Instance Object 1. Some may be ready to say notwithstanding all this I have such a sight of my own past Crimes and their Aggravations that none can judge of my Case as I can or know the worst of it as I do I knew the Will of God and yet disobey'd him I have sinn'd when I knew God did forbid it and threaten'd with Eternal Death what I was doing I have hearkned to Temptation tho' I had vow'd and promis'd and resolv'd and engag'd against that very Sin I was tempted to And which was worse I had some Thoughts of God's seeing me some Apprehensions that he would judge me for it and yet I went on and sinned Surely God will never forgive me If any of my Fellow Creatures had wilfully deliberately ungratefully frequently and perfidiously despised and affronted injured and offended me I that am but a Worm could have no Patience with such a One Much more may the Blessed God resent remember and punish such Vile Iniquities as I have been guilty of Answ Consider in Answer to this how high the Heavens are above the Earth and which is more the difference between the Creature and the Creator That his Thoughts are not as ours not like our misgiving despairing Thoughts He doth and will pardon like himself like a God Not after the Measures of a finite passionate weak Man All that you have said or can say shall be no Impediment if you return to God and seek him in Christ for Forgiveness He will Abundantly pardon beyond what you are able to think or suppose in the like Case God complains of Israel as prone and enclin'd to backslide yet he cannot find in his Heart to destroy 'em but expresses a kind of Conflict between Justice and Mercy and at last resolves I am God and not Man therfore I will not execute the Fierceness of mine Anger but I will cause 'em to walk after the Lord Hosea XI 7 10. He doth all things like himself as one Observes If he build he makes a World If he be angry with the World he sends a Flood over the Face of all the Earth If he goes out with the Armies of his People he makes the Sun stand still the Stars to fight the Seas to swallow up the most dreadful Armadoes If he love the precious Hearts Blood of his Beloved Son is not too dear If any become his Friend and Favourite thro' the Mediation of Christ he will make him a King give him a Paradise and set a Crown of Eternal Glory on his Head Let us not consider so much what is fit or likely for us to receive as for so Great a God to give and bestow If we are contrite humble penitent and fly to Jesus Christ as our Refuge of Hope He will think all the meritorious Sufferings of his Son all the Promises in his Book all the Comforts of his Holy Spirit all the Pleasures and Blessedness of his Kingdom little enough for us Object 2. But some will say further I did once hope that God had given me true Repentance and unfeigned Faith and that I was hearty and sincere in my Covenant with God I had some good Hopes that I was reconcil'd and that I was accepted And I seal'd my Covenant and set my Name to it and renew'd it also at the Lord's Table And I thank God I had some Quickning and Comfort as I thought but Wretch as I am I have revolted since I have burst those Bonds asunder I have gone back with such abominable Backslidings that I can't think God will ever pardon me who after I have known the Way of Righteousness have turn'd from the Holy Commandment After having been wash'd I have return'd with the Dog to his Vomit and the Swine to her wallowing in the Mire I fear I am among those who draw back to Perdition of whom God may say that his Soul shall have no Pleasure in them Answ Consider that God's Thoughts are not as yours as to Returning Backsliders He calls you to return O Israel thou hast fallen by thine Iniquity return unto the Lord thy God He tells you his Grace and Mercy can outdo all that you can think If you never heard of any that have sinn'd as you have or with such aggravated Backslidings he may yet forgive thee Though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be white as Snow tho' red like Crimson they shall be as Wool Isa I. 18. If he give you Grace to repent and return he will forgive Sins after Baptism Sins after unworthy receiving the Lord's Supper may be pardon'd There is a Fountain open'd there is a Ransom found there is a Propitiation made there 's an Advocate with the Father You must forgive an offending Brother if he repent even unto seventy times seven And will not God forgive Returning Backsliders and multiply Forgivenesses This Text is the most proper Scripture that can be for such to consider that they may not think that no Mercy shall be extended to them They are invited to return with a Promise that God will heal their Backslidings Hos XIV 3 4. Jer. III. beginning and afterward Verse the 21st Go and proclaim these Words saying return ye backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause my Anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and will not keep Anger for ever You ought therfore to add the following Words Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Return to him with all your Hearts he will receive you graciously and love you freely The Prodigal is entertain'd upon his Return more than the First-born assoon as he repents and saith I am unworthy to be called thy Son He will heal your Backslidings and take away all Iniquity the Guilt the Stain the Power the Punishment and the Anguish of Conscience He will not impute thy Sin he will purge thy Conscience from dead works and enable thee to serve and obey him The Sun of Righteousness shall arise on thee with healing in his Wings the Influence of his Holy Spirit shall by Grace and Comfort be restored to thee And all this from his Free Love and Mercy Nothing is too hard for Love Divine Love It is I confess a real Difficulty when one is made sensible of great Sins after Repentance and I know of no Relief like that which is offer'd from this Scripture I am unworthy may such a Soul say but the Lord is Gracious I have misimprov'd his Mercy and abus'd his Goodness and his Patience what shall relieve me in this Case Why his Infinite Love Condescension and Grace Well but I have revolted and gone back by many aggravated Back-slidings that stare me in the Face Yet God is Vnchangeable he 's not only Merciful but Faithful to his Covenant And his Faithfulness was never engaged to the Angels that fell But here 's the great Objection that will be made to all this This is true but I am unfaithful and the
and sticks like an Arrow in his flesh Whereas Pardoning Mercy is as Health to the Navel and Marrow to the Bones and a Cordial to his Heart yea even as Life from the Dead And dead he is in Law as under a Sentence of Condemnation 'till he be interested in Forgiveness by Faith in the Blood of Jesus Then may he lift up his Head as one Alive from the Dead and admit Consolation when he can hope his Sins are forgiven and that God is reconciled Comfort ye Comfort ye my People say unto Jerusalem her Warfare is Accomplished her Iniquity is forgiven Isa XL. 1 2. Blessed is the Man whose Iniquity is forgiven and Sin covered Psal XXXII 1. 'Till then they are under the Curse of God on Record A Curse that cuts off from God and all gracious Communications from him a Curse which pierceth deep and spreadeth far and makes the whole Creation at Enmity with us And this Curse is intolerable in the Effects of it and unavoidable too There is no Relief or Remedy against it but by the New Covenant and Faith in Jesus Christ 'T is only by the Redemption we have in Jesus Christ through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins In which Forgiveness we can never be interested without Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ There is no Rest in my Bones because of my Sin saith the Psalmist Psal XXXVIII 3. My Sins are an heavy Burden they are too heavy for me v. 4. 'Till this Burden be removed by Forgiveness what Ease or Rest can a Sinner enjoy 'T is true the Deceit of sensual Pleasures or the Hurry and Clatter of Worldly Business may hinder the Sense of this for a while and keep all quiet Yet sooner or later the sinful Soul will have Torment Conscience will awake Men may laugh and be merry for a Time make a shift to be confident and secure under the Wrath and Curse of God they may take their Poyson for their Antidote their Wound for their Plaister their Plague for their Cure their Disease for their Remedy and so make a hard shift to preserve a little false Peace But the End will be the most horrid Despair And the more Jovial and Airy Careless and Presumptuous they have been in Health and Prosperity under the Guilt of great Transgressions the more disconsolate will such be when Conscience awakes to set their Sins in order before them Is there then any Message like that of Forgiveness that will suit the Case of such They can relish nothing else think of nothing else this is what they aim at This is the Subject of their great Enquiry How they may be forgiven They may try in vain what Company Mirth Sports Business or Superstition will do They must come to God for Pardon or they cannot find Rest Hos V. 13. When Ephrahim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assvrian and sent to King Jareb yet could he not heal you nor cure you of your wound Did you know the Misery and Danger of a sinful Soul unreconciled to God bound over to his Eternal Wrath every Moment expos'd as a Guilty Wretch to his fiery Vengeance Did you consider the Case of such a One who hath all the Plagues and Curses in the Book of God in force against him and nothing but a little Breath between him and Endless Ruine that can't tell but the next Day or Minute Death may open the Door and let him fall into Damnation Did any one rightly understand this believe it consider it and apply it as his own Case what Mercy will suit such a One but Pardoning Mercy What is all the Pomp and Glory of this World to such a Man without the Forgiveness of Sin How can he eat drink or sleep or trade or do any thing without some Hope of Pardon without seeking after it without endeavouring it without using means in Order to it Secondly Pardoning Mercy is Mercy indeed as 't is the Fruit of Covenant Love an Effect of the special distinguishing Love of God This is the great Priviledge of such whose God is the Lord. This is a Covenant Blessing that 's never given in Anger This is never bestow'd but as a Favour peculiar to God's People This is always accompany'd with Regeneration and Adoption Jer. XXXI 33. I will be their God and will forgive their Iniquity Happy is the Man whose Iniquity is forgiven Happy is the People whose God is the Lord. Thirdly This Mercy is the most Comprehensive Blessing and the Foundation of many other Mercies This secures our State sweetens our other Blessings lays the Foundation for Peace of Conscience gives Freedom of Access to the Throne of Grace and makes way for Communion with God in all Ordinances This clears us from the Accusation of Satan the Condemnation of the Law and of our own Hearts for who shall lay any thing to his Charge whom God forgives We can have no Right and Title to Eternal Life without this For the Legal Bar must be removed by the Pardon of Sin as well as the Moral Incapacity by the Sanctifying Spirit The great Blessings of the Gospel such as the Spirit of Holiness Communion with God c. they are promised to Accompany this of Forgiveness Heb. VIII latter End I will be merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Iniquities I will remember no more By this we not only escape the Punishment due to Sin which would render us deeply miserable but are restored to the Favour of God and accepted in the Beloved and have Grace to overcome the World Flesh and Devil The sanctifying Spirit to purge us from all Filthiness is joyn'd with this Pardon which delivers from the Condemning Guilt of Sin We are translated into the Kingdom and Family of Christ as well as deliver'd from the Kingdom of Satan and the Power of Darkness In a Word the Acceptation of our Persons Sanctification of our Natures the Answer of our Prayers and a Title to Heaven and Eternal Life are connected with and consequent to this Forgiveness of Sin Psal XXXII 1 2 3. Zac. I. 4. Isa LIX 2 3. Psal CIII 2 3. Job VII 21. This also hath respect to all the Comforts and Afflictions of this present Life You ought to Consider that if Sin be forgiven all things shall work for good Take away all Iniquity saith the Church and receive us graciously or do us good Hos XIV 2. Every Providence shall be sanctified if Sin be forgiven For peace I had great bitterness saith Hezekiah but in love to my Soul thou hast deliver'd it from the Pit of Corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy Back Isa XXXVIII 17. You have a like Instance Jer. XXXIII 6 8. But if you had all the Plenty Peace Health Riches and Grandeur of this World yet the Guilt of one Sin on the Consclence under the Apprehension of God's deserved Wrath will spoil the Relish of all Where Sin
