time with his Son so that here you see a good man would not second time joyn with an Ahaziah So likewise you have the instance in Judah that was in father in law to Thamar Gen. 28. 26. And Judah acknowlegded them and said she hath been more righteous then I because that I gave her not to Shelah may son and he knew her again no more It was not again done he knew her again no more so as Divines do usually urge it Noah was drunke but never but once and that before he knew the strength of the grape David was adulterous but never but once This therefore shall be one caution Secondly Take this caution that you might not bee emboldned to run often into the same sin if a man doth often commit the same grosse sin it argues a greater strength and prevalency that sin hath over him then all other sins Physitians say that a disease that a man doth often relaspe into argues the strength of these peccant humours that feed the disease if thou often fallest into lusts it argues the prevalency of a lustfull temper In the third place Relapses into the same grosse sin are very dangerous and deadly symptomes of a man in a lost condition I do not say they are such symptoms that infalibly conclude a man to be an unpardonable man I may say as Physitians say of a relapse into the same disease the second time is more dangerous then the first the reason is because the first sicknesse feeds on the ill humours but relapse into the same sickness feeds on the vitall spirits Beloved the falling and relapsing into the same sin is a dangerous symptome it is a clear symptome of the prevalency of that sin It is worth your notice what symptomes the Lord doth give of the plague of leprosie for the Priest to judge that disease by Levit. 13. the first symptome was when the hair was turned white in the fore Divines accommodate that to a continuance in sin to old age that argues you are unclean Lepers Another symptome was when there was raw flesh in the scab Divines accommodate that unto a man being adventurous to sin against a raw a troubled and a wounded Conscience A third sign of the plague of leprosie was when after the sore was healed there should a new scab arise in the place thereof thus when after thou hast healeda sin by vows by fasting and prayer by holy purposes in Christs strength and after the healing the same sore breaks out and the same lust breaks in upon thee this is a dangerous symptome Fourthly that you might not be adventurous on sin and so acuse this comfort consider that falling often into the same sin doth more harden the heart then any thing in the world habituating and indulging a mans selfe into the same road of wickednesse there is nothing in the world doth more harden the heart then when the same sin hath an usual inroad into thy conscience life then all tendernesse and remorse of conscience wil be taken away I speak meerly on this ground that seeing you have instances that men may often fall into the same grosse evils yet let these four considerations keep you from abusing this comfortable point I but you will say if I do fall often into the same sin what may be to stay my heart up that I may be in a pardoned state for all this I say this to you though thou dost fall often into the same sin yet if thy conscience bears thee witnesse thou dost exercise the same grace often in opposition to the same sin thou mayest have a great deal of comfort that thou art in a state of pardon Case 5 The fifth case follows But whether may a godly man that is pardoned pray for pardon of sin Antinomians account this to be needless they account all prayer for pardon to be onely in this sense to wit of pardon and a manifestation of pardon Answ First though it be true that God doth not call a man to pray for those things that are perfectly done so as never to be done again as election and creation yet God doth command us to pray for those things that are still a doing I am not to pray to God to create the world it is perfectly done I am not to pray for Election it is so done as never to be done more I am not to pray for the incarnation of Christ Christ is come into the flesh but though I am not to pray for these things that are so fully and perfectly done yet I am to pray for those things that are still adoing pardon of sin is an act of God that is still in doing therefore the Apostle referrs pardon Rom 3. 24 25. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God And as sin is remitted and repented of it is pardoned therefore that reason is not valid to take off men from praying for pardon of sin the Scripture doth express it I acknowledged my transgression and thou forgavest Math. 6. 12. and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters That Plat-form according to which we are to model our prayers the Antinomians would evade the Text and pretend that in that Text and such Scriptures we onely pray for a sense and manifestation of pardon in the conscience and not for actuall exhibition of pardon in regard of God To take off this first the next words in the Petition are to be taken for a reall forgivenesse not a forgivenesse in sense and feeling for consider the whole Petition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us there can be no reason shewen why the first part of the Petition should be taken for sense and feeling of forgivenesse and the other should not be taken so Secondly consider this that in the same sense you must understand a sin to be forgiven as in Scripture language it is spoken not to be forgiven a sin is said not to be forgiven when there is an actuall guilt lies upon a man a guilt abiding upon the person of a wicked man that is not taken away Mat. 12. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not bee forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come They that understand forgiving only in sense and feeling must understand this clause not forgiving onely in sense and feeling and so no reall guilt to lye upon the man so that It is against the nature of forgivenesse to be only forgiving sin in a mans own conscience Case 6 A sixt case is this Whether when a man in suing for pardon ought to make any difference between great sins and small
