him and will manifest my self unto him I beseech you to remember five passages 1. That men who make no conscience of their ways but walk licentiously and dissolutely they can never come to their assurance Isa 59. 8. The way of peace they know not Isa 57. 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Psal 119. 155. Salvation is far from the wicked for they seek not thy statutes 2. That the people of God for particular failings in a conscientious and careful walking have forfeited their assurance David did so Psal 51. 8 11 12. 3. That assurance is frequently promised to an upright conscientious careful walking Psal 11. 7. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright Psal 50 23. To him that ordereth his Conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God 4. That such persons have found abundance of joy and comfort 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with flesh wisdome but by the grace of God we had our Conversation Psal 119. 165. Great peace have they which love thy Law 5. That all persons that do thus walk and continue so to do although for some space of time they may not finde this assurance yet they shall at length enjoy it Psal 97. 11 Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart Simile The seed which is sown lies for a while under ground but at length it appears therefore you who desire to enjoy the pardon of your sins this do 1. Keep up a mourning heart for your sins 2. Enter into and keep on in the paths of righteousness follow on to know the Lord and ye shall know him Hosea 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. Fourthly An humble dependance upon the Lord graciously to work this comfortable An humble dependance upon God to work it in us assurance in our hearts although we be utterly unworthy thereof Psal 33. 21. Our hearts shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy Name As you can plead no worthiness of pardoning mercy so neither of the assurance thereof but only in Christ and therefore you must depend upon God who loveth freely and receiveth graciously that he according to his promise and for his Christs sake will make his face to shine upon you Go in peace your sins are forgiven you Vse 4 Doth the Lord promise to sprinkle clean water upon his people then do you whose hearts the Lord hath sprinkled with the assurance of the pardon of your You that have this assurance sins remember and heed a few things which do especially concern you First Be you exceedingly thankful indeed you cannot but be so if God hath Be thankful thus sprinkled your consciences to bring you into Covenant and to assure you that you are so to bring you into Covenant and to assure you that you are Christs to forgive you all your sins and to assure you thereof O how great how sweet is this goodness Mercy and the assurance of mercy love and the assurance of love a good estate and a comfortable estate life and the assurance of life heaven and the assurance of heaven this was the first desire of the Church Cant. 1. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than wine and this was the last desire of the Church â—ant 8. 13. Cause me to hear thy voice Assurance is the top of all our comfortable mercies and the top of all our desires Be chearful Secondly Be more chearful in your spiritual course when God gives you assurance Simile he doth as it were take the ring off his own finger and put it upon yours saith David Psal 105. 3. Let the heart of them rejoyce that seek the Lord. How joyful then should the hearts of them be that find the Lord When Simeon got Christ into his arms he rejoyced The possession of Christ and the evident fruition of pardon are matter of great joy walk like pardoned men and like a people assured of a reconciled God in Christ Thirdly Be very watchful no mercy must make us secure assurance it self must Be very watchful make us the more vigilant Christ was tempted after that voice came from heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And Pauls temptations were very strong after that he had been wrapt up into the third heaven Let me tell you two things and they may serve to make you watchful after your sweetest assurances 1. One is that still much of sinful corruption dwells in you though assurance doth for the present clear the mind of all doubts yet it doth not cleanse the heart of all sins 2. Another is that temptations usually attend assurances Satan is an enemy to our comforts as well as our graces and sometimes they prevail over us if they find us careless Fourthly Be very faithful and stedfast He will speak peace unto his people and to Be faithful his Saints but let them not turn again to folly Psal 85. 8. Sin should be most odious when mercy hath been most gracious O do not for a taste of sinful pleasures lose all the taste of most sweetest assurance sinnings do most provoke God and prove most bitter to us after the greatest experiences of Gods loving kindnesses Fifthly Be very fruitful the assured Christian of all others should be the tallest Be very fruitful Cedar the brightest Sun and most fruitful Vine Who should abound more in duty than he who hath found God most abounding to him in mercy I will say no more but this thy assurance was never right if it hath not made thee a more zealous friend for God and a more diligent servant to Christ and a more deadly enemy to sin Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh CHAP. VII Sanctification promised as well as Justification AS the former words contained the promise of Justification in the forgiveness of all the sins of all the people of God so these words do contain the promise of Sanctification in the renewing of all the hearts of all the people of God In them there are three things very observable First The Connexion of this promise with the former in that particle also also a new heart will I give unto you Secondly The Authour or undertaker of the particular good promised viz. God himself I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit within you Thirdly The very blessing here distinctly promised by God unto his people a new heart and a new spirit From these Parts there are three Propositions which I would briefly discourse upon I. That Sanctification is promised unto the people of God
given him yet he may lose the comfortable sight and feeling of it either by some great transgression or by his pride or by his covetousness c. O but do not lose the hive which hath so much honey by all means so preserve this favour and this mercy that still you may fetch joy and comfort and support from it and therefore when you have attained unto the forgiveness of your sins learn then 1. To walk humbly with your forgiving and reconciled God the more is forgiven the more cause of humility confessing still your unworthiness of so great a mercy and that God did forgive your sins not for your sake but for his own Name sake be not lifted up at all but remember still your own sins which God hath forgiven as Paul did and upon what gracious terms God forgave you Who am I said David I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies said Jacob. 2. To walk exactly before your forgiving God David saith in Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven Psal 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man in whose Spirit there is no guile and Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord. Ver. 3. They do no iniquity they walk in his wayes O that my wayes were so directed that I might keep thy statutes 3. To walk stedfastly with so good a God O that we could but attain one thing viz. to keep up that frame of spirit and that path or practice of walking which we found in our selves when God was pleased to let into our hearts the news that our sins were forgiven and that we could still continue so to walk with that thankfulness with that humbleness with that tenderness with that delightfulness with that enlargement then would our Sun still shine with strength then would our forgiveness still appear in sight and would afford unto us a long harvest of joyes and living springs of lastâ—ng comfort Fourthly Improve the forgiveness of your sins so as to be able in your distresses Improve it in distresses and tryals to draw comfortable conclusions from it and tryals to draw out and maintain such Conclusions every way as that mercy is a ground and Foundation for Quest You will say What might one conclude from this that God hath forgiven his sins Sol. I will mention some Conclusions which may infallibly be drawn from it viz. First You may conclude the seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies because God hath forgiven your sins which is the greater mercy if he fulfils his promise in the As The seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies greatest blessings surely he will not fail you in the least blessings as the Apostle argued He that spared not his own Son but delivered him to death for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. So say I hath the Lord freely pardoned thy sins questionless he will freely give thee other things will he deny thee food and rayment who hath given thee Christ and forgiveness if his love extend to the greatest of mercies will it fail and fly off for the least of mercies Secondly You may conclude that certainly you are his people and that the Lord That you are Gods people and he is your God is your God that you do stand in a near Relation unto him and that he stands in a near Relation unto you why so because forgivenesse of sins is the portion only of the people of God of such who are in Covenant with him A Prince may forgive a Malefactor and yet there be no Covenant between them But God forgives none unless such as are first in Christ and by Christ are in his Covenant of mercy and peace Thirdly You may conclude that in all your changes and losses certainly you are That you are still under grace and love still under grace and love that the Lord hath set his love upon you that his favour is towards you Because forgiveness of sins is an act of special grace and favour and no man is forgiven but the Lord doth love him with an exceeding great love in and by Christ Object I but I am chastened and afflicted Sol. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. 6. Fourthly You may conclude certainly that God is reconciled and that his wrath is off and shall never redound unto you and that the accusation and condemnation God is reconciled of the Law are stopt and superseaded c. Fifthly You may conclude that at length your souls shall go to heaven for your And you shall be saved sins are for that end forgiven that you might be brought to glory c. Fifthly Having your sins pardoned in Gods promise rest not untill you have got the notice and assurance of this in your own hearts and consciences Here let me Rest not till you have got the assurance of your pardon God doth sometimes pardon sin and not give the assurance of it speak briefly unto two things First That God doth sometimes pardon sins and yet doth not presently notifie or make the same manifest or evident unto the person pardoned no not though he truely repents As it is clear in David whose sin God did put away and yet it was a long time before David could get the evidence and assurance thereof in his own heart I grant that upon true repentance sin is forgiven and it is as true that sin may be forgiven and yet the forgiven sinner not be assured thereof Whether the Reasons of this may be 1. Because the manifestation of pardon to us is a meer act of grace and divine liberty 2. Or because God would teach us hereby that it is not so easy a matter to get the voice of joy after we have sinned and provoked him and should therefore fear to â—n any more 3. Or thirdly because it is so difficult to believe the forgiveness of sins though promised by God himself when the Conscience hath been previously troubled for sin c. Secondly That the assurance of our own hearts and consciences that God hath pardoned oer sinnes is a mercy much to be desired and would be of great advantage Yet it is a mercy much to be desired and of great advantage for our Setling Satisfying to pardoned sinners For 1. This would exceedingly settle our hearts and put an end to all our hard suspicions and fears and jealousies 2. This would abundantly satisfie the longing desires of our soules to see our great discharge and relief and acquittance under the hand and seale of God Returne O my soule unto thy rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee 3. This would admirably enlarge our hearts in the praises of mercy Psal 103. 1 2. Enlarging 4. This would wonderfully inflame our hearts in the love of God the sense of love begets love 1 Joh. 4. 19. We love him because he loved us Loving first 5.
civil sinner Mary Magdalen as well as Lydia Saul as well as Nicodemus great sinners as well as small offenders But unless God would pardon great sinners the Gospel cannot invite all sorts of sinners For when you preach it to persons guilty of great sins alas say they mercy belongs not to us and what have you to do to press upon us to believe suppose we should believe yet we shall not be saved God will never justifie and pardon us c. 5. God brings great sinners into Covenant Publicans Harlots and when God brings great sinners into Covenant in a perfect league of love and peace God brings any actually into the Covenant there is a perfect league of love and peace made between them a mutual reconciliation and relation therefore he pardons their great sins For unless these were pardoned such a league of love and peace would be impossible Persons are not perfectly reconciled whilest the greatest matters of difference do continue 6. Son said Christ be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee Matth. 9. 2. Every justâ—fied person hath cause of rejâ—ycing Every justified or pardoned person is in a comfortable condition he hath cause of joy and rejoycing But if God did not pardon their great sins as well as the rest of their sins their condition would not be comfortable at all but most miserable and full of just horror and fear c. 7. God hath made use of the great sins of persons to humble them and will he not God makes use of great sins to humble men now make use of his great mercies to pardon them all our humbings are wrought by the Spirit in a reference unto mercy when God intends to make us vessels of mercy he doth first make us broken vessels Acts 2. 37. Pricked in their hearts Ver. 41. then believed Acts 9. 6. Trembled Chap. 16. 29. And when he intends to break and humble the heart of a sinner usually he makes the Conscience of him to apprehend and to lay hold of some of the greatest and worst of his sins Pauls Conscience took hold of his persecuting of Christ and the Jaylor of his injuriousness to the Apostles Zacheus on his exaction and Mary Magdalen on her adultery God layes on us the sense of our great sins to make us see the great need of mercy and to confess the greatness of mercy in the pardoning of such great sins and to quicken earnest prayers for mercy 8. God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins Who is a God like unto thee c Mich. 7. 19. q. d. there is not such a merciful and gracious God in all the God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins world Prov. 25. 2. It is the glory of God to conceale a thing Prov. 19. 11. It is the glory of a man to passe over a transgression So Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Ver. 9. And this shal be to me a Name of joy and praise and honour before all the Nation This was his glory Exod. 34. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. 9. God would have his people to pray for the forgiveness of their great sinnes God would have his people to pray for pardon of great sins Hose 14. 2. Take away iniquity and receive us graciously and they have prayed for the forgiveness of their great sins Psal 25. 11. For thy Name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great And they have prevailed Exod. 32. 32. Therefore certainly he will forgive their great sins For whatsoever we ask according to his will and in Christs Name he will do it for us SECT II. 1. Vse DOth God promise to pardon the great sins yea the greatest sins of his people Hence we may be informed of the unspeakable goodness Information of the unspeakable goodness of God to his people In not taking advantage against us of God to his people First That he takes not advantage against them he seeks not occasions to fall off from them if he did then small offences would serve the turn our daily failings would have broken up all communions betwixt him and us much more would our great transgressions have raised up a partition wall and caused his soul to abhor us Psal 103. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Great transgressions are great provocations and great injuries and great dishonours unto God yet you see he promiseth to pass them by to pardon them therefore certainly he takes no advantage against us he doth not mark iniquities and what we have done amiss There are no small matters God doth for us Secondly That they are no small matters which he doth for us There are two things which God doth for his people which are not small favours 1. One is the giving of Christ unto them and the giving of them unto Christ 2. The other is the forgiving of their great sins Moses reputes this work as the fruits of his great power and of his great mercy Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying ver 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression ver 19. Pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy And so doth the Apostle in Ephes 1 17. He puts this upon the account of the riches of Gods grace wherein ver 8. he abounds towards us Was it a small thing for the King in Matth. 18. 23 24. to forgive the servant who owed unto him ten thousand talents What is the desert of any one sin even of the least of our sins death and wrath and curse and hell what then is the punishment and recompence meritoriously belonging to us for our great transgressions yet God forgives them c. Thirdly That his love is very great and very firm and sure unto his people His love is very great and firm and never to be taken off and removed why so because he forgives all the sins of his people and the great and the greatest sins of them If any thing breaks off the love of God it must be sin for that he hates and that is the only provocation of him and if any sin doth it it is likely that a multitude of sins will daily and continual offences and if any of these will it is most probable that great and high sinnings will cut the knot asunder But you see it is not the multitude of sins nor yet the magnitude of sins which separates the people of God from the love of God but he will pardon all their sins yea the greatest of their sins therefore his love is fixed and never to be changed For if these will not alter it nothing else shall or can Fourthly That God takes
sins 1. For his mercies sake Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 6. 4. O save me for thy mercies sake 2. For his Christ sake Ephes 4. 32. Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Therefore when of old they would have their sins pardoned they offered sacrifices and blood was shed and poured out which Typified the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sins For without shedding of blood is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. 3. For his Promise sake Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee said Moses let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying Ver. 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression Ver. 19 Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even untill now Fifthly They have patiently waited upon the Lord untill that he hath shewed them Patiently wait till he shew mercy mercy Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Isa 30. 18. Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that wait for him Ver. 19 He will be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee These are the ways which great sinners yea which the people of God being guilty of great transgressions have taken to get the forgiveness of them and in which ways God hath met them with his pardoning mercies and if in the like cases we do thus follow the Lord he will be merciful and gracious unto any of us though greatly sinning and guilty Thirdly Having shewed unto you what course is to be taken for to get the pardon Evidences of the pardon of great sins of great transgressions I shall now deliver unto you some signs or evidences by which one may certainly know that God hath forgiven his great sins There are six Evidences of this First There always goes a great change with the forgiveness of great sins A great change accompanying it It is a great question whether Justification be before Sanctification whatsoever may be disputed for the priority of nature yet it is agreed there is no priority of time for as soon as any sinner is justified and pardoned he is changed and sanctified the blood and the water go together as soon as any one is in Christ he is forgiven and there is no condemnation unto him Rom. 8. 1. And so as soon as any is in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away and all things become new 2 Cor. 15. 17. What an unclean person was Mary Magdalen before she was called to Christ and found mercy and after mercy was obtained what an eminent Christian was she what a violent and injurious Persecutor was Paul in times past and when he obtained mercy what an admirable and exemplary Christian was he Of all the changes incident to sinners the greatest change appears in the greatest sinner received to mercy and forgiveness there are two conspicuous changes in them 1. The greatest inward change the sins which he formerly loved more than his soul he now doth hate more than hell he once out faced the Word and now trembles at it 2. The greatest outward change the worst sinner being received to mercy proves the choicest Christian he is now as notable in a gracious walking as he was once notorious in a licentious living exemplary in both respects and in both wayes and courses Note Secondly A second Evidence that God hath forgiven our great sins is our great Great love to a forgiving God love to a forgiving God this note Christ himself giveth Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven her for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little Christ brings there a Parable of a Creditor who forgave two debts one of them a great debt and the other a lesser debt hereupon he demands of Simon the Pharisee which would love him most who answered I suppose he to whom most was forgiven this he applies to the woman there forgiven much was forgiven her and therefore she loved much he speaks not of a love anâ—â—cedent to pardon but of a love following it 1 John 4 19. We love him because he loved us first Ver. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins And indeed none can love God but such who can by faith see him a merciful pardoning and reconciling God in Christ Thirdly A most tender fear to offend and grieve the Lord any more Psal 130. A tender fear to offend God 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Hosea 3. 5. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness It is wonderful to observe the singular frame of spirit in a converted and pardoned sinner from what it was in former times heretofore he feared not the most cursed Oaths but now he fears an idle word heretofore he feared not the most beastly practice of uncleanness but now he fears the very thoughts and mental imaginations of it heretofore he could omit all good duties now he fears to neglect the least he hath found so much good so much mercy at the hands of God and tasted of so much gracious goodness that he would not willingly offend him in any thing in any part of his life a tender heart hath tasted of tender mercies Fourthly Exceeding zeal for God who hath shewed him great mercy and Exceeding zeal for God for Christ for whose sake God hath forgiven all the greatest sinners have ever been most zealous before they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what was evil and after they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what is good How zealous was Paul even besides himself for Christ actively zealous I laboured more abundantly than they all 1 Cor. 5. 10. And passively zealous I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Hierusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21. 13. Fifthly Great compassions Oughtest thou not to have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had compassion on thee There are no men so merciful as Great compassions those sinners to whom God hath shewed most mercy there is a three-fold compassion in them 1. A pitying compassion of all sinners especially of great sinners grieving bewailing praying 2. An helping compassion especially to those unto whom he hath been the occasion or cause of great sins even pulling them out of the fire weeping intreating instructing them with meekness if peradventure God will give them
