People the pardon of their sins Brethren the King does not use to set his Broad Seal to trifles and toys and fancies but unto things of great concernment and consequence they must be such that shall have the Broad Seal so here because pardon of sin is such a blessed thing the Broad Seal of Heaven is ordained to seal it and when the Sacrament is administred rightly it is no other but the Broad Seal of Heaven to Seal up the pardon of thy sin and so should men and women come to receive the Sacrament they should think this day is a sealing-day as in Courts of Justice they have their sealing-Sealing-days and 't is usually said such a day is a sealing-Sealing-day so a Sacrament day is a sealing-sealing-day sealing up to you the the great blessedness of forgiveness of sin a Soul thinks thus I am a poor wretched vile sinner before the Lord woe unto me thus and thus have I done woe is me But I have heard of the riches of Gods grace in pardoning my sin and this day God calls me to come in and have the pardon of my sin sealed with the Broad Seal of Heaven that my soul may be assured and I may go away in peace and be comforted and quieted in the great business that lies upon me those sins of mine that have so grated on my Conscience and for which I have had dreadful apprehensions of the Clouds of Gods displeasure hanging over my head this day I am to go to have the sealing of a pardon of them all Thus should men and women come to the Sacrament with such thoughts upon their hearts as an Ordinance appointed and ordained by Christ for the sealing up the pardon of their sins 3. The third Ordinance is the Ordinance of Discipline whose sins soever you remit they are remitted Joh. 20.22 and those who are cast out of the Church and then received in again find it to be an Ordinance of Christ to assure them of remission of their sins It casts out those that are scandalous and when they repent it receives them in again and thereby assures them of the pardon of their sins A Transition to the Application Having done with the Explication if you would run over and make some recollection of what has bin delivered of the glorious blessedness of this mercy of forgiveness of sins you might see the effects following thereupon I have shew'd you the abundant grace of God that is declared in the forgiveness of sin I have shew'd you the many mysteries that there are in it and that it is an inlet to many other mercies I have shewed you the great difficulties it passes through and how much the heart of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost was in this mercy I shewed you it was a perfect and an irrevocable mercy a mercy denyed to Angels and shewed but to a few of mankind compared to those that are past by I have shewed it is a mercy the very possibility of it would make the damned to rejoyce and it is a mercy that is the end of all Ordinances And now having come to some period of the Explication methinks that Scripture comes presently into my mind that notable place in Rom. 8.31 If these things be so if God thus gloriously appear in the riches of his grace for the pardon of sin What shall we then say to these things the Apostle after he had spent some time in opening the Doctrine of free Justification for the working it upon the heart of the Romans and his own heart too says What shall we say to these things the holy Apostle stood as a man amazed at the wonderful richness of the grace of God in pardoning of sin in the verse before having said Moreover whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them he justified and whom he justified them he also glorified And having spoken much to the point of Justification in this Chapter he concludes at vers 31. Now what shall we say to those things as if he had said Lord how does thy glory appear in the Justification of a sinner and pardoning his sin through Jesus Christ that we cannot but stand amazed at the greatness of thy glory appearing herein that we know not what to say there is so much of thy glorious grace appears that our mouths are stopped What shall we say to these things So now after we have heard of these glorious things of the glorious Revelation of the grace of God in and through his Son working in such a glorious and mysterious way of godliness for the justifying of a sinner and pardoning of his sin if we could now sit down as men and women amazed and astonished as having our hearts so fill'd with the glory of these things as being not able to express our selves but even sit down amazed at the brightness of the glory of them it would be an excellent fruit of our attendance in hearing those things we should sanctifie the Name of God in it and t' would be very happy for us but if not while we are here together yet get into your Closets and look into this mystery of godliness and recollect what you can of that which you have heard and let this consideration lie warm upon your hearts and thoughts O Lord what shall we say to these things that God should have such thoughts of such mercy and grace in the pardon of sin as we have heard What shall we say to it and though for the present your hearts be not able to express more yet by meditation sure the fire will kindle and bring forth some admirable expressions in glorifying the Name of God or in singing some Psalm to his praise or in doubbling and trebbling that blessed acclamation with the heavenly Host Luk. 2.14 Glory to God in the Highest on Earth peace good will towards men O here is the good will of God towards poor wretched vile men Glory be to God in the Highest Lord What is man that thou should'st be so mindful of him thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels nay as you have heard this day God has set him above those Angels that sinned against him Christ would not shew mercy to them they could not be pardoned this is for poor sinners in the world a generation of those that seek him that have this great mercy of pardon and forgiveness of sin revealed to them What shall we say to these things the Apostles expression may help us to make way to the Application and as I have told you we should sanctifie the Name of God in standing amazed at the wonderful grace of God that gloriously appears in the Justification of a sinner as we have opened in many Particulars And now we have many things to say in the Application of these things for the answer to that question What shall we say to these things attend in the fear of God and you shall hear in the Application what
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
and pains and did all you could do here 's a great difference between Gods forgiveness and mans a King may forgive but he cannot change and heal but when God forgives he heals and takes away that evil disposition from thee that did so weaken thee for all good Christ when he comes he comes with healing in his wings now blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven for that there follows deliverance from the power of sin and a healing of the soul Of comfort against Death following on Pardoning Mercy 6. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven because such a man may look in the face of Death and Judgment with comfort Death when he comes to a Natural Man he comes as a Messenger of God to arrest the Soul at Gods suit but where sin is forgiven Death is made a means to bring thee to rest that that would have arrested thee is a means to bring thee to thy rest Heb. 2.14 15. Christ came to die Now what was the great business he came to die for it was to purchase a pardon for sin and by his death to take away the power of the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage through the fear of death and nothing in all the world can deliver from the fear of death but forgiveness of sin and then this makes a man look on the day of Judgment with comfort for one special end of that day is that there may be a Declaration of the Infinite Mercy of God in forgiving of sin Act. 3.19 Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord when he shall send Jesus again which before was preached to you Certainly assoon as ever a man comes to believe his sins are blotted out I but when the times of refreshing shall come they shall appear to your own selves and to all the World Men and Angels more fully than ever before some Interpreters think and I dare not deny it but that there will be a time of refreshing in this world before the great and terrible day that Christ will make it appear that the sins of the Elect Believers are blotted out in another manner than now it doth but however it will fully appear at that day and then that day that will be so terrible to the ungodly will be refreshing to the Saints Why because they shall find their sins blotted out then and that will make that day a refreshing day unto them Although the Heavens be all on fire and shrivelled up like a Scrowl and there be dreadful shriekings of ungodly men yet it shall be a day of refreshing to the Saints because their sins are blotted out Oh blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned now for he shall have that day to be a day of refreshing to him but woe be to thee O soul who ever thou art that hast not thy sin pardoned if but one sin stand upon the score not blotted out woe woe will betide the for ever more but they that find their sin pardoned shall find that day to be a day of such refreshing as ever they beheld and therefore blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven Of Security against the