was at Jerusalem it was where Paul should have learnt to know better things for there the Apostles were and taught the Doctrine of Christ and of Christianity Sixthly If you consider the extent of Pauls malice saith he When they were put to death I gave my voice against them Pauls vote was against the Christians to put them to death Seventhly Pauls rage did goe against their soules as well as their bodies for saith he I did compell them to blaspheme Christ he laboured to damn their souls as well as destroy their bodies Eighthly saith he I was exceeding mad against them he was even mad with rage and exceeding mad with rage Ninthly He drove them from house to house I drove them into strange Cities And then Tenthly which was worst of all he did through their sides strike at the honour of Jesus Christ for why did Paul doe this to the Saints saith he I thought with myself to doe many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth there was the person he aymed at yet Paul a man forgiven for all this for he saith when he aggravates his sin in 1 Tim. 1. 11 12 13. According to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithfull putting me into the Ministery who was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly its unbelief Thus I have done with the Doctrinal part of my Text laying down to you an induction of instances I am the larger in this because I know perplexed consciences in trouble of mind are apt but to greaten their own sins but can you aggravate it worse then David Paul or Peter could do yet behold those sinnes and those aggravated sinnes were forgiven by Jesus Christ I have four words to say in this Sermon by way of Application there may be in such an Assembly as this is whom God might suffer either before conversion or after conversion to be unclean with David to deny Christ with Peter it may be to swear to a lye to swear to a falshood nay it may be to engage to a lye to a falshood O take heed of false Oathes it may be to persecute the Saints of Christ with Paul Four Consolations First O know it for thy comfort O thou disconsolate heart let thy sin be never so great yet the mercies of God are greater A learned Interpreter gives to my hand which is his instance Lord my fault is great but thy mercies are greater Beloved I may say to you though thy sin be great yet the mercy of God is greater then thy sin and thou canst not have so many circumstances to greaten thy sin as can be produced in God to greaten his own mercy you shall read what he saith himselfe in Isa 44. 22. I have blotted ouâ— as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee Suppose thy sin be not onely a little cloud but suppose it be a great cloud a thick cloud saith God I doe not only blot sins out like a little cloud but I will blot ouâ— transgressions that are like a thick cloud great sins as well as small doth the mercies of God cover The Sea can as well cover great rocks as little peble stones high mountaines as well as mole-hills Gods mercy is an Ocean that can cover great enormities as well as lesser infirmities The glorious body of the Sun in the Heavens can scatter the greatest mist as well as the thinnest vapours great sins as well as small are pardoned by infinite mercy It is worthy your notice what Moses speaks of the Mercy-seat It covered the whole Ark wherein the Law was kept To note saith a Divine though thou art a man or a woman guilty of all the Lawes breach not onely of one command but of all the commands yet the Mercy-Seat covered all the commands to teach you this that the mercy of God can pardon the greatest violation of the Law therefore that wherein the Law was kept was all covered by the Mercy-Seat 2. Take this for thy comfort O thou perplexed Conscience it may be when thou art in a corner none but God and thine own soule together thou dost aggravate thy sin and thinkest no mans sin so grievous as thine then take this for thy comfort let thy sin be never so great yet the satisfaction and sufferings of Christ are far greater The blood of Christ saith the Apostle cleanseth us from all sin the Red Sea did with as much ease drown Pharaoh and all his hoast as it could doe a single man the red Sea of Christs blood can drown a whole hoast and a huge multitude of sins as well as a small lust Though thou hast need to shed more teares for sin in a way of contriâ—ion yet Christ need not shed more blood for sin in a way of redemption for he hath saved them to the utmost that come unto God by him the Apostle triumphing in the 5. of the Romans he meanes there that there is not so much evil in sin to damn us as there is good in the gift in Christ for to save because thy sin is he guilt of a creature and Christs satisfaction is the satisfaction of a God thy sin the sin of a finite creature and his sufferings the sufferings of an infinite Mediator Third Consolation is this to you that are perplexed in conscience that you have committed hainous and aggravated sinfulnesse yet that Jesus Christ doth wipe away the infamy and the ignominy of thy most horrid and scandalous sins committed before conversion Suppose thou hast been a notorious infamous creature yet Christ takes off the ignominy and the infamy of thy sin when he justifies thy person and doth sanctifie thy nature It is observable of Mary Magdalen as is conceived she was a notorious whore every one that saw her knew she was a common harlot there was a woman that was a sinner the meaning was she was an infamous notorious harlot What is done when Christ converted this woman Luk. 7. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee her sins which are many are forgâ—ven for she loved much Christ did delight to wipe away the ignominy of her harlotry in her after-life It is worthy observation that four women are reckoned in the Genealogy of Christ what women were they they were women that were infamous the best of them did fill into much scandal and gave much offence there you find mention of Thamar Rachab Ruth and Bathsheba no more in the Genealogy but these what were all these women Begin with Thamar she committed uncleannesse with her Father in Law an infamous woman as you have the story in Gen. 38. 18. And he said What pledge shall I give thee and she said thy Signet and the Bracelets and thy Staffe that is in thine hand and be
