to God and believe the glorious Riches Freeness and Abundance of his Mercy God grant we may find more and more such fruits of preaching the Gospel On the other hand I beseech you take heed how you turn your Backs on this Mercy of God and the Offer of it Beware how you shut your Ears against his gracious Invitation when he thus proclaims and publishes his Readiness to forgive Take heed how you go on in Sin after God freely tenders you the Forgiveness of all your Sins if you will return With the greatest Seriousness I must tell you that one such Sermon of God's forgiving Grace and Mercy rejected slighted and misimprov'd may be of more dreadful Consequence to the Souls of those that hear it and make light of it than I am able to express APPLICATION VSE 1. Let this Mercy Love and Grace overcome your Hearts Consider it again and again Apply it seriously to your selves Is the Lord thus Gracious to me after so long a Rejection of him Will he yet receive me after so many Refusals Doth he invite and call me again after so much Contempt of his Mercy and Grace Will he yet show Mercy to me What strange astonishing Grace what endearing Kindness is this What manner of Love is this How true is it that God's Thoughts and Ways are not as ours That God
of Nature was made a ground of Trust by the Psalmist as an Adorable Evidence and Instance of his Faithfulness and Truth Psalm CXIX 89. Thy Word is settled in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness to all Generations And yet some Atheistically abus'd it 2 Pet. III. 4. saying All things continue as they were Where is the Promise of his Coming The Apostle says The Time is short and the Fashion of the World passeth away therfore let them that have such and such Relations Possessions and Employments in the World carry it as if they had none Whil'st others abuse this and say the Time is short Let us cat and drink for to morrow we may dye So here God is ready to show Mercy to returning Sinners therefore Let the wicked forsake his way c. Others turn this Grace of God into Wantonness and will venture the more boldly upon Sin because God is ready to forgive These things saith the Apostle John I write unto you that ye sin not But if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father There 's a vast difference between the Remission of Sins past and an Allowance of Sin for the future We may take Comfort in the abounding Grace of God and his Readiness to forgive though we must dread the Thought of venturing on Sin that his Grace may abound in the Forgiveness of it This is contrary to all Gratitude and Ingenuity and to the true Nature of Faith and Repentance And there can hardly be a more dangerous Symptom of damnable Ungodliness than for any to presume to sin upon this Consideration That they hope they shall be forgiven The Apostle Jude ver 4. speaks of some such Who turn the Grace of God into Wantonness denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ and he saith of them that They were ordain'd of old to Condemnation For the Grace of God that brings Salvation ought to teach us to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts c. This sinning against God because he will abundantly pardon is in some respects more Aggravated than the Sin of Devils who will curse God and fly in his Face because there 's no hope of Pardon But God offers Pardon to you and declares that he is ready to forgive And will you dare to sin the more If ever you are awakened to a Sense of Sin this of all others will be most likely to sink you into Despair that you ventur'd to sin in hopes of Pardon For what can relieve a convinced awakned Soul but the Free-grace of God in the Forgiveness of Sin Whereas such a One may say Lord this very Mercy I have abus'd I have sinn'd the more because of this Grace And if we should mention to such a one the Instances of Manasseh Paul c. who after great Sins were pardoned he will be ready to reply that they never sinned in hope of Forgiveness or turn'd the Grace of God into Wantonness as I have done There 's Forgiveness with God that he may be fear'd served loved and obey'd But will any say there 's Forgiveness with God that he may be slighted and neglected rebell'd against and disobey'd His abused Goodness will turn to the more intollerable Wrath against all such as presume on his Mercy apprehending that they shall find an Easie Pardon tho' they continue in their Sins 'T is to sin against the very Nature and End of God's Grace to cut off their own Plea for it and the general Ground of their Hope in it 'T is without a Promise and against a Threatning for any to expect Forgiveness if they wilfully continue in sin 'T is to pervert the whole Gospel to imagine that God will justifie the Ungodly while they remain in their Vnbelief and Vngodliness Is not Unbelief a part of Vngodliness