worlds Reproaches the fruit of Pardoning Mercy 7. Where God hath forgiven sin such a one need not care for the censures of all the world and the reproaches they cast upon him the men of the world cast many reproaches on the Saints and say they are hypocrites that though they will not swear yet they will lie that they are false proud and the like Why now the soul that finds it self acquitted before the Lord need not care for all the censures and condemnations that can be cast upon him from the men of the world Rom. 8.33 Having spoken before of the great grace of God in Justification in vers 33. he speaks as if he had made a challenge to all the world let them all come in let me see Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Why because it is God that justifies many will charge them of grievous things I but it is God that justifies What will a man care if the Prince have given him a pardon though some kitchin boy some shakeril about the Court should rail against him so long as the King hath pardoned him Bernard hath a notable speech concerning David when Shimei railed David was not troubled says he he did not feel the injury heapt upon him because he had felt before the grace of God towards him the feeling of Gods grace towards him in pardoning made him not feel the railings of Shimei so Christ himself Isai 50. ver 7. he said before I gave my back to the smiters and hid not my face from shame and spitting they spit upon him this is apparently spoken of Christ but what upheld him vers 7. For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded for all this therefore have I set my face like a flint against all scorns railings and accusations in the world but what was the bottom of all this mark vers 8. He is near that justifies me who will contend with me let us stand together Who is my Adversary let him come near to me let my Adversary come and do his worst he is near that justifies me true Christ had no sin personally to be pardoned but he had the sins of all the Elect charg'd upon him and upon that he suffered death Now we are to know Christ is justified as well as Believer and the very ground why a Believer is justified it is because Christ is justified himself Christ being justified a Believer comes to be justified this might have been opened in the mysteries of Pardon of Sin There is a justifying first in Christ as in a common publick person and then by faith in our own persons Now though in the Fathers Justification of Christ he justifies us yet not as particular persons but in him as a common person in the Name of all the Elect and faith that comes in that we might be justified in our own particular persons as before we were in Christ as a common person Now Christ is justified first and acquitted from all our sins and this acquittance is made the ground of his challenge to all his Adversaries in the world though the Prince of Devils come with all his power yet says Christ he is near that justifies me and he will make my face as a flint it is God that acquits me who is my Adversary let him come near Oh it s a blessed thing when thou hast got the pardon of thy sin thou needest not care for all the reproaches the world can cast upon thee thou may'st go up and down and challenge any in the world to come in against thee 1 Cor. 4.3 I pass not for mans judgment he that judgeth
your days sleeping in security your damnation sleeps and slumbers not and until your sin be pardoned the infinite justice of God is working your doom for the full satisfaction of it that is the first thing they dishonour God that go on in secure courses without minding such a great thing as the pardon of sin is Secondly Others dishonour God who in stead of making it their great business in this world to get their sin pardoned they make it their great work to increase the guilt of sin by heaping up more and more guilt and so make the flame greater and add to it continually you would think it a very unreasonable and desperate thing in a man that being condemn'd to some grievous and dreadful death yet there being a pardon propounded and some possibility of it and a friend for this very end get a Reprieval of the King for two or three days that he might have time to sue out his Pardon suppose such a thing Now then if this man in this time of Reprieval that is given for this very end to seek a Pardon should call for good cheer and musick merriment and sporting and not only so but fall into railing against the Prince increase his guilt and provoke the Prince more and more against him Would not every man say this man is worthy of the greatest extream tormentingest death that could be devised Nay I suppose should you hear of such an one condemn'd to die and had his life given him for this very end you would think surely this man will spend these days in another manner than ever he spent his time before you that would think so of such a man it may be some of you before the Lord this day are guilty of the same evil for this is a certain truth that all the men in the world have been condemn'd to eternal death and all the time of your life is given you for this very end a few days that God gives you for this very purpose meerly that you might have a little liberty to sue out your pardon and make up your peace with God O that men and women would but understand this what they live for that all the time of their lives is given them to make up their peace with God you are to know it is given for this end meerly as a Malefactor hath a Reprieve to get his Pardon this is your very condition you stand before the Lord guilty of eternal death but God in his patience and long-sufferance gives you a few days to live to sue out your Pardon and if you let this time slip and these days be gone I profess to you this day before the Lord that mercy it self shall never save you I would but know of many of you how you spend these days you are not certain of one day it may be not an hour Do you spend these days in making it the great business and work of your Souls to sue out a Pardon Let me speak to you and O that you would speak it in secret between God and your own Souls and that you would answer in the Name of God every soul present to this Question Soul hast thou made it the great work and business of thy life above all things in the world to sue out thy Pardon and seek for Reconciliation with thy God and a discharge of thy sins I verily fear that many of you that hear me this day if we could but hear Conscience speak would answer What I make it the great work and business of my life to sue out a Pardon God knows it hath been the great work and business of my life to increase my guilt there is not a day goes over my head but I have brought more guilt upon my self by wicked Oaths taking Gods Name in vain neglecting his Worship abusing of his creatures perhaps by drunkenness or uncleanness methinks your Consciences might misgive you when you are so far from making it the great business of your lives to sue for pardon that you make it your great work to encrease your guilt Dost thou think ever to get pardon of thy sin so long as thou goest on to encrease thy guilt and make thy self more vile the lives of many people are such in a course of wickedness that it bespeaks them that either they are resolved to perish eternally in their sin or else to make it to be as great a burden to the mercy of God as can be in the pardoning of their sin if it be so mighty a work of God to pardon sin observe what I say it follows from the point wherein I opened the wonderful work of God in pardoning any one sin think thus Is it so great a work of God to pardon one sin Shall I go on then to add sin unto sin to make the work greater Friend if God pardon but one sin in thought that thou hast been guilty of in all thy life it would be a work that would yield thee matter of praise to all eternity and wilt thou be so desperate then as to add sin unto sin As suppose a man had some grievous disease and it would be the strangest work to cure him that ever was wrought since the Earth and Heavens were made if this man should go on by intemperate courses to increase the malignity and venom of it day by day more and more what a desperate thing would this be esteemed in him especially if he were in a possibility of cure yea and perhaps he could tell others that there is some possibility and yet he goes on to encrease the malignity more and more how would every one think this mans courses unreasonable O that we would consider of the unreasonableness of the dealings of men with God men are ashamed to be unreasonable in their dealings with men but in their dealings with God they are as unreasonable as can be imagined you are guilty of many sins have you hope to be forgiven yes you will say you have hope have you hope if God deliver you from any of your sins he must do such a work as is greater than the making of Heaven and Earth what do you then to encrease your sin when it is so great a work to pardon your sin O! the horrible wickedness of men and women to increase their sin Josh 22.17 I may allude unto it and it is an argument of great force Is the iniquity of Peor too little from which we are not cleansed to this day so I may say to sinners going on in their sins Is the iniquity of Peor too little from which you are not cleansed to this day What is the iniquity of your youth too little that you committed and mispent your time when you were Prentice or lived in such and such a family Is that sin too little to magnifie the grace of God in pardoning of it but that you must add more and more unto it as if you would tempt God
gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity how concerns it thee to look to it that is a third sort that abuse the mercy of God in having slight thoughts of the pardon of sin Fourthly Those that seek for pardon but are unsensible of the greatness of the work of God in pardoning they do not put it off but seek it for the present but how with extream unsensibleness they do not come before God with brokenness trouble and contrition of spirit in seeking after pardon of sin many they repeat of their sins before God and have a gift of Prayer it is that which would make a mans heart to tremble to consider how many have a great gift in Prayer and will be praying half an hour and will repeat abundance of their sins make Catalogues and tell large stories of their sins bring in all the aggravations against them for their sins judge themselves and speak mighty words against themselves for their sins and yet all this while God knows with a desperate dull dead and sensless heart for their sins it may be others that joyn with them their hearts are broken with their expressions and yet in the mean time thy Conscience may tell thee thy heart is desperately hard before God and not sensible at all of what thou speakest thou wer 't putting up Petitions to God and yet with as dull and senseless a spirit as if thou wer 't speaking of a matter of no consequence at all this is a high degree of taking the blessed Name of God in vain for we are to know the Name of God in forgiveness of sin is a most glorious Name and we had need to take heed how we speak to God in this business that we take not his Name in vain for he will not hold him guiltless that takes his Name in vain we had need to look to the sanctifying of Gods Name in this thing Many a man will think it of himself that to swear and blaspheme is a taking of the Name of God in vain and why is it so because it is a sin against the 3d Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of thy God in vain c. for my part I cannot but think that to make large Confessions of sin and yet with a sensless dead heart is a high degree of taking the Name of God in vain mistake me not if thy heart be sensible of thy unsensibleness thou art not of those that take the Name of God in vain God accepts of this it is the rational part of the soul that is taken with this and this is pleasing to him though thou canst not bring the sensitive part of the soul up to this thing but I speak it of those that have got a formality in crying and confessing of their sins and yet are unsensible of them yea it may be glory in this that they can in the Church thus speak of their sins and have such expressions before the Lord take heed of this if you would shew your parts and abilities let it be in something else and not to come before the holy God and before others in a holy duty to vent your parts and abilities there it is a dangerous thing for any to meddle so in this kind Heb. 9.22 as he says there without shedding of blood there is no remission so I may say without the blood of thy heart without the bleeding of thy heart there is no remission or at least a being sensible of thy unsensibleness if thou can'st not mourn then mourn that thou can'st not mourn be sensible of thy unsensibleness and then God may accept of thee but otherwise without this kind of blood there is no remission that is to sanctifie the Name of God consider this note it may be of use many ways that is to sanctifie the Name of God when there comes to be in my heart a disposition sutable to the work of God I have to deal withal sutable to the manifestation of God in that thing I have to deal with God in if any ask What is it to sanctifie Gods Name I would answer thus To sanctifie Gods Name in any thing it is to labour to get an answerable disposition to that thing that I have to deal with God in when I am to deal with God in any work according to that work I must have a disposition in my heart sutable to it as to instance I sanctifie Gods Name in Prayer when I speak of Gods glorious Attributes and Titles then when there is an answerable disposition in my heart to those glorious Titles that I speak of so I sanctifie Gods Name when I confess my sin before God the Judge of all the World in having an answerable disposition in my heart sutable to this Judge and then I sanctifie Gods Name in seeking pardon of sin when I have an answerable disposition in my heart to the greatness of the work of God in pardoning sin therefore all of you must be careful when you intreat God to pardon sin to intreat him also to sanctifie his Name How is that intreat God to manifest that glorious work to your souls and then labour to get your hearts into an answerable disposition sutable to that great work you that go to God every day in seeking pardon of sin have you been apprehensive of the greatness of it Hath God shewed you the greatness of his work in it or further since the time that you have heard of the greatness of the work have you been casting in your souls how to get an answerable disposition sutable to these Divine Truths Certainly so far as you are wanting in that so far you art short of sanctifying Gods Name and for time to come this must be the great work of your souls to get answerable dispositions in seeking pardon of sin that may be sutable to the great work of God in it if one that comes to seek to you to Petition you to remove some evil one that hath offended you if he come slightly you will say you must come after another manner Shall a poor man or woman expect such a kind of coming from a Child Servant or Inferiour and yet shall he or she go in a sensless way to God in seeking pardon of sin and think to obtain it thus you go about it unsensibly and your hearts are not stirr'd but when Christ came he was sensible of it in seeking to God about this business Heb. 5.7 In the days of his flesh observe Christ in the days of his flesh did offer up Prayers and Supplications How with strong cryings and tears What shall Christ be so sensible of the waight and burden of sin when he was to suffer that he should seek the Father with such Prayers if he had said but one word it had been a Prayer but he sought him with Prayers and Prayers with cries and supplications and not only so but with strong cries and tears let thy heart be rebuked this day for
the senslessness of it in going to God in such a slight manner in seeking pardon of thy sins Fifthly Those are to be rebuked that in seeking pardon of sin dâ— indeed but dally with God and triffle with him they are not at all serious in it whereas if there be any business in the world wherein we had need to be serious 't is in this But you will say Who are they there are four or five sorts that do but dally with God in seeking pardon of sin 1. Those that cry and seem to be very earnest with God in crying to him for pardon and yet still continue in love to their sins and abide in the practice of them in an ordinary course and way I do not speak of those that seek truly for the pardon of their sins and yet may sometimes be overtaken with them agen but I speak of the common course of People they come to God and intreat him to forgive them and yet continue still in them I speak not of those that are sensless in the acts of Confession of their sins but of those that cry mightily unto God for pardon and yet live in the practice of those sins they cry to God for pardon of as for instance consider every one of you what sins have been in your course of life I put this to you either you have prayed to God to forgive them or you have not prayed if you have not prayed then you are most horrible Atheists but I thank God I pray every day Well you pray to God for forgiveness of sin and yet live in it dayly O how do people thus dally with God pray against sin and yet commit sin and fall to it again pray again and commit it again and this is the very way that many people take they draw out the thread of their lives and spend out their day of Salvation in trifling with God they pray that God would be merciful to them in forgiving their sin and yet go on to commit sin they do not think what a strong ingagement against sin Praying is I beseech you note it every one of you that pray against any sin every Prayer thou makest for pardon of sin is a mighty strong ingagement from God to you to take heed of sin afterwards may be you have not thought of this you say you pray every morning consider what you do if you have any care of your souls you will not rest meerly in such a form as your Fathers and Mothers have taught you but if you have any care of your souls you will consider in Prayer to God and say Lord I am guilty of such and such sins such sins my nature is most prone unto and such sins I have lately committed well I will humble my soul before God in Prayer and intreat God to forgive me 't is not Prayer to mumble over a few words this is to prate and not to pray but when you solemnly set your selves to examine your own hearts what you are guilty of and protest against your sins solemnly in the presence of God and say Lord this and this particular sin I am guilty of Lord I was drawn to such and such sins the day before in such and such company O Lord forgive my sin and forgive me these and these particular sins this is the way to seek pardon of sin aright Do you do so this will be a mighty bond upon your hearts to think thus