a strange and a powerful manner can implant and impresse grace in the heart of a sucking babe yet there is grace in elect children in an elect child there is seminall grace and habituall grace As there is sin seminall in a childes nature that before a childe can act sin it hath sin so by the same reason they are capable of grace you that will deny grace to children will fall into the Pelagian error that a childe hath no sin but a childe hath a depraved nature a nature enclining to sin therefore when it comes to years though it should never see a sin cōmited yet would it sin a child cannot act grace cannot act faith repentance that is true but a child may have grace habituall therefore Christ took children in his arms and blest them surely they must be gracious children such children are pardoned we know not how to express their faith but they have an habituall faith And thus much for the answering of that third case of conscience The fourth Case to be handled is this Whether it be consistent with the state of pardon to commit often the same grosse sin over and over again It is needfull to touch upon this case because it perplexeth troubled mindes I shall speak to this point two wayes First by way of comfort Secondly by way of Caution First by way of Comfort The first answer is this That it is clear by an induction of particular instances in Scripture that pardoned men have fallen often into the same sin this is most clear First if you referre it to spirituall sins to evils that are of daily incursion evils that are inward and spirituall spirituall pride distempered passion omission in duties a pardoned man may many times fall in such sins as these Further it is clear by induction of instances in Scripture that a pardoned man may fall into grosse sins oftentimes into the same sin some instances one is of Ioseph it was a grosse sin for Joseph to swear an heathenish Oath by the life of Pharoah Gen. 42. 15. Hereby ye shall bee proved by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence except your youngest brother come hither Send one of you and let him fetch your brother and ye shall be kept in prison that your words may be proved whether there be any truth in you or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies Yet the Jewes were so well instructed and had such prohibitions against swearing one should thinke that they should not be guilty of so grosse an evill yet Joseph being in Pharoahs court among heathens he swore twice by the life of Pharoah And thus you read of Jehosaphat he fell twice into the same sin he made a league with Ahaziah King of Israel he loved them that were enemies to God 2. Chron. 20 35 36 37. And after this did Jehosaphat King of Judah joyn himselfe with Ahaziah King of Israel who did very wickedly And he joyned himself with him to makships to go to Tarshish and they made the ships in Ezion Geber Then Eliezer the son of Dodanah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehosaphat saying because thou hast joyned thyselfe with Ahaziah the Lord hath broken thy works and the ships were broken that they were not able to go to Tarshish Twice he ran into the same sin If there were no more spoken of Sampson in the New Testament then in the Old it were questionable whether he was a good man or no but what read you of Sampson You read of him first of al that he maryed a heathenish woman which was against Gods command Nay he fell to the same sin when the Philistims killed her then he maryed a whore chap. 16 1. then went Samson to Gaza and saw there an harlot and went in unto her Nay again you shall finde him fall three times into the same sin He did three times tell a lye one after another when Daliah came to inveagle him on the instigation of the Philistims that she should learn where Sampsons strength lay first saith Sampson If they bind me with seven green wit hs that were never dryed then shall I be weak and be as another man But when he was bound he broke the wit hs as one would break the thred in two when it toucheth the fire then saith she why hast thou deceived me and told me a lye then hee told her againe If thou wilt binde me with new ropes that were never used then I shall be weak like another man but he broke the ropes Nay he tels her a third lye he said unto her If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web then my strength will goe from me and this she did also and his strength remained But the fourth time hee told her truth saith he If I bee shaven then my strength will go from me and I shall become weak and be like another man and she caused the seven locks upon his head to be shaved off and his strength went from him I speake this to a perplexed conscience that good men may be so overborn that they may frequently act over the same sin again and again Then Peter that did lye thrice as Sampson did Peter did deny Christ three times with an oath and a cursing Therefore this should be something to stay the doubting and desponding heart that not only sins of an unavoidable infirmity secret spiritual sins but also sins that are more obnoxious to infamy and scandal good men have fallen into and yet have been pardoned Another answer that Jesus Christ Christ bids us to forgive our brother that sins against us in one day seventy times seven if Jesus Christ cals for this at our hands who have hardly a drop of bowels surely God that hath a sea and a vast Ocean of mercies can forgive a sin and will forgive a sin though it be often reiterated Thus much for the answer to that question as to the comfort of troubled souls Now by way of Caution that this comfort the scripture gives be not abused The first Caution is this That though it be possible a man may fall often into the same sin yet it is not usuall so to doe it is a note that Mr Hildersham hath on Ps 51. touching Davids foul sin I doe not read of any expresse example in all the Scriptures of a godly man falling oft into the same grosse sins after repentance and after humiliation for that sin Observe this further that though it be possible yet it is but very rare and though there be instances that some men have done so yet there are not more plentifull instances that good men have not done so I will give you a few instances Jehosaphat entred into a sinfull league with Ahaziah as he had done before with his father but when the Prophet rebuked him read the story 1 King 22. He had sinned a once with his father but he would not sin a second