against people for their sins 2. A second is the unspeakable terrors in conscience raised only from our sins which makes us like the troubled Sea that cannot rest and to cry out with Cain and to despair with Judas and to long for death with Spira 3. A third is the wonderful outward judgements inflicted by God on people for sin plague and famine and the sword and tormenting diseases burning down of Cities renting up of Kingdomes and all the miserable evils in the world 4. A fourth is the eternal duration of the flame of hell fire the suffering of the vengeance of eternal fire as the Apostle speaks Jude ver 7. 5. The fifth is the death and suffering of Jesus Christ one saith that if it were possible for us to see and feel the torments which the damned do suffer in hell it could not be so clear and effâ—ctual conviction of the true desert of sin of the hainousness of it of the odiousneâ—s of it of the dreadfulness of it as the consideration of it in the death and blood of Christ without which there could be no forgiveness of our sins no noâ— of the least of them I beseech you to attend a little â—in is of such a provoking deserving nature First That no creature no not all the creatures in heaven and earth could pacifie God and cleanse us from our sins and procure the pardon of them but Jesus Christ the Son of God alone Neither Angels nor Saints nor righteousness nor prayers nor gold nor silver can give unto God a â—ansome for our soul the redemption of it is more precious it cannot be without the precious blood of Christ Secondly As none can procure the pardon of sin but Christ so Christ could not do it but by dying indeed there was very much excellency and worth in the active obedience of Christ in the holiness of his life and exactness of his works nevertheless to get off our sins his passive obedience is likewise required without that there was no remidion Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Rev. 5. 9. Thirdly As Christ must dye to get the pardon of sin so every death of Christ is not sufficient but he must dye that accursed death of the Cross and become a curse for us or else he could not have got the pardon of our sins hear the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree Colos 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Cross Fourthly Neither would this have sufficed to dye on the Cross there enduring the grievous torments in his soul and body due to our sins if he had not been God as well as man 1 Joh. 3. 16. speaking of the person of Christ he saith God laid down his life for us and indeed that must be of infinite price and merit which must answer the everlasting torments due for all the sins of all the Elect there had not been enough in the death of Christ had it not been the death of a person who was God as well as Man Thus you see even in the blood of Christ the hainousness of sin and the high guilt thereof which may make us to fear and tremble at the consideration of our own exceeding guiltiness c. Secondly To look after Christ in another manner than formerly we have done To look after Christ in another manner than formerly Why will you say because in his blood only we have the remission of sins that it is the only cause for which God doth forgive us Now because this is the principal Use which I think can be made of this point I will therefore briefly speak unto these three questions 1. How we should look after Christ seeing that there is no forgiveness but in and by him 2. Whether we do indeed look after Christ so as that we may get him to be ours and have the benefit of forgiveness in his blood 3. How one may know that he hath got Jesus Christ to be his and consequently an interest in his blood for the pardon of his sins Quest 1. Seeing that there is no forgiveness of sins but for the blood of How we should look after Christ Christ how therefore should we look after Christ Sol. To this I answer First We should look after Christ so as to enjoy him to be ours with With all speediness all speediness as David spake in another case I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commands Psal 119. 60. So should not we delay from time to time but hasten in to Christ that so our sins may be pardoned Whiles it is called to day to hearken unto his voice Hebr. 3. 7. Isa 60. 8. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their Windows In three cases swiftness and presentness of action are required viz. 1. When the danger is great 2. When the mercy is great 3. When the opportunity is uncertain all these circumstances meet together to stirre us up speedily to look after Christ to get him to be ours for 1. All the guilt of our sins lies upon our own souls untill Christ be ours no sin is forgiven but we are under wrath and condemnation 2. All our sins shall be taken off by the blood of Christ if Christ be ours so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. 3. We have but our day our houre our opportunity our present moment to look after Christ the day of life is uncertain and the day of grace is uncertain the Spirit blows when and where and how long and how short as himself listeth O that thou hadst known even in this thy day c. Luke 19. 42. Secondly We should look after Christ very seriously and carefully our Very seâ—iously souls should make it their solemn work and business yea all that is in our souls should be united and engagâ—d for to get Christ Simile As he said to his son Percute tanquam ad Aratrum Strike as thou wast wont to strike at the Plough so would I say look after Christ as ye are wont to look after the world the riches and honour and pleasure of it earnestly and with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your might the Kingdome of heaven should suffer viâ—lence c. Maâ—th 11. 12. Prov. 8. 17. Those that seek me early shall finde me Thirdly We should look after Christ diligently and laboriously not shrinking Diligently at any pains and any ways and any means to get Christ Prov. 8. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doâ—rs Cant. 3. 1. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth
Spirit assuredly he hath forgiven thy sins Hath God indeed shewed thee mercy in forgiving thy sins he hath then assuredly given unto thee the Spirit of grace to change thy sinful heart Now would you have your sins forgiven do you look on forgiveness as a desirable mercy as a mercy of life and of peace and of hope O then get the Spirit of God God never forgives a man his sins but he gives his Spirit Forgiveness of sins is the great deed of mercy written in the blood of Christ and the giving of the Spirit is the seal of that deed Thirdly The Spirit and excellency alwayes go together Can we finde such a one as this is a man in whom the Spirit of God is said Pharaoh concerning Joseph Gen. 41. 38. Before we receive the Spirit of God there is no excellency in us we are but The spirit and excellency go together low and vile nothing of worth in our hearts they are wicked corrupt and dead in trespasses and sins and short of the glory of God nothing of worth in our thoughts All the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are only evil continually Nothing of worth in our affections they are set upon evil and set upon the world no love of God nor fear of God nor desire of God nor delight in God nothing of worth in our conversations they are unprofitable vile vain loose and dishonouring of God But when the Spirit of God come into us then comes an excellency into us and a true excellency into us The Spirit of God is stiled an excellent Spirit Dan. 6. 3. And they that enjoy the spirit are men of an excellent Spirit Prov. 17. 27. and to be more excellent than other men there is no way to attain unto it but by getting the Spirit and this I shall shew in particular all that have the Spirit they immediately enjoy 1. An excellent Nature They are made partakers of the Divine Nature Such enjoy an excellent nature An excellent Relation 2 Pet. 1. 4. They are changed into the glorious image of Christ 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2. An excellent Relation They are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 3. And are made the sons of God they receive the adoption of sons Gal. 4 5. And by the Spirit given unto them cry Abba Father ver 6. 3. Excellent Ornaments Ezek. 16. 7. An excellent wisdom which excelleth folly Excellent Ornaments as far as light excelleth darkness Eccless 2. 13. An excellent knowledge even the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord Phil. 3. 8. An excellent faith which is precious and more precious than gold An excellent love even the love of Jesus Christ in sincerity An excellent joy which is unspeakable and glorious An excellent hope which makes not ashamed which is as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 19 4. Excellent Priviledges To come with boldness to the throne of grace to have Excellent Priviledges the golden Scepter still held out unto them to lay claim to all the purchases of Christ and to challenge their right in him to make use of and apply any promise of God respecting any condition of their souls or bodies to appeal from themselves to Christ and from the sentence and severity of the Law unto the mercy and salvation of God in the Gospel In a word they that have the Spirit they are thereby made an eternal excellency Isa 60. 15. 5. Excellent conversation Holiness Uprightness Righteousness and unblameableness Excellent conversation The spirit and alsufficiency come together of life a life in Christ according to godliness Fourthly The Spirit and Alsufficiency comes together Whatsoever your condition may be whatsoever your exâ—â—â—ences may be whatsoever your troubles and sorrows may be whatsoever your wants may be whatsoever your works and services may be if you had but the Spirit you had enough for all his presence and efficacy can supply you with all 1. Are you weak he can strengthen you 2. Are you ignorant he can teach you 3. Are you doubtful he can counsel and guide you 4. Are you fallen he can raise you 5. Are you tempted he can succour you and make you to persist and conquer 6. Are you brought low in wants he can make you to live by Faith 7. Are you filled with sorrow he can fill you with comfort 8. Are you in darkness and can see no light he can open your eyes to see the salvation of God 9. Are fears upon you he can satifie and quiet you 10. Is dulness on you he can quicken and enlarge you 11. Are you doubtful of Gods love and mercy he can shed abroad the love of God in your hearts and make mercy turn unto you 12. Are you to 〈◊〉 to suffer to live â—nd dye he can enable you for every good work and in your sufferings be a spirit of glory unto you while you live he can make you to live unto the Lord and when you come to dye he can make you to dye unto the Lord O who would not who should not wrestle with God for this Spirit without whom no Christ no life no peace no joy no faith no help no hope and with whom comes Christ and Mercy and Excellency and Heâ—p and all Spiritual tasts Earnests Sealings Rejoycings and Glory 2ly The Means to get the Spirit Means to get the spirit Lay down prejudices against the spirit First If you would get the Spirit of God you must then lay down all prejudices against the Spirit As men have prejudices against Christ which hinder them from the receiving of Christ so men have prejudices against the Spirit of Christ which do hinder aâ—d withdraw them from desiring of the â—pirit There are four Prejudices especially and Exceptions in this case viz. 1. The humbling work of the Spirit Prejudices against the spirit 2. The mortifâ—ing work of the Spirit 3. The sanctifying work of the Spirit 4. The deâ—isions that befall men for the Spirits sake Object We would be content to have the Spirit but that he will shew us our sins and trouble and humble us for our sins Sol. I answer First Of a truth he will do so for he is a Spirit of Conviction and a spirit of The first prejudice taken away bondage to fear Secondly Nevertheless this should not take off our hearts from desiring the presence of the spirit For 1. The troubles from the Spirit are good troubles Of necessity we must be Troubles from the spirit are good troubles troubled for our sins either in this life or in hell the troubles for sins in hell are unsufferable and remediless but the troubles of this life for our sins especially when they come from the Spirit they are good they are penitential troubles and tend only to stir in us a loathing of our sins and a separation from our sins which have been so dispâ—easing and injurious to God and have
himself shall be abased Nebuchadâ—ezer was cast out among the beasts for arrogating to himself Herod was smitten and eat up with worms because he gave not the glory to God the Pharise rejected because he gloried in himself Fourthly Because it is an exceeding mercy if God actually gives us his power to do any good or to walk in his Statutes and to do them which may appear thus First It is a great mercy to enjoy the Spirit of God and an unquestionable Comfort to know that we do enjoy him this I think no Christian will deny But when we finde a power enabling us to walk in Gods Statutes this power comes from the Spirit of God dwelling in us No man can walk in Gods Statutâ—s without the presence and influence of the Spirit and every one who doth walk in them and do them hath the Spirit of God I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk c. Secondly It is a great mercy to be made a new creature to be regenerated to partake of the life of Châ—ist whosoever is enabled to walk in Gods ways and to do them he is unquestionably a new creature he is born again he pertakes of Christ of the life of Christ and hath communion with Christ he abides in him For without me saith Christ John 15. 5. ye can do nothing Thirdly It is a great mercy to be kept from sin and all sinfull walkings by which God is dishonoured therefore David abundantly blessed God who kept him from sinning against him when he rashly intended to destroy Nabal and all his houshold 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. but thus are we kept and presetved when God causeth us to walk in his Statutes Fourthly It is a great mercy that we are able to honour God and to honour our holy profession it is one of the greatest favours which God shews to any man on earth when he makes and when he useth him as a vessel of his glory And this honour God puts upon you by causing you to walk in his Statutes now you are vessels fitted for his honour In these wayes you do live unto his honour and to your own honour and to the honour of your heavenly calling and profession Fifthly It is a great mercy so to walk as to get peace in conscience and assurance of happiness But when the Lord puts forth such a power upon you as enables you to walk in his Statutes and to keep his judgments and to do them hereupon 1. There comes peace of Conscience great peace have they which keep thy law Psal 119. 165. And this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience that c. 2 Cor. 1. 12. 2. And Assurance and confidence of happiness they go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God Psal 44. 7. Sixthly It is a great judgment yea it is one of the greatest judgments when the Lord leaveth any to themselves Psal 81. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust and they walked in their own counsels If so then by the rule of contraries it is a very great mercy when the Lord gives unto any man the power of his grace enabling him to walk in his wayes and Statutes Now if there be so many choise mercies bestowed and manifested in causing us to walk in Gods Statutes surely then there is great reason that we should give God all the glory c. 2. Quest Whether we do give God the glory of all the good which he causeth us How to know that we give God all the glory and assume it not to our selves to do and do not assert nor ascribe it unto our selves Sol This may be known thus First When we make a right division of the work done by us and accordingly make our acknowlegment in every good work done by us there is aliquid Dei and aliquid mei something which is of God and something which is of our own The goodness or well-doing that is of God and there must come in an Agnosco O Lord this was thine this was wrought by thee The evil-doing the mixtures the imperfections the distractions these are ours and here must come in our Ignosce O Lord own and accept what is thine and O Lord mercifully pardon what is mine If after any good done by us we take the humbling part unto our selves and give the exalting part unto God now we ascribe shame unto our selves and all the glory unto God Secondly When after the best performances we set an higher value upon the grace of God and do not put a higher rate upon our selves as Paul Gal. 2. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me When aftet our good-doings we raise the grace God in this work the good hand of God was with me and his power was manifested but we raise not our selves a jot but we are nothing and still are nothing and can do nothing without his grace and presence verily our posture is humble and the glory of our well-doing is returned to God alone Thirdly When we are afraid of all self-glory as Paul Gal. 6. 14. God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in the secret temptations unto self-glory our souls are distressed and exceedingly humbled within us and we wrestle with God to beat down and cast out all high self-challenging and self-appropriating thoughts and to set the crown of praise only on his own glorious name this also demonstrats that we acknowledge God and not our selves Fourthly when after our well-doing our hearts do look upon the good which we have done as special mercy which we have received and as a new obligation binding and engageing us unto God as for a new mercy received from the hand of God When bona nostra are dona sua our good-doings are reckoned amongst Gods favours and mercies to us and when we look on bona nostra as debità nostra the good which we do as indebting us unto God for what he hath made us to do and the more good we do the more are we indebted for praises and thanksgivings and say as David What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal 116. 12. So what shall I render unto the Lord for all the good which he hath done and for all the good which I have done which I have done by his power This shews that you desire to give all the glory unto him Fifthly When there is an after-work to be done as well as a fore-work to be done and we are as serious and careful and watchful about this as about that before we perform any duty our fore-work is by faith to look up to God for his strength and therein we shew our selves careful by the many prayers which we do put up
THE BOWELS OF Tender Mercy SEALED IN THE Everlasting Covenant WHEREIN Is set forth the Nature Conditions and Excellencies of it and how a Sinner should do to enter into it and the danger of refusing this COVENANT-RELATION ALSO THE Treasures of Grace Blessings Comforts Promises and Priviledges that are comprized in the Covenant of Gods Free and Rich Mercy made in JESUS CHRIST with BELIEVERS By that Faithful and Reverend Divine Mr Obadiah Sedgwick B. D. late Minister of the Gospel in Covent-Garden London Perfected and intended for the Press therefore corrected and lately revised by himself and published by his own Manuscript allowed by himself in his life-time by those whom he intrusted with this work for that purpose LONDON Printed By Edward Mottershed for Adoniram Byfield and are to be sold by Joseph Cranford at the Sign of the Castle and Lyon in St. Pauls Church-yard 1661. To the Reader Good Reader HAD not the Reverend Author of this Book requested our Attestation unto all the Pieces which after his death should be printed in his Name there would not have been any need to preface this Treatise with an Epistle The Title Page suggesting the subject matter of the ensuing Discourse may be sufficient to encourage the real self-studying Christian to peruse it especially such who have been experimentally acquainted with the many practical Pieces which have been heretofore sent unto the Press from the same hand The Bowels of Tender Mercy sealed in the Everlasting Covenant How full of sweetness is this one short Sentence Every word hath its weight and worth When aged dying David upon the Review of his own Condition and Relations had mentioned the Everlasting Covenant made with himself ordered in all things and sure He addeth This is all my salvation and all my desire 2 Sam. 23. 5. Who knoweth all the Treasures of Grace and Comforts which are comprized in the Covenant of Gods free and rich Mercy made in Jesus Christ Is there any spiritual want which may not be supplied or any soul-discouragement which may not be conquered yea or any concernment wherein the humble believing Christian may not be much advantaged by the improvement of this Covenant thus grounded and thus confirmed As nothing is so sweet as Gods tender mercy unto a sin-sick soul so there can be no such confirmation unto feeble faith as the unchangeable engagements of the Almighty through Jesus Christ Therefore prize with thanks and improve with diligence this and such-like holy helps which Divine Providence putteth into thine hand By so doing thou shalt glorifie the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ and advance the power of Godliness with peace and joy in thine own heart through him in whom we are Thy Friends and Servants Humphrey Chambers D. D. Edmund Calamy Simeon Ash Adoniram Byfield THE BOWELS OF TENDER MERCY Sealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covenant The First Part. CHAP. I. Isaiah 55. 3. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David 〈…〉 In the words you 〈…〉 1. The matter of the 〈…〉 with you 2. The Amplification of that Covenant or if you please the qualification of that Covenant An everlasting Covenant The sure mercies of David You see the words give me occasion to speak of the great mystery of godlinesse wrapt up in the Everlasting Covenant the nature whereof I shall especially apply my self to open to you This Proposition or Doctrine lies clear and full in the Text. Doct. That theris a Covenant which God makes between himself and all who believe in Christ I will make a Covenant with you For the explication of this I shall speak There is a Covenant betwixt God and believers Of a Covenant in general 1. Of a Covenant in general 2. In special 1. Of a Covenant in general where I will shew you First What it is Secondly That there is a Covenant betwixt God and Believers Thirdly Why God makes such a Covenant with them SECT I. Quest 1. WHat A Covenant is What it is Answ 1. A Covenant in General is a compact or mutual Described agreement betwixt parties in which they binde each other to the performance of what they do by agreement promise to each other Conference and conference proposals and proposals offers and offers arguings and arguings simply do not constitute a Covenant Things may be propounded and yet rejected Nor doth the liking of what is propounded do it Approbation and consent of one party no nor yet his obligation can formally make up a Covenant but there must be actus mutuus a mutual consent a mutual promise a mutual agreement a mutual engagement or obligation and this makes up a Covenant as to the substance of it As to the Covenant of Marriage it is not speaking nor liking not promise by one party but the liking and consent and promise must be mutual else it makes not up the Covenant of Marriage so it is in this 2. Covenants are either Covenants are Sinful 1. Sinful They have made a Covenant with death and hell Isa 28. 18. How do they make a Covenant together They engage themselves in the service of sin and expect to be as secure from death and hell as if they had made a formal Covenant and Agreement with them 2. Civil Which are the binding arguments betwixt man and man in matters Civil of a worldly consideration for goods wares lands peace or the like as the Covenant betwixt Abraham and Abimilech and betwixt Ahab and Benhadad c. 3. Sacred As the Covenant betwixt God and man Sacred Betwixt God and man It is observable that there was no state in which man was at any time but God made a Covenant with him as soone as he was created and as soone as he fell God made a Covenant with him And Gods Covenant with man I speak only in the general doth consist in a In what it consists free promise on Gods part with a stipulation of duty on mans part There is a Susception on Gods part and an engagement on mans part God promiseth some good and man promiseth obedience Their concurrence in these or their obliging Agreement in these make up the Covenant God promiseth life and all good to man and man promiseth all obedience to God God promiseth what he pleaseth and requireth what he pleaseth and man promiseth unto God what God requireth And here by the way note that in every Covenant betwixt God and man the whole draught of it depends upon the Soveraigne will and pleasure of God who proposeth what rewards he pleaseth and imposeth what termes he pleaseth and draws up the Covenant in what termes he pleaseth And the reason hereof lies in the absolute power and authority of God over man who is infinitely inferiour to God and wholly subordinate to him and therefore man may not indent with him by proposing Articles of Agreement but he must accept what the Lord is pleased to propose either by way of duty