Conscience and you can't presently approach to God with Comfort What then should you do Give up all for lost Run into Excess of Riot and say There is no Hope therfore let us walk after the Imagination of our own Hearts No by no Means But by renewed Acts of Repentance towards God and of Faith in the Blood of Jesus return to God and seek Forgiveness I grant in such Cases it is hard to do this with any Encouragement and Hope Our Hearts misgive us and well they may we shall have a thousand Jealousies and Fears And it can't be otherwise However God's Thoughts are not as ours He will abundantly pardon Returning Sinners tho' you have abus'd his Grace tho' you have dishonour'd his Name revolted after Forgiveness slighted the Redeemer Christ griev'd his Spirit given Advantage to the Devil deserv'd to be cast out of his sight tho' you have broken your solemn Vows and broken your Peace thereby yet let such remember that God will show Mercy to Returning Sinners and he will abundantly pardon ' em He will heal their Backslidings and make them loath themselves and be confounded for all their Abominations even After he is pacify'd towards them Ezek. XVI the last You know the kind Language God us'd to Ephraim Jer. XXXI 18 20. Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself he is my dear Son he is a pleasant Child or rather is he not so though I spake aginst him I remember him still my Bowels are moved for him I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Read with Thankfulness Mic. VII 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgressions of his Remnant and retaineth not his Anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again and have compassion on us and will subdue our Iniquities and cast our Sins into the Depths of the Sea And how sweet is the Repentance of such a Returning Backslider that is kindly melted humbled and broken and brought to the Foot of God with Hope of Mercy through Christ The Contrition of such a Soul is made up like that of Mary Magdalen of Tears and of Kisses of Sorrow and of Love of Humility and Hope of Confusion and Confidence of Shame and Joy And how will such a Soul love much to whom much is thus forgiven In short God doth abundantly pardon and multiply Pardons as to the Forgiveness of many Sins in that never any one Sin was forgiven to any Man to whom this was not made good Numberless Sins are forgiven wherever one is They are more than the Hairs of our Head or the Sands on the Sea-shore Well might the Psalmist say Have mercy on me O Lord according to thy loving Kindnesses and according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies Psal LI. 1. I will abundantly pardon saith God here and in another place I will cleanse them from all their Iniquities whereby they have sinn'd against me whereby they have trespass'd against me saith the Lord Jer. XXXII 8. Who can understand his Errors before Conversion and since by Omission and Commission in Thought in Word and Act How long did God wait on some of us What various Methods did he use to bring us home How graciously did he receive us at first and after many Provocations receive us again Surely if we find Mercy with God any of us he must abundantly pardon us and multiply Forgivenesses And because 't is not so easie a thing to believe this I proceed to the Second Particular to Consider what Reason we have to be perswaded of this Secondly Upon what Grounds may we be firmly perswaded of this Truth That God will thus multiply Pardons 'T is certain to an humbl'd awaken'd convinced penitent Sinner it must be glad Tydings of great Joy that his Case will admit of Hope That he ought not to despair that there is a possibility he may find Mercy with God if no more But to have the Riches of God's Grace display'd to have a free and general Invitation made to all the Hungry and Thirsty the Weary and Heavy laden to have a Promise of Mercy and of Forgiveness whatever thy Sins have been What matter of Rejoycing is this This will answer a thousand Objections which otherwise you could not tell what to say to This is proper to revive the most drooping Spirits to make them adore God and admire his glorious Grace This may cause them to think honourably of him seek earnestly to him and thankfully accept his offered Mercy as poor wretched perishing condemn'd undone Creatures toward whom the God of all Grace will magnifie his Rich and Undeserved Mercy Therfore be perswaded to believe it considering such things as these First That there are large and express Promises and most astonishing Instances in the Holy Scriptures to Encourage your Faith He that best understands his own kind Thoughts to the Children of Men to the chiefest of Sinners hath assured you he will not only have Mercy but abundantly pardon and that where Sin hath abounded Grace shall much more abound toward all of them who will accept of Mercy by Jesus Christ so as God may not lose the Glory of it You think it very hard to be perswaded of this but hath not God told you that as far as the Heavens are above the Earth so are his Thoughts and Ways above yours And tho' your Sins be as Crimson and Scarlet that they shall be as Snow and Wool and that To the Lord our God belong Mercies and Forgiveness tho' we have rebell'd against him Have we not Instances of this as to others of the worst of Men and Women that have been washed and justify'd through the Blood of Christ and Spirit of Christ of Sinks of Sin that have been made Vessels of Mercy Many Examples in the Old Testament and in the New of Jews and Gentiles What Folly and what aggravated Sin was David guilty of after the Knowledge of God and what great Sins before Conversion was the Apostle Paul charg'd with You have been sometimes told that 't is an Instance of God's Wisdom and Kindness to record the the Example of David's Fall Some it may be think it were better left out lest it should encourage Sinners but doubtless many a Man would have perished in Despair and made away himself if it had not been for the Example of David's Repentance and God's Forgiveness of him after such hainous Transgressions Secondly God hath declared this to be his Nature and Delight He proclaims it as part of his Name Exod. XXXIV 5 6. to be The Lord God Gracious and Merciful Slow to Anger and Abundant in Goodness and Truth forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin He is pleas'd in the Exercise of his Mercy he delights to be Gracious and takes pleasure in them that hope in his Mercy And therfore what pleaseth him and he delights to do he will do abundantly There is an Inexhausted Treasure of Grace in God Exceeding
Riches of Grace and unsearchable Depths of Mercy and Grace God who is rich in mercy saith the Apostle for the great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ Ephes II. 4 5. And all the Saints are set forth as studious and thoughtful about the Glorious Dimensions of God's Grace as endeavouring to comprehend the Breadth Length Height and Depth of this Grace that passeth Knowledge Eph. I. 8. The Breadth of his Love in covering such a multitude of Sins and pardoning such a multitude of Sinners The Depth of it reaching us in the Depth of our Sin and Misery The Length of it from Everlasting to Everlasting The Height of it in raising us from a deserved Hell to an infinitely Glorious Heaven Love Grace and Mercy are his Nature and Delight 'T is above our Thoughts and past our Comprehension We read that his Judgments are unsearchable and his Ways past finding out 't is as true of his Ways of Mercy as of any By that Name Judgments sometimes his Mercies are call'd Psal XXXVI 5 6. Thy Judgments are a great deep to show the Meaning whereof the Psalmist breaks out O Lord how excellent is thy Loving Kindness to the Sons of Men that put their trust in thee All the Merits of Christ are call'd the Mercies of God the sure Mercies of David God is said to be Rich in Mercy and no other Attribute of God is call'd his Riches but his Goodness Grace and Love Thirdly God useth variety of Arguments throughout the Scriptures to perswade us to believe this He not only urgeth us from his own Example and obliges us to forgive our Trespassing Brother if he repent unto seventy times seven but with the greatest Kindness he bespeaks us to believe his Compassion to be perswaded of his Tenderness and Love He employs a great deal of Rhetorick to that purpose Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my Judgment is passed over from my God hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the Earth fainteth not neither is weary Isa XL. 7 8. He appeals to Heaven and Earth to the Dumb and Insensible Creatures that his Ways are equal that ours are unequal he offers he invites he calls and expostulates and complains of our Backwardness to believe him he pleads and promiseth and adds his Oath to his Word As I live saith the Lord i. e. As I am a Living God I take no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth but rather that he return and live than go on and dye Turn ye turn ye why will ye dye O House of Israel He 's represented as with Sighs and Groans bewailing the Obstinacy of Sinners to their own Destruction O that they were wise and would consider this O that there were such a Heart in them O that they knew the things that belong to their peace before they are hid from their Eyes How kind and encouraging are such Passages Fourthly Consider this is one great End of God's Patience and Forbearance and of his continuing the Preaching of the Word and the Ordinances of the Gospel that Sinners might be led to Repentance by the Hopes of Forgiveness How many Years hath God waited on some of you Should not the Long-suffering of God that hath a Tendency to Salvation encourage you to believe that there is Mercy and Forgiveness with him What quick Dispatch hath he made with others while he hath spared you He hath taken some in the Act of their Vile Abominations many in the very height of their Wickedness and hath refus'd to give them further time and space to repent He hath call'd some to Judgment in their Youth soon after they had broken the Fetters of their Education cast off the God of their Fathers and begun to indulge themselves in youthful Lusts Many besure not greater Sinners than you are gone to their place while he yet waits to be gracious to you He offers you Pardon and Life when he might have condemn'd you to Remediless Wrath and put it in Execution long ago He continues to exercise great Patience and Power in forbearing you Is it not with this kind Design that it might lead you to Repentance that you might turn to him seek after him and intreat his Pity before it be too late May you not infer thus much from his Long-suffering Did he bear with thee when thy Heart was hard as a Rock and thou would'st not hearken to any Treaty of Peace and will he not accept thee now thy Heart begins to be contrite and broken with Sence of Sin and Sorrow for it Did he bear with thee while Sin was thy Delight and will he not be gracious if thou seek him now Sin is become thy Burthen Doth he continue to call thee by his Word and Commission his Ministers to tell thee in his Name that if thou return he will abundantly pardon Doth he order them to beseech thee for Christ's sake and in his stead that thou would'st be reconciled to God and can you suppose he is inexorable If a King should send one of his Attendants to a Condemned Prisoner saying Go tell such a one let him come to me for his Pardon and he shall have it my Son hath interceeded for him and made his Peace tho' he hath forfeited his Life and deserv'd to dye and I might put the Sentence in Execution to Morrow yet let him come and confess his Sin and ask Forgiveness and I will pardon him Yea tell him I desire I entreat that he would come I beg that he would have pity on himself and not refuse me I earnestly pray and beseech him I must take no Denial he must come What Kindness and Condescention were this You know how to apply it 'T is as certain unto all of you by the Preaching of the Gospel as if you were spoken to by Name But if you reject the kind Offer of the Grace of the Gospel and will not return from your Evil Ways but go on and put it to the venture after such a Merciful Invitation and that so often repeated consider then what a Hazard you run and if you hold on how dreadful your Doom will be All the Ministers of Christ instead of Blessing you in the Name of the Lord must pronounce against you all the Curses of the Law and all the additional Curses denounced against the Despisers of the Gospel And must say unto you Anathema Maranatha Cursed in this World 'till the Coming of Christ and when he comes Accursed from his blessed Presence into Everlasting Destruction Yea all the Angels of God all the Churches of Christ all the Saints on Earth and in Heaven will adore Divine Justice and can have no Compassion on you if you go on to despise the Grace of God and will not be drawn with the Cords of his Love Fifthly