as contrary to the most express Command of God to believe on his Son If ever God show Mercy unto any and abundantly pardon them he always gives them Repentance unto Life and Faith unfeigned And let such remember that as God promiseth Mercy and Forgiveness to Returning Sinners and that his Thoughts are far above ours as Heaven above the Earth in this Matter so his Thoughts of Anger Wrath and Fury against Obstinate Wilful Presumptuous Impenitent Sinners are also above our Thoughts as far as the Heavens are above the Earth He will tear in pieces and none shall deliver he that made them will show them no mercy and who knows the power of his Anger he will laugh at their Calamity and mock when their fear cometh He will wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy Scalp of such a one that goes on still in his Trespasses Psal LXVIII 21. Prov. I. latter end II. Secondly Take heed of abusing this Doctrine of God's Grace by admitting slight Thoughts of Sin so as to encourage you to delay seeking after Forgiveness or to seek and expect it any other way but only through Faith in Jesus Christ As to the Matter of Delay the Uncertainty of Life and the Uncertainty of God's giving Grace hereafter to them that refuse it now is sufficient to be said here if duly consider'd That which I now aim at is to discourage any Hopes of obtaining Forgiveness with God but only through the Blood Sacrifice and Righteousness of Christ There is no other Saviour no other Mediator between God and Man If ever you are reconcil'd to God and find Mercy with him it must be through Jesus Christ The Way and Method is fixt and publish'd and declar'd to be unalterable There is no other Name under Heaven but his by which any Man can be saved If God be gracious to any and deliver them from going down to the Pit 't is because he hath found a Ransom Job XXXIII 24. The Absolute Mercy of God is not to be rested in for he hath told us in what Way and Method he will dispence his Mercy and how we shall partake of it That we must honour the Son as we honour the Father receive him as Christ Jesus the Lord the only Mediator between God and Man and that If we believe not that Jesus is he we must dye in our Sins 'T is not enough to cease to do Evil and make Restitution where you have injur'd and wrong'd any which yet is a necessary Fruit of Repentance 'T is not a little outward Reformation or the Performance of some Duties of Religious Worship that before were neglected that will be sufficient if you overlook Jesus Christ and lay the stress of your Hope for Acceptance with God on any thing else If you should fast and pray and weep and mourn and wear Sackcloath and give all you have to the Poor and continue a Life of Austerity and Mortification for many Years this will not avail if you think to pacifie God herewith and substitute this in the room of the Blood and Righteousness of Christ in order to Forgiveness You will but provoke God and dishonour the Redeemer and deceive
and watchful against Temptation and raise their Esteem and Value of the Blood of Christ and his constant Intercession in Heaven God hereby assists us to keep Conscience tender excites our Diligence after further Degrees of Mortification quickens us to press on by growth in Grace toward Perfection c. Moreover HIS Ways are above Ours in the Conversion of Sinners as to the Subjects he makes choice of as to the Season and Time of their Change as to the Means and Method by which it is Accomplish'd and brought about The Wind blows were it lists and the Holy Spirit by the Ministry oftentimes of weaker Minsters works powerfully and savingly in whom he will both to will and do of his own good Pleasure One is awaken'd convinced prick'd at the Heart by a Sermon Another in the same Seat under the same Sermon feels nothing Sometimes by a soft still Voice at other times by Thunder Sometimes the most Unlikely are taken and effectually called when others are left And this after many years delay and discouragement and no hopeful Prospect but the Contrary Some out of wicked Families converted others after strict and religious Education become and continue most Vile and Profligate What different Success hath the Gospel in some Places At some Times and to some Persons And at different Times in the same Place Tho' the same Messages and the same Preacher Sometimes on the weaker and more ignorant Sort and sometimes on the more Learned sometimes on elder Persons and often on Younger Who have discover'd much of the Grace of God betimes with less Advantage of Education than others And at the last Hour some Malefactors under a Sentence of Death 't is hop'd have been truly Penitent and Accepted as well as the Thief on the Cross Some by their own Afflictions some by the warning of other Men's Examples and byother Means as well as by the plain Preaching