them both 6. In the forme of inscription as in that the Law of works was written in the heart of Adam so in this the Law of grace is written in the heart of every one confederated 7. In the unchangeablenesse both of the one and of the other both of them are immutable Although that Covenant of works as it is a Covenant for life ceaseth unto believers yet it stands in force upon and against all unbelievers I say notwithstanding all these general concordancies correspondencies and agreements between them they do yet differ in nine particulars which I Nine things in which they differ shall the rather mention that you may understand the infinite goodnesse of God in making this Covenant of grace and his infinite mercy in it and your own happinesse by it if any of you be brought into the Covenant And also to affect your hearts that you may press the more after a personal interest therein Thus then the Covenant of works and of grace do differ 1. In their special end The end which God aimed at in the Covenant of works was the declaration and magnifying of his justice and his end in making In their special end the Covenant of grace is the declaration and magnifying of his mercy In the Covenant of works it is Do this and live if you sinne you dye for it Here is no place for Repentance no place for mercy In the Covenant of works when Adam had sinned there was no commission of enquiry whether he repented or not of what he had done the enquiry was only of the fact What hast thou done Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I said unto thee Thou shalt not eat and being found guilty death and curse are pronounced against him Gen. 3. 11 19. Thus it is in the Covenant of works The soul that sinnes shall die 〈◊〉 18. 4. In this God reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men Rom. 1. 18. And thus he makes his power and justice known in that Covenant But in the Covenant of grace his intention and purpose is to glorifie his mercy to proclaim his glory The Lord The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne Exod. 34. 6 7. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes c. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more Heb. 8. 10 12. In this Covenant there is place for repentance and mercy for the penitent Repent that your sinnes may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. He that forsakes his sins shall have mercy Prov. 28. 13. So that as to the Covenant of works you must be altogether perfect and alwayes so if you sinne at all you are cast and condemned But as to the Covenant of grace the sinner being penitent is received to mercy and spared This is one great difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and of Grace 2. In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant The Covenant In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant of works was made with man as perfect upright innocent and then sinlesse and therefore it is called by some Pactum Amicitiae a Covenant of friendship because before the fall there was nothing of variance or enmity betwixt God and man that estate was an estate of love and kindnesse and friendship God was Adams friend and Adam was a friend to God they agreed together and conversed as loving friends But the Covenant of grace was made with man as breaking friendship as fallen off by sinne as under the estate of emnity when his sinnes had separated betwixt him and his God and therefore this Covenant is called Pactum Reconciliationis a Covenant of Reconciliation an agreement made betwixt parties who had fallen out The Lord was pleased to look after man again and to take pity on him and to propose new Articles of life unto him 3. In their foundations The Covenant of works as to our part was founded In their foundations upon the strength of that righteous nature which God gave unto Adam and in him unto us so that his standing was upon his own bottome upon the sufficiency of his own power and will with which he was created But the foundation of the Covenant of grace is Jesus Christ not our own strength but the strength of Christ who is the Rock the Corner-stone the foundation-stone upon which you are built And this is one reason why Adam fell and lost that life promised in the Covenant of works and why such as are brought into the Covenant of grace fall not so as to lose that blessed life promised unto them Adam had more inherent strength of grace than we have he at his first creation was without all sinne yet he being left to the strength of his own will willingly brake with God willingly transgressed and lost all But we though weaker in our selves than he yet being brought into this Covenant of grace though we meet with as great temptations as he yet fall not as he did because the foundation of our strength is greater than his Jesus Christ holds us in his own hands Joh. 10. 28. And we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. 4. The Covenant of works was made without a Mediatour There was no The one made without a Mediatour dayes-man betwixt God and man none to stand between them There was none and needed none because there was no difference then betwixt God and man Man was then righteous perfectly righteous A Mediatour is a third person betwixt two different parties to make up the breach which ariseth betwixt them but when the Covenant of works was made betwixt God and man all was righteousnesse and therefore all was peace there was no use of a Mediatour to bring them into peace and set them at one who were hitherto in perfect love and union But in the Covenant of grace there is a Mediatour The other with a Mediatour Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant Heb. 12. 24. Man being fallen there is now a necessity of a Mediatour to satisfie Gods Justice to destroy enmity to make peace to bring us neare to God again and to gain us confidence and acceptance with God The Covenant of grace could not have been drawn up without a Mediatour God would never have treated with sinners but by a Mediatour who should satisfie him for the wrong and injury done unto him and who should set mercy as it were at liberty to showr and fall down on sinful man and who should undertake to see all Articles performed Objection It may be objected that the Law given at Mount Sinai was a Covenant of works and yet that was delivered by the hand of a Mediatour Gal. 3. 19. Sol. I shall say no more to this at present but that the
God is al-sufficiency and this is engaged Gen. 17. 1. i. e. I am an infinitely perfectâ—fulness to my self and of my self I am absolutely enough and need or want nothing and I will be enough I will be a fulness to you you shall not need any other but my self to supply you with any good which you shall want or to secure you from any evil which you fear This is al-sufficiency To be enough and to be without any want and to be enough to us and to fill up all our wants and this al-sufficiency God doth â—ngage himself to be unto every one with whom he is a God in Covenant Gen. 15. 1. Fear not Abraham I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward What is that It is as much as if he had said I am thy al-sufficiency and will see unto thee that thou shalt have enough thou shalt not want any thing Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want Psal 34. 9. There is no want to them that fear him Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and shield The Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Now this is the comfort belonging to you That your God is al-sufficiency and he is your al-sufficiency all that you have comes from him and all that you want shall be supplyed by him and he hath enough of his own fully to help you in any condition and at any time and he alone is enough unto you Consider any want whatsoever whether spiritual or temporal whether inward or outward your God will be an al-sufficiency to you Do you want grace do you want peace in conscience do you want the joy of the holy Ghost do you want strength against corruptions or against temptations God is sufficient for them all He can and will give more grace Jam. 4. 6. He can and will speak peace unto his people Psal 85. 8. He can and will give you fulnesse of joy Psal 16. 11. Exceeding joy like that in harvest Isa 9. 3. and in Isa 12. 3. With joy shall ye draw waters out of the wells of salvation and he can and will be sufficiency against your corruptions Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are under grace Rom. 6. 14. And against your temptations Mâ— grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2 Cor. 12. 9. And for any outward want My God saith Paul in Phil. 4. 19. shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Bread shall be given him and his water shall be sure Isa 33. 16. The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If all the earth can help you you shall not want any good nay if the earth or meanes do faile God himself will not fail you but will create good and help and salvation for you 2. God is mercifulnesse The Lord the Lord God merciful c. Exod. 34. 6. The Lord your God is merciful 2 Chron. 30. 9. Turn unto the Lord your God God is mercifulnesse for he is gracious and merciful Joel 2. 13. Mercifulness or mercy doth especially denote two things in God 1. One is tender compassion and therefore the mercies of God are frequently Mercy denotes in God Tender compassion stiled his bowels Psal 25. 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies or thy bowels of mercies So Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy bowels of mercies and so in the New Testament Through the bowels of the mercy of our God Luke 1. 78. It is remarkable that the same word in the Hebrew Chalde Syriack and Arabick which signifies bowels is used for mercy which notes two things 1. That the mercies of God to his are most inward tender affectionate compassions like the bowels of a father and of a mother to his dearest children being in misery 2. That not only the effects of mercy are the portion of Gods people but the very heart of God acts towards them and yearns over them when he shews mercy to them mercy comes from his very heart and bowels 2. Another is forgiveness of sinnes that essential propension in God to pardon sinne to pass by transgression to blot out iniquity and never to remember Forgivenesse of sins sinne any more This is the Attribute of God which is his great glory and his great delight and our only hope and life There is a depth in this mercy more than that in the Sea and a height in this mercy above all the thoughts of men and a bredth in this mercy it can pardon many sins great sinnes abundant sinnes and a length in this mercy it is everlasting and endures for ever This is the mercy or mercifulness of God! And to enjoy God in this Attribute as our merciful God as pitying as pardoning us as forgiving and forgetting all our sins and never remembring them any more O what a comfort what a settling what a joy and a rest is this Consider 1. It is the great care and the great desire almost of every man especially in distresses of conscience and times of sickness and death Be merciful unto me O Lord Lord be merciful unto me a sinner O that my sinnes were pardoned and how shall I get my sinnes pardoned He that doth not regard the holy doth yet prize and esteem very much the merciful God Every sinner doth like and long for mercy 2. All Controversie is at an end when mercy pardons sinne Now enmity is slain and wrath and curse go off for these follow sinne as unpardoned but if sin be pardoned all punishment is pardoned and God is reconciled and your souls are graciously accepted and clasped with love and favour 3. When mercy pardons sinne then conscience is at rest The broken bones are at ease and rejoyce Psal 51. True peace follows full remission of sinnes and then joy comes into the heart Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiveâ— And then confidence of access unto God comes into the soul and then hope of salvation is raised in the soul Now mark what I say If God be your God then he is your merciful God And God is your merciful God Heb. 8. 10. This is his Covenant I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people Ver. 12. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sinnes will I remember no more Isa 40. 1. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God Ver. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Hierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depth of the sea Ver. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham Six comforts to those who have God their merciful God
election of The election of God grace Rom. 11. 5. 3. Râ—demption by Christ is also a wonderful blessing and this was according to the riches of his grace Eph. 1. 7. Redemption by Christ 4. Calling us inâ—o Christ and the reason of this also is his grace 2 Tim. 1. 9. Calling into Christ Justifying us 5. The justifying of us is an inestimable mercy And He justifies us freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. 6. And the saving of us is the compleating of us and of all our blessings Saving of us and by gracâ— are we saved Eph. 2. 5 8. This is certain that Gods graciousness is the fountain of all our good and it is the reason of all our enjoyments and hopes If the Lord were not gracious if he should look on us and act towards us upon the account of our worthiness we should never have enjoyed the least of his mercies You might have heard of mercy but should never have been the better for it and you might have heard of all the promises but should never have enjoyed the good of any one of them if God were not a gracious God but because he is your gracious God and will deal with you altogether from the Throne of grace in a gracious way This is it which puts life into you and sweetly draws out the desires and confidences of your hearts Quest You may demand But what comfort is this unto the people of God that there God is a gracious God and that he will deal with them altogether in a What comfort from hence that our God is gracious gracious way and upon gracious terms Sol. The comforts from this are very choice and precious I will mention some of them unto you 1. Because your God is a gracious God therefore there can be nothing to discourage There can be nothing to discourage us in our addresses to him and expectations from him or hinder you in your addresses unto him and expectations from him The graciousnesse of God answers all the doubts of the heart and all the temptations of Satan There are four things which are apt to discourage our hearts when we think of drawing near to God 1. One is the greatnesse of our sins 2. A second is the greatnesse of Gods mercies we need 3. A third is the greatnesse of our unworthinesse 4. A fourth is the greatnesse of our evil deserts My sinnes are so great that I cannot expect that God will ever do me good The mercies and blessings that I need are so great and I can lay down nothing for them And I am unworthy of the least of mercies nay I deserve to be rejected and cursed But now the graciousnesse of God is able effectually to remove all these discouragements 1. Your sinnes are great and therefore you are afraid that the merciful God will not pardon them But then remember that the merciful God is a gracious Not the greatness of our sins God As he hath riches of mercy so he hath riches of grace And as he promiseth to forgive the sinnes of his people so he promiseth to forgive their sinnes freely the forgivenesse of sinnes according to the riches of his grace Eph. 1. 7. And this remember withal that the gracious God forgives the greatest sinnes as well as the least sinnes of his people upon the same terms of graciousnesse In Luke 7. we read of a lesse debtor who owed fiftie pence and of a greater debtor who owed five hundered pence ver 41. and the Creditor freely forgave them both verse 42. so c. Your God hath not one way to forgive lesse sinnes and another way to forgive greater sinnes but though the sinnes be different yet the terms or reasons of forgiveness is one and the same viz. the free grace of God 2. O but the mercies and blessings which I need are so high and so great Not the greatnesse of the mercies that we need surely those cannot come off but upon hard terms and I have nothing to lay down for them I answer your God is a gracious God Your God in his Covenant hath promised all sorts of good unto you corporal and spiritual small and great And remember it for ever that all the bonds of Gods Covenant are paid in upon the same rate Grace was the reason of making all the promises and Grace is the reason of the performance of every good you shall have the greatest good upon the self-same termes as you have the least 3. O but I am so unworthy of these mercies What am I and what is there in Not the greatness of our unworthiness me for God to look on to affect and to move God to do such great things for my soul Why there is nothing in you but an extreme need of these great good things promised by God and an absolute unworthinesse of them O but your God is a gracious God and as an unworthy sinner may go to a gracious God so a gracious God will give all that he hath promised to his people though they be unworthy Graciousness findes the price of all mercies in it self it is the only reason of our enjoyments 4. But I deserve to be rejected in my suits and to be oursed Not the greatnesse of our evil deserts 'T is true and so you should finde it if God dealt with you according to your deservings but your God is a gracious God and deales with his people not in a rigorous way but in a gracious way of loving kindnesse and mercies 2. Is the gracious God your God then all your mercies are sure you shall assuredly possesse them and inherit them The children of grace are the surest Then all your mercies are sure heires of mercy It is of grace that the promise might be sure Rom. 4. 16. Beloved If God had Covenanted with you to be your God upon a respect to your works and not upon a sole respect to his own graciousnesse and if he had promised you mercies and other blessings upon a bargain for your goodnesse and not upon a foundation in his own graciousnesse neither could God be sure to you nor could the mercies of God be sure to you Adam had as much in a way of works to have perpetuated and ensured and setled God and mercies upon himself and more than ever we shall have and yet all became unsure unto him much more would it be with us if God and we should traffique that way If God should say to any of us I promise to be your God and to give you all blessings upon condition of your perfect constant obedience your never failing obeying of my will shall be the condition and the reason of your certain enjoyment of me I dare averre it that our enjoyment of God and the good things by him promised would not be certain or sure unto us not one day not one houre nay hardly one minute But there comes the certainty of enjoying of
Rom. 6. 14. Here you see expresly that there is a freedome from the dominion of sinne even upon this account that we are under the Covenant of grace Though you be not totally freed from the inhabitation of sinne for sinne doth dwell in us whiles we dwell on earth and though you be not totally freed from the rebellion of sinne for peccatum hostis est quamdiu est The flesh lusteâ—h against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and there is a law in our members warring against the law of our minds Rom. 7. 23. yet you are totally freed from the dominion of sinne which consists in the effectual Rule Command and Sovereign strength of sinne and a free and full and willing subjection or obedience unto the Law and authority of sinne and verily this freedome or deliverance is a wonderful mercy and happinesse unto the people of God whither you consider 1. The great and utmost distance twixt you and God 2. The basenâ—sse of servitude in which every one lives over whom sinne hath dominion for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage 2 Pet. 2. 19. You were but very slaves to your lusts and to the devil whiles sinne did rule over you 3. The height of enmity As you were the basest of slaves so you were the worst of enemies living not only as aliens without God but as desperate enemies opposing and fighting against God 4. The superfluity of naughtinesse a full contrariety your whole hearts and your whole lives were nothing else but a constant dishonour unto God and contradiction to his Will and Glory 5. The certainty of destruction which would infallibly have attended you had not the mercy and grace of God rescued and delivered you I say certain destruction to your souls as there is a certain destruction to the life of our bodies if we fall into the sea and lie under it 6. The sweet and immediate communion 'twixt the deliverance from the dominion of sinne and admission to the Kingdome of Christ It is a translation from death to life The Apostle joins these together in Colos 5. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Sonne 3. They have immunity or freedome from the damnation meritoriously depending upon the guilt of sinne As salvation depends upon the merits of Christ so From damnation for sinne doth damnation depend on the merit of sinne There is so much merit in sinne as to render us obnoxious not only to temporal destruction but also to eternal destruction for the wages of sinne is death even that death which stands in opposition to eternal life Rom. 6. 23. But from the effectual redundancy of this damnation upon your persons you are every one freed who are in Covenant with God For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3. 15. And the ground of this your immunity from the damnation due unto you for your sinnes is the satisfaction which Christ hath made for your sinnes unto the justice of God and thereupon the obtaining of riches of mercy from your God who according to his Covenant with you blots out and forgives all your sinnes and never remembers them any more For this is a sure truth that remission of sinnes and actual damnation for sinnes are incompatible or inconsistent Now whether this be any cause of comfort that you and your sinnes are parted and that you and hell are for ever separated I leave it to any one of you to judge for mine own part I do look upon four things as very great mercies 1. That I am delivered from the power of sinne 2. That I enjoy the pardon of sinne 3. That I shall never be damned for sinne 4. That I shall be saved notwithstanding all my sinnes 4. They have immunity or freedome from justification by the Law from all legal From justification by the Law tryals for life Although you are not freed from the Law as it is a rule for life yet you are freed from the Law as it is a Covenant of life although you are not freed from the Law as it is the image of the good and holy will of God yet because you are under the Covenant of grace you are freed from the Law as it is a reason of salvation and justification The Covenant of grace takes you off from that Court and that Bar which pronounceth life upon your own good works and pronounceth death upon your own evil works Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law Gal. 3. 11. No man is justified by the Law in the sight of God for the just shall live by faith As the Law calls for perfect and personal righteousnesse of our own so the Law will not justifie you it will not give life unto you unlesse it finds that righteousnesse in you you live not if you be not perfectly righteous absolution is pronounced upon your own perfect innocency and condemnation is pronounced upon any defect or breach And verily upon this account no man living can or shall be justified therefore here is comfort that being in Christ and in this Covenant of grace ye are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses See the Apostle Acts 13. 39. Your life doth not lie now in your own righteousnesse but in the righteousnesse of Christ nor doth it depend upon your own works but upon the obedience of Christ That expression of Luther is an excellent expression Christus solus me justificat contra mea mala opera sine operibus meis bonis Though my works have been very good yet not those but Christ doth justifie me and though my works have been very ill yet the righteousnesse of Christ can and will justifie me my evil works shall not damne me and my good works cannot acquit me it is Christ it is Christ and not the Law which justifies me 5. They have immunity or liberty from the rigour of the Law The Law in the rigour of it exacts of us a most absolute obedience a most exquisite and full obedience From the rigor of the Law it will not abate us the least grain or scruple if it be not every way adequate for matter and manner and measure your obedience will not passe nor will it be accepted according to the rigour of the Law Cursed is every one who doth not continue in every thing that is written to do it But when once you are under the Covenant of grace when once God is your God and you are his people neither you nor your services are judged by the exactnesse of your services but by the sincerity of your hearts Though much be wanting which the Law prescribes yet if that be present which your merciful God and Father