is able to forgive our greatest Provocations and show Mercy to the vilest Sinners that will return We are prone to revenge we are hardly reconciled we are apt to return Evil for Evil we are not easily brought to Forgiveness But My thoughts are not as yours saith God You know not how far my Mercy can reach I am God and not Man The distance between God and Man between the Creature and Creator is infinitely more than between Heaven and Earth What if you can't imagine that ever I should have such Thoughts of Mercy for poor Sinners Do you consider how high the Heavens are above the Earth so are my Thoughts and Ways higher than yours They are like my self infinite And how many by their own Experience of God's kind and gracious Dealing with them who with holy Wonder and Thankfulness have acknowledg'd and attested the Truth of this Many a time have I called my self a Prodigal to use the Words of an * Mr. Baxter of Conversing with God in Solitude 4â—â— pag. 363 364. Excellent Person a Companion of Swine a miserable hard-hearted Sinner unworthy to be called his Son when he hath called me Child and chid me for my questioning his Love he hath readily forgiven the Sins which I thought would have made my Soul the fuel of Hell he hath entertain'd me with Joy with Musick and a Feast when I better deserv'd to have been among the Dogs without his Doors He hath embrac'd me in his sustaining Consolatory Arms when he might have spurned my guilty Soul to Hell and said Depart from me thou Worker of Iniquity I know thee not O little did I think that he could ever have forgotten the Vanity and Villany of my Youth yea so easily have forgotten my most aggravated Sins When I had sinned against Light when I had resisted Conscience when I had frequently and wilfully injured Love I thought he would never have forgotten it But the greatness of his Love and Mercy and the Blood and Intercession of his Son hath cancelled all O how many Mercies have I tasted since I thought I had sinned away all Mercies How patiently hath he born with me since I thought he would never have put up more Tho' I injure and dishonour him by loving him no more tho' I oft forget him and have been out of the Way when he hath come or called me tho' I have disobediently turned away mine Ears and unkindly refus'd the Entertainments of his Love and unfaithfully play'd with those whose Company he forbad me yet he hath not divorc'd me or turn'd me out of Doors O wonderful that Heaven will be familiar with Earth and God with Man the Highest with a Worm and the most Holy with an unconstant Sinner Man refuseth me when God will entertain me Those whom I never wrong'd reject me with Reproach and God whom I have unspeakably injured doth invite me entreat me and condescendeth to me as if he were beholden to me to be saved Men that I have deserved well of abhor me and God that I have deserved Hell of doth accept me I upbraid my self with my sins but he doth not upbraid me with them I condemn my self for them but he condemns me not I have Peace with him before I can have Peace with my Conscience Object But after all these endearing Expressions of the Grace of God may some say we can't tell how to believe 't is hard to be fully perswaded of this Consider therefore the Verses following the Text where there 's this Objection obviated You say you can't have your Hearts duely affected with these Declarations of God's Grace you can't be brought to accept this Mercy to close with this Offer to be encouraged by such a Promise and trust in it It is therefore added as directly suitable to such a Case Verses 10 11. As the Rain cometh down and the Snow from Heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the Earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give Seed to the Sower and Bread to the Eater So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my Mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it That is As the Heavens do not give Light and Heat and Snow in vain but cause a promising Spring and a fruitful Harvest So saith God my Thoughts of Grace manifested by my Declarations of Mercy and Promises of Forgiveness shall have Efficacy and Influence to make you believe to enable you to hope and trust in my Mercy and so to be quiet and satisfy'd that your great and hainous Sins shall be forgiven The very Publication of this Grace shall be attended with a Power to bring Souls to believe it I know my Thoughts toward you are Thoughts of Peace and not of Evil to give you a gracious End and raise your Expectations of it and they shall accordingly be fulfilled The Declarations of this Mercy shall be credited my Word of Grace shall not be in vain it shall take hold of dejected despairing Souls and raise them to Faith and Hope 'T is with this Encouragement we publish the glad Tydings of Salvation and invite Sinners to return to God by Jesus Christ with an Assurance of finding Mercy I say 't is with this Encouragement that we beseech them to be reconcil'd to God and assure 'em that he 's ready to forgive 'T is in Hope that by the Spirit accompanying the Declaration of the Word concerning this Forgiveness with God many Souls might be attracted and won perswaded and overcome and so prevail'd with to return to God and believe the glorious Riches Freeness and Abundance of his Mercy God grant we may find more and more such fruits of preaching the Gospel On the other hand I beseech you take heed how you turn your Backs on this Mercy of God and the Offer of it Beware how you shut your Ears against his gracious Invitation when he thus proclaims and publishes his Readiness to forgive Take heed how you go on in Sin after God freely tenders you the Forgiveness of all your Sins if you will return With the greatest Seriousness I must tell you that one such Sermon of God's forgiving Grace and Mercy rejected slighted and misimprov'd may be of more dreadful Consequence to the Souls of those that hear it and make light of it than I am able to express APPLICATION VSE 1. Let this Mercy Love and Grace overcome your Hearts Consider it again and again Apply it seriously to your selves Is the Lord thus Gracious to me after so long a Rejection of him Will he yet receive me after so many Refusals Doth he invite and call me again after so much Contempt of his Mercy and Grace Will he yet show Mercy to me What strange astonishing Grace what endearing Kindness is this What manner of Love is this How true is it that God's Thoughts and Ways are not as ours That God
them The Power of Conscience is weakned after so many Struglings and Combates that they must needs have had with their own Consciences after so many Contests between Corruption and Conviction between Truth in the Mind and Corrupt Inclinations in the Heart Especially if they have formerly been awakned and there have been some Fears and Hopes with good Desires and other Affections formerly stirr'd if by the Common Operations of the Holy Spirit they have had some serious Concern about their Salvation and all this is worn off and gone the Case of such is very bad and their Recovery the less hopeful because their Repentance is the more unlikely And if they persist their Doom will be intolerable But it is to prevent this as to those who may be in such a dangerous Case that I thus speak And therefore I most earnestly invite beseech and entreat them however Wicked and Unrighteous they have been not to make light of this further Offer of the Grace of the Gospel And that by no means they would despair of finding Mercy with God even Now if they will Return to him with all their Hearts whatever their past Sins have been If Now they will return God will abundantly pardon For his Thoughts are not as ours c. THE Third Sermon ISAIAH LV. 7 8. Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the Unrighteous Man his Thoughts and let him Return unto the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly Pardon For My Thoughts are not your Thoughts neither are your Ways My Ways saith the Lord. IN Two former Discourses I have consider'd this double Precept or Injunction of Duty which concerns Sinners of all sorts under the two Names of Wicked and Vnrighteous that they must forsake their Evil Ways and Thoughts and return to the Lord which are the two parts of unfeigned Repentance I have also consider'd the encouraging Promise that thereupon God will have Mercy and will abundantly Pardon And I have now to consider what Ground we have to believe this Because God's Thoughts are not as ours nor his Ways as ours c. But there remains something of the Application of the Second General That if the Wicked forsake their evil Ways and Thoughts and return to God he will not only forgive but He will abundantly pardon 1. VSE Be thankful to Heaven for this good News that God will thus mercifully treat returning Sinners He might have insisted on the Terms of the violated first Covenant to the Ruine of all Mankind He might have left us as the fallen Angels without the Proposal Promise or Offer of a Redeemer But God so loved the World that he gave his Son that whoever believeth on him should not perish but have Everlasting Life When we think of the Case of the fallen Angels who are reserv'd in Chains of Darkness to the Judgment of the Great Day and compare it with our own who have a Proclamation of Mercy and Grace by the Gospel we have Reason to adore the distinguishing Goodness of God to us If a few poor inconsiderable People in a Kingdom of the meanest sort should be found guilty of Treason against a Prince when there are Multitudes of the Nobility and Gentry who have likewise rebell'd against him and a Pardon should be offer'd to those of the poorer meaner sort while the Nobles and Great Men are all Executed and not a Man of them receiv'd to Mercy would not this be Astonishing Goodness to the others Especially if those Great Men the Principal Subjects of the Kingdom were Condemn'd for one Offence for one Act of Treason and the others forgiven many Transgressions and receiv'd to Favour and Honour after many Years of Rebellion You easily know how to apply it How thankful ought we to be that we are not left in the remediless Condition of Devils that there is a Sacrifice offer'd for Sin a full Attonement made a sufficient Price paid a Fountain open'd a new and living Way for God to be glorify'd in the Forgiveness and Salvation of Returning Sinners that believe on his Son It is matter of Continual Admiration and Thankful Praise that we have Forgiveness this way Can we have a fuller Evidence of the Evil and Malignity of Sin or of God's Displeasure against it and consequently of the Worth and Value of a Pardon than by the Sufferings Blood and Sacrifice of Christ And what stronger Proof or clearer Evidence of God's Readiness to forgive Sin than the giving of his Son to dye for our Sins to cleanse us from all Sin even the most hainous grievous Offences Because his Mercy through the Mediator is greater than the Sins of the whole World Let us with Hearty Thankfulness adore him for this glorious Mystery of his Love and Grace And that we may be Thankful indeed let us apply it to our selves in particular Let us think of our own miserable Case under the Guilt of Sin and the Curse of God Let us think of the many thousand Talents we owe without being able to pay one Farthing of the Innumerable Crimes we are guilty of and that the Wages of every one is Death And that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth could not procure the Forgiveness of one sinful Thought If you think you have or ever had any serious sense of the Evil of Sin and your lost undone Condition as Sinners how thankfully should you receive these glad Tydings of Mercy by Jesus Christ But if you have gone further and have actually receiv'd the Attonement if you are brought under the Bond of the Covenant if you are united to Christ by Faith and so interested in the sure Mercies of David and by Forgiveness deliver'd from Condemnation what Special Thankfulness is due from such When there are comparatively so Few to whom the Gospel is preached but do receive this Grace of God in vain Lord Who and what am I that I should have good hope through Grace of the Forgiveness of my Sins of mine that have been more aggravated than the Sins of Others When Others not greater Sinners it may be not so bad shall perish for ever and never be forgiven When it may be some of my Companions and Accomplices in Sin are cut off by Death without Repentance and Pardon Were not Others call'd and invited as well as I But he hath open'd mine Ears and Heart to receive him and so hath pardon'd me while others are condemned O Admirable and Astonishing Grace Secondly Take heed of abusing this Declaration of Grace to the worst of Sinners I. First As any Countenance to Sin or Encouragement to continue in it Shall we sin because God is ready to forgive Sin that his Grace may abound God forbid Rom. VI. 1. Far be it from us let it be an abhorred Thought 'T is needful to mention this because in many Instances the most pure and holy Doctrine may be perverted to patronize Sin We read that the Continuance of the Course