of the Word the ordinary Means HIS Ways also are above Ours in the Punishment of Men in this Life In making some Examples which were not greater Sinners then others as our Lord hath expresly told us Luke XIII He would not spare Job's Ten Children upon the Intercession and Prayer of their Righteous Father tho' we don't read that they were wicked when he would have spared many Thousands that were wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities of the Plain if there had been but Ten Righteous Persons among them HIS Ways are above Ours in bringing Good out of the Evil of Punishment and using wicked Instruments to accomplish other Ends and Purposes than they design'd The like might be said of Gods Ways in saving and delivering his People in extraordinary Dangers Tarrying till their Enemies are at the very height of their Wickedness and when there is least Prospect or Appearance which way Deliverance should come then to interpose by seasonable Salvation APPLICATION USE I. NO wonder then if we so often mistake in our Thoughts and Conceptions of the Ways and Works of God If they are so much above ours as Heaven is high above the Earth if they are unsearchable and beyond our reach that we can see but a little Part of his Ways do not understand the Connection and Dependance of one Part with the other or the Design of the whole His Way is in the Whirlwind the Clouds are the Dust of his Feet and his Footsteps are not known He hideth himself that we cannot see him Job XXXIII 7 8 9. Nah. I. 3. AS to his Ways of Grace and Mercy I have largely shown in the foregoing Sermons That he is more Gracious then we believe He is able to do he doth and will do more then we are able to ask or think Eph. III. 20. We think it may be he will never receive us after such and such Transgressions and yet he doth We thought he would never Pardon us and yet he hath forgiven We said in our Despair that he is gone and will never Return and yet the Light breaks out again and we have found it to our Comfort Secondly ARE his Ways so much above Ours what Reason have we to Reverence and Adore God in all his Ways and Works Believing his Wisdom Goodness and Truth we glorify God By crediting his Word trusting his Practice and following his Counsel and submitting to his Providence Tho' the Doctrine be very misterious the Providence very dark the Duty very Difficult and what is promised a great way off and to Sence unlikely The more we contemplate the Wonders of his Providence and Grace the higher Veneration shall we have for Him and Abase our Selves before his Glorious Majesty if we speak of Strength he is Strong if of Goodness he is Love if of Wisdom he is Wise the only Wise God 'T is unreasonable then to object against this Providence because we cannot comprehend the Wisdom and Justice of every Event We may object our Selves into Atheism and Infidelity if we will not adore his unsearchable Wisdom in the Government of the World His Judgments are a great Deep Psal XXXVI 6. 'T is in vain for us to pretend to go to the Bottom of them when he himself hath declared that they are Vnsearchable We should rather admire God and confess our own Ignorance when the great Apostle himself declares that Gods Ways are past our finding out Rom. XI 33. VVe may be certain that all he doth is agreeable to infinite VVisdom and Righteousness As long as we own him to be God we are sure he will do nothing Repugnant to those Perfections BESIDES he hath appointed a Day wherein he will satisfy all the VVorld by the Revelation of his Righteous Judgment In the mean time He doth great Things past our finding out and wonderful Things without Number XI Job 10. There are Depths and Misteries in Divine Providence that we must acknowledg to be Unsearchable Let us not then Censure what we cannot Understand what we cannot Fathom Is it strange that incomprehensible VVisdom should do incomprehensible Things VVe should not therfore enquire too curiously into the Secrets of his Providence nor determine any thing * See Dr. J. Barrow of the Unsearchableness of God's Judgments Rom. XI 33. Vol. III. Serm 23. Rashly concerningit which is not revealed to us VVE are well assur'd that he made the VVorld and yet there are many Questions about the VVorks of Creation that may puzzle the wisest and most diligent Enquirer So in the Government of the World there are many things above our reach and yet we may be assured an unerring VVisdom governs all VVe are so Ignorant and short Sighted and the Designs of God are so far beyond us and the Means he useth are oftentimes so Various and their Connection with his Design so much concealed from our weak Eyes that no wonder if we are often at a loss especially when all the Particulars of his VVorks of Providence that make up the Beauty of the whole are wonderfully interwoven together