having God to be your God in Covenant There are divers rights and possessions and liberties and priviledges which you do enjoy and none but you who are the people of God and have him to be your God And I will propound these 1. In the general Where be you pleased to take notice of five things In general 1. Whatsoever priviledges believers have those are yours who are the people of God The priviledges of faith are yours all that faith can pretend unto from a Whatsoever priviledges believers have are yours right in Christ and a title by Christ as Mediator in respect of suffering of satisfying of purchasing of victorious conquest of interceding they are all of them yours whatsoever advantage a soul may get by Christ and whatsoever advantage Christ is to a believing soul that is yours 2. Whatsoever priviledges belong to the friends of God they do belong unto you All the people of God are stiled the friends of God James â— 23. and the friends What priviedges belong to the friends of God are yours of Christ John 15. 14 15. Cant. 5. 1. Friends as friends have free accesse courteous welcome and entertainment liberty of speaking familiarity of converse delightful communion confident imparting and openings of their hearts one to another chearful counsel and helps of one another thâ—se in a spiritual way do you enjoy with your God and from your God who because you are the people of God are therefore the friends of God 3. Whatsoever priviledges do belong to the sonnes and children of God these also do belong to you for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus The priviledges of the children of God are yours Gal. 3. 26. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters 2 Cor. 6. 18. You are the children of the Lord your God Deut. 14. 1. Children have the priviledges of nearnesse of residence in their fathers house of dependance on their father of presence of confidence c. 4. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the Kingdome of God those are yours who are the people of God It is a Kingdome of righteousnesse of peace of joy of The priviledges of the Kingdome of God are yours The priviledges of the heirs of this Kingdome are yours In special You have twelve priviledges Liberty of appeal safety of blessing of honour of immortality c. 5. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the heires of this Kingdome those also do belong to you Forasmuch as if you be children you are then 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 17. All the Charter and conveyances and assurances and hopes and at length possessions of the heavenly inheritance are yours 2. In special you have twelve excellent priviledges which I will touch upon a little 1. You have liberty of appeal and that appeal is accepted and ratified you have the liberty to appeal 1. From the Judgment-seat to the Mercy-seat 2. From the merits of sinne to the merits of Christ 3. From a condemning conscience to an acquiting God 4. From the Law to the Gospel 5. From your own unworthinesse to Christs righteousnesse 6. From your own feeling unto Gods promises When you see your selves cast at the barre of justice you may decline the sentence by flying unto the Throne of mercy O Lord justice condemns me but let mercy succour and save me when your hearts are overwhelmed in the apprehension and consideration of your many sinnes and the great guilt of them you may then appeal to the infinitely precious and surpassing merits of Christ whâ—re sinne abounded grace did much more abound and as sinne hath reigned unto death even so doth grace reigne through righteousnesse unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5. 20 21. When your conscience condemns you for sinnes past then may you appeal unto your God for mercy to pardon you God be merciful unto me a sinner saith the Publican Pardon my sinne O Lord for it is great saith David When the Law indites and pursues you as guilty then may you appeal to the Gospel as the Sanctuary to receive and secure your distressed souls when your hearts faile you because of your own unworthinesse then may you appeal to the righteousnesse of Christ and so be justified in the sight of God When you feel your selves as to your own sense utterly destitute left lost forsaken then may you appeal to the ptomises of God and there finde your selves still owned and loved and plentifully and graciously assured 2. You have this priviledge that all your communions with God are by a Your communions with God are by a Meditour Mediaâ—or and Advocate and Intercessor Or you pray not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and Mediator and you plead not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and you speed not in your own name but in the Name of your Christ nay you believe and hope not in your own names but in the Name of Christ There are two sad things for any man 1. To be left alone unto himself so as to have no part in Christ 2. To go alone in his approaches to God without a Christ to plead for him to have no Christ to own him to step in for him to undertake for him But this is your priviledge and this is your comfort who are the people of God that you never deal with your God but by a Mediator when you appear before your God Jesus Christ appears with you and he appears for you when you do invocare then he doth advocare when you put up your petitions then doth he make intercession he is your Advocate with the Father and he ever lives to make intercession for you 3. You have this priviledge that you trade altogether at the mercy-seat and You trade altogether at the mercy-seat at the Throne of grace God deals with you in no other Court but that of mercy and answers you from no other Throne but that of grace and you deal with God at that Seat and that Throne only When you have any sinnes to be pardoned you may go to your merciful God and to your gracious God and your merciful God will pardon them and your gracious God will freely pardon them When you would have any kinde of good and help you may go to your good and kinde God and he will give it and to your gracious God and he will freely give it 4. You have this priviledge that you may go to your God when you will You may go to your God when you will There is no space of time whatsoever but the door is open to you and your God is at leisure to speak with you You have liberty of accesse and that liberty is never restrained let your occasions be never so urgent never so many you may freely speak with your Father yea though there be ten thousand Petitioners before him yet you may put in your
as accepting of us in Christ as shining in his favour on our souls as our God in Covenant how satisfying how delightful a portion is this The small Ring with the rich Diamond cannot that delight and please you Object O but I have very little of these outwards Sol. A little of them is enough much is but a superfluity and is like the water that runs besides the Mill. Though but a little yet It is enough It is blest 2. Your little is blest it is the cluster of grapes with the blessing of the Lord a little wholsome food is better than a feast that is poysoned so c. 3. Your little will last As the Widows Oyle ran out still and ran out so much It will last as served to sustain her all the time of Famine so God by little and little will preserve you all your dayes 4. Though little in hand yet still sufficient and of the best in promise which will There is sufficient in the promise rain Manna down upon you all the time of your journying and travelling untill you come to Canaan 9. You who are the people of God should walk with all humility before God Walk with all humility before God Micah 6. 8. What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God There are four goodly sights 1. To see a pardoning God and a mournful sinner 2. To see a promising God and a believing sinner 3. To see a good God and a thankful sinner 4. To see a gracious God and an humble sinner No people are raised so high as the people of God and no people with such lowliness and humbleness as these To walk humbly is to walk 1. With a sense of our own unworthhyness I am not worthy of the least of all the With a sense of our own unworthinesse mercies of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant said Jacob Gen. 32. 10. Who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto said David 2 Sam. 7. 18. 2. With a sense of our own insufficiencies we are not sufficient of our selves to With a sense of our own insufficiency think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. O Lord I know the way of man is not in himself It is not in man to direct his steps Jer. 10. 23. 3. With a full acknowledgement of the grace of God as the reason and cause of With a full acknowledgement of the grace of God our all By the grace of God I am what I am And I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me said Paul 1 Cor. 15. 10. 4. With a low opinion of our selves as 1 Cor. 4. 6. That not one of you be puffed up With a low opinion of our selves for one against another verse 7. For who maketh thee to differ and what hast thou that thou didst not receive Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Why they should walk humbly Because They are saved by mercy Their enjoyments are the gifts of grace And there are five Reasons which the people of God have to walk humbly 1. Because they are all saved by mercy and brought into their high relation by the meere love of their God In his mercy he saved them and in your blood he set his love upon you and said unto you live 2. Because all the great enjoyments which they have they are the meere gifts of grace Ye are called by grace and justified by grace and adopted by grace and renewed by grace and saved by grace 3. Because you continually live in a dependance upon God All your actings are in his strength and all your communions with him are by his presence and by his power They live in dependency upon God your graces and your comforts and particular abilities would die in your hands if he should but withdraw and leave you 4. Because your God is a great God and you are but Dust and Ashes before him Their God is a great God And besides that he knows so much of you that you have cause to be vile in your own eyes and to lie low before him 5. Because you do so little for so good a God You make but poor returns in proportion They do so little for so good a God to your exceeding great receits your best performances and acts of obedience are so short to his mercies that you need mercy still to passe you by You should walk with all chearfulness and gladnesse of heart before your blessing Walk with all chearfulness and blessed God Psal 100. 2. Serve the Lord with gladnesse Deut. 28. 47. Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulnesse and gladnesse of heart for the abundance of all things O how chearful should your life be who enjoy such a God to be your God This enjoyment should be like a good conscience which is a continual feast yet God is my God and Christ is my Christ and mercy and glory are mine Yea it should make you exceeding forward and chearful in the services of your God not calling them your burdens but delights you should rejoyce in him and rejoyce to obey him and delight to do his will account it your meat and drink and you should a bound in the work of the Lord. 11. You should be constant in walking before him you should never be weary of him nor of his works you should think a short life too short for the serving Be constant in walking before him and the honouring of such a God as the Martyr was troubled because he had but one life to part with for Christ so should we because we have no more lives or no longer time of life to blesse and praise our good and gracious God you should serve him in holiness and righteousness all your dayes Luke 2. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. 12. You who ate the people of God should walk before him in all zeale for the honour of that God who hath so much honoured you as to make you his Walk before him in all zeal people What shall I do for my God! you should deny your selves and extend your selves and improve all your gifts and graces and powers for the services of his glory you should not count your time nor riches nor honours nor lives dear unto you so that you might honor and glorifie such a God as your God is and is to you you should speak and pray and study and act and enact for him who is so good a portion and will be your everlasting and blessed God SECT XV. Use 4 THere is yet one Use more
accounts before God without a Mediatour to answer for you you alone must answer God for all your sins and for all your abominations Fourthly That God will magnifie the power of his wrath and justice upon you for despising of him and of his grace and of his mercy and of all his glory c. of all sinners you will fall under the heaviest condemnation 3. Unto such who fain would be the people of God but are afraid that God will never Such as would fain be in Covenant but fear God will not admit them Should consider It is possible for them to be the people of God admit of them into Covenant that he will never be a God unto them To these I have six things to present which I would desire them carefully to remember 1. Do not despaire though as yet you find not your selves to be the people of Gods Covenant it is possible for you to be his people And there are three grounds to keep you from despaire 1. One because God hath made them to be his people which were not his people which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but have now obtained mercy 1 Pet. 2. 10. 2. A second because God hath looked mercifully upon as grievous sinners as ye have been and hath brought them into the Covenant Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live verse 8. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and enâ—red into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine 3. Because you have an expresse promise that God will make you to be his people which were not his people Hosea 2. 23. I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God 2. Great sinners are not absolutely excluded from coming into this Covenant of Great sinners are not absolutely excluded grace O Sirs this Covenant is only for sinners and this Covenant contains an infinite Mediator and super-abundant riches of grace and mercy so that the Lord gets him a Name and a praise and an honour amongst all the Nations of the earth and God in this Covenant doth promise to pardon abundantly to forgive iniquity transgression and sinne to cleanse from all filthinesse and from all Idols and to pardon all iniquities whereby we have sinned and have transgressed against him Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities and made me to serve with thy sinnes yet I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and I will not remember thy sinnes Thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest she is gone upon every high Mountain and under every green Tree and there hath played the harlot and I said after she had done all these things Turn thou unto me So that it is not the greatnesse of former sinnes which make you utterly uncapable of being received into this Covenant Though a mans sinnes have been high in their guilt and multiplyed in the practice and stretched out by many aggravating circumstances yet if now his soul doth mourn ovet them and lament if now he is willing to give a bill of Divorce unto them if he sees his former abominations and loaths them I dare assure him that God will take him into this Covenant the Covenant of grace and mercy is set open for him Come in saith God I will be merciful unto your Transgressions and I will receive you graciously your sinnes shall be mentioned no more 3. Though a sinner hath no deservingnesse in him no worthinesse at all yet he may be received into this Covenant of grace When a poor sinner hears of A sinner that hath no worthinesse at all may be taken into Covenant all that goodnesse which God is and which God will extend to such as will enter into Covenant with him and of all those mercies and blessings c. O saith he I shall never have this God and I shall never enjoy these blessings what am I but a very sinful creature worthy to be excluded and to be denyed but unworthy to enjoy such a God and to pâ—â—â—ake of such mercies sinnes I have enough for which God may loath me but worthinesse have I none to give me favour and acceptance in the eyes of God Sâ—l Let me give answer to remove this fear and this vexation out of the heart of the troubled and doubting sinner 1. A personal worthiness is not expected nor imposed by God for admission into A personal worthinesse is not expected for admission into this Covenant this Covenant he never said to any sinner If you be worthy of mercy then I will shew you mercy and if you be worthy to enjoy me then I will be your God Never did this come into the thoughts of God to make a new Covenant upon termes of worthinesse on our part nor in any one place of Scripture hath God let fall such a passage or such a heavy condition upon the sinner for then no sinner could ever have had any hope of coming into this Covenant sinfulnesse and unworthinesse being necessarily inseparable 2. A personal worthinesse is inconsistent with a Covenant of grace for a A personal worthinesse is inconsistent with the Covenant of grace Covenant of grace is a giving Covenant and it is a freely giving Covenant God loves you here freely and he here forgives you freely I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. I am he that blotteth out thy sinnes for mine own sake Esay 43. 25. This were a strange thing indeed that God should make a Covenant of grace to relieve the sinner against the Covenant of works and yet should make our works the foundation and reason of his grace No saith the Apostle There is a remnant according to the election of grace And if by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise works is no more works God admits not into this Covenant upon the reason and account of works nor doth he let out the good of this Covenant upon any such account this were not to advance his grace but to destory his grace 3. The acknowledging of our unworthinesse is more proper and answerable to The acknowledging of our unworthinesse is more proper to this Covenant than a pleading out worthinesse this Covenant than a pleading or a fancying of our worthiness I will go home to my Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee I am not
the good which we do enjoy or can enjoy or shall ever enjoy all our springs are in it 4. Sometimes that is stiled New which is diverse from what it was before It is diverse from the Covenant of works and from it self 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature that is he is not such a creature as he was before he is renewed he is changed into the image of the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. In this respect also is the Covenant stiled New not only because it is diverse from the Covenant of works in the foundation and condition and qualifications of the persons in Covenant but also because it is diverse from it self in respect of the administration of it after that Christ was manifested in the flesh and died and rose again from the different administration it is called Old and New Now it appears with open face without any vaile of legal Shadows and Ceremonies at all God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne and whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life It is now like a new Lease fairely written over with a new hand and new seals and new witnesses Though this Covenant be the same for substance in Abrahams and Moses time yet upon the coming of Christ it is new for the manner of administration it hath not those seals of Circumcision and the Passeover nor Sacrifices nor Ceremonies nor Types and Legal Figures which formerly it had it hath now the Mediator himself to deliver it and his new seals of Baptisme and the Supper and is established after a new manner even by the blood of Christ and hath many new institutions and adjuncts c. This is the Covenant which God makes with us even a New Covenant a Covenant of life upon new termes a Covenant which hath a new foundation a Covenant which hath new promises a Covenant which hath a new original and spring a Covenant which hath a new way of claime and title a Covenant which gives new hopes and a Covenant which hath new seals and confirmations Vse 1 Surely there is infinite reason for us poor and miserable sinners to bless the Lord even for this that he hath made all things New and especially for making a new Blesse God for this New Covenant Covenant had the Lord utterly left us when we left him had he held us to that first Covenant of works and proceeded against us for the breach of that Covenant we had every one of us for ever been condemned and lost but he was pleased to make a new Covenant with us where mercy is to be found for sinners and a Redeemer for transgressors and a Mediator 'twixt himself and us and our lives may yet be found in his grace and love and Christ and all this springing from his own grace and love What should oblige our hearts and raise our thankfulnesse if this doth not 2. Then there is no reason for distressed sinners to sink and despair although they have been Covenant-breakers and are never able to recompense God nor There is no reason for sinners to despair to raise up themselves for this new Covenant is made for the refuge and support of such sinners And herein God reveals himself to be a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne and to receive satisfaction for a sinner though not from the sinner I say for a sinner by a Mediator who hath likewise purchased reconciliation and favour and mercy and salvation for us 3. Not to refuse this Covenant this new Covenant for as it is said of Christ Refuse not this Covenant That there is no other Name given to us by which we must be saved Acts 4. 12. so there is no Covenant but this new Covenant which can relieve and save a sinner as it was with men in the time of the Deluge and the Ark all that got into the Ark were saved and all who entred not into the Ark were lost so all who get into this new Covenant they live and are saved and all who enter not into this New Covenant shall dye in their sinnes and perish SECT II. 2. A Second propriety of the Covenant is this it is a very perfect plentiful It is a perfect and plentiful Covenant and rich Covenant And this will appear weâ—her you will consider 1. The Author of this Covenant 2. Or the Mediator of this Covenant 3. Or the Covenant it self It appears by The Author of this Covenant 1. The Author of this Covenant who therein sets out all his gracious fulness here you shall finde him full of love and therefore the Apostle calls his love a great love Ephes 2. 4. and an exalted love God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom. 5. 8. And Saint John calls it a wonderful love Behold what manner of love the Father haâ—h bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God! 1 John 3. 1. Nay Christ himself calls it an unexpressible love God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. John 3. 16. And the Apostle repeats the love of God as the character and pattern of all love Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for us In mercy in relation to this Covenant he is said to be rich in mercy Ephes 2. 4. God who is rich in mercy nay to have riches of mercy Ephes 3. 16. According to the riches â—f his glory nay to shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus Ephes 2. 7. nay to be exceeding abundant 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope where sinne abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5. 20. Sinne doth exceedingly abound by way of extension and by way of intension in practice in degrees and in deserts but the mercy or grace of God it doth over-abound it is more than enough for the pardoning of the greatest sinners yea of all the sinnes of all his people his mercy is like himself infinite and unsearchable And therefore the Church cryes out Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage c. In goodnesse not only full of an essential goodnesse which is his own eternal and infinite perfection but also full of a Covenant goodnesse O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men Psal 31. 19. He is great in goodnesse Nehem. 9. 35. He is abundant in goodnesse Exod.