with what Bowels of Pity and Compassion should we consider the Case of such And treat them with the Spirit of Meekness and Gentleness Christ is the Saviour of Sinners but He is none of mine they say for I heard his Gospel Grace declared but did not accept it I outstood my Day of Grace and the Things of my Peace are hid from mine Eyes He call'd me but I would not come and 't is now too late O 't is now too late He knock'd and I would not open and now the Door is shut against me I am given up to a Hard Heart c. The very Thought of Heaven and the Happiness of the Saints doth but terrifie them because they think they have lost it and shall never come there As well as the Thoughts of Hell which they reckon their Deserved Portion and that e're long it will be so And that Word Everlasting Everlasting Destruction cuts them to the Heart And well it may if they believe it belongs to them and that they shall fall under the condemning Sentence of the Judge to pass into Everlasting Fire And in several such Cases the Devil strikes in and aggravates their Distress He insults over them What think ye now of Sin Where 's the Pleasure and Advantage of it now To what purpose hath been all your Praying Hearing attending on Ordinances Coming to the Lord's Table c. You are fit indeed to come to the Lord's Table you have come Vnworthily you have seal'd your Damnation by it you have eat and drank Judgment to your selves by it again and again And such is their Darkness and Perplexity they know not what to Answer but conclude They are lost and the Gospel hid from them that Christ is not their Freind and will not be their Saviour Some of them will tell you they are as sure of it as if they were in Hell already 'T is as true they say as if they had heard his Condemning Sentence He hath shut up his Bowels and his Tender Mercy for ever from them And there 's nothing remains but a fearful Looking for of Wrath and Judgment Tribulation and Anguish And that all their present Darkness is but the Forerunner of Eternal Darkness And what they feel now is nothing to what they fear And if they be in such Agonies now O what will it be to lye in the Flames of Hell Wretched Miserable Creatures they know not how to live and they dare not dye lest Death should open the Door to Eternal Damnation And these Fears are heighten'd when ever they meet with those Christians who have any Hopes of Heaven because they say Christ saveth Others but will not save them Do not such as these deserve our Compassion And there be many such in this City Though Natural Melancholy and Bodily Indisposition give some Occasion at least to heighten such Terrors and Distress in several yet the sense of past Guilt and the Temptations of Satan must not be overlookt What I have to say on the Third General of God's Thoughts not being as ours will be suitable to their Case But before I proceed to that let me mention something for the Tryal and Examination of our selves whether we are interested in this Forgiveness or no Would you know whether your Sins are forgiven whether you are interested in this Promise of multiply'd Pardon Consider in the General and Examine your Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Acts II. 21. * See the Sermons of the Forgiveness of Sin by the Reverend Dr. Bates 8vo Where the whole Doctrine of Pardon is more accurately laid down The Essential Acts of Repentance are Godly Sorrow for all our known Sins and a sincere Purpose of Heart to turn from all Sin to God with Answerable Endeavours of Universal Holiness The three Acts of saving Faith in Christ are 1. An Assent of the Mind to Scripture-Revelation concerning Christ 2. The Consent of the Soul embracing and receiving him upon his own Terms 3. A Relyance and Trust on him for Pardon of Sin and Eternal Life More particularly I. You may Consider your Repentance and enquire how you stand affected to Sin Have you been under any deep Conviction of the Evil of Sin as to cause not only some Sorrow but Hatred and Detestation of it Have you seen your selves lost and undone by reason of Guilt so as absolutely to need pardoning Mercy Is the Heart of Stone taken away and a Heart of Flesh given What Humiliation for Sin and Self-abasement in the Apprehension of your Vileness have you ever had Have you been disquieted and burden'd under the Sense of Sin so as to condemn your selves and see that you are lost without the Free-Mercy of God in Christ Owning the Righteousness of God if he should cast you off and yet looking up to God through Jesus Christ with Hope 'T is true there is a great Difference in the Expressions of Sorrow and Humiliation for Sin which some make beyond others but all are made to see the Evil of Sin so as to be cur'd of the Love of it to humble themselves and acknowledge their Vileness Have you thereupon been brought to an Ingenuous Confession of Sin Psal XXXVIII 18. with Earnest Prayers to God for Forgiveness when you remember the peculiar Aggravations of many of your Crimes How long continued in against how many Helps and Warnings Calls and Counsels and Obligations to the contrary How small the Temptation how frequent the Repetition and yet how much Wilfulness notwithstanding the various Methods of God's Grace and Providence to reclaim you Such a Conviction cannot long be conceal'd and hid Enquire therfore what Effects it hath had to bring you into the Presence of God there to confess and bewail your Folly O what a Beast what a Fool what a Wretch have I been thus and thus have I sinn'd against Heaven How low should I abase my self in the Presence of God How unworthy am I to lift up mine Eyes to the Throne of his Glory How wonderful is his Patience that I am yet alive If you have a serious Sense of Sin you will not be able to keep Silence for that is contrary to the Confession of Sin mentioned Psal XXXII 5. I acknowledg'd my Sin unto thee and mine Iniquity have I not hid While he kept silence or did not confess his Sin his Bones were vex'd his Heart was disquieted But upon a free and full Confession to God his Spirit was calm'd and he could look through his Penitential Tears with Hope to God's Mercy-Seat God requires this Confession in order to Forgiveness Jer. III. 12 13. Return O backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine Anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord only acknowledge thine Iniquity c. And if we confess our sin the Apostle tells us God is faithful and just to forgive them 1 John I. 9. And the more free and particular we are in our
it the daily Burden of your Hearts that you inwardly sanctifie God no more and glorifie him so little in the World Are your Thoughts Desires Opinions and and Designs chang'd The Bent of your Souls and the Course of your Lives altered Can you say My Heart is inclin'd to keep thy Statutes always even to the end Psal CXIX 112. I esteem all his Commandments concerning all things to be right and am desirous to know the whole Will of God that I may do it And if in particular Instances by Temptation you turn out of the Way and contract Guilt are you restless and uneasie 'till you return to God Can you say with the Psalmist I have kept the Way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from him for all his Judgments were before me and I did not put away his Statutes from me I was also upright before him and kept my self from mine Iniquity Psal XVIII 21 22 23. I confess as to Sins that by the Temperament and Constitution of the Body we are more inclin'd and tempted to than to other Sins a Total Victory is not to be expected so as in no Degrees to fall into such Sins after Repentance Take heed in such Cases that you rise again speedily by Repentance that you walk softly and humbly and that the principal Tendency of your Repentance and Prayer be against those Sins And you will gradually get Strength against 'em So as to say that no Iniquity hath Dominion over you that you are not the willing Servants of Sin so as to love it and deliberately to allow it but the Desire of your Soul is to be freed from it to have Sin subdu'd as well as forgiven III. What can you say as to the Receiving Loving and Prizing of Christ by whom we have Forgiveness Have you heartily Accepted of him in all his Offices as offered in the Gospel Assenting to his Doctrine as a Teacher sent from God and our great Prophet Relying on his Sacrifice and Mediation as our great High-Priest And subjecting to him as Lord and Ruler This is Receiving him as Christ Jesus the Lord. This is an Honour due to him for the Pardon and Salvation he hath procured for us And God hath made it necessary to our Interest in the Benesits of his Death Do we assent to the Doctrine of Salvation reveal'd and publish'd by Christ and attested from Heaven as certainly true That Jesus is the Christ of God and Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Hereupon are we brought to trust to the Mercy of God in Christ in Hopes of his Salvation which is freely tendred unto Sinners in the Gospel Do we subject our selves entirely to him as one whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins Resolving to be sway'd by his Authority and rul'd by his Direction and follow him as our Captain and Commander Guide and Saviour as long as we live Endeavouring in Heart and Life to be well pleasing in his Sight that whether we live or dye we may be His If your Sins are forgiven 't is for Christ's sake Consider what Application have you ever made to him for the cleansing Virtue of his Blood Since if you are washed if you are pardoned it must be through the Blood of the Lamb have you look'd to him whom you have pierced and mourn'd and been in Bitterness for him as one that is in Bitterness for his first born Zac. XII 10. Have you lookt upon a Crucify'd Saviour Bleeding Groaning Dying for Sin to reconcile us to God and turn us from our Iniquities Have you been answerably affected with the Sufferings of Christ and improv'd thereby in your Hatred of Sin IV. What Thankfulness to God and what Love to Jesus Christ the Redeemer doth the Hope of Forgiveness excite in you You read how the Penitent in the Gospel Loved much because much was forgiven Luke VII 47. How did St. Peter appeal to Christ after the Forgiveness of his Sin Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee Your Love to Christ and every thing that relates to him will be a good Argument of the Forgiveness of Sin For having Peace with God the Love of Christ is shed abroad in our Hearts How have your Hearts been affected with Thankfulness to God for the Riches of his Grace in this Forgiveness For the Purchase of it for the Offer of it and for any good Hope of your special Interest in it What admiring Thoughts have you of the Height and Depth Length and Breadth of the Love of God in Christ to lost Sinners With what Thoughts do you Consider the Curse of the Law the Terrors of Death the Power of Satan and the Wrath of God From all which you are deliver'd by Christ With what Affection do you Contemplate the Innumerable Glorious Priviledges Benefits and Blessings that accompany this Forgiveness With what Admiring Love to the Redeemer do you from time to time review his Condescension and Humiliation How low he stoopt and how readily How great things he suffered and how willingly Even to drink the Dregs of that bitter Cup which but to taste of would have made Men and Angels stagger into Hell With what Frame of Spirit can you consider Christ offer'd upon the Cross for you making his Soul a Ransom for you When you Consider with particular Application to your selves He gave himself for me shed his precious Blood for me O my Soul 't was that I might escape Condemnation that I might be reconcil'd to God that my Crimson and Scarlet Sins might be pardoned that my Guilty Polluted Miserable Soul might be restor'd to the Image of God and Communion with him What Affections what Joy have you from such Thoughts Especially at the Lord's-Table when you consider his Body broken for you his Blood shed for the Remission of your Sins wounded for your Transgressions bruised for your Iniquities that by his Stripes you might be healed V. Moreover How are you affected with the Sins that you hope God hath pardon'd Do your Souls melt with a Godly Sorrow for those Crimes that you hope are forgiven What penitent Mourning doth the Psalmist express in Psal 51. which was penn'd after God assur'd him that his Adultery and Murder should be forgiven and after the Prophet had told him The Lord hath put away thy Sin O Lord have Mercy upon me and wash me and cleanse me and blot out my Transgression Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this Evil in thy Sight c. What Influence hath God's free Mercy in pardoning Sin upon you as to Shame and Sorrow for it Doth the Thoughts that after all thy Provocations God will be reconciled humble and shame thee the more To this purpose you know the Holy Spirit is promised in the Times of the Gospel Ezek. XVI 63. That thou may'st remember and be confounded and never open thy Mouth any more