within your selves Lord What have I been setting my self solemnly in the presence of the Almighty to confess my sins and prayed him to forgive them what care have I need to take that I fall not into the same sin again Thou that hast come this day and confest and prayed against thy sin do not fall into it again you that are apt to break out into passion when you find your selves begin to wax hot if you would but take so much liberty as to bethink your selves that you have been praying to God this morning to forgive such a Passion it would be of mighty concernment to help you from going on in Passion or any other sin to consider that you have been praying to God for pardon and forgiveness of it you that do not consider this but confess your sins in the morning and then go on again to commit sin you make more work for the next time you come to confess sin as in Solemn Days of Humiliation men will rip up all their sins but before another day come they have made work for another and another day and this is the reason when men come to confess their sins before God of their trifling with him and were it not that God is a God of infinite patience he could not bear it might not he say to you you came seven years ago and told me of your Pride Passion Earthly-mindedness and the like and do you now come and tell me the same again were not God infinitely patient he could never bear this dallying with him for the truth is it is nothing else but infinite dallying with God Jer. 3.5 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me my Father thou art the guide of my youth they seem'd to cry to God O thou art my Father and the guide of my youth there are but these words named but it is like they opened their sins before God and cryed for mercy O says God unto them Thou hast spâ—ken and cryed out of the Anger of mine that is gone out against you for your sins and yet thou hast spoken and done evil as thou could'st this is an evil thing and heavy to be laid to the charge of any man to confess sin and pray for pardon and yet commit it again know this day you that have been confessing sin and yet go on in sin know this thing I tell you it is but dallying with God many men and women do ravel out their Prayers this way they make excellent Prayers and when they have done they ravel all again by falling into the same sin 2. A second sort are those that seek earnestly the pardon of some sins and yet still keep the love of some other sin and yet think to obtain pardon of them this is but dallying and trifling with God about this business you never set your selves yet seriously about it when you cry against some sins that are against the Light of Nature and it may be your Consciences fly in your faces and the Word of God hath stricken you for them but there is some other secret haunts of villanies that your hearts close withal and yet you think to obtain of God forgiveness of the other and go on there O thou vain soul thou vain man know that though thou should'st cry thy heart out for the forgiveness of one or more sins yet if thy heart secretly close with some other sin that thou hast secret haunts after the bonds of the guilt of that sin will hold thy soul
were no evil of guilt or punishment yet an ingenious gracious spirit would never do it What shall I sin because God will pardon Shall I venture upon it no I will never do it grace reasons to a quite contrary end that is an excellent Scripture in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God that brings Salvation it is this grace that reveals the pardon of sin this precious grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men But to what end teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts the grace of God that brings salvation it teaches us these lessons not such a wicked lesson that we should presume to sin on hopes that God may pardon it No But to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly righteously and godly and not to take liberty to sin to lye steal be filthy and the like because God will pardon no it teaches other manner of lessons than these and then it follows looking for that blessed hope and appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ mark the Text there is a great deal in it when the grace of God that brings salvation and mercy and pardon of sin is revealed it teaches us these Lessons because of the grace and favour of God is revealed to us that we should deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and then we may with comfort look for the blessed hope and appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ but otherwise you can never look for that blessed hope let me speak to those that reason thus that they may venture on sin because of Gods pardoning grace Does the Revelation of the grace of God teach you to live ungodly and in worldly lusts Can you look for that blessed hope with comfort and expect the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ 't is impossible you cannot 't is not a blessed hope that you have but a cursed hope that all shall be well at last though you live ungodly and wickedly and for the appearing of the great God certainly it will be a terrible appearing to thee that made Christ who came to dissolve the works of the Devil to be a means to uphold the works of the Devil 3. Did ever any Child of God make use of Scripture to reason for sin in such a wicked way for to presume to sin because God is willing to pardon you cannot give me one example in all the Scripture of any of those that God hath shewed mercy to that reasoned after this manner I can give you examples to the contrary how the Saints have reasoned otherwise Psal 130.4 mark the reasoning of a gracious heart But there is forgiveness with thee that thou may'st be feared he reasons from the pardoning grace of God to draw up his heart to the fear of God as if he should say Lord I have heard much of the Doctrine of the pardon of sin and the great workings of thy grace to effect it and of thy readiness to forgive this is the end of it that thou mightest be feared this is the effect this doctrine works in a gracious soul and 't is a good sign if you reason after this manner but there is forgiveness with thee that thou may'st be feared If those Sermons you have heard of this Doctrine be a means to implant the fear of God in your hearts this is a blessed sign they have had a good effect upon you when you reason thus Because Lord I have had so much of thy grace and mercy in forgiving my sin through thy grace my soul shall fear thee more than ever before and fear to sin more than ever before those that have hearts answering this Text 't is a good sign that the Word has had a powerful efficacy upon them take another Text Psal 103.1 2 3. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Why who forgiveth all thy iniquities Mark it is a Psalm that David made of Gods mercy in forgiving of sin the consideration of which makes him call upon his soul and all that is within him to bless the Lord Do's God shew so much grace as to forgive sin then bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name 't is not reasoning thus God forgives iniquity and therefore O my soul take liberty thou need'st not be so strict But bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name those that have strength to do any thing for God this is an argument will stir up all within them to bless God when they see God appearing so infinitely gracious to them in the forgiveness of their sins they so reason that all they have or can do should be given unto him 4. You that think you may take liberty to sin because God is gracious and venture on it because you conceit that God will never punish think of this the example of the damned in Hell they are flying in the face of God because they know that God will never pardon and thou sinnest because thou hopest God will pardon which is the worst of the two the Devils and the damned are in such a condition as that they know that God will never pardon them and therefore they always curse God because they know he will not pardon but God offers pardon and tenders grace to you holds forth Jesus Christ to you and his blood and sufferings for the pardoning of you and you blaspheme because you think he will pardon of the two methinks you should judge the second sort worst you blaspheme because you hope God will pardon and the other blaspheme God because they know he will not pardon 'T is something worse to take liberty to sin because you hope God will pardon than they that sin because they are out of all hâ—pâ—s of pardon Thou that takest liberty on this ground to blaspheme the Name of God What thinkest thou will become of thee another day now thou dost blaspheme because thou hopest that God will pardon thee ere long thou maist come to that condition to blaspheme God eternally because he will not pardon thee As I make no question but many Swearers Drunkards unclean persons and the like have gone on in sin on this ground because they hoped that God would pardon them are now gone to their own place and blaspheme because they find that God will never pardon so that thou that blasphemest now it may be thou shalt blaspheme eternally but it will be otherwise thou dost it now on hopes that God will pardon thou shalt there do it because thou shalt have no hopes that he will ever pardon 5. Thou that sinnest now in hopes that God will pardon if God inlighten thy mind these things will be an intolerable burden to thee and if there be any thing that will indanger the sinking of thy soul into the bottomless gulf of dispair it is like