34. 6. How great is his goodnesse Zach. 9. 17. The riches of his goodnesse Rom. 2. 4. No good thing will he with-hold Psal 84. 11. 2. The Mediator of this Covenant how full and rich is Jesus Christ Of his By the Mediator of this Covenant fulnesse do all we receive he fills all in all The Godhead dwells bodily in him in him are all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge there are the unsearchable riches of Christ he is a perfect Redeemer and is able to save to the utmost 3. The Covenant it self There is nothing left out and there is nothing which can be added unto it the wisdome and goodnesse of God have made it a By the Covenant it self compleat store-house and treasury of all the good and of all the help which all the children of God have do or ever shall need Here is grace and here is glory here is all things pertaining to life and all things pertaining to godlinesse here is for the life present and for the life which is to come here are all sorts of comforts for the distressed and all sorts of helps for the needy and all sorts of defences for the exposed here is the Sunne and the Shield and exceeding great reward Vse This is an exceeding stay and comfort to all the people of Gods Covenant other people are in want and know not whether to go for help or for any good but This is stay to Gods people you have a good God to go unto and a good Covenant to go unto Other people may know whither to go for this or that particular good but they know not whither to go for all the good which they do need they may go to one friend for counsel and to another for almes and to another for physick but to whom can they go for mercy to pardon their sinnes or for peace to ease their troubled souls but you who are the people of God you have a Covenant to go unto which contains all manner of good for all the conditions of your souls and for all the conditions of your bodies Here is mercy to pardon and loving-kindnesse to comfort and righteousnesse to justifie and grace to sanctifie and peace to quiet and glory to save here is food for the body and rayment and safety and blessing and defence here is all others may give and finde a little help and a little comfort and a little provision but you have a Covenant to go unto which can give you all things richly to enjoy abundant goodnesse abundant compassions abundant mercies abundant love abundant grace abundant joy abundant consolation and abundant salvation all things all good things are treasured up in this Covenant and there they are in their perfection not one good without another but all good together not a little of one and a little of another but every good in perfection and fulnesse a perfect God and a perfect Mediator and perfect love and mercy and righteousnesse c. 2. This is an exceeding encouragemtnt unto you under any wants or in any And an encouragement in wants to go to God in faith great distresses to go by faith unto your God who hath made a full and perfect Covenant with you O thou distressed sinner here is mercy enough laid up for thee and here is peace enough and goodness enough and power enough and grace enough and help enough God doth not promise unto you a little of his mercy nor a little of his kindnesse nor a little of the righteousnesse of Christ nor a little of holinesse nor a little of spiritual joy Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide enlarge the desires of your hearts you do not crave enough and I will fill it I will plentifully answer and satisfie you Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Phil. 4. 19. My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ Heb. 4. 16. Let us come boldly unto the Throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need you have no cause to be dejected either with the multitude of your wants or with the depth and greatnesse of your distresses nor have you any cause to doubt and fear the supply and redresse of these for God hath made a full rich and perfect Covenant with you whiles there are answerable supplies and super-abounding helps and these in a Covenant and for you there is more reason to set your faith on work to fetch in the supplies than to set your feare on work because of your wants in all your distressed and needy conditions be pleased to look on this Covenant seriously do so bring your wants and distresses thither and there shall you finde proper helps and plentiful engagements and now stirre up your faith to believe and to take hold on God Lord here is the mercy which I need and here is the exceeding riches of mercy which I do need and here is the love the great love and here is the grace the abundant grace and here is the comfort and the abundant comfort and here is the strength the greatnesse of that strength which I do need here it is laid up for thee by me I come unto thee in the Name of Christ whose I am and I beseech thee abundantly to pardon me to supply all my need according to thy riches in glory SECT III. 3. A Third property of this Covenant is that it is a giving Covenant Gen. 17. 2. I will make my Covenant between thee and me in the Original It is a giving Covenant it is I will give thee my Covenant as God spake unto Phineas Num. 25. 12. I give unto him my Covenant of peace so he doth give a Covenant unto his people Isa 42. 6. I give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles Isa 55. 4. Behold I have given him for a witnesse to the people survey In it the Covenant all over you shall finde it to be a giving Covenant in all the particulars of it God gives himself to be ours therefore he is called our Husband Isa 54. 5. The husband gives himself to the wife so doth God to us God gives himself to be ours And he gives Christ he gave his onely begotten Sonne John 3. 16. and Christ did give himself Gal. 2. 20. He gives Christ And he gives his love Cant. 7. 12. There will I give thee my love His love His peace Eternal life His Spirit And he gives his peace John 14. 27. My peace I give unto you And he gives eternal life John 10. 28. I give unto them eternal life And he gives his Spirit He will give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. And he gives the new heart and the new spirit Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you A new heart And he
gives faith Vnto you it is given to believe Phil. 1. 29. By grace are Faith you saved through faith It is the gift of God Ephes 28. And he gives repentance Acts 11. 18. Then hath God given or granted unto Repentance the Gentiles repentance unto life And he gives mercy 2 Tim. 1. 16. The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus Mercy And he also freely gives us all things Rom. 8. 32. He gives grace and he gives All things gloâ—y Psal 84. 11. And he gives unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by them we Great and precious promises might be partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. This Covenant is a Covenant of gifts all that God promiseth in it is given and all that God requires of us is given and all that we are to give again to God is first given unto us by God Reasons why it is so from And there are two reasons why this Covenant is an altogether giving Covenant 1. One is our universal brokennesse and impotency and insufficiency our sinful Our universal insufficiency fall hath so ship-wrack't and ruined us that we have nothing at all left us we are naked and poor and miserable Rev. 3. 17. Without strength Rom. 5. 6. Not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 3. 5. What hast thou that thou hast not received I Cor. 4. 7. Such a brokâ—n vessel is the sinner such a self-undoing and destitute creatures like the Prodigal who spent all and had neither bread nor rayment nor shoes nor any thing and therefore his father must provide all and give all he must give him housing and he must give him rayment and he must give him shoes for his feet and he must give him meat to eat and wine to drink Where the creature is universally miserable and utterly impotent there must be nothing but giving Mercy must give all or the sinner is undone 2. Another is Gods intenâ—ion and purpose in this Covenant and that in the Gods intention and purpose in this Covenant praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1. 6 His intent in making this Covenant is wholly and only to exalt himself to proclaime his own glory and therefore he will give all and the sinner is to receive all that all the glory and praise of mercy of grace of blessings may be returned unto himself alâ—ne Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given to him and it shall be recompâ—nced unto him again Ver. 36. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whâ—m be glory for ever Amen Vse 1 If this Covenant be a giving Covenant then the poor and needy may traffique at it If it were a buying and selling Covenant in proper sense then Then the poor and needy may traffique at it poor sinners must despaire but it is a giving Covenant and therefore poor sinners have hope May not the poor who keep no house of their own yet go to the rich mans door where all is given When we survey our hearts and conditions we finde a world of wants and when we survey the Covenant we finde a Heaven of supplies Objection But then we fear and dispute and reason But how shall we get this mercy and gaine that blessing and enjoy that help We have nothing and we can bring nothing the Well indeed is deep but we have nothing to draw Sâ—l True but yet God can give all though you can bring nothing and according to the tenor of this Covenant He will give all the greatest and the least But will he give me food and rayment yes he will give you bread and he will give you double cloathing O But will he give me Grace yes he will give grace and glory O But will he give me Christ yes he will give his Christ that greatest gift that ever was given to sinners he is the gift of God O but will he give me mercy to pardon my sinnes and all my sinnes yes he will shew mercy and will forgive all thy sinnes whereby thou hast sinned against him O but will he give me Faith yes he will draw you to Christ and put forth an Almighty power to make you to believe O but will he give me another heart yes I will give thee a new heart c. O but I must pray if I would have these and I cannot pray why and it is his Covenant to give you the Spirit of grace and supplication Let these things quiet your sorrowful and troubled soules There is enough in the Covenant for you and all that is there is to be given 2. Be content to come and receive seeing God is pleased in this Covenant to be Be content to come and receive giving He is all upon the giving hand and we should be all upon the recâ—iving hand The giviâ—g works is Gods work and the receiving work is our work he findes the gift you must open your hand and take it O what a blessed Covenant is this wherein you may have all for asking and receiving Mat. 7. 7. Ask and it shall be given James 1. 5. If any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and it shall be given him John 4. 10. If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee Give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Now there are four qualities which if you could get them you Which we shall do if we have these qualities would then be content and willing to come unto God and beg of him and receive of him what he will give and without these you will not do so 1. One is poverty of spirit you must be poor in spirit the poor man speaks Poverty of spirit supplications saith Solomon It was poor Lazarus that came to the rich mans dâ—or and it is the poor sinner one who is truly sensible of his spiritual wants and miseries who will come to the door of mercy and cry out O Father of mercies give me mercy O God of grace give me grace O give me Christ c. If you be rich and encreased and stand in need of nothing as Laodicea was if you have enough of your own if you think that you are righteous and need not Christ and need not mercy c. you will never come to God and beg him to give you these 2. A second is humâ—lity of heart a proud man scornes to beg and scornes Humility of heart to receive he will not be beholding to any body it is the humble man who will acknowledge mercy and blesse for mercy and beg for mercy and be glad he may have mercy upon receiving termes God gives grace to the humble and the humble are thankfully contented to receive grace from God 3. A praying heart will be glad to be receiving A praying
heart Faith 4. A fourth is Faith Faith is a receiving grace therefore believing is stiled receiving To as many as received him he gave this dignity to be thâ— Sonnes of God even to them â—hat believe on him Faith receives Christ and receives mercy and receives love and receives righteousnesse and receives blessings and receives all the gifts of God Though God hath all to give yet you have no hand to receive untill you get faith 3. Is the Covenant a giving Covenant Is it such a Covenant wherein the Lord undertakes to give all the good mentioned therein This then yields Comfort to the people of God Hence they may conclude manifold comfort to the people of God who are in Covenant with him 1. If God undertakes to give all then certainly he undertakes to finde all good for us If he undertakes to give a Christ he must finde out that He will find all good for us Christ and if he undertakes to give you mercy he then must finde out that mercy c. 2. If God undertakes to give all then he must finde all from himself and And find all from himself of his own Men many times give away that which is none of their own but God gives nothing but what is his own but what comes out of his own stock and treasury 3. If God undertakes to give all in the Covenance then you shall be surely helped You shall be surely helped you have good reason to expect it for your Father hath all to give How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask will not a father give to his poor child Certainly your God is an infinite God a most gracious and glorious God and perfectly al-sufficient he hath heaven and earth in his own possession he hath all the good to dispose of which is good he must needs be infinite in mercy who can give all mercies and infinite in grace who can give all grace and infinite in glory who can give all glory c. For as this shews his infinitenesse that he hath all good to give so this shews his perfection that when he hath given all this yet there is no diminution made in his stock at all 4. If God undertakes to give you all that is in his Covenant then unquestisnably Then he doth unquestionably love you he loves you Indeed he gives many things to the wicked his enemies whom he hares but to undertake to give all the good in the Covenant this proceeds from his great love and from his special love Doth not God love you who is willing to give you his love and to give you his Christ the Son of his love and to give you all the graces of his Spirit the fruits of his love Then God will not deny the least mercies 5. If God undertakes to give you all even the greatest of mercies can you reasonably imagine that he will stick with you for the least of necessary mercies and blessings How shall he not with him freely also give â—â— all things SECT IV. A fourth property of this Covenant is this It is a free or gracious Covenant It is a free and gracious Covenant By grace are ye saved Ephes 2. 5. By grace are ye saved Verse 8. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22. 17. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Revel 21. 6. He freely forgave them both Luke 7. 42. The things that are freely given unto us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. This Covenant is gracious or free in three respects 1. For the constitution of Free in three respects it 2. For the reception into it 3. For the donations from it 1. For the exceeding framing out or constituting of this Covenant when For the constitution of it in respect of was it and with whom was it and whence was it All these will plainely demonstrate that this Covenant is a very free and gracious Covenant 1. Consider the time when it was made and set forth why immediately upon The time when it was made the fall then when man-kinde had sinned and transgressed the first Covenant then when God might have glorified his justice upon all sinners yet then was the time that he promised this Covenant The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. Surely this must needs be gracious then to set up a Throne of grace when sinful man was to receive his sentence at the Bar of Justice 2. Consider the persons with whom this Covenant is made It was made not The persons with whom the Covenant is made with fallen Angels but with men why not with them as well as with us no answer can be given but this of grace I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Nay and why with fallen men at all no answer can be given for this neither but only the grace of God and his own good pleasure so it pleased him and so it seemed good unto him 3. Consider whence the making of this Covenant did arise Did it arise from Whence the making of this Covenant did arise any goodnesse in any man O no All the world was found guilty before God and every mouth was stopped by reason of sinne Rom. 3. 19. Or did it arise from any desire or entreaty of man not at all but as man first brought in sinne and death so God first thought of mercy and life He is found of them that sought him not Isa 65. 1. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in â—â— is thy help Hosea 13. 9. The Lord set his love upon you to take you into Covenant c. because he loved you Deut. 7. 7 8. 2. For the reception into this Covenant here the graciousnesse or freenesse of it For our reception into it will also manifestly appear Consider the persons taken or brought into this Covenant either absolutely in The persons taken into the Covenant considered themselves or respectively in their dealing towards God or comparatively with others As to all these considerations this Covenant is a very gracious and free Covenant 1. Consider the persons now taken into Covenant what they were is themselves In themselves The Prophet tells you what they were in Ezekiel 16. 3. Thy birth and thy Nativity was of the Lord of Canaan thy Father was an Amâ—rite and thy mother an Hittite Ver. 4. Thy navel was not cut neither wast thou wasted in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all Ver. 5. No eye
them out upon such and such conditions and herefore not freely Sol. I answer 1. Every kind of condition is not opposite to grace as I shall shortly demonstrate unto you 2. Whatsoever condition he makes with his people for the enjoyment of any good he doth freely give and work that condition in them 3. No condition on our part hath any reason of merit in it which is the thing opposite to grace but it is only a means by which we come certainly to enjoy that which God is pleased graciously to give In this respect we are said to be justified by faith and to be saved by faith and yet we are also justified by grace and saved by grace Faith you see is put in as a condition and yet it excludes not grace Nay because by faith therefore by grace for our faith and Gods grace can well agree though Gods grace and mans deserts can never agree Now le ts make a little Use of all this Vse 1 Is the Covenant which God makes with us a gracious Covenant O what cause have we poor and unworthy sinners to blesse God for all this O Beloved Blesse God for this it is grace which is the life of this Covenant and which is life to our souls it is not all the love that is promised in the Covenant it is not all the mercy that is promised in the Covenant it is not all the holinesse that is promised in the Covenant it is not all the comforts and joyes and peace and blessings which are promised in the Covenant it is not that eternal life and glorious salvation promised in the Covenant it is not Jesus Christ and all the purchases of Christ drawn into this Covenant none of these nor all these would be any hope or any encouragement or any life at all unto us were the graciousnesse of the Covenant left out If the Lord should say unto us Here is the sweetest love that ever sinner tasted of but you must deserve it alas then I cannot expect it Here is the precious Christ the Authour of salvation but you must deserve him alas then I shall never enjoy him here is pardoning mercy to forgive all your sinnes but you must deserve it O then I shall never partake of it As he said Tolle meum tolle Deum so say I Tolle gratiam tolle omnia take away grace and take away all then take away Christ and take away God and take away mercy and take away heaven and take away hope and take away all the sinner is utterly lost upon any account but that of grace only it is this graciousnesse which makes him capable and makes him hopeful here is a loving God and he will love you freely here is a merciful God and he will pardon you freely here is a converting God and he will receive you graciously here is a good God and he will blesse you graciously c. Now the sinner begins to have hope and begins to hearken If there be a Covenant of grace why should I despaire If it be altogether gracious if it be raised by grace and published by grace and admits and receives by grace and le ts out all by grace there is yet hope that I may escape perishing that I may be delivered that I may find mercy and favour grace looks for no worthinesse and grace passeth by all unworthinesse and grace may look on and pity and help the greatest of sinners blessed be God who hath sweetened all his mercies and all his undertakings and all his blessings and all his givings with freenesse and graciousnesse 2. Is the Covenant which God makes with with us a free and gracious Covenant then stand out no longer be aliens to God no longer be strangers to his Thâ—n stand out no longer Covenant no longer grace makes your way clear and open it beats down all the mountains that did stand in your way It is said of Abraham that against hope he believed in hope so against all the unhopefulnesse from your selves you should believe from the hopefulnesse in the Covenant of grace yea and above hope believe in hope when you consider the greatnesse of the blessings in the Covenant they seem to be above hope but when you consider the graciousnesse in the bestowing of them they are now under hope Ho all you that hear me this day hearken unto me The graciousnesse of the Covenant will prove unto you either your sweetest salvation or else your heaviest condemnation if it doth not prove a strong encouragement to bring you into the Covenant it will certainly prove the heaviest and bitterest aggravation upon you for standing out against the Covenant O beloved yet be serious and wise and make in to God! you may be received graciously your sins have been exceeding great but the Covenant holds out more exceeding mercy joyned with more exceeding grace Rom. 5. 20. Where sinne abounded grace did much more abound If you come in to God his Covenant is to forgive all your sins and to forgive them freely Your worthinesse is none at all and yet you may come in and God according to his Covenant will love you freely you may have all freely a God a Christ love mercy forgivenesse the holy Spirit then new heart the salvation of your souls freely Therefore 1. Refuse him not and do not trifle away your precious souls whiles you Refuse not Gods offer have a day of grace and a Covenant of grace tendred unto you to come in Beware you refuse not him that speaketh neither neglect so great salvation God neither will nor possibly can fall lower or easier than he doth with you in his gracious Covenant 2. Fear not whether you shall be look't on or received of God he saith he will Fear not your acceptance receive you graciously If a company of poor men were envited by a rich man Come and I will give you money and receive and feed you freely you shall have all your wants supplied freely would they be afraid to accept the offer Do not make another Covenant than God is willing to make with you neither make any other Articles than God himself hath annexed unto this Covenant he saith it is a gracious Covenant say not you it is not so he hath said he will receive you graciously a say not you but he will not he saith that he will love you freely and justifie you freely and save you freely do not you say But God will do none of these O no! God is truth it self and he will perform the truth to Jacob and his mercy to Abraham Micah 7. 20. Therefore fear not but catch and take hold on this grace of God 3. Come in and make thy supplications to God Come in and confesse thy sins Come in and make thy supplications to God and thy unworthinesse and cry out unto God in the Name of Christ O Lord I have sinned against thee and I am unworthy to be