below Heaven The Riches of his Grace in Christ to Sinners 't is call'd the unsearchable Riches of Christ HOw admirable are the Dimensions of Divine Grace and Love mention'd by the Apostle Eph. III. 19. where he speaks of the Length Breadeth Heigth and Depth of the Love of God in Christ which passeth Knowledge First It 's Breadth reaching unto Jew and Gentile Circumcision and Uncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond and Free Poor and Rich. The Vilest and Chiefest of Sinners are not exempted Mercy is extended to all sorts of Persons and Cases 'T is Grace and Love wider than all our Necessities and Miseries Sins and Wants Secondly The Length of it from Everlasting to Everlasting reaching to Sinners that were at the greatest Distance bringing those nigh that are afar off and calling those home who are wandering and gone off so as one might have thought they should never return Thirdly The Depth of that Love and Grace is unsearchable Unless we understood the Depth of that Misery and Ruine into which we were sunk by our Rebellion against God and are deliver'd from by his pardoning Mercy unless we understood the Horror of that Hell of Wrath which our Sins deserve and the Extremity of those Agonies and Torments which our Blessed Redeemer underwent for our Deliverance unless we knew the Power of God's Wrath and the Intollerable Endless Misery of lost Souls we cannot fully understand the Depth of this Love Fourthly The Height of it is also unsearchable 'T is as high as Heaven to which it will bring us And beyond our reach to understand unless we knew the infinite Blessedness of the Heavenly Glory which it cannot now enter into our Hearts to conceive as well as the Infinite Misery of Condemned Sinners in the Bottomless Pit We can no more tell the Height than the Depth of this Grace of God in thus pardoning Sinners But to help you a little to some more distinct Considerations of this let me name a few Things First That none doth or can so freely pardon and forgive as God doth Secondly None so continually Thirdly So fully FOurthly So indifferently and without respect of Persons Fifthly None so tenderly and affectionately and with such Bowels of Compassion and Tender Kindness as God doth First None so freely If we are brought to forgive those that have wrong'd us 't is commonly on the Entreaty and Intercession of some Friends who have Interest in us and Power over us and this after great Submissions of the Offender So that 't is rather from some External Motives and Inducements than from our own Kind and Generous Inclinations But 't is otherwise when we are pardon'd by God Isa XLIII 23. I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for my own sake I 'le not remember thy Sins any more Hos XIV 4. I will heal their Backslidings and love them freely Nothing of our Prayers and Tears Submissions and Humiliations nothing we can do or suffer can make the least Compensation to the Justice of God for the Contempt and Dishonour we have cast on him by Sin There 's nothing but the Free-Grace of God in Christ to be ey'd to be pleaded to be trusted to and depended upon In this Case there is no Difference between such as are forgiven and such as are left under Damning Guilt but what is made by the Free-Grace of God Secondly None so continually He encourages and commands us to beg daily Forgiveness as well as daily Bread He renews his pardoning Mercy every Day and every Hour We soon come to the End of our Pity and are quickly tyr'd in forgiving Injuries against our selves But while we live we shall stand in need of Forgiveness from God And this is our Comfort that if we sin we have an Advocate with the Father who maketh continual Intercession for us and so we hope for continual daily renewed Pardon Thirdly None doth or can pardon so compleatly and fully He blotteth out our Transgressions so as to remember them no more he casts them behind his Back throws them into the Depths of the Sea Many other Blessings he bestows and lends us for a time and then calls for them again but this Forgiveness of Sin is one of those Mercies that are Irrevocable and without Repentance We may be without the Knowledge of an Interest in his pardoning Mercy we may lose the Sense of it and forfeit the Comfort of it but if we are reconciled to God united to Christ and brought under the Bond of the Everlasting Covenant tho' he may chasten us as a Father and visit our Iniquities with Stripes he will not disinherit us or cast us out of his Family His Covenant Favour and Kindness shall never depart his Covenant of Peace shall never be removed Isa LIV. 9. This is as the Waters of Noah which shall never return to overflow the Earth Fatherly Love may be angry but will not turn to Hatred Fourthly None doth or can pardon so Indifferently without respect of Persons Not only lesser Sinners who repent but the Vilest not only of such a Nation but of any Nation not only such as have sinned thus long unto such a Degree but if beyond all ordinary Bounds and Measures Let the Wickedness and Unrighteousness Vileness and Filthiness and Aggravations of Sin be what they will If you return to God by Christ he will abundantly pardon This should magnifie the Riches of his Grace to some of you who are interested in this Forgiveness Lord How is it that my Sins are pardon'd when others not greater Sinners than I have dyed in their Sins and are undone for ever How is it that I am pardon'd and others that have not been so Vile shall never be forgiven How is it that I have been forgiven and Others that were my Companions in Sin were left to Impenitence and Hardness of Heart That many of better Parts of more Wit of more Learning of larger Capacities and bettter accomplishd'd for Usefulness and Service are left to go on in Sin to their own Destruction and thy Grace has open'd my Eyes and soften'd my Heart and made me sensible of Sin and so to value a Redeemer to seek him receive him accept him c. Fifthly None with such Tenderness and Compassion All the Bowels of Parents are Stone and Adamant in comparison with his We read of his Delighting in Mercy and of his Tender Mercies and Loving Kindnesses of his Rejoycing over us to do us good with his whole Heart and whole Soul Jer. XXXII 41. Goodness and Love is his very Nature for God is Love He pities us more than any the most Tender Parent ever did a Miserable Child Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity Transgression and Sin and passeth by the Transgression of his Remnant because he delighteth in Mercy Micah VII 19. All the Application I shall make of this shall be to endeavour to bring it home to the Case of particular Persons in Answer to some Objections For
and Call to Repentance that Where Sin hath abounded Grave shall much more abound Fifthly He will have Mercy and will abundantly pardon let him consider the Certainty of this and thereupon Return We may here Observe That the great Motive and Encouragement which puts Sinners on forsaking their Evil Wayes and turning to God is a sensible Apprehension that there is Mercy and Forgiveness to be had There could be no Repentance without it nor would it be required of us as a Duty to repent and return if there were no Forgiveness with God Sixthly Besides the General Encouragement of finding Mercy with God here is the special kind of Mercy which the Sinner needs and that is Pardon I may here Observe That pardoning Mercy to returning Sinners is Mercy indeed of all others the most suitable and most welcome Seventhly That God will not only show Mercy to Returning Sinners but he will abundantly pardon 'em he will multiply Pardons I. First That if ever Sinners find Mercy with God they must forsake their Evil Ways The ordinary Course of any Man's Life is very fitly called his Way that which is his ordinary Practice his daily Walk Accordingly we read of the Way of a Sinner and the Path of the Wicked and the Way of Evil Men This is often call'd our own Way in Opposition to the Way of Truth and Righteousness which is called the Way of the Lord or God's Way Because he directs and approves it and enables us to walk in it and rewards us for so doing And this is the great difference between the Righteous and the Wicked Their Course and Way is different A good Man may make a false Step he may stumble or step out of the way in a particular Instance but he doth not work Iniquity doth not walk in the way of the Ungodly his Course and Conversation for the main of it is otherwise And 't is not for one or two particular Actions good or bad that a Man 's to be denominated a good or wicked Man but from his ordinary Course of Life If that be wicked he must forsake it or never find Mercy with God And this must be done heartily and unfeignedly speedily and without delay impartially and universally with full purpose of Heart to persevere and never again return to Folly Without this there can be no Converse with God nor Communion with him Wash ye make ye clean put away the Evil of your Doings then come and let us reason together Isa I. 16 17. 'Till this be resolv'd upon and begun you are Impenitent and so abominable in the sight of God For certainly God wil lnto dishonour his Perfections contradict his Word and prostitute his Grace to justifie the Ungodly while they continue such without desiring resolving and endeavouring to forsake their Evil Ways Where-ever Christ is a Saviour to give Remission of Sin he does also give them Repentance Acts V. 31. II. Secondly That 't is not enough for one who expects to find Mercy with God to reform his Practices and forsake his Evil Wayes but he must be inwardly sanctify'd his Heat renewed his very Thoughts changed Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous Man his thoughts c. His Thoughts especially his False Unjust Unrighteous Thoughts of God whereof Sinners have very many Here the Change must be because the Heart is the principal Seat of Sin or Grace of Sincerity or Hypocrisie It is in the inward Thoughts and Affections of the Heart that Sanctification or Carnality doth principally discover it self 'Till the Fountain be cleansed the Streams will be polluted The unsanctify'd Heart is the Source of Evil Thoughts Words and Actions Wash thy Heart O Jerusalem how long shall vain Thoughts lodge in thee As a man thinketh in his heart so is he Prov. XXIII 7. The Thoughts of the wicked or wicked Thoughts they are Abomination in the sight of God Prov. XV. 26. And 't is the Design of the Gospel and the Glory of it beyond all the Philosophy in the World to bring our Thoughts into Obedience to Christ While any Wickedness is indulged and allowed in the Heart and Thoughts no outward Reformation as to our Behaviour before the World no Abstinence from gross Pollutions and Disorders in the Life will denominate us truly Penitent or give us Hopes of finding Mercy with God While we regard Iniquity in our Hearts while the Heart goes after Covetousness Filthiness or any allowed Lust Uunless the Thoughts be chang'd as well as the outward Course unless the Heart be sanctify'd as well as the Conversation reform'd there is no Forgiveness You know the Woe which our Saviour denounc'd against the Pharises on this Account Mat. XXIII 25. whom he characteriz'd as Hypocrites because they made clean the outside of the Cup and Platter but within were full of Extortion and Excess that like whited Sepulchers they appear'd Beautiful outward but were within full of dead Mens Bones and all Uncleanness III. Thirdly Observe further That 't is not enough to turn from Sin and Wickedness in Heart and Life but if you would find Mercy with God you must return unto the Lord. To clear this Consider That we are departed and gone off from God by Sin both as he is our Chief Good and Sovereign Lord We have abandon'd and forsaken him as our Portion and Felicity and as he is our Lord and Ruler 'T is necessary therefore that we return to him so as to value his Favour as our very Life place all our Happiness in his Love and Likeness observe his Orders and endeavour to please him that we design his Honour and make it our Business to glorifie him and be entirely devoted to him as our Ultimate End Without resolving on this there 's no ground to expect Mercy in the Pardon of the least Sin and upon this we may hope for Forgiveness of the greatest Men may break off a Course of Notorious Open Wickedness upon various and different Motives and then take up with a Negative Religion without returning to God They may satisfie themselves that now they don't commit the like Crimes as formerly they may think it enough that they are not as bad as others are or as once they were themselves But this is not sufficient if they are destitute of Love to God if they are not careful to please him if his Glory be not their End if they do not eye his Authority if they are not chiefly conconcern'd to be accepted with him if they do not choose him as the Portion of their Soul and by an entire Resignation of themselves make him Lord of all to govern their Actions by the Counsels of his Word and to dispose and order their Conditions by his most Wise and Holy Providence Such a turning to the Lord must be joyn'd with forsaking of Sin IV. Fourthly Let the Wicked and Unrighteous forsake the Evil of his Heart and Wayes and turn to the Lord and he shall find Mercy I Observe That