your hearts were active at any thing in the world it ought to be in this if once you give your selves liberty to lye down and the activity of your Spirits be gone you are in a sad condition t will be very difficult to get them up again take heed of a sullen heart you may be very active and yet calme quiet and patient there 's a great conjunction between these two when I am active and yet calme stilling of my heart under God and yet stirring of my heart unto God these two are joyned together in those whom God directs unto himself Fourthly Renew thy resolutions that what ever becomes of thee whether God will ever speak peace or no to thee yet so long as thou livest thou will do what thou canst to honour his name and keep from sin Keep thy heart under the power of this resolution Fifthly Keep thy heart in a waiting frame use the means lye at the Poole as the man that lay many years waiting for the stirring of the Waters met with help at last so do thou keep thy heart in a waiting frame and think with thy self if mercy come at last it will recompence thee for all thy waitings and pains Sixthly Be willing to catch hold of any beginnings of Gods discoverings of himsef if it be but a little glimpse make much of it and bless God for it Many in their trouble seek to God for pardon but they are always complaining either to their Neighbours or themselves but seldom express themselves in Thanks-givings Now you should observe what God hath granted what beginnings and glimpse of his grace appear look and see if there be not a little cloud the bigness of a mans hand it may breed a shower a shower of grace may come after it but take notice of it when it is but the bigness of a mans hand it is a great evil in such as are under trouble of Conscience because they find not full Assurance presently they think they receive nothing at all Well wait upon God under these directions and as you shall not be so guilty of dishonouring the pardoning mercy of God so 't will be a means to bring great good unto your souls We have now done with the several wayes of dishonouring the pardoning grace of God and because God is very jealous of this and takes it exceeding ill I have been the larger in it now I am to shew the evil of it Of the Evil of dishonouring the Pardoning Grace of God First There is this evil in it because it is a sinning against mercy which God accounts his glory a man takes it exceeding ill if he be wronged in his Goods or good Name or in any thing he apprehends an excellency in and mark it The greater excellency a man apprehends in any thing the greater evil he accounts the wrong that is done to him in that thing As a covetous man if you wrong him in his Estate he presently as a mad man cannot bear it because you wrong him of that which he counts his greatest excellency so a Scholar a man of parts will rather you wrong him in any thing than account of him as a Dunce because he accounts his parts and learning his greatest excellency therefore he would not be wronged in that so you that are Marriners and have skill in sailing and in the Art of Navigation if one vilifie your work and find fault with you there 't is as if one touch't your free-hold you cannot bear it Why because you account it your excellency so it is between us and God if we wrong God in that which he accounts his excellency he cannot bear it Now the pardoning mercy of God is that which God counts his excellency and glory Exod. 34. when God descended to shew Moses his glory his Pardoning Mercy was one of the great Master-pieces wherein God accounted his glory to consist more than in the making of Heaven and Earth Now for God to be contemn'd in that wherein his glory consists must needs be a great dishonour to him the mercy of God comes from the bowels of his compassions Now if you strike one on the arm or shoulder it is not so much as if you strike him on his bowels when you dishonour the pardoning grace of God you do as it were spurn at the Bowels of God and Christ and he accounts it so certainly you that can hear this and neglect it and prize and prefer every base iust before it you do as it were go up and down kicking and spurning at the bowels of God and that Child that should spurn at his Mothers bowels is not so much to be blamed as thou art that goest on in sin after thou hast heard the pardoning grace of God opened to thee thy going on in sin is a spurning at the very bowels of God Secondly This aggravates the sin of such men above the sins of the Heathen their sins are nothing in comparison of those that live under the Gospel and have the grace of God opened unto them at the Day of Judgment when thou hearest them condemned for sins against the Light of Nature they may say Lord What shall become of these we never heard of such grace and pardoning mercy in Christ as you heard of that have lived in such and such a place and have had the pardoning mercy of God opened to you if they do not plead against you yet it will be made known before all Men and Angels what you have heard and what has been preached unto you and what God has done for you and for you to continue in sin your sins will thereby be aggravated and your condemnation heightened Thirdly Your sin is above the sin of the Devils the sin of the Devils is not so great as yours is that live under the light of the Gospel and have the pardoning grace of God preached to you for though the Devils blaspheme God continually yet their sins have not this aggravation upon them that yours have God never came and told them he was willing to pardon their sins nor did Christ make any purchase for them by his blood but to you is the Gospel preacht and pardon offered dayly to you Are not your sins greater then than the sins of the Devils Would not you account it a great aggravation of any ones offence that hath wronged and injured you and should seek for pardon and yet you rather seek to him and offer pardon to him and sue to him to accept it and he goes away and contemns you would not you account this a great aggravation know thy sinning against this grace makes thee to be in a worse condition than Belzebub himself that is the chief all the Devils he had never this aggravation which is a dreadful one to sin against the pardoning mercy of God so that the very Devils may complain against you and say O Lord we sinned against thee but thou tookest advantage against us presently
not a slight notion like water running through a Pipe that leaves nothing behind it for so the thoughts of most People are but it is such a thing as brings Christ into the soul and the soul into Christ and so feeds and lives upon him this is relying upon Christ for pardon so as to have the concomitants and comforts of pardon continually going along with it Now you have heard these things go away and beseech God to settle things aright in your souls say to your hearts Lord I see that setling of the heart aright upon Christ for justification and pardon of sin is another manner of business then I was aware of and I am perswaded that if I had died before I should certainly have dyed under some of these mistakes Lord settle my heart aright in this great business Do not go away with such thoughts as these the Minister speaks of such mistakes but I hope it is far otherwise do not venture to put off what we say with such slight thoughts when we speak unto you we speak in the Name of God and it is a horrible taking of the Name of God in vain if we examine not what we say unto you by the Word And therefore know you are charged this day in the Name of God to look to it and examine your hearts what grounds you go upon for the pardon of your sin that you may not mistake in which we shall give you some further help in laying down some positive grounds that you may rest upon for the pardon of your sin CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin BUt if it be asked Who are they that have their sins pardoned surely they are not many this Text puts it in the singular number Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned and by that which hath been delivered about the mistakes it appears there are not very many but yet some there are and this is the work of this day in the Name of the Lord to declare to some poor souls this day their sins are pardoned this is the message from the Lord I am to speak to them I hope divers in this place as from Christ Son and Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned And blessed is that man and woman that this day shall hear that joyful sound in their hearts and that shall have the Spirit of God witness unto their spirit that as I have heard so I have felt this day that what signs of forgiveness of sin have been delivered I have felt them in my own soul Well then What are they to insist upon them The First is that the Apostle gives in Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Justification consists especially in the remission and pardon of sin Now the Holy Ghost says whom he hath called them he hath justified would you know that you are justified and that your sins are pardoned the Spirit of God shews you it is not a note of mine but it is that which comes from the Holy Ghost whom he hath called them he hath justified Vocation is a certain Evidence of Justification this Vocation or Calling is the second link that does unite those two links of that golden chain together mentioned in that place the first link is