made one of thy people but yet look on me graciously and bring me into the Bond of thy Covenant Thou sayest thou wilt give all and all freely O save me freely and love me freely and justifie me freely freely give me Christ and freely give me faith and freely give me mercy c. 3. Is the Covenant which God makes with us a gracious Covenant Let all in Covenant remember To be humble all their dayes Then let all who are brought into Covenant remember two things 1. To be humble all their dayes you differ indeed from other men now and you have a different relation from them and different conditions from them and different enjoyments from them and different hopes from them I but who or what made you thus to differ nothing in you nothing of your own you were in the same lump of sinne and confusion and in the same common Rode of destruction with other men it was the meer grace of God that made the difference it was his free love and his free mercy and his free Spirit and his free call and his free giving of Christ unto you and of faith unto you therefore do not blesse your selves but grace nor glory in your selves but in grace was it not the root which bred and bare the branches glory in the root but do not glory in your selves glory in the grace of God which is the only root of your lives hopes enjoyments all 2. Remember still that you are in a Covenant of grace The Covenant is not That you are still in a Covenant of grace a Covenant of grace only whiles you are brought in but it is a Covenant of grace after that you are brought in unto it you could finde nothing to rest on before nor must you finde any thing to rest on but the grace of God after that you are got into the Covenant of grace you shall find wants still and weaknesses still and unworthinesse still but withal remember that you are under a Covenant of grace still what 's that my meaning is that God will still deal with you in a gracious way and you may go unto him still upon his own gracious termes and as so expect continual helps and supplies from him Save me for thy mercies sake said David Receive us graciously said the Church As your admission into the Covenant owes it self wholly to the grace of God so your pleading and expectations and confidences must still look at the same grace for as he loves you freely so he blesseth you freely and as he hath done you much good already upon gracious reasons so he will continue to do you good and good all your dayes upon the same termes O how vainly and simply do we trouble and disquiet our own souls as if the gracious Covenant were sometimes free and sometimes not free that some of the things promised in the Covenant must drop out freely and yet other things must be pumped out by something of our own that the lesser mercies are free but the greater mercies must come off upon harder termes and conditions that our coming into Covenant this is all of grace but our receipts from the Covenant these are not so truly these are many times our thoughts but the Lord knows that the thoughts of man are vain and these are so for as we are found by grace and made by grace so we live and are brought up by grace till we come to glory And as our admissions into the Covenant are only gracious so all our receptions are so and must be so all our dayes that God alone may have all the glory SECT V. 5. A Fifth property of this Covenant is this It is an ordered Covenant a well-ordered Covenant 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath made with me an everlasting This CovenaÌ„t is a well ordered Covenant Covenant ordered in all things and sure This Covenant is not a casual sudden rash confused indigested work but it is an ordered work it is made upon the counsel and wisdom and love and care of the infinite and perfect God and still so managed and carried on There are five things which do shew that this Covenant is an ordered Covenant and a well-ordered Covenant As appears 1. The adequate sutablenesse or answerablenesse of it to all and every one of the By the adequate sutablenesse of it to all a sinners wants sinners wants and straits and misâ—ries and necessities and desires Let any want whatsoever befall a sinner let his strait and necessity be what it may be yet here is an help and here is a remedy and here is a sutable succour for him in this Covenant Do'st thou want a reconciled God here he is do'st thou want a Christ here he is do'st thou want faith holinesse patience meeknesse love any spiritual grace here it is dost thou want peace and rest and ease and joy and comfort for a troubled conscience here it is dost thou want any thing which respects thy soul here it is or any thing that respects thy body here it is take any sinner under any want at any time of his life the Covenant contains an answerable help and therefore it is an ordered Covenant and a well-ordered Covenant that Common Wealth is well-ordered where no wholesome Law and no wholesome Remedy is wanting for the people 2. The right placing of all persons and of all things in this Covenant By the right placing of all persons and all things in this Covenant things are well-ordered when they are well-placed a thing out of place is out of order when the Master is in his place and the servants in their place and the children in their place now the family is rightly ordered Now in the Covenant all the persons are set in their right places Christ keeps his place as Mediator and God the Father keeps his place as a Donor and the believing sinner his place as a receiver here it is revealed what Christ is to do and what the Father will do and what the believer is to do and all things are set in their right place not promiscuously and confusedly but with an orderly regard unto sinners every one hath a right proportion set out every one hath a right portion set out here is hope for one that despairs and here is ease for one that is laden and here is peace for one who is broken-hearted and here is mercy for one that is penitent and here is a Christ for one that hath faith and here is redemption for one in bondage and here is righteousnesse for one that is ungodly and here is graciousnesse for one that is unworthy and here is riches for one that is poor and here is help for one that is needy and here is strength for one that is weak and here is balme for one that is wounded mercy is well-ordered and comfort is well-ordered and a Mediator well-ordered and righteousnesse well-ordered c. 3. The motions or
himself to hate every sinne to love all good to delight in the Lord to walk with God till he finde working in him the power of holinesse Vse 4 Is the Covenant of grace an holy Covenant then strive to be holy persons bewaile your former unholinesse and want of holinesse and oppositions and Strive to be holy persons contempts and reproaches of holinesse and as you desire to enâ—oy Gâ—d for your God and the mercies and comforts and hopes and happinesse of the Covenant so desire to be holy If holinesse be one of the great ingredients if it be the lively testimony of the people in Covenant with God if it be the expresse Will and Command of God for all in Covenant with him if it be the excellency of your natures if it be the necessary and certaine way of happinesse then be not ashamed be not averse to holinesse any more c. Quest And what is to be done that we may be holy What is to be done that we may be holy Beg of God to make you holy Sol. I will tell you what is to be done 1. Beseech the holy God to make you holy holinesse is attributed to God 1. Essentially he is holinesse it self 2. Infinitely there are no bounds of his holinesse And 3. Causally and therefore Christ prayed for his Disciples to his Father John 17. 17. Sanctifie them c. And the Apostle for the Thessalonâ—ans 1 Thes 5. 23. The God of peace sanctifie you And God hath promised to give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. And he hath sanctified those that were very unholy 1 Cor. 6. 11 12. Such were some of you but you are washed but you are sanctified And besides all this this prayer is well-pleasing to God Lord make me holy I would not grieve and dishonour thee any more I would not be vile 2. Attend the holy Word and wait upon God therein to work holinesse in Attend to the holy Word you John 15. 3. Ye are clean through the Word which I spake unto you John 17. 17. Sanctifie them through thy Word thy Word is truth The Word is compared to cleansing water to Fullers sope which whitens to refining fire which separates the drosse and purifies the mettal the hearts of sinners are changed by it so was Pauls and so those Jewes in Acts 2. 3. 4. 3. Get Faith to unite you to Christ who is made Sanctification to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. Get faith to unite us to Christ Make use of the promises 4. Make use of the promises as 2 Cor. 7. 1. SECT VII A seventh property of this Covenant is this It is a sure and stedfast Covenant It is a sure and stedfast Covenant Deut. 7. 9. The Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant with them that love him 2 Chron. 6. 14. O Lord God which keepest Covenant 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure Psa 19. 7. The testimony of the Lord is sure Psal 93. 5. Thy testimonies are very sure That is called sure A thing is called sure which is not a lye 1. Which is not a lye but a truth In this respect the Covenant is a sure Covenant It is no lye Psal 89. 35. I will not lye unto David Hab. 2. 7. At the end the vision shall speak and not lye Titus 1. 2. In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began It is a truth Micah 7. 20. Thou wilt perform the truth unto Jacob. Psalme 132. 11. The Lord hath sworne in truth Psalme 91. 4. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler 2. Which will not faile but will certainly come to passe it will be accomplished it will answer hope and expectation every way In this respect also Which will not fail the Covenant is sure Psal 89. 33. I will not suffer my faithfulnesse to faile Hab. 2. 3. It will surely come though it tarry wait for it Jer. 32. 41. I will rejoyce over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly Verse 42. I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them 1 Kings 8. 56. There hath not failed one word of all his good promise 3. Which alters not In this respect also is the Covenant sure Psal 89. 28. My Covenant shall stand fast with him Verse 34. My Covenant will I not Which alters not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Isa 54. 10. The mountains shall remove and the hills shall fall down but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace fall away saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee 2 Cor. 1. 20. All the promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us There are two things unto which I would briefly speak concerning this property of the Covenant namely the surenesse or certainty of it 1. Quest How it may be demonstrated That the Covenant of grace is a sure How it is demonstrated to be a sure Covenant It depends upon the counsel purpose and love of God Covenant Sol. There are six things to demonstrate or clear it Viz. 1. This Covenant depends upon the counsel of God and the purpose of God and love of God immutable and sure grounds these are as it were the springs and the foundations of the Covenant of grace viz. Gods love unto us his counsel wisely and deliberately contriving for us and his purpose resolving and intending everlasting good unto us Now every one of these is sure and certain The love of God is unchangeable whâ—m he loves once he loves for ever I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31. 3. The counsel of God is immutable wherein speaking of this Covenant Heb. 6. 17. God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath The purpose of God is sure So the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure that foundation of God is his election which is compared to a foundation because it is that upon which all our good and happinesse is built and because as a foundation it abides firme and sure 2. This Covenant hath as firme and sure Ingredients as can be desired It hath firm and sure ingredients There is in it 1. The presence of what is necessary to the certain performance of the Covenant The presence of what is necessary to the performance of it as There are two things necessary thereunto 1. The power of God 2. The Will of God if God be able and if God will performe his Covenant it is then sure Now let us consider both these in reference to the Covenant 1. The power of
if indeed God should not make good his Covenant if that should faile if it were unsure then many bills of complaint would come in against him Lord thou didst hold out a word of promise and commandedst me to rest on it and saydst Thou wouldst not faile me and lo I have quit all other confidences and cast all my hopes upon thy Word which thou saydst was sure and faithful and yet thou hast deceived and wronged me O no none shall ever be able thus to complaine of God or to charge him being truth and faithfulnesse it selfe Vse 1 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people a sure Covenant then behold hold what a priviledge it is to have God to be our God and for any of us to be the It is a singular priviledge to have God for our God and to be his people people of his Covenant Herein they do excell all other people namely that their Relation is higher their condition is better their hopes are greater their possessions are sweeter and their supplies are sure Wicked men who are out of Covenant have nothing sure their lives are unsure They shall flye away as a dream and shall not be found yea they shall be chased away as a vision of the night Job 20. 8. Their pleasures and delights are unsure They take the Timbrel and the Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ and in a moment they go down to the grave Job 22. 12 13. Their wealth and riches are unsure Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world and increase in riches surely thou didst set them in slippery places how are they brought into desolation as in a moment Psal 73. 12 18 19. Their honours and greatnesse are unsure Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations They call their Lands after thâ—ir own names neverthelesse man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish Psal 49. 11 12. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens and his head reach unto the clouds yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung they that have seen him shall say Where is he Thus Zophar in Job 20. 6 7. Their hopes are unsure The eyes of the wicked shall fail and they shall not escape and their hope shall be as the giving up of the Ghost Job 11. 20. Whose hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be a spiders webb Job 8. 14. Thâ— expectation of the wicked shall perish Prov. 10. 28. Their possessions are unsure Thou fool this night shall they take away thy soul then whose shall all those things be which thou hast provided Luke 12. 20. When wicked men are in dangers they are not sure of preservation when they are in troubles they are not sure of deliverance when they are in straits they are not sure of help when they are in terrours of conscience they are not sure of mercy when they come to die they are not sure of salvation nothing is sure unto the wicked but wrath and destruction But now on the contrary all things are sure in the Covenant for the people of God The love in the Covenant is a sure love and the mercies in the Covenant are sure mercies and the peace and the joyes and all the blessings of it are sure yea the meanest as well as the greatest even his bread and his waters are sure and eternal life is sure c. Vse 2 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people a sure Covenant why An encouragement to troubled souls to come into Covenant may not this be a great encouragement unto troubled and distressed souls to come into Covenant with God not to stand off through feares and disputes but I shall not be accepted but I shall not finde mercy but to come in with faith and confidence There are five things which may in a special manner affect and encourage Five encouragements from poor broken-hearted sinners to venture in and to close with God in his Covenant 1. One is the thoughts of God towards them his thoughts are thoughts of mercy and peace towards you Jer. 29. 11. The thoughts of God towards them The compassions of God for them The designation of Christ to them 2. A second is the affectionate compassions of God for them To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and trembleth at my Word Isa 66. 2. 3. The designation of Christ is in reference unto them The Lord hath anointed me saith Christ Isaiah 61. 1. to preach good tydings to the meek He hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted 4. A fourth is the particular calls and invitations of God directed unto them Let The invitation of God directed to them him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him come and take the waters of life freely Rev. 22. 17. 5. A fifth is the several assurances which he is pleased to give unto them You The several assurances he gives them shall not be rejected saith Christ Him that câ—mes to me I will in no wise reject saith Christ John 6. 37. You shall not be despised saith God himself Who hath despised the day of small things Zach. 4. 10. Nay you shall be graciously accepted I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. And you shall surely find mercy I will surely have mercy on him said God of Ephraim Jer. 31. 20. And though your sinnes have been many and great yet they shall certainly be pardoned If the wicked will turn from all his sins c. he shall surely live and not die All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him Ezek. 18. 21. 22. Why what sweeter encouragement than this You shall find mercy and what stronger encouragement than this you shall surely find mercy God will be your God and he will certainly be so he will lovingly receive you and certainly he will do so and he will pardon all your transgressions and certainly he will do so Plenitudo gratiae certitudo gratiae these should work off all feares and troubles in our hearts c. Vse 3 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people a sure Covenant then blessed are the people who are in Covenant for all the good in the Covenant is Blessed are they who are in Covenant sure to them and shall be theirs assuredly God is surely their God and he hath said unto them as once to Jacob Gen. 32. 12. I will surely do thee good Peruse I beseech you all the Covenant of God and consider what riches and treasures and mercies and blessings and hopes and Reversions and promises you find there either you are possessed of them all or shortly shall be possessed of every one of them all is laid out upon you or is surely laid up for you what you have is sure and what you want is
sure also you have sure possessions and you have sure promises Beloved though nothing out of the Covenant is sure yet all things in the Covenant is sure not only sure certitudine veritatis in a way of ttuth but also sure certitudine haereditatis in a way of performance not only sure quoad causam ratione pacti as to the cause and the nature of Gods Covenant but sure also quoad effectum ratione facti as to the effect and fruition of them you shall have all the mercy and all the grace and all the glory which God promiseth You may have a mans promise and a mans Bond and yet you may not be sure for the man may die or his estate may faile and break but it is not so here in Gods Covenant with you he never dies and he never breaks he is an eternal infinitenesse and al-sufficiency and his Word abides the same for ever yea one may be an heire to a great estate yet he may not be sure to enjoy that great estate either death or miscarriages or violence may deprive him of the right but the people of God are sure heires of all the promised good in the Covenant and they shall not fail to enjoy all they have the promises of all good and they have promises that God will assuredly performe all his promises and they have his Oath annexed unto those promises Heb. 6. 13. when God made a promise to Abraham because he could sweare by no greater he sware by himself Ver. 14. Saying Surely blessing I wâ—ll blesse thee as if he should say Surely surely as I am God I will blesse thee now what shall we say to these things how good is our God! how rich is his Covenant how blessed are the people who have the Lord to be their God in Covenant The Covenant is good and the Covenant is full and the Covenaâ—t is sure Then if the Covenant be a Covenant of blessings and blessednesse you who are in Covenant are blessed and shall be surely blessed Vse 4 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people a sure Covenant then you who are the people interested in this Covenant hearken unto a few instructions Instructions 1. In the apprehension of your wants and of the sutable good which God In the apprehension of your wants be much in prayer hath promised unto his people pray and never cease seek and ask and knock if you finde your names written in the Covenant and your supplies written in the promises now pray without ceasing pray without fainting you are sure to speed and therefore be sure to pray your labour is not in vain in the Lord said the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. â—8 So say I your prayers unto the Lord shall not be in vain consider that place in Isa 45. 19. I said not to the seed of Jacob Seek ye me in vain I the Lord speak in righteousnesse as if he should say I never did put you upon fruitlesse service you never lost your labour when you sought me whensoever you sought me you did finde me I have been still as good as my word I the Lord speak righteousnesse I do not deceive any but what I promise to be unto them that seek unto me to do for them that I will be and that I will certainly do for them There are three reasons why we should make our requests known unto God why we should pray unto him and hold and keep up prayers 1. One is because he is only the fountain of all good 2. A second is because he hath promised all good 3. A third is because he will surely performe all the good which he hath promised Psal 57. 2. I will cry unto God most high unto God that performeth all things for me Verse 3. He shall send from heaven and save me God shall send forth his mercy and his truth Mark the place David is resolved to pray unto God to draw nigh and to call upon him for help and why will he do so because God is the most high God he is able to help me and because God hath promised me help and he will performe all that he hath promised me yea he will certainly do so for he will send forth his mercy and his truth that is I shall certainly enjoy the mercy which he hath graciously promised and will truly performe A beggar will many times ask where he is not sure to receive an almes he will hazard many a request but it is not so with you who are the people of God you never hazard one prayer which you make if it be grounded upon the promise made to you and the reason is because the Covenant is sure and God is faithful who hath promised what the Apostle spake about well-doing in Gal. 6. 9. Let us not be weary of well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not that I say of praying be not weary of praying say not it is in vain but continue praying for the mercy for the grace for the help for the comfort which your souls do need for in due season you shall reap if you faint not when you sowe the seed in the earth you shall finde it to come up and bring forth in the season of it not as soon as you sowe it yet in the due season you shall hear of it again so sowe your prayers in heaven prayers are the seed which the soul doth sowe and you shall reap in due season though you be not presently answered yet when the season of answering comes you shall certainly be answered 2. Look out for more than as yet you have received and do enjoy Beloved Look out for more than as yet you have received this you shall experimentally finde that the more you do study your own hearts the more wants and weaknesse you shall finde in them and the more that you study the Covenant of grace the more riches of grace and mercy and glory you shall finde in it As the Queen of Sheba though she heard much of the wisdome of Solomon yet she found more than as much more when she came and conferred with him so besides all the good which you have heard in the Covenant or have received from the Covenant if you would search further into it you should yet finde those unsearchable riches of Christ and such depths and heighths of love and mercy that you never espied before there is much more grace and much more love and much more mercy and much more peace than ever your souls as yet tasted of you shall finde greater things promised than ever you as yet have partaken of Object You will confesse so there are Sol. And sit you still and stand you complaining and will not you make out for them do not you know 1. That the whole Covenant is your portion that God hath promised to give all unto you to give grace and glory and to with-hold no good thing from you
2. That all is sure in the Covenant that there is no difference of any good which God hath promised as to the graciousnesse and as to the certainty of giving why all the good of the Covenant is freely given unto you and shall certainly be given unto you and therefore you who are the people of God be not satisfied with the little which you have but enlarge your hearts and enlarge your desires and enlarge your confidences for there is much more in the Covenant than as yet you have got out of the Covenant and there it is laid up for you and it will be as surely performed as any blessing which hitherto you have enjoyed Beloved the Covenant is not sure in one paâ—â—â— and unsure in another part this mercy promised is sure but that mercy promised is unsure the lesser is sure but the greater is unsure but all of it and all in it are sure pardon of lesser sinnes is sure and pardon of greater sinnes is sure yea pardon of all your sinnes is sure and as a pardoning mercy is sure so healing mercy is sure and helping mercy is sure God will as certainly heal and renew your hearts as he will pardon your sinful doings and God will as certainly subdue your strong corruptions and powerful temptations as he will do you any other good and he will as surely give you peace in conscience and Christ and eternal life and the joyes of the holy Ghost as well and as certainly as he hath given any truth of grace to you You think this may be had and that may be had but you seldome come up with faith to believe that all shall be had O Sirs we frequently forget that the Covenant of God is a sure Covenant and sure in all things but let us strive to raise our faith unto that heighth and to that latitude that all the Covenant is sure there is not one word of it which it shall fail God will surely performe all his good promises of the Covenant what you possesse you think is sure yea and all that God promiseth is sure and therefore stir up your hearts and look up to God with as much confidence for all which yet you want be it never so much and never so great for God will surely make good all his Covenant to you you have found the Covenant sure in many things O but the Covenant is sure in all things all the promises of God are Yea and Amen c. 3. Be not discouraged nor despond nor despair for the Covenant Be not discouraged is sure there are foure times when our hearts are very apt to faile us 1. One is long delayes of earnest prayers See Psal 22. 1. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring Verse 2. O my God I cry in the day-time but thou hearest not and in the night-season and am not silent 2. Another is seeming dislike and discouragement of seeking Lam. 3. 7. He hath made my chaine heavy Ver. 8. Also when I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayers Matth. 15. 23. He answered her not a word Verse 24. I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel Ver. 26. It is not meet to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs 3. A third is a sensible contradicting or denial of our requests as Heztkiah spake for peace I have great bitternesse So when we pray for peace in conscience then we feel more distresse and trouble in conscience and when we pray against temptations then we finde more powerful and violent temptations and when we pray for deliverance from sinne we then feel more strong assaults and turbulent motions of sin 4. A fourth is when Gods dealings of providence seem quite opposite to his undertakings in his promise Judges 6. 12. The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour said the Angel to Gideon Ver. 13. And Gideon said unto him If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us and where are all his miracles which our fore-fathers told us of Did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt but now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of the Midianices neither hast thou delivered thy people at all Exod. 5. 23. And so David to whom God promised a Kingdome but instead thereof he was banished the Kingdome and his life was sought for and pursued by Saul whereupon he concludes instantly that all men are lyars Psal 116. 11. In all these cases and many more we are very apt to be discouraged and to question at least the surenesse of Gods Covenant and to cry out with David Psal 77. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Ver. 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore Ver. 9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies Neverthelesse notwithstanding all these contigencies and seeming contrarieties and manifold delays and strange dealings of God with his people his Covenant with them is sure and it shall certainly be performed as no work of man so no work of God doth or shall frustrate the Covenant of God with his people Therefore for the better support of your hearts under all these dealings of God with you carefully remember a few positions 1. They are tryals of our faith but no testimonies of Gods unfaithfulnesse He that sits in darknesse and sees no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay himself upon the God of Jacob Isa 50. 10. We think that we dare to rely on the word of promise as a truth of God as a sure word which will not faile us Now God by these contrary dealings tries the faith of his servants there is still my promise to hear and to do you good and here to your sense and feeling is something directly contrary unto it Can you in this condition glorifie my good and faithful Word Though all these clouds arise yet the Sun will break forth though all this befalls me I shall yet see him to be the help of my countenance and my God his Word is a tryed Word I will not fail God who cannot lye hath promised Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. why Beloved this is one principal end of Gods dealing with us in ways contrary to his promises namely to try and to demonstrate what our faith is in his promises 2. They are reasons of our patience but no characters of Gods change be ye followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises saith the Apostle in Heb. 6. 12. God is pleased to hide himself from our prayers and seems to neglect them in this he tries our faith and God is pleased many times to delay his answers in this he exercises our patience he will be acknowledged not only as a