as long as His Word abides faithful and the Covenant of Grace is everlasting and unrepeal'd and the Offers of God's Grace are repeated as long as there 's a New Proclamation of Mercy made in the Name of Christ tho' all the former have been despised you may Now come in and find Mercy and be accepted Now. For every New Offer of God's Grace doth carry in it the Offer and Promise of the Pardon of all your former Refusals if you will Now consent The Promise is as free and the peformance of it as sure now as ever You may come in Now and be pardon'd and sav'd upon as free and gracious Terms as several years agoe 'T is still without Money and without Price Your Unbelief and Obstinacy so long does not raise the Price nor alter the Terms Therefore plead the Riches of his Free-grace and do it the more thankfully and humbly the Viler you have been saying Lord thy Mercy will be the more honour'd thy Free-grace will be the more magnify'd and exalted in the Conversion and Forgiveness of such a Wretch in the purging such a defiled Soul in the healing such a Leper in the pardoning so many and great Transgressions And 't is often Observ'd that such Sinners when they return to God have the Advantage of others upon several Accounts wherein God is more glorify'd by them As that usually they admire the Grace of God more than others love God and Christ more walk more humbly with God are more Charitable Tender and Compassionate to other Christians and are usually more watchful and circumspect for the Time to come and more afraid of falling And commonly they are more abundant in Service for the Honour of God more entirely devoted to him more zealous for his Glory more of a Publick Spirit more ready to do and to suffer any thing for his sake As this tends to the Honour of God so it may be pleaded in Prayer Object But before I close this I must obviate or answer an Objection or two more I may suppose some will say That after all there 's no finding Mercy and Forgiveness with God without Faith in Jesus Christ and I can't for my Heart believe in Christ that he will receive me I cannot perswade my self that such a one as I should be accepted What shall the Invaluable Purchase of the Death of Christ belong to me be bestowed on me if you 'd give me all the World I can't believe that such a Wretch as I have been shall find Mercy You don't know how I have affronted dishonour'd despis'd and disobey'd him I have abus'd his Grace at that dreadful Rate that you cann't imagine the Aggravtion of my Sins or the Sadness of my Case I can't believe that he will ever forgive me receive me justifie me and glorifie me I can't believe it and if I can't believe in Christ I can't be saved by him Answ I Answer Don't mistake the Nature of saving Faith You say you can't believe and you have no Faith Whereas at the bottom you mean no more than this that as yet you are not certain of Salvation you have no Assurance But are you willing to receive Christ Jesus as offer'd in the Gospel Hath the Spirit of God so far convinc'd you of your sinful miserable state that you heartily consent to be saved by Christ in his own Way and upon his own Terms Are you willing to take him as your Teacher Saviour and Lord Are you brought to depend and trust entirely upon the Mercy of God in Jesus Christ as the only Mediator between God and Man To relye upon his Sacrifice and meritorious Righteousness as your only Refuge and Hope Desiring to be found in him alone to be accepted of God only in the Beloved and are truly willing and as far as you know your own Hearts are resolv'd to follow him as the Captain of your Salvation where ever he shall lead you in hope of his purchased and promised Grace and Glory This is Faith and dare you say that there 's nothing of this that appears in the Temper of your Spirits Secondly If you can't with any Confidence say this yet the Case is hopeful if you are in the number of convinced awakened sensible Sinners Are you sensible of your Ignorance Poverty Guilt Impurity Bondage Unrighteousness c. and that you need Christ as a compleat Saviour to be made of God unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption to expiate Sin by his Blood and to subdue it by his Spirit to reconcile us to God and begin that blessed Union and Communion here which shall be compleat in Heaven And this comprehends our whole Salvation Christ is the Saviour of Sinners and of such who are lost who apprehend themselves to be so without his help that feel their Sins and their Wants he came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance And is a Physitian not to the Whole but to the Sick He calls and cures not the Proud but the Humble not the Full but the Hungry not the Rich but the Poor not the Free but the Captive who are sensible of their Bonds not the Righteous but Sinners And he makes you by his Spirit thus humble empty hungry and sensible of Sin that you may look to him as the great Reconciler sensible of the need of Pardon If it be thus you may then look for Redemption through the Blood of Jesus even the Forgiveness of Sins Feeling your need of Sanctification you may look to be wash'd and cleans'd and sanctify'd in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by his Spirit feeling your want of Strength to do and suffer the Will of God you may look to Christ to enable you to do all things Now one that is not fully satisfy'd and assur'd that Christ will save him may yet be brought to this frame How is it with you as to this Thirdly Let me ask you further under the Sense of being Vile and Hainous Sinners are you brought earnestly to desire the Mercy of God in Christ and diligently to seek after him Tho' you sometimes fear he will not accept you yet do you not neglect to pray to him What would you not give that you might be interested in God's pardoning Mercy and accepted in Christ Are not your greatest Fears and Concern with respect to this lest he should reject you Are not the strongest Desires of your Souls after this that he would receive you And is it thus not only at a Pinch in Affliction and Trouble as to Outward Affairs or on a sick Bed but in Health and Prosperity Is this the Language of your Souls I have Health and Friends and Money and Credit and many Outward Blessings beyond others I want nothing for my Body or for my Comfortable Passage through this World But I am yet a miserable Creature if I am under the Guilt of Sin if God be not reconcil'd to me O that I were clear as to this what would
himself Forgive us like a God not according to our Knowledge but His own And as He is greater than our Hearts to know much more against us than we can remember against our selves so He is greater than our Hearts to forgive even those Faults which our Hearts and Consciences do not Recollect He knows the Value of Christ's Blood and Merits to Forgive all our Sins And by unfeigned Faith we are interested in the Virtue of it God hath more Thoughts of Mercy in him than we have had of Rebellion against him Psal XL. 5. Thy Thoughts to us-ward speaking of his Thoughts of Mercy are more than can be numbred They have been from Everlasting and reach to Everlasting whereas 't is but as of yesterday that the oldest Sinner began to rebel against God There is no Comparison And this leads to the Last Observation from those Words He will abundantly Pardon Last Obs That God will not only show Mercy to Returning Sinners so as to Forgive them but He will abundantly Pardon He will Multiply Forgivenesses The Apostle speaks of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that it was exceeding abundant towards him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus 1 Tim. I. 14. superlative superabundant Grace not only sufficient for the Pardon of his Sins but of multitudes more besides And accordingly in other places we read not only of the Grace of God in Forgiveness but of his abounding Grace of the Riches of his Grace Yea of the Exceeding Riches of his Grace Ephes I. 6 7. and this joyn'd with tender Mercies with Loving Kindness and with Multitudes of Mercies And here I may show First In what Respects God will abundantly Pardon Returning Sinners Secondly Consider what Reason we have to believe it and be firmly perswaded of it Thirdly What is the Abuse of this Blessed Doctrine Fourthly I shall assist you to make a Right Improvement of it First In what respects God promiseth Abundantly to Pardon or to Multiply Forgivenesses And this I might show as to Persons and as to Things First If we Consider the Extent of Forgiveness as to Sins With Reference to Time and Place and Persons c. As to Time from the first Promise of the Seed of the Woman made soon after the Fall to the End of the World this door of Mercy is open for Returning Sinners As to Places The Gospel is appointed to be Preach'd to every Creature in every part of the World Neither Jew nor Gentile Bond nor Free Barbarian or Scythian are excepted The Gospel of Grace by Christ Jesus is every where the Power of God to Pardon and Salvation unto all that believe As to Persons none shall Perish for want of a sufficient Price for their Ransom for want of a sufficient Satisfaction to the Justice of God But where-ever the Everlasting Gospel is preached He that Believeth shall be saved Whoever will may come and take of the Waters of Life freely Whoever will Accept of the Mercy of Christ upon the holy Terms of the Gospel shall receive Remission of Sins Joh. III. 10. God hath so Loved the lost World that Whosoever Believeth on Christ shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Joh. XII 46 47. I am come saith our Lord a Light into the World that Whosoever Believeth in me should not abide in darkness If any Man hear my Words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to Judge the World but to save the World 1 Joh. II. 2. He is a Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but for the Sins of the whole World And when we Consider what sort of Persons even the chiefest and vilest of Sinners many of those have been who have been Pardon'd and received to Mercy We must needs say there is no Respect of Persons with God as to this Matter And there are a great Multitude of these considered in themselves For even of Martyrs and Confessors that came out of great Tribulation and had washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb there is a Vast Multitude such as none could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues Rev. VII 9 14. Secondly He doth abundantly Pardon considering the Sins forgiven He is a God pardoning Iniquity Transgression and Sin i.e. Sins of all sorts Let the Kinds Numbers Repetitions Aggravations be what they will There is a Multitude of tender Mercies to forgive and abundant Vertue in the Blood of Christ to cleanse from all Sin If the multitude of Transgressions could make a Pile as high as from Earth to Heaven God's pardoning Mercy is above the Heavens His Thoughts are above ours in this matter of Forgiveness as far as the Heavens are above the Earth No Sin but final Impenitence Ungodliness and Unbelief is shut out from Pardon for the Sin against the Holy Ghost is attended with that and therfore never to be forgiven And as to Sins after Repentance and Pardon God hath promised to multiply Forgivenesses to heal Backslidings and therfore invites Men to return with a Promise of Pardon Return ye backsliding Children and I will heal your Backslidings In some early Days of the Christian Church the Novatian Doctrine spread that denies Repentance and Pardon to Sins after Baptism upon which Account 't is thought many good Men delay'd their Baptism as long as they could that they might not defile their Garments after they were washed It seem'd to have taken its Rise from the Misunderstanding of Heb. 6. the Beginning But any such Doctrine as would discourage Men's Repentance and return to God after they have sinned must needs be of very dangerous Consequence to the Souls of Men. I confess it is a dismal Symptom to fall often into wilful Sin to repent and then sin again to repent and sin in a Circle This rather argues an Intention of sinning again than a Design of leaving it But for such as have return'd to God and been forgiven and yet by the Power of Temptation have afterwards fallen there is great Encouragement for their Return and Ground to hope for Forgiveness For if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the Righteous who was a Propitiation for our Sins If any Man sin 't is not to encourage to sin but to prevent Despair after the Commission of it And since we are to forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us it would never have been made our Duty to forgive our Offending Brother once and again Yea unto seventy times seven if there were no Mercy with God for Returning Backsliders You are allowed and commanded in such a Case to return to God and to sue out your Pardon and you ought to believe you shall find Welcome and that your Backslidings shall be healed There is need of urging this because Sins after Repentance and after Vows and Resolutions and Sacraments c. not only defile but disturb the