the foreknowledge of God Gods Predestination and then there is Vocation the next after that Justification and then Glorification the first chain in the link is that God from all Eternity predestinates some persons to have their sins pardoned but there is Vocation comes in between Predestination and Justification and after that Glorification so that while I am giving Evidences of Justification here in this Text I shall give Evidences of Predestination and Glorification too for these are linkt altogether Many People look only after Justification they hope their sins are pardoned but they look not to any other link of the chain as Calling and Vocation whom he hath called them he hath justified but the question then is What is this Calling What do you mean by that how shall we know whether we be called or no in 2 Pet. 1.10 he bids them there to give diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Mark as here Predestination and Calling are put together so their Calling and Election says he Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Election is first sure in respect of God but Vocation is first in regard of our selves make that sure and then you make Election sure Justification sure and Glorification sure too then what is Vocation for answer to the Question Know there is an outward call and an inward call when God sends the Ministers of the Word to reveal the Gospel and the way of Salvation that is no other but Gods calling mens souls from the ways of sin and death to come into the ways of life all that come to hear the sound of the Gospel preacht unto them let them know that is Gods call to sinners to come in and repent God calls to the Drunkard the Unclean person and all others that live in sin to repent when you come to hear the Word God calls you and God requires of you as you would have God to hear your cry when you are calling for mercy in the day of your distress hear my call now I call and cry in the Ministry of the Word Would you have me to hear you when you cry to me do you hear me now I am calling to you O that People would understand the Ministry of the Word that it is the call of God for sinners to return and repent of their sins that they would look beyond man and know that it is the voyce of God by them and therefore it is a dangerous thing for People to neglect resist or rebel against the Ministry of the Word and there is some good hopes that God hath some souls in such a place that he intends everlasting good will unto where he sends the Ministry of the Word God do's not use to send the call of the Gospel to a place but there are some souls to be called And therefore Secondly Besides the Outward Call there is an Inward Call and that is it the Apostle speaks of Many have the Outward Call of the Word to Faith and Repentance and yet they perish eternally But those whom God intends to save and hath love to indeed he comes to them with an Inward Call and this Inward Call of God is on this wise God beholds the poor wretched sinner going on in the ways of sin death and perdition and he comes to him by a secret and powerful voyce speaking to his very heart O Sinner consider where thou art What art thou a doing Whither art thou a going What is the end of thy way like to be thou art going from God from happiness and life to woful misery and blackness of darkness to the infinite
gulf of eternal Perdition O turn turn O sinner out of these vile abominable dangerous ways or else thou art undone for ever Behold here is the way of life set before thee behold my Son sent into the world for the Propitiation of thy sin and to bring thee into the ways of godliness which is the way to eternal life O turn sinner into these wayes Now this voyce of God calling to the Soul of a man or woman it comes with power it hath an over powering strength in it to prevail upon the heart it is much like that secret voyce mentioned in Isai 30.21 And thy Ears shall hear a word behind thee saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the right hand or to the left 't is a Promise of Gods mercy unto his People to convert them unto himself those that were only in an Outward Profession says God you shall hear a voyce behind you saying this is the way turn in unto it and so 't is when God calls a sinner from the ways of death and destruction such a sinner hears a voyce behind him it may be he has come many times to Sermons and heard a voyce many times without him and before him but never before a voyce within him and behind him an inward secret voyce speaking to the soul O sinner turn out of thy sinful ways Why wilt thou die and perish eternally for God to come thus secretly and to reason with the soul by a voyce behind it and 't is not bare reasoning but a voyce that hath a power and efficacy from God going along with it that carries on this work in the soul and causes the heart to listen and to yield unto God when God calls to the Soul to come into the ways of life the Soul answers Lord I come and with a trembling frame of heart cries out with Saul at his Conversion Lord What wilt thou have me to do No more now what sin will have me to do and what this and that and the other lust will have me to do No now I see the ways of Life and Salvation are the only blessed ways Now Lord What would'st thou have me to do Now Salvation is come to that Soul and Reconciliation with Jesus Christ For whom he hath called them he hath justified Observe the efficacy of that call spoken of in Isai 30.21 Thine Ears shall hear a word behind thee c. and then follows the fruits of it and ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven Images with Silver and the ornament of thy molten Images of Gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous Cloth and shall say unto it get thee hence the sins they before lived in was Idolatry and their hearts were much taken with their brave Images over-laid with Silver and Gold but when they heard the voyce behind them they look't upon those things they so much delighted in that was so brave in their eyes before but as menstruous cloathes which are the most filthiest things that can be and cast them away as filthy rags with indignation saying get thee hence as one that takes a rag in his hand and looks on it and sees it all filthy and defiled presently he throws it away with abomination and says get thee hence so this is the call of God when the Soul hears behind it a secret voyce that many hear not it may be many thousands hear the outward voyce of the Minister telling them of the evil of sin and their abominations and a poor Servant or a poor Youth that stands in the midst of the crowd he hears a voyce behind him that others do not a secret voyce besides the general voyce which is a prevailing voyce that the soul falls down and yields presently before he goes out of the Church and says Lord this day thou hast convinc't me of the evil of sin and thou hast this day shewed me the way of life and salvation Lord I come unto thee though he saw nothing and though no body else hear that voyce yet there is a secret voyce of God unto the soul though he stand in the midst of the crowd and no body else hear it yet at that instant pardon of sin came to that soul and reconciliation by Jesus Christ now when this comes into the soul he will not let such and such sins be there any longer but says Get you hence I will have no more to do with such and such beloved lusts and Idols that I set my heart upon Get thee hence and those men that God calls to himself certainly when they hear this voyce behind them though they now plead for Idolatry and Superstition and why should not we do as our forefathers did yet if once they come to hear this secret voyce of God and God shew them the way of his Worship in the purity and beauty of it they will say get thee hence to those things as vile things get ye hence I will have no more to do with you this is the way in the ordinary call of God and though God sanctifie some from the womb yet afterwards by a mighty work of the Spirit he discovers unto them what the soul is by nature there is somewhat like this even in those that are sanctified from the womb though God in an extraordinary way draw the soul out from sin into the ways of life but generally there are in the ordinary way of Gods working these three or four voyces calling to the soul 1. Says God to the soul O soul thou art made for God and for Eternity 2. O soul thou art now in the ways of Hell and of eternal perdition and must of necessity perish in it 3. O soul behold here are the ways of life and salvation reveal'd unto thee and set before thee in the Gospel of my Son And lastly O soul come in and thou shalt have favour and acceptation in my Son these are the four voyces in Gods call I do not say every one hears them plainly and distinctly yet they do for the substance of them in the ordinary way of the dispensation of Gods grace Every soul that God justifies they are thus called of God and 't is a prevailing call that brings them in to submit unto it Again concerning this call of God because the Scripture speaks much of it I shall shew a little further mark it That soul that once hears the call of God to bring it into the ways of life that soul will evermore depend upon Gods call in all other things if God hath called me out of the ways of death into the ways of life in obedience to that call that my soul hath yielded too I shall be evermore under the power of Gods call in all other things let God call me to what he will to what service he pleases to whatsoever difficulties and sufferings he shall think meet my soul is content and says Here I am Lord speak thy