have lost that perfectly inherent righteousnesse and the grace which comes in the room of it is very weak and imperfect so that as to the perpetuating of the Covenant we should be extreamly disadvantaged in comparison of our imperfect holinesse with his perfect righteousnesse and thus we by grace should have only a less power and strength to continue in Covenant with God than Adam had 3. God undertakes more for our part in this Covenant than he did for Adam in that Covenant for there he did give a sufficiency of righteousnesse and so left man unto himself but here he doth not only call us to be his people and give us grace to make us to be so but also promiseth and engageth his own power and his Christ and the Spirit of grace to assist and uphold and preserve and confirm and stablish us unto the end Surely then it is not probable that he would leave the issue of so much mercy and happinesse to the power and sole pleasure of our own will 4. That God should glory so much in making this Covenant with his people and please to speak so much of his great kindnesse and riches of grace and mercy and of what he hath done and will do for them and yet when all comes to all it is no more but this if your will pleaseth you shall enjoy all this 2. It is very incongruous to make the Covenant thus to depend for the lastingnesse Is very incongruous of it on the power and pleasure of mans will it would rob Gods grace of all the glory for our abiding in the Covenant for as the sole blame would be ours if we did break the Covenant so the sole praise and honour must be ours if we by our own wills do continue and perpetuate the Covenant God will give this and will give that if we continue stedfast in his Covenant and that stedfastnesse depends only upon the power and pleasure of his will God say they no where promiseth that gift absolutely but we must look for that in our selves And I beseech you now tell me where the glory of our perseverance unto glory must light shall the grace of God have it no it is not the fruit or work of Gods grace determining then the man must have it who did so manage and stirre and improve his will as to hold out to the end and thus by placing the lastingnesse of the Covenant upon the power of mans will the creature gets away the glory from the Creatour and Gods grace which should reign in this Covenant must lose the Crown unto the supposed power and pleasure of mans will 3. It is very uncomfortable to ground the lastingnesse of the Covenant upon It is very uncomfortable the power and pleasure of mans will for hence it will necessarily follow that you cannot till the very last minute of your breathing come to any certain conclusion of your state in grace nor of your portion in glory Why so because it is in the power of your own will whither you will stand or fall hold fast or break off relation with God it may be you will it may be you will not perhaps your own corruptions may be too strong for you or Satans temptations or something from the world and then your hearts fall off from God and you are lost for ever so that it is impossible by this doctrine ever to have any settled comfort fixed peace or stedfast hope because all the happinesse of your estate is but conditional upon the good behaviour of your own wills which is very changeable Obj. But therefore we will pray the more to God that our wills may not be led aside from him but keep fast to him and his wayes Sol. True and this is indeed a direct course to stand fast in the Covenant but then consider that this course will break the neck of that opinion which makes the lastingnesse of the Covenant to depend upon the sole power and pleasure of mans will For when you pray to God for his grace and his strength and his continued presence that you may thereby continue with him in Covenant you do herein deny your own power and sufficiency and you do acknowledge that you are strong in his strength and not in your own might and consequently that the lastingnesse of the Covenant doth not depend on the power of the will but upon the presence and power and assistance of his grace and so fall in with us that the Covenant is everlasting not in respect of mans will but in respect of Gods grace 4. I will adde one consideration more it is not possible I speak ex hypothesi It is impossible in reference to the Will and Power and Truth of God revealed in the Covenant that the people of God really brought into Covenant with him should break off the Covenant with him and so make it mutable and voyd on their part Suppose but this that the Covenant shall not faile nor cease on Gods part that God will be but true to performe what he hath promised unto his people I then affirme that it is not possible that the Covenant should faile on our part my reason is this Because the full performance of the Covenant on Gods part doth essentially and naturally include the performance of it on our part and prevents all breaking and voiding of the Covenant God in this Covenant doth promise unto his people 1. That he will be their God for ever 2. That he will never cast them off 3. That he will never forsake them 4. That nothing shall separate from his love 5. That he will never turn away from them to do them good 6. That if his people transgresse he will visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquities with stripes neverthelesse his loving kindnesse he will not take away from them nor suffer his faithfulnesse to fail 7. That he will be merciful to their transgression and will heal their back-ssiding 8. That he will give them his Spirit which shall cause them to walk in his Statutes and to do them 9. That he will give them an heart to feare him for ever and that he will put his feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from him 10. That he will confirm his people unto the end and that he will performe or perfect the good work which he hath begun in them untill the day of Jesus Christ and that he will preserve their whole soul and body blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Now I say grant me but this supposition That God will be faithful to make good these promises unto his people which the Scripture peremptorily saith he will and that it is impossible for him to lie Heb. 6. 18. and God who cannot lie hath promised Titus 1. 2. it will hence necessarily follow That it is impossible the Covenant should be broken and made void by the people of God For upon the
our Father and we are thy people A second is the merciful nature of God ready to shew mercy and to multiply pardon A third is the death of Christ he shed his blood to make our peace and to slay all enmity A fourth is the very Covenant it self wherein God hath promised that he will not cast away and that he will heale and forgive the back-slidings of his people and though he will chastise them yet he will not forsake them 8. The Covenant of grace gives a better estate then the Covenant of works It gives a better estate we have a better estate by this then we had or could have by that 'T is true That Adam in innocency enjoyed a larger measure of knowledge and righteousness and had also free communion with God without fear and had dominion over the creatures But yet he had not knowledge of God in Christ nor any communion with God through Christ nor had he any manifestations of the glories of the Gospel by the Spirit of Christ and besides all this whatsoever enjoyments Adam had which might make up a happy estate unto him yet all that enjoyment was mutable and contingent But now in and by the Covenant of Grace our enjoyments are higher and they are also surer 1. They are higher for now we enjoy God not only as a Creator but as a Father Our enjoyments are higher we enjoy him a merciful and gracious and abundant in goodnesse and truth and we enjoy Jesus Christ in a way of union with his person being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5. 30. and in a way of communion in his death and life and victories and purchases and we enjoy the very Spirit of Christ as to all his graces and comforts and assurances 2. They are surer he enjoyed God so as yet he lost his God he enjoyed righteousness Surer so as yet he lost his righteousness and dominion so as he lost that dominion and had it not been for Christ who was immediately promised after the fall he had never found his God again nor a righteousnesse again nor any right of dominion again but in the Covenant of grace all is sure and stable and permanent God is our God for ever and we continue his people for ever Christ is our Head and we are his Members for ever we enjoy the Spirit and he abides in us for ever The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant then that of works It is better in the way and cause of Remuneration as to the way and cause of Remuneration In a Covenant of works you must earn your wages before you must be paid your wages your own doing is the price of your receiving and your reward is as your work is nothing is there expected as a bounty and gift but all runs there as debt and wages Adam could never pray under this Covenant Lord receive me graciously do me good freely for thy mercies sake But it is not thus in the Covenant of grace where he that deserves nothing may yet receive all and the unworthy sinner doth yet attain to the most excellent mercies upon the sole account of the riches of Gods grace in Christ In the Covenant of grace God doth not reward us according to our ill deeds nor doth he reward us for our good deeds But he freely pardons the ill works of his people and doth them all good not for their goodness but for his own goodnesse-sake In the Covenant of works you come to God saying Lord This I have done therefore blesse me In the Covenant of grace you come to God saying Lord This I need and this thou hast promised O give it me not for my sake but for thy truths sake and for thy Christs sake freely love me freely accept of me freely own and bless me I can shew no deserts of mine but I can shew unto thee thine own promises I can find enough in my self why thou shouldest abhor and curse me and yet I finde enough in thy self and Covenant why thou mayest embrace and help me 10. The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant than that of works in respect of a double efficacy 1. Of helping recovery 2. Of saving vertue It is better in respect of a double efficacy Of helping recovery 1. The Covenant of works never did afford help to recover any one sinner As that Commander spake of the Watchman whom he found asleep and therefore ran him through with his sword I found him dead and left him dead That we may say of the Covenant of works It findes us dead in sins and in trespasses and it leaves us dead in our sins and trespasses there is no balm for our wounds in that Covenant But the Covenant of Grace this doth help and restore sinners it is the ministry of Life and Grace and Peace But God saith the Apostle in Ephes 2. 4 5. who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ And 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ died for us verse 9. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 2. The Covenant of works did never save any righteous person What saving Of saving vertue power might be found from it upon a supposition of Adams standing I dispute not but this I say There never was any one person saved actually by the Covenant of works But yet the Covenant of Grace doth save all Believers Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 15. We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they Ephes 2. 8. By grace ye are saved through faith 1 Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules Thus you see that the Covenant of grace is the best Covenant in comparison of the Covenant of works Use 1 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant The best Covenant that ever God made with man and for man How great then is their sin who refuse this Covenant Then how gâ—eat is their sin who refuse this Covenant and to come into this Covenant The greater that any mercy is our sin is therefore the greater to refuse that mercy O beloved whence is it that many of your hearts are still hardned whence is it that you love darkness rather then light why do you not hearken to this Covenant whence is it that for lying vanities you forsake your own mercies 1. Are you not sinners 2. Do
not sinners need mercy 3. Can mercy be found anywhere but in this Covenant of mercy or peace anywhere but in the Covenant of peace or life anywhere but in the Covenant of life 4. And doth not this Covenant hold out mercy unto you yea the best mercy and upon the best terms The other Covenant affords you no mercy it easts you off it condemns you to death and wrath And this Covenant yet offers you mercy and life and salvation and no Covenant but this doth so What and yet to refuse to come into it surely either you know not that you are sinners and what will befall you for your sins or else you are desperately wicked to slight and refuse the mercy and grace of God in this Covenant Ezek. 24. 13. Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee So may the Lord say unto some of us Because I would have shewed you mercy but you would not accept of mercy therefore you shall never have mercy And because I would have taken you into Covenant and you would not come into my Covenant of grace and life and peace I will never be a merciful God to you nor a gracious God to you but you shall dye in your sins and perish for ever Heb. 2. 3. Vse 2 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners to God and themselves much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant better then any other Covenant which God made with man Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners both unto themselves and unto God! who lay the Covenant of grace so low and impose such opinions upon it as if there were no difference twixt a Covenant of grace and a Covenant of works Surely it is either temptation which lies upon them or ignorance or unbelief that they thus stand off and fear and dispute and except and question and many times conclude against all encouragements to be taken into this Covenant and there to finde mercy and rest for their soules truely they do many times turn the Covenant of Grace into a very Covenant of Works O but there is no mercy to be had O but not for such great sins O but for me O but I can deserve nothing and bring nothing O but the sentence is past against me O but I have nothing to make my peace And thus they make the Covenant of Grace a very Covenant of Works no better then so a Covenant without mercy without grace without a Mediatour without a tender compassionate God and Father no City of refuge at all nor help to the poor sinner at all And when they are convinced of mercy in it and possible reception into it yet they think that God will not come off to this but upon very hard and difficult terms usually annexing the Legal condition to the promises of the Covenant of Grace Why sirs what do you mean thus to wrong God and his Covenant and your distressed souls Either there is a Covenant of Grace or there is not either that Covenant of Grace is a better Covenant than the Covenant of works or it is not If it be a better Covenant then the fallen and undone sinner may finde relief there and help there which he could not finde in the Covenant of Works for if the sinner can be no more relieved by this than by that Covenant it is then no better Covenant And now see what a slurre you cast upon the wisdome of God and upon the goodness of God and upon Jesus Christ and upon all the promises of God O distressed sinner If the merciful God if the gracious God if the giving God if the forgiving God if the freely loving God if the Lord Jesus as Mediatour and Surety if all the promises of God in Christ if all the offers of grace if all the calls of the Gospel may suffice to convince thee that this Covenant is the best Covenant that ever was or can be made for sinners with all suitableness and tenderness to the sinners condition Then dispute no more but pray for faith to give God the glory of his exceeding grace in this Covenant c. Use 3 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant What a comfort is this to all believers who are effectually brought into this Covenant Is it no comfort to be Comfort to all Believers brought into such a good estate as better cannot be found or enjoyed If the Covenant of Grace be the best Covenant better then any other Covenant Then all in that Covenant are in the best condition of all other men It was a special kindness in Joseph to give his Father and his Brethren a pâ—ssession in the land of Ramesis what kindness then is that in God to make you to be his people and to become your God and to settle such a portion such a possession upon your soules as in heaven and earth a better Covenant cannot be how should you hearts rejoyce and blesse God for the Covenant of Grace and for bringing of you into that Covenant of grace where A Redeemer is only to be found and you have an interest in that Redeemer A reconciled God is only to be found and you have a propriety in that reconciled God pardoning mercy is only to be found and you have your shares in that pardoning mercy Renewing grace is only to be found and you have your portion in that renewing grace Salvation is only to be found and you have your possession of that salvation Others perhaps cry out O that we might have mercy and O that we might have Christ and O that God would be pacified towards us and reconciled to us and O that our sins might be forgiven and our soules accepted into life why you have all this and more than this Have you not cause to rejoyce who are brought into such a Covenant where you have a propriety in God and Christ and the Spirit and mercy and grace and glory yea into such a Covenant where you may finde relief and support for every want and against every fear and against every sin and against every temptation where all the sorts of mercies and helps and comforts are yours Yea unto such a Covenant where there is not only mercy but fulnesse and not only fulness but freenesse and with all these a certainty and unchangeablenesse Here is as much mercy and goodnesse and happinesse as you need and you shall surely have it and it shall continue unto you for ever Adam and God parted but you and your God shall never part you and Christ shall never part you and mercy and
enmitie God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself But which is more we are by Christ made nigh to God in a way of relation so that he is now become our God As by reason of this union Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren Heb. 2. 11. So God is not ashamed to be called our God Heb. 11. 16. Yea and as the Apostle tells us that Christ is ours Ephes 1. 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ so Christ himself tells us that God is ours I ascend to my God and to your God And by the way observe it that Christ doth not say only or first I ascend to your God yet this had been a special comfort to the Disciples that God was their God but he saith I ascend to my God and to your God and why to my God and next to your God But to inform us that God becomes our God by vertue of our union with Christ what Christ calls mine that you may call yours My God and your God and because my God therefore your God So then our union with Christ infers with it our union with God our relation to Christ infers with it our relation to God and our propriety in Christ our propriety also in God and our fruition of Christ to be ours a fruition of God himself to be ours than which a more high and blessed fruition no creature is capable of 2. Secondly our union with Christ takes in with it our union with the Father the Our union with the Father first Person in the Trinity that as God is the Father of Christ and Christ is the Son of God so now in Christ God is also our Father and we are his children Joh. 20. 17. My Father and your Father Ephes 1. 3. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. Thes 2. 16. and God even our Father Here you see that God is Father to Christ and he is also a Father to all them that are Christs And as Christ is the Son of God so are we the sons of God and how come we to be the sons of God see Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and Joh. 1. 12. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe in his Name why As this is an unspeakable dignity for us to be raised unto 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God So it is a most comfortable relation none the like It concludes within it all the love of God and goodnesse and mercy and care and help and compassion and tendernesse and blessings of God as a Father 3. Thirdly our union with Christ takes in with it also our union with the Holy Our union with the Holy Ghost Ghost in which respect he that is joyned to the Lord is said to be one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. and the Spirit of Christ is said to be given us 1. Joh. 3. 24. and he is in us and dwells in us Rom. 8. 9. and hath communion with us 2 Cor. 13. 14. The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all and we have fellowship with the Spirit Phil. 2. 1. in the participation of his 1. Graces 2. Help 3. Comforts O Christians These are glorious things indeed who would not strive after union with Christ which brings such an union with it and who cannot but rejoyce and triumph in Christ by union with whom he is thus united to the whole Trinity 2. If you be by faith united unto Christ here is yet another comfort for you Our union with Christ confers upon us an interest in every good of the Covenant We are Sons Heirs That as this union infers with it a relation to every Person in the Trinity so it doth assuredly confer upon you an interest in every good of the Covenant for by vertue of this union we are made both Sons and Heirs Sonnes Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Heirs Gal. 3. 29. And if ye be Christs then are you Abrahams Seed and Heirs according to the promise Some read it if ye be one with Christ Si unus estis in Christo vid. Beza Here you do expresly finde our Heirship to flow from our union with Christ for certainly our heirship thence ariseth from whence our sonship doth arise and that is from union with Christ Well then Believers are Christs and being Christs they are Children and if Children then Heires and Heires according to promise Quest Heirs whose Heirs and of what estate Whose Heirs Sol. An Heir strictly is the childe either Natural or adopted who upon the death of the Father succeeds into his possessions In this strict acceptation neither Christ who is the Natural Son and Heir nor Believers who are sons and heires by grace are Gods Heires for God never dies and we do not take any possession of his estate upon such a vacancy and cessation But Theologically he is an heire who is accepted and admitted into the possession promised and set forth and given by God who yet lives for ever to be our God and Father and indeed our inheritance and inheriting is neverthelesse because our Father lives but it is therefore our setled and blessed inheritance because our God and Father lives for ever Now that of which we are Heires by vertue of union with Christ Heirs of what is 1. God himself Rom. 8. 17. If children then heirs heirs of God As your children Of God are your heirs so Gods chidren are his heirs he hath never a childe but he is an heir and an heir of God There is an estate of inheritance set out for him what God possesseth of that according to his capacity and proportion shall he be possessed of holinesse glory happinesse 2. All the inheritance which Christ hath purchased and God hath intailed or setled or passed over unto you in his Covenant of no less then all this are believers Of all the inheritance which Christ hath purchased heirs This is the inheritance and the estate of which you are heirs namely all the good set out for you in the Covenant by God the Father and confirmed and sealed unto you by the blood of Christ the Mediatour of that Covenant Therefore Believers are in Scripture stiled Heirs of the promise Heb. 6. 12. of the grace of life 1 Pet. 3. 7. of the righteousnesse which is by faith Heb. 11. 7. of salvation Heb. 1. 14. of the kingdom promised to them that love him Jam. 2. 5. All the good in it for them of all things Revel 21. 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things There is Haereditas gratiae which contains all the blessings designed for enjoyment in this life And there is Haereditas gloriae which contains all the blessednesse reserved for enjoyment in that other life