Confession of Sin to God so much the better This cannot be without a Holy Sorrow and Shame in the Remembrance of your past Folly your Sinfulness and Pollution your Ingratitude and Rebellion against God and not meerly upon the Account of any Penal Afflictive Consequences by which you have smarted For Godly Sorrow will distinguish it self by the Principles and Motives of it to be another thing than meerly bowing down the Head under the Burthen of Affliction There will be a Holy Shame and Confusion of Face in the sense of what you have done and what you have deserv'd so as to tremble at the Thought of committing the like Sins again and to fear the Temptations that might draw you to it and make you reckon every Burden of Affliction tolerable in comparison of the Burden of Sin Considering what we have done and against whom we have sinned Considering what a foolish Choice we have made what Grace we have slighted what Mercies we have abused and how unworthily we have behaved our selves to God our Owner Maker and Sovereign and unto Christ our Saviour and Redeemer and unto the Holy Spirit who hath been striving with us Hereupon we condemn our selves and beg that God would not condemn us we are made sensible of our Unworthiness of the least Favour and as the Prodigal or Publican beg free Mercy Owning his Righteousness if he should deny it Thus judging our selves we justifie God and hereby give Glory to him This will make his Mercy the more welcome and our Prayers the more Earnest Such a Sence of Sin we must carefully improve to encrease our Hatred of it Resolutions to forfake it and Endeavours against it for the future To promote and preserve Humility and a low Esteem of our selves and entire Submission to all the Word and Will of God To help us to perform every Duty and joyn in every Ordinance with more Meekness and Self-abasement and to bear every Affliction as deserving a thousand times worse than we ever yet suffer'd This will make us feel more our need of Christ for Pardon and sanctifying Grace and make us have daily Recourse to him for the Influence of his Blood and Spirit And it will make us ready upon any just Occasion to confess our Sins to Men also if it appear to be for the Honour of God that we do so this will make us more compassionate toward Others who have fallen by Temptation This will raise our Thankfulness for every little Favour for every beginning of Mercy for every thing of Grace that we do or may receive from God And cause us readily to embrace and welcome the Gospel Discovery and Revelation of God's Forgiveness of Sin This serious Conviction of our Guilt and Folly will make us own our selves the Chiefest of Sinners as knowing the special Aggravations of our own Sins beyond what we know of Others I do not know as to other Men their Advantages or Disadvantages Helps or Hindrances by Education Knowledge Admonition Counsel Afflictions and special Obligations as I do my own I do not know the Strength the Urgency the Importunity of their Temptations whether if I had the like I might not have been as bad or worse I do not know the Force and Power of Bodily Constitution inclining 'em strongly to some Sins I do not know whether their Sins have been committed upon such small Temptations as many of mine have been Or whether against so many Motions of God's Spirit or whether they continued so long without Repentance or against so many Helps to repent I do not know whether there was so much of Wilfulness and Deliberation in Other Men's Sins as I know there hath been in my own I cannot tell but as to other Mens Faults there may be something to lessen to extenuate to mitigate their Guilt that doth not appear It may be their Principles and Intentions were not so bad and there was more of Infirmity more of Mistake and Error more of Weakness and Surprize in their Sins than I know there was in ' mine I may hope they did it ignorantly or but seldom or that the Consequence is not so bad as to God's Dishonour and the Mischief done to others I may hope a great deal of what I hear of their Crimes may be false or that God hath given them Repentance tho' I know it not And have Reason to consider as to several that they have otherwise many Excellent Qualifications many Useful and Valuable Things in 'em for which they ought to be esteem'd And so judging charitably of others with serious Scrutiny into our selves we shall see Reason to own our selves the Chiefest of Sinners Such an humble Sense of our sinful Vileness is a part of true Repentance and an Evidence of Forgiveness II. We cannot suppose this without Forsaking of Sin to which the Promise of Pardon is made If God hath forgiven you he enables you by his Spirit to walk in his Ways to strive and watch and pray against those Sins which with a Godly Sorrow you have confess'd and bewail'd so that you stand in Awe of God's Authority and allow your selves in no wilful known Sin or in any Negligent Omissions of positive plain Duty but endeavour to walk in all his Commandments blameless However because of the Imperfection of this in the Best Examine what Conflicts you have what Opposition you make against Sin by Renewed Spiritual Principles Is it the Desire Care and Endeavour of your Souls to have the Power of Indwelling Sin weakned and the Habits of Grace strengthned and your Obedience more Uniform Endeavouring to grow in Grace especially in that Grace which is contrary to your particular Sin and Corruption Is there an Earnest Desire and Constant Resolution and Endeavour to bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance The Wicked must forsake his Way and the Vnrighteous Man his Thoughts if God doth abundantly pardon And to forsake it is more than a bare Refraining from Sin he must give over all Acquaintance with it and watch continually against it Whosoever retains any one Beloved Darling Sin cannot be said to forsake Sin tho' he refrain from all others He must forsake it so as to return to God and walk in a contrary Path. It must be forsaken as to the Affection and Love of it as well as the Outward Practice Then we forsake Sin indeed when we loath it and hate it and carefully watch against it As a Man is said to forsake his Meat not when he cannot get it or come by it but when he has no Stomach to it so doth he forsake his Lusts not when he hath no Opportunity but when he hath no Affection when there is an Habitual Enmity in his Heart against it and a constant Care in the Life to avoid it Is there no Sin but you are desirous to know and part with Do you love the Holy Image of God wherever you discern it and labour after a greater Conformity to the Divine Life Is
because of thy shame when I am pacify'd toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord. Is this the Language of your Hearts He might have condemn'd me to Hell long agoe but through the Precious Blood of Jesus I have Hopes of Forgiveness O what an Ungrateful Wretch have I been What Love have I despised Against whom have I sinned How have I rebell'd against the God of Love and Grace and griev'd his good Spirit Against what Bowels of Mercy have I spurn'd I am astonished at the Mercy of God in Christ offer'd to such a Rebel as I am I am confounded at my own Vileness that such Hainous Iniquities should be blotted out that such numberless Iniquities should be forgiven that after I had so often and so long and so wilfully turn'd my Back upon him he should yet call after me and say I am he behold I am he that bletteth out thy Transgression for my own Name sake and will remember thy sins no more That when God saw me and might have punished me might have made me an Example of his Justice here or might have sent me quick to Hell or might have left me unto Hardness of Heart to treasure up Wrath against the Day of Wrath that he should freely forgive me all and be graciously reconcil'd to me and speak Pardon and Peace to my Soul O Wretch that I have been O Abominable Sinner I abhor my self in Dust and Ashes We find this Exemplify'd in the Temper and Spirit of those to whom the Mercy and Grace of God is discovered especially in the Apostle Paul He aggravates his Sin and owns himself the Chiefest of Sinners and never more so than when he is thinking and speaking of Christ's Coming into the World to save Sinners and how wonderfully he called him and show'd Mercy to him Read this at large 1 Tim. I. 14 15 16 17. And the sight of God's Mercy and Sense of his Pardon is in it self proper to raise an Admiration of Free Grace and to humble the Soul before God It is proper to encrease our Detestation of Sin and make us loath our selves That which raiseth our Love to God must needs raise our Hatred of Sin and Sorrow for it Now Faith will make us Love much in the Sence of having much Forgiven Besides the Inseperable Connection between Faith and Repentance will evidence this We shall never adore the Love of Christ as a Redeemer delivering us from the Curse if we are not burden'd with the Weight of our Sins Nor shall we ever give God the Glory of his Justice without judging and condemning our selves by true Repentance Yet the more we see and apprehend of his Grace and Love in Forgiveness the more broken and contrite the more humbled and ashamed shall we be of our Sins against him VI. Lastly What can you say as to the Love of your Enemies and forgiving those who have injured and wronged you There is no better Evidence of God's forgiveness of your Trespasses than that he hath given you an Heart to forgive Others who have trespassed against you If it be upon a right Principle because God for Christ's sake hath pardon'd you and obliged you to forgive Others Lord Was there ever such a Distance between my Brother and me as my Sins have made between God and me Were the Injuries I resented from Others comparable to the Affronts I have offer'd to God and hath he freely for Christ's sake forgiven me What Influence hath such a Thought to cure and overcome the Ruggedness and Roughness of your Temper and Spirit towards Others If God hath pardon'd thee go and do likewise as to thy Brother For if you forgive not Men their Trespasses your Heavenly Father hath not and will not forgive you yours Mat. VI. 14. If you have a Rancorous Bitter Malicious Revengeful Spirit and will not forgive those that have wronged you how can you expect Forgiveness from God Do you then forgive those that have injured you as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you Heartily and without Dissembling Speedily and without Delay Frequently and Often without Limitation Even unto seventy times seven if our Brother offend that is so often as he doth And this Throughly and without Reserve without Exception or Equivocation without Remembring past Offences so as to bear them a Grudge This I grant is hard and difficult Work but the Spirit of Christ can enable us to do this 'T is the manifest Duty of such as are forgiven and it is a Sign and Evidence that they are so Hath God forgiven me my Scarlet and Crimson Sins and shall not I put up an Injury bear a Wrong endure a Reproach or an ill Turn from my Fellow Creature Shall I not in Obedience to Christ forgive him and pass it by By these things if Conscience be faithful you may be assisted to make a Judgment of your selves whether you are interested in this Forgiveness or no. And if your Sins have been many and great whether you may on good Grounds hope and say that God hath Abundantly Pardon'd THE Fourth Sermon ISAIAH LV. 9. For My Thoughts are not your Thoughts neither are your Ways My Ways saith the Lord. III. I Proceed to the Third General in this Passage viz. The annex'd Reason Verse the 9th why we ought to be fully satisfy'd and perswaded that God will thus receive Returning Sinners and abundantly pardon them because His Thoughts are not as ours nor his Ways as ours c. And here you may Consider First How this is Discover'd and Express'd by a Double Comparison of God's Thoughts with ours and his Ways with ours Secondly How 't is strongly argu'd by a most significant Similitude As far as the Heavens are above the Earth c. Thirdly The express Assurance of the Truth of all this from the Divine Testimony that is added Thus saith the Lord. That no Doubt may be made about it The whole of this may be compriz'd in these Three Particulars First That the Thoughts of God especially in the Dispensation of his Grace and Mercy to Returning Sinners are very different from our Thoughts and Transcendently above them as far as the Heavens are above the Earth Secondly That the Ways of God are unlike our Ways and Transcendently above them Thirdly That God's Testimony concerning his Thoughts and Ways of Grace and Mercy to Sinners ought to be credited and depended upon and is a sufficient Ground of Faith Thus saith the Lord being added 'T is the first I principally design that the Thoughts of God are not as ours but very unlike them and Transcendently above them as far as the Heavens are above the Earth This I shall Endeavour to Prove Confirm and Apply And here are two Things will need a little Explication First How the Thoughts of God are Different from ours not like them Secondly How they are Transcendently above them as far as the Heavens are above the Earth The First I shall consider more Generally The Second