servant hears Now for a soul to be so under God as to wait upon the call of God to any duty service and imployment that it dares not go about any thing but according to the call of God this is a good Evidence that such a soul hath been acquainted with that great call of God that powerful call of God to bring him off from the ways of sin into the ways of life and salvation Further those that have been acquainted with this call of God there is an answerable frame and disposition in their hearts to call upon the Name of God for assistance direction and a blessing on all they undertake they delight now to repair unto God and call upon him as God calls unto them so they call unto him for that is the way of God according to his work in the soul he puts a gracious frame into the soul answerable to it As in Election those whom he elects when God calls them home he puts a gracious disposition in their hearts for to elect him as God chooses the soul from the world so the soul chooses God above all things in the world the soul answers to God God sets his heart on the soul and says I will choose thee for me the soul again sets its heart upon God and says I will choose thee for my God as God calls the soul to come and live to him in the ways of grace while he lives in this world so the soul calls on God for his assistance that he would give his help in unto him on all occasions and therefore the Scripture gives us this expression for the whole worship of God Rom. 10.13 Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved that soul that is acquainted with Gods call that soul calls on God again And by the way those that are thus called are fittest for Church-Communion I mention this because the word translated Church comes from a Greek word that signifies to call out that which in Scripture is usually called a Church signifies nothing else but this a Company of People called out of the ways of sin to the imbracing the ways of Godliness so that the Church should consist of People called out of the ways of sin by the powerful and efficacious voyce of the Spirit of God and they that are thus called have their sins pardoned you say you hope God hath justified you you read what God says and what hath been presented unto you they who are called they are justified then Calling in order of nature goes before Justification this you will find in your own hearts and if not this you must do when ever you come before God to hear the outward call you must come with a waiting frame of heart to hear the inward call and call upon God with such a disposition say Lord I have been taught that there is an outward call of thine in the Word and an inward call and I am going this day to hear thy Word calling me out of the ways of sin O that I might have together with that the inward call of thy Spirit when shall I hear that secret voyce this is the reason though I have been convinced many times at the hearing of the Word yet my sin hath prevail'd against me because that inward secret powerful voyce hath not come to my soul that is the first Evidence whom he hath justified them he hath called A Second Evidence is this Whomsoever God pardons he receives into Covenant with himself all pardoned sinners are Covenanters with God God pardons no soul but such an one as he brings into the Bond of the Covenant with himself that is the way of the conveyance of the grace of God for the pardon of sin to bring the soul into the Bonds of the Covenant the Scripture is evident in this that forgiveness of sin is made a special fruit of the New Covenant that is clear enough Jer. 31.33 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel c. what is the special end of that Covenant I will forgive their Iniquities and remember their sins no more But how does that come in it comes in by way of Covenant I will make a New Covenant I will first receive them into Covenant and then they shall have the fruit of this New Covenant that their sins shall be forgiven and their iniquities remembred no more The New Covenant is a mysterie to most people and yet it is a certain truth the pardon of thy sin and thy eternal good depends upon it thou art one that God has brought into Covenant with himself if thou beest or ever shalt be pardoned as God will manifest to thy soul that he hath through his Son tyed and bound himself to thee to be thy God that whereas before thou wer 't departed from him and an enemy to him yet now he is pleased to call thee to enter into a second Covenant after thou had'st broken the first and wer 't cast off by reason of that breach God is contented to enter into a second Covenant with thee to be thy God in and through his Son thou art to come in and joyn in this Covenant for to a full Covenant there must be assent on both sides there must be a mutual ingagement of either parties when God reveals this to thy soul that though thou be by nature an Enemy to me and hast broken the first Covenant that I made with the Children of men and art cast off yet be it known unto thee O thou wretched soul I am content to enter into another Covenant with thee there is a second Covenant for life and salvation that I have made with poor man through my Son and I require that thou should'st come in and give up thy self in an everlasting Covenant to make me to be thy God and to close with me and my Son in whatsoever I call thee to in whatsoever thou hast or can'st do to give up thy self to the power of me and my Son this thou must ingage and tye thy self unto in the strongest Bonds that can be this is the nature of the Covenant we know there were two Covenants and all the good of mankind in the first Covenant depended on this his closing with the tearms of it Now the tearms of the first Covenant was Do this and live but that is broken and we have lost our ability Now the second Covenant is Believe and live and the soul that God pardons he brings into the Bond of the second Covenant it is brought to come and give it self up to the Lord and to be content to bind it self with all bonds unto God that he and he only shall be my God as I desire him to be mine and his grace and mercy to be mine so all that I have or can do shall be his I surrender up my self and ingage my soul to be his for ever my Estate Abilities
whatever I have or can do shall be his Now put this to your own souls you hope your sins are pardoned But hath God brought you into the Bonds of the Covenant Hath God ingaged himself to you by his Word to be your God and on the other side Are your hearts ingaged to him by the strongest Bonds that can be and if there be any other Bonds that are stronger to tye your souls to God Can your souls say the Lord knows I am content and willing to be ingaged and that you will account it your happiness to be tyed in the strongest Bonds that can be if it be so with thee Now peace be to thy soul thy sins are pardoned as on the one side God hath made a Covenant with thee so on the other side he hath brought thee to be in Covenant with him then be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned Thirdly Those whose sins God hath pardoned he hath translated them into the Kingdom of his Son the Scriptures express these things divers ways and they have a diverse consideration in them Now I ground this note out of Col. 1 13 14. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son mark what follows In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of sins forgiveness of sin is the end of Gods translating of us into the Kingdom of his dear Son in giving Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of sin so that whosoever God hath given Redemption to through the Blood of Christ even the forgiveness of sin that is forgiveness of sin being the special part of the Redemption we have by the blood of Christ such an one is translated into the Kingdom of the dear Son of God What is that you will say 1. This notes a great change that there must be upon those that are pardoned because the Scripture expresses it thus they are translated into another Kingdom a Kingdom of the Son of God the dear Son of God it is dear mercy of God that translates a soul into the Kingdom of his dear Son it seems naturally we are in another Kingdom and have another King besides the Son of God and have another Soveraign 't is certain we are so naturally we are under the power of Satan and in his Kingdom but now when God comes to redeem a soul and grant forgiveness of sin he translates out of that Kingdom and such a soul refuses to be a subject to Satan any longer or a servant to his lust any longer but now Christ shall be my King the Son of God by whom I expect Reconciliation he shall be my King and his Laws shall rule in my heart and his Scepter shall sway in my soul now no more shall my own thoughts counsels opinions will and affections rule me but Jesus Christ shall be set up upon the throne of my soul and he shall be my King I before was led a poor vile ignorant wretch by the customs of others and example of others and what they required of me by their laws in the matters of his worship but now Christ shall be my King I will expect my law from him and all obedience I do to man it shall be in order to this Christ my King this is a translation into the Kingdom of God when the soul feels the power of Christ ruling in him and overswaying him and the soul looks up to Christ for its protection