in Rebellion against him a Wretched Criminal against the Lord of thy Life and the God of thy Mercies O how unlike are God's Thoughts to ours in this Respect Considering what our Thoughts are to those who have injur'd and offended us II. Secondly Consider your selves under Affliction and Suffering from the Hand of God and how different God's Thoughts and yours are in that Respect also First We presently conclude that 't is all from Anger and Wrath whereas God says Whom he loves he chastens and that 't is for our good and that we are dealt with as Sons and not as Bastards Heb. XII 5 6. Psal CXIX 75. Secondly We are pettish and froward peevish and perverse under the Rod of Affliction while God's Thoughts are Thoughts of Peace toward us When For the Iniquity of his Covetousness I was wroth because he had no Heart to do good with what I lent him saith God concerning Ephraim and I sote him he went on frowardly in the way of his own Heart Nevertheless I have seen his ways I will heal him I will lead him and restore Comfort to him Isa LVII 17 18. Thirdly We often under Affliction take every hiding of God's Face for an utter Rejection of us whereas God hath no such Thoughts He hath us still in his Eye and bears us on his Heart hath our Names graven on the Palmes of his Hand loves us still tho' he rebuke us and will convince us of it by seasonable Comforts and Deliverance Jer. XXXI 18 19 20. Is Ephraim my dear Son I have heard him bemoaning himself saith God thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the Yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Is he my dear Son or rather is he not so is he a pleasant Child is he not so still to me For since I spake against him I do remember him still therefore my Bowels are turned for him I will surely have Mercy upon him saith the Lord. Fourthly God's Thoughts are not as ours in respect of Affliciton as t othe Continuance of the Rod. We are often ready to sink and be dispirited and overwhelm'd in a Time of Darkness as if it would never be Light We are ready to give up all for lost and conclude that God is gone for ever and will be Merciful no more Saying Our Bones are dryed up our Hope is lost we are cut off for our parts Ezek. XXXVII 11. Whereas God's thoughts are otherwise he 'll make those dry Bones live and fetch them out of the Grave of Affliction His Thoughts are Thoughts of Peace to give us a Desired End Jer. XXIX 11. How many have thought and said in their Despair that God's Mercy was gone for ever concerning whom he hath manifested that his Thoughts are not as theirs Fifthly God's Thoughts are not as ours as to the End and Design which he aims at in our Affliction We think he intends not to refine but ruine not to purifie but destroy Whereas in Faithfulness he afflicts where he knows we need it to purge away our Dross and take away our Tin and to produce the Peaceable Fruits of Righteousness By this shall the Iniquity of Jacob be purged and this shall be the fruit of all to take away sin Isa XXVII 9. Do but wait a little and you 'l see how you have been mistaken in your Apprehensions of God and how his Thoughts have been unlike to yours II. Let us consider in the Second Place that God's Thoughts are not only different from ours but Transcendently above them as far and as high as the Heavens are above the Earth First as to the Kind and Nature of them First His THoughts of Grace and Kindness are of an unsearchable Depth O the Depth of the Riches of the Wisdom and the Knowledge of God! whose Ways of Mercy as well as Judgment are unsearchable and past our finding out Rom. XI 33. There is a Depth in them beyond the Line of Men and Angels to measure Psal XCII 5. O Lord how great are thy Works and thy Thoughts are very deep In the Revelation of God's Grace and Mercy to Sinners by the Gospel we read of the deep thigns of God such as Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither hath it entred in t othe Heart of Man to conceive 1 Cor. XI 1 Such Depths that amaze the very Angels to look into 1 Pet. I. 12. Secondly God's Thoughts of Love and Mercy are Absolute Soveraign and Independent 'T is all after the Counsel of his own Will and from the meer Good Pleasure of his Will This is the Source and Spring of all his Mercy and Forgiveness Thirdly God's Thoughts of Mercy are Faithful and Effectual ALl the Declarations of his Mercy shall be made good All the Promives of Grace shall be fulfilled All the Thoughts of his Love shall have their Effects O Lord I will exalt thee for thy Counsels of Old are Faithfulness and Truth Isa XXV 1. All his Ways are Mercy and Truth he keepeth Covenant and Mercy for ever Psal LXXXIX 28 29. Tho' he visit their Iniquities with the Rod yet his Loving Kindness will he not take from them nor suffer his Faithfulness to fail Therfore Fourthly It may be added that God's Thoughts are Vnchangeable but ours are Variable The Strength of Israel will not lye or repent He is not a Man that he should lye nor the Son of Man that he should repent 1 Sam. XV. 29. The Medicator of the New Covenant lives for ever to make Intercession for Sinners Fifthly His Thoughts of Mercy are infinitely Pure and infinitely Righteous We shall never fully understand the infinite Righteousness of God's Thoughts and Ways 'till the Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God He is Righteous in all his Counsels and in all his Works all his Ways are equal Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee The Psalmist tells us that God will carry on his Thoughts of Mercy and perfect his Grace and make it thrive and grow To show that he is upright and there 's no Vnrighteousness in him Psal XCII last Secondly God's Thoughts of Grace and Mercy are transcendently above ours in the Way and Manner of his dispensing his Grace and Mercy The Dispensation of his Love and Grace to Sinners is that which passeth Knowledge as to the Manner of it And when this Love is shed abroad in the Heart there is a Peace resulting from it which is better felt than exprest Something may be conceived and spoken but there 's a great deal which is above the reach of Words for we have no Line to measure it by no Scale in all the World to weigh it in We have nothing to compare it unto but falls unspeakably short No Kindness no Love no Charity or Affection of one Creature to another by which we can set it forth The nearest and dearest among Men is as much below this as Earth is
and watchful against Temptation and raise their Esteem and Value of the Blood of Christ and his constant Intercession in Heaven God hereby assists us to keep Conscience tender excites our Diligence after further Degrees of Mortification quickens us to press on by growth in Grace toward Perfection c. Moreover HIS Ways are above Ours in the Conversion of Sinners as to the Subjects he makes choice of as to the Season and Time of their Change as to the Means and Method by which it is Accomplish'd and brought about The Wind blows were it lists and the Holy Spirit by the Ministry oftentimes of weaker Minsters works powerfully and savingly in whom he will both to will and do of his own good Pleasure One is awaken'd convinced prick'd at the Heart by a Sermon Another in the same Seat under the same Sermon feels nothing Sometimes by a soft still Voice at other times by Thunder Sometimes the most Unlikely are taken and effectually called when others are left And this after many years delay and discouragement and no hopeful Prospect but the Contrary Some out of wicked Families converted others after strict and religious Education become and continue most Vile and Profligate What different Success hath the Gospel in some Places At some Times and to some Persons And at different Times in the same Place Tho' the same Messages and the same Preacher Sometimes on the weaker and more ignorant Sort and sometimes on the more Learned sometimes on elder Persons and often on Younger Who have discover'd much of the Grace of God betimes with less Advantage of Education than others And at the last Hour some Malefactors under a Sentence of Death 't is hop'd have been truly Penitent and Accepted as well as the Thief on the Cross Some by their own Afflictions some by the warning of other Men's Examples and byother Means as well as by the plain Preaching of the Word the ordinary Means HIS Ways also are above Ours in the Punishment of Men in this Life In making some Examples which were not greater Sinners then others as our Lord hath expresly told us Luke XIII He would not spare Job's Ten Children upon the Intercession and Prayer of their Righteous Father tho' we don't read that they were wicked when he would have spared many Thousands that were wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities of the Plain if there had been but Ten Righteous Persons among them HIS Ways are above Ours in bringing Good out of the Evil of Punishment and using wicked Instruments to accomplish other Ends and Purposes than they design'd The like might be said of Gods Ways in saving and delivering his People in extraordinary Dangers Tarrying till their Enemies are at the very height of their Wickedness and when there is least Prospect or Appearance which way Deliverance should come then to interpose by seasonable Salvation APPLICATION USE I. NO wonder then if we so often mistake in our Thoughts and Conceptions of the Ways and Works of God If they are so much above ours as Heaven is high above the Earth if they are unsearchable and beyond our reach that we can see but a little Part of his Ways do not understand the Connection and Dependance of one Part with the other or the Design of the whole His Way is in the Whirlwind the Clouds are the Dust of his Feet and his Footsteps are not known He hideth himself that we cannot see him Job XXXIII 7 8 9. Nah. I. 3. AS to his Ways of Grace and Mercy I have largely shown in the foregoing Sermons That he is more Gracious then we believe He is able to do he doth and will do more then we are able to ask or think Eph. III. 20. We think it may be he will never receive us after such and such Transgressions and yet he doth We thought he would never Pardon us and yet he hath forgiven We said in our Despair that he is gone and will never Return and yet the Light breaks out again and we have found it to our Comfort Secondly ARE his Ways so much above Ours what Reason have we to Reverence and Adore God in all his Ways and Works Believing his Wisdom Goodness and Truth we glorify God By crediting his Word trusting his Practice and following his Counsel and submitting to his Providence Tho' the Doctrine be very misterious the Providence very dark the Duty very Difficult and what is promised a great way off and to Sence unlikely The more we contemplate the Wonders of his Providence and Grace the higher Veneration shall we have for Him and Abase our Selves before his Glorious Majesty if we speak of Strength he is Strong if of Goodness he is Love if of Wisdom he is Wise the only Wise God 'T is unreasonable then to object against this Providence because we cannot comprehend the Wisdom and Justice of every Event We may object our Selves into Atheism and Infidelity if we will not adore his unsearchable Wisdom in the Government of the World His Judgments are a great Deep Psal XXXVI 6. 'T is in vain for us to pretend to go to the Bottom of them when he himself hath declared that they are Vnsearchable We should rather admire God and confess our own Ignorance when the great Apostle himself declares that Gods Ways are past our finding out Rom. XI 33. VVe may be certain that all he doth is agreeable to infinite VVisdom and Righteousness As long as we own him to be God we are sure he will do nothing Repugnant to those Perfections BESIDES he hath appointed a Day wherein he will satisfy all the VVorld by the Revelation of his Righteous Judgment In the mean time He doth great Things past our finding out and wonderful Things without Number XI Job 10. There are Depths and Misteries in Divine Providence that we must acknowledg to be Unsearchable Let us not then Censure what we cannot Understand what we cannot Fathom Is it strange that incomprehensible VVisdom should do incomprehensible Things VVe should not therfore enquire too curiously into the Secrets of his Providence nor determine any thing * See Dr. J. Barrow of the Unsearchableness of God's Judgments Rom. XI 33. Vol. III. Serm 23. Rashly concerningit which is not revealed to us VVE are well assur'd that he made the VVorld and yet there are many Questions about the VVorks of Creation that may puzzle the wisest and most diligent Enquirer So in the Government of the World there are many things above our reach and yet we may be assured an unerring VVisdom governs all VVe are so Ignorant and short Sighted and the Designs of God are so far beyond us and the Means he useth are oftentimes so Various and their Connection with his Design so much concealed from our weak Eyes that no wonder if we are often at a loss especially when all the Particulars of his VVorks of Providence that make up the Beauty of the whole are wonderfully interwoven together