and provision and desires above all things in the world to set up Jesus Christ as his King in all the ways of his Government both in his own heart and the world too and longs to hear that voyce when it shall be said The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and Saviour Jâ—sus Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Thus those that have redempt on through the blood of Christ even the forgiveness of sins they are translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son and as the Scripture speaks They have the Kingdom of God within them that is an expression of the Holy Ghost in the Gospel Now this you are to examine your hearts upon What of the Kingdom of Christ you have within you Do you live and walk as one that hath the Kingdom of Christ within you Is Christ as King and Soveraign over your thoughts words and actions And do you look to him for the law of your thoughts words and actions and walk before him as your Soveraign Lord depending on him to know his will continually and fear and honour him as a King If the Kingdom of Christ be in you that is if the Gospel have an effectual work upon you for the Gospel in the power of it is ordinarily exprest by the Kingdom of Heaven when the Word comes to any place the Kingdom of Heaven is said to come it would take up a great deal of time to shew wherein the Holy Ghost calls the Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven but it is called the Kingdom of Heaven because it is the Kingdom of Christ that is Lord from Heaven and Christ rules in it by the preaching of the Gospel But now though it be the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingly power of Christ be in the preaching of the Gospel yet this does not prevail upon all sorts it is like a net that is cast into the Sea the meaning of it seems to be nothing else but that the preaching of the Gospel among a multitude of People is like a net cast into the Sea wherein some are catcht and others remain worldly filthy and good for nothing that is the meaning of the Text and not any warrant at all for mixt Communions but only thus where the Preaching of the Gospel is there are some fishes good and worthy to be received and others that are to be cast out Now as there is an external Kingdom so there is an internal Kingdom of Christ within our hearts Jesus Christ himself sets up his Throne in the hearts of every man and woman whose sins are pardoned that is a certain truth and this day in the Name of God I pronounce unto you that if your sin be pardoned Jesus Christ hath set up his Throne in your hearts and if you find any other Throne and Lord but Christ to rule you know from God that your souls are yet in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity and your sins are not pardoned but that soul who in the Preaching of the Gospel can say Blessed be God I have felt Christ come into my heart and prevailed upon me and now Christs Laws are the Laws I desire to be ruled by God knows I know but little of them but I will labour to understand them better therefore I come this day that I might know more of the Law of God and that Jesus Christ might rule more powerfully in me than ever he hath done if this be wrought
check to Conscience there the wisest course is to give Conscience liberty for it will have liberty one day to accuse and condemn you Why will you not now give it liberty Conscience will one day bring all thy evil deeds before thee and accuse thee now let it accuse and condemn thee and certainly if thou dost so thou art in a very good way to come to have absolution of thy sins in thy Conscince now for at the great day the Books shall be opened Now bring as it were a day of Judgment upon thy self contract the Throne of God into your own hearts and call for the Book of Conscience and say Conscience What say'st thou against me that I may get it blotted out now that it may not be read against me at the day of Judgment Thirdly Be willing to own all thy sins confess discover them with all the heart-breaking circumstances and aggravations thou canst possible the Lord knows thy sins whether thou confessest them or not but God will have thee to come and lay them open God will have thee to come and charge thy self with them 't is a very good thing to open Conscience freely before the Lord not in a slight way but in a way of anguish and bitterness of spirit bewailing them and crying by way of Prayer and Petition against them Fourthly Be willing to accept of the punishment of sin say O Lord as thus I do charge and acknowledge bewail and cry out of my sin so here I am Lord ready and willing to accept of the punishment of my sin and the soul that is in this frame is in a comfortable way of pardon of sin Fifthly Resolve to avoid sin whatever come of it at that very time when thou art seeking pardon of sin be sure to resolve never to sin again for know that for ought thou knowest the very next sin thou committest may make God come upon thee for all thy former sins And then Sixthly Cast out whatsoever is gotten by false ways make restitution as Zacheus did Luk. 19. Seaventhly Be sure that thou be put off with nothing else but pardon of sin never rest keeping thy soul always in a waiting frame looking up to God for pardon To all these things I shall add that all these must have reference to the great work of the Son of God when you cry out What shall we do though I have spoken of divers things yet know all is with reference unto Christ the Son of God God-Man look upon him as the head of the second Covenant offering up himself for our sins let thine eye be upon him and as thou givest thy Conscience liberty to charge thy sins upon thy own soul so charge them upon Christ the head of the second Covenant have an eye to him for the discharge of them Dost thou vomit up thy sin by confession and cry to God for pardon remember that thou cry to him through the mediation of Jesus Christ look upon him that must make up the breach restore thee to favour and remove the curse in every work be sure thou eye Christ and make use of these rules so as may further the venturing of thy soul upon Christ except thy soul rise to this to work thee to Christ all the other is but a natural work though as I said before that thou shouldest let Conscience condemn thee and that thou have anguish of spirit know all these are but natural works any further then they serve in reference unto Christ And now I have shewed you what you are to do What is it that you will do will you set up your resolution that through the grace of God in Christ whatever hath been told you you will set about the same then happy are you but if you do it not it may be you may wish you had done it when sin lies heavy on you then you will cry that God would be merciful to you but then God and Conscience will say I warned you at such a time in such a place and were not you there put in a way to seek after pardon What did you do after you went away the next day you went among your Companions and were as drunk and as wicked as ever before if it be so then trouble will be upon you it may be some poor creature that sat in the same pew with thee had a heart to seek pardon and is absolved before men and Angels and at the day of Judgment shall sit at Christs right hand and thou that heardest the same Word and hast neglected it now comest to have thy soul for ever lie under the weight and burden of thy sins God forbid that there should be such a difference made thou hast heard the way seek after the pardon of thy sin let it not be in vain that all these Sermons have been preach't unto you Act. 10.43 when they preach't about pardon of sin it says to him give all the Prophets witness O that you might come in and give witness that this day remission of sin was preach't unto you O that while you hear this Word the Holy Ghost might fall upon you that you might have your hearts fired with strong resolutions to set about this work in the power of the Holy Ghost and rest not in any thing on this side of a pardon Now I come to give you some incouragements and they will work two ways either draw you to Christ or for ever stop your mouths that you shall have nothing to say against him I shall name fifteen incouragements unto you CHAP. XX. Of Encouragements to seek after Pardon of Sin FIrst The time of your life is given for this very end to seek the pardon of your sins if a man have any great business to do that concerns his life and another comes to him and says Sir this is the very nick of time that you have taken or else you had been lost for ever so this is the very nick of time given you to get pardon of your sins and interest in the blood of Christ Secondly This time is not only afforded for this end but the means the Lord hath brought you under is a great argument that he intends mercy for you and you may conclude there are more of Gods Elect may have pardoning mercy than in former times the light of the Gospel breaks forth and certainly there is more to be brought in the Gospel is the fruit of Christ's death and given for the Elects sake Act. 18.9 10. he bids him go end preach for he had much people he should have opposition but go be not afraid for I have much people in that place 't is true the rain will fall upon the tiles as well as on the tender hearbs and grass but certainly where God sends his Word he hath people to be gathered in and if you take notice of Gods Providence in this point it may much incourage you to come in certainly there be many in this