By pleading the Covenant he hath promised unto all his people in Covenant with him the strength to keep the Covenant lies in the Covenant and by faith you get it Thou said'st that thou wouldst do me good said Jacob Gen. 32. 12. So Lord thou said'st that thou wouldest give me thy Spirit to cause me to walk in thy statutes and to do them Ezek. 36. 27. Thou said'st thou would'st write thy Law in my heart Now Lord according to thy word and Covenant help strengthen keep direct establish my heart subdue mine iniquities suffer me not to be tempted above what I am able let thy grace be sufficient for me make thy power manifest in weakness c. 2. By keeping up communion with Christ and drawing vertue and influence from By keeping up communion with Christ him without me ye can do nothing said Christ I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me said Paul Why It is in and by Christ that we are what we are that we do what we do that we are strengthened with all might that we stand that we walk that we work that we run our race that we finish our course that we continue in wel-doing to the end Now faith keeps up our hearts and keeps up communion with Christ our Head our Root our Life our Fountain our Strength and our Sufficiency and receives out of his fulnesse and makes us partakers of his life and of his death and of his victories over sin and Satan and the world and of his strength for active and passive obedience 3. By taking us off from all our own self-sufficiencies and self-confidences which By taking us off from our own self sufficiency breed nothing but pride and presumption and hypocrisie and apostasie and carelesness and exciting our hears to pray and to fear and to watch and diligently to attend the Ordinances of Christ all which are meanes to strengthen and preserve us in well-doing c 4. By observing the continual mercies of God to us in the things of this life and By observing the continual mercies of God to us the gracious performance of his promises unto us both which are as so many cords to bind us faster unto God and are of great force with a believing heart to engage it more unto God and to walk the more closely and faithfully and exactly and fruitfully before him to be the more ashamed to sin against him to be barren and uneven with so blessing and encouraging a God! 5. By letting in the love of God in Christ the goodness and sweetness of his favour By letting in the love of God in Christ into our hearts into our Consciences It is faith which hath the sight of all the kindness of God and conveyes unto us the tasts of all the mercy of God how God stands affected to us how accepted we are with him what grace our poor souls have found in his eyes what his thoughts are of us and how dear we are to his soule And verily if Faith be the glasse as it were for us to see the face of our loving God O how will this inflame and knit our hearts in love to God again and how will that love continue us to the choisest to the fullest to the chearfullest to the faithfullest service of obedience 5. By holding out before us both the honour of God and the reward of God By holding out before us the honour of God Our faithfull walking with him is an honour to him and a delight to him These are my people these live like a people of God they glorifie him and that is the great Argument which faith useth to make the people of God and the rewards of God to be faithfull and stedfast Herein is my Father glorified Joh. 15. 8. And besides that it holds out the crown of life the great recompence of reward that Well done good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Hold fast that which thou haâ—â— that no man take thy 〈◊〉 He that continues to the end shall be saved And faith he 〈◊〉 wâ—aâ— God hath done for us and what God â—s still to us and what an immortal inheritance and exceedingly exceeding weight of Glory he hath prepared and reserved for us doth thereupon quicken encourage support draw out our hearts to be industrious obedient diligent and faithful 3. The third and last duty from this that you are by Faith united to Christ Remember Jesus Christ and brought into the Covenant is this Remember your Jesus Christ remember that it is Christ only upon whose account you and God are in Covenant he is the door of your hope he is the Way the Truth and the Life in him are ye found and in him have you found life and love and mercy and grace and peace and salvation You could never have seen the reconciled loving gracious God as your God but in and by him He hath made you near and accepted and beloved and blessed He alone Therefore 1. Never magnifie your selves but Christ never ascribe any thing to your To magnifie him worthiness but ascribe all to Christ O Christ I had never seen nor tasted nor enjoyed this nor that nor any thing but for thy sake 2. Love Jesus Christ exceedingly for himself and for all the treasures of To love him the Covenant opened for you and laid out upon you c. 3. Go still in his Name unto the Father By him you come into Covenant Go unto the Father in his Name and by him you obtain successively every good 〈…〉 Coâ—enant c. Jesus the Mediatour of the Covenant Hebrews 12. 24. And to Iesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel THE Apostle in the 14. verse of this Chapter exhorts the believing Hebrews unto whom he wrote this Epistle to the serious study and practice of peace and holinesse And in the 15. verse he dehorts them from all bitternesse of spirit and profanenesse of life This latter he doth enforce by an argument ab exemplo in verse 16. from Esau that loose and profane person who for one morsel of bread sold his birth-right preferring the satisfaction of his sensual appeâ—ite before the fruition of so a great blessing and dignity the which he therefore forfeited and could never obtain although he sought it carefully with tears verse 17. The former duty of holinesse he urgeth upon them from the consideration of their evangelical estate that is of the excellencies blessings and priviledges which they had obtained by the Gospel of Grace To illustrate this the more he makes a comparison between the Law and the Gospel and the condition under the one with the condition under the other from verse 18. to verse 25. wherein he doth represent unto them their admirable advantages by the Gospel and therefore their stronger obligation to embrace it and to live answerable
2 Pet. 1. 4. They are in Christ and new creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. They are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People 1 Pet. 2. 9. A peculiar treasure unto him Exod. 19. 5. A people from whom he will with-hold no good thing Psal 84. 11. Therefore unquestionably he will bestow upon them spiritual gifts and blessings and doth so or else none of these things could be affirmed of them Fifthly God will do more for his people in Covenant then he will for any out of God will do more for his people in Covenant than for any Covenant else what is the advantage of being in Covenant or where is the strength of Argument to perswade any man to disanul all other inconsistent Covenants and to submit unto the Covenant of God if he cannot better himself by being in this Covenant Now God doth give other things temporal things the things of and for this life many times to wicked men to men out of Covenant Thou fillest their bellies with thy hid treasure And if his children if the people of his Covenant who stand in near relation unto him should not have spiritual blessings and mercies given unto them if they should have after all but a common portion gain little more then what the worst of men wicked men his enemies have what advantage should they have yea thus it should be all one with them who love and fear God and with them that hate him and fear him not Sixthly Whatsoever Jesus Christ hath purchased for the people of Gods Covenant What Christ hath purchased for them God will give them that will God give unto them the purchases of Christ and the promises and performances of Gods Covenant are parallel but Jesus Christ hath by his death purchased all spiritual blessings you cannot think of any one of them which Christ hath not purchased they partake of Christ and with and by him partake of all spiritual blessings 1 Cor. 1. 30. Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Seventhly His people are to differ from all other people in the world in their His people are to differ from all other people present disposition and frame of heart as Joshua and Caleb had another spirit different from them who brought a false report upon the Land of Canaan but unlesse the Lord did give unto his people spiritual blessings there would be no intrinsecal difference as to the frame of heart 'twixt his people who are in Covenant and other people who are not in Covenant for without the reception or participation of these blessings their hearts would still remain wicked and unconverted and they would lie in the same state of condemnation with others for only spiritual blessings do make the difference Now this would be exceedingly absurd that the people of God in Covenant with him should remain in the same state of wickednesse and curse as people out of Covenant this would be 1. A dishonour to God that he should be a God in Covenant with ungodly and wicked persons and so continuing 2. A dishonour to his Covenant which is a Covenant of love and mercy and peace and life that God should in a singular manner love the wicked and assure mercy to them and make peace with them and give assurance of life and blessednesse unto them Vse 1 Are spiritual blessings promised expresly by God unto all his people in Covenant with him why this is wonderful comfort and encouragement unto any of the Comfort to the people of God in Covenant people of God being sensible of their spiritual wants and oft-times fearing and doubting and questioning spiritual helps and supplies O say we if they were lesser matters and ordinary mercies then we should not fear to go to God and rely on him and expect from him but our greatest wants are of the greatest mercies a Christ forgivenesse holinesse heaven it self and what shall we do in this case But I beseech you hearken and consider four things First Spiritual blessings are promised as well as temporal that God who Spiritual blessings are promised as well as temporal promiseth health doth likewise promise grace that God who promiseth food convenient doth likewise promise Christ and that God who promiseth deliverance from trouble doth likewise promise deliverance from hell and wraâ—â— and that God who promiseth outward peace doth likewise promise forgivenesse of sins and peace in conscience and that God who promiseth to subdue enemies doth likewise promise to subdue iniquities and that God who promiseth to give earth doth likewise promise to give heaven Is it nothing unto you that the great blessings which your souls do need are laid up and are to be found in Gods promises if you had more faith those spiritual blessings which you find in Gods promises you might quickly feel in your own hearts Secondly All spiritual blessings are promised there is not any one spiritual blessing All spiritual blessings are promised which any of the people of God do need or may need but God hath promised the same Consider spiritual blessings as in the end and means and causes God hath promised all of them He hath promised glory and he hath promised grace and he hath promised himself the cause of all He hath promised all that belongs to faith to Christ to Justification and he hath promised all that belongs to Conversion to Sanctification to Obedience and to Comfort and to Rest Thirdly God himself hath promised them If Men or Angels had promised God himself hath promised them them it were nothing for none of them are able to give any one spiritual blessing the collating of the least drop of grace and mercy and inward peace is above the power of any creature but this is the comfort that God himself hath promised to give all spiritual blessings unto his people I say God himself 1. Who is able to performe and make good whatsoever he hath promised Is any thing too hard for him is not his power more then commensurate with his Word is he not sufficient to do what he speaks he is mercifulnesse it self and holinesse it self and life it self and blessednesse it self is not the God of all grace able to give you grace is not the God of all power able to subdue your iniquities is not the God of all mercy able to forgive is not the God of all comfortable to comfort you is not the God of peace able to speak peace 2. Who is willing to do good in his promises I beseech you what are Gods promises but the expressions of his gracious will concerning us in all the good which he purposeth to confer upon us I will blesse I will heal I will shew mercy I will save I will pardon I will give grace and glory I will hear and help I will do you good these
punishment enuogh for all those who refuse to enter into Covenant with God that they shall never partake of any spiritual blessing and mercy which God hath promisâ—d There is the forgivenesse of sins promised but their sins shall never be forgiven and there is renewing grace promised but their hearts shall never be renewed and sanctified and there is eternal glory promised but their souls shall never be saved They shall be left unto their own sinful guilt and unto their own sinful coâ—ruptions and unto their own sinful deserts and all the wrath of God threatned against them shall fall upon them Therefore I beseech you who hear of Christ and who hear of the Covenant of Grace take heed to your selves that you resist not the grace which is offered unto you in Christ and the terms of reconciliation propounded unto you least you cast your selves out of the Covenant and from all spiritual blessings which God hath therein promised lest you never have grace and never have mercy and never have blessednesse Use 4 Lastly since spirâ—iual blessings are promised by God unto all in Covenant with God let the consideration of this mollifie our hearts and bow them into acceptance of God to be our God and to resign up our selves to be his people in Covenant Accept of God to be your God and to walk with him and before him in all uprightnesse why so because now the promises of spiritual blessings are to you and by this you become heirs of all those blessings O that we did know what the love of God was and what the enjoyment of Christ was and what the forgivenesse of sins was and what the excellency of grace was and what the eternity of glory was how miserable we are and must continue so for ever without them and how happy we shall continue for ever with them then our hearts would be perswaded to disannual our Covenant with sins and condescend to become the people of God c. SECT II. Doct. 2 Doctr. 2. THat in the Covenant spiritual blessings are first promised and after them temporal blessings God promiseth both of them unto his In the Covenant spiritual blessings are first promised people but first the spiritual Ezek. 36. 25. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean Ver. 26. A new heart also will I give you c. And then follow the promises of temporal blessings in ver 28. And ye shall dwell in the Land which I gave unto your fathers Ver. 29. And I will call for the corn and will increase it Ver. 30. And I will multiply the fruit of the Tree and the increase of the Field Psal 84. 11. The Lord will give grace and glory there are spirituals no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly here are temporals Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving-kindnesse and in mercies Ver. 20. I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord here are the spiritual blessings Ver. 21. And it shall come to passe in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth Ver. 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall both hear Jezreel here are the temporal blessings Quest Why is God thus pleased to order his promise for blessings as first the Reasons of it spiritual and then the temporal Sol. Reasons thereof may be these 1. He suiteth his blessings with the desires and necessities of his Saints they To suit blessings to the desires of Saints To give advantage to faith to seek them first need these most and shall have them first 2. Hereby is some advantage given unto faith first to believe spirituals and then to believe temporals for if God will give the greater will he deny the lesse Rom. 8. 32. Faith to believe them as the choicest blessings for not only spiritual blessings are promised but also that they are the first in promise and thence faith concludes the first appearing of Gods love and gracious will and purpose towards us are the choice blessings should we question the donation of them when we find them to be the first of the Legacies sealed with the blood of Christ 3. Hereby the Lord sets out both the goodnesse and greatnesse of his love To set forth the goodnesse and greatnesse of his love 1. The goodnesse of his love in securing of our souls and regarding of them for only spiritual blessings do serve them q. d. the first thing that I will do for you is this that I will take care to save your poor souls I will bestow such things on them as shall for ever make them happy 2. The greatnesse of his love for God to give us ordinary things this comes from his love but for God to give us the spiritual blessings this comes from his great love Eph. 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he hath loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved Titus 3. 4. After that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared Ver. 5. according to his mercy he saved us by the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Rom. 5. 8. But God commendeth his love toward us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us 4. Spiritual blessings are far before and above temporal blessings therefore They are far before and above temporal blessings no marvail that God makes promise first of them they are before and above them the shekel of the Sanctuary was double to the ordinary shekel they are the best 1. In nature they are the pearl of great price the one thing necessary as In Nature the Sun amongst the Stars the better part we set such a value upon our natural life that all the world is inferiour unto it all that a man hath will he give for his life yet one spiritual blessing surmounts it Psal 63. 3. Thy favour is better than life It is a good speech of Gregory Nazianzen Aequius est ut vincat quod me lius est which is the greater or better the gold or the Altar that sanctifies the gold 2. In influence and virtue Can earthly things alter the frame of the heart In influence or deliver from death or avail in the day of wrath or make our peace with God or relieve a distressed conscience or put you in possession of Christ or give you hope of heaven or help your soul at all but spiritual blessings can do all these renewing grace doth change the heart Jesus Christ delivers from death and wrath his blood pacifies Gods assurance of forgivenesse quiets the conscience rejoyceth the heart all these will give you
time he gives faith and Christ and Justification and Sanctification all at once as soon as the person believes he is united to Christ and hereupon justified and sanctified And others of them are of a comfortable consequence as assurance joy peace c. God doth not give these blessings first of all but after he hath given the former Ephes 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise mark the sealing follows the believing 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory here rejoycing follows believing Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God peace with God follows justification and therefore is it a preposterous course for any troubled souls to presse God or to expect from God the comforts and joys and assurances promised before they have faith and are in Christ for though God doth promise these things yet he promises to give them in an orderly way the graces first and then the comforts of grace faith and union with Christ first and then the joys and peace depending upon that union 5. When God undertakes to give all blessings unto his people in Covenant this He gives according to the proportions and measures he knows best for us in our places and conditions must be understood according to the proportion and measure which he knows best for us in our places and conditions There is a measure of apprehension of Christ and of our justification by Christ and of our salvation by Christ God gives a greater and clearer and more fixed measure of the apprehension or reflexive knowledge of these to some of his people then he doth to others of them And there is a measure of holinesse some have higher and some have weaker degrees of grace now in Gods undertaking to give all spiritual blessings you must not think that God intends to give every measure or degree of grace at once nor yet the like degree of grace unto every one nor yet the like measure of comfortable evidences or apprehensions of interest in Christ and remission and salvation by him no but God will give all Covenant-blessings unto all his people in such a proportion and measure in this life as may conduce most to his glory and may most fit them in their private and publick conditions for his better service Vse 1 Strive to believe and acknowledge this truth that God himself doth undertake to give all the blessings of the Covenant which do concern his Believe and acknowledge this truth people Object Why will you say no man doubts it or scruples it but it belongs to God and to him alone to give all c. Sol. I wish that â—â—me were true but if indeed this were so then 1. Why do not we in all our wants and necessities make our prime applications unto God Why do we think least of him and last of him we run to this creature and to that creature set up one friend and look upon another try all the powers and abilities here below as if God were least of all concerned in the donation of our mercies and blessings if we did indeed believe that God himself undertakes all blessings for us then our first addresses would be unto him our first work and our great work would be with himself alone to do us good 2. Why do our hearts go and come rise and fall according to the presence and absence of visible means and helps in the prevalence of them our hearts are raised up with hopes and in the absence of them they are distracted and cast down with fears Would it be thus with us if we did indeed believe that God himself undertook to give us all our blessings certainly we place our hopes and expectations below and besides God himself when inferiour causes have such a command and such an influence upon our hearts If we did believe that God himself that he alone were sufficient and faithful it would be all one to us whether the creatures smile or frown incline toward us or fall from us 3. Why do we not only for temporal supplies but also for spiritual mercies undertake for our selves and as it were discharge God from undertaking for us How often do we undertake the spiritual charge of our hearts and to make our own hearts to repent and to believe and to subdue our own sins and to do such and such commands of God by our own free-will and by our own strength if we did believe that God himself undertakes for all these and that it belongs unto him alone to give them would we presume upon our selves thus would we take his work out of his hands 4. Why dare we not in our exigency commit all unto him and quietly rest on him but when our helps and hopes are reduced only unto him so that unlesse he himself appears we can cast Anchor nowhere else and although in such cases he doth plainly appear in his Covenant graciously undertaking and faithfully promising to help and blesse us yet this is nothing to us it doth no way affect or support us assuredly either we do not know this God aright or else we do not believe that he himself doth undertake for us or else that he will performe and Not to believe and acknowledge this truth is a great sin Wherein the sinfulnesse of it lies make good what himself hath undertaken Beloved Consider what I say this is a very great sin thus to fall short in the belief and acknowledgement of this truth for 1. You deny God to be God in the Covenant you do as it were shut him out from being a party there and concerned there though indeed he be the confederating party and we are the confederated party yet you include him and deny him to be so when that you believe not that it belongs to him to be the suscipient party and your selves to be the recipient party only for I beseech you what will you make of Gods covenanting with you more than a cypher if you do not grant and acknowledge him therein as engaging himself to give us all the good which we do need What other work is there which can or doth concern him 2. And you do hereby deny all homage unto him for how can you 〈◊〉 unto him for any one good that you want or trust on him for any one â—â—â—cy if you do not acknowledge this truth that he himself undertakes to give all blessings and mercies unto you and where will you put your mite of thankfulnesse for all your receits of blessings if God himself did not undertake to give you the blessings what ground have you to undertake to give him the praise of them Therefore earnestly strive by faith to assent unto this truth which I have delivered it is of more consequence than you are aware of it is that which gives life unto you in all your dealings with God and which may
who is the Donor or Giver of all It suits best with God the Donor of all It doth suit best 1. With his will and pleasure Who in this Covenant will appear and be known to be the Lord the Lord merciful and gracious abundant in goodnesse and truth Exod. 34. 6. 2. With his glory and praise which questionably devolves on himself alone seeing all our blessings come only out of his Treasury and from no reason or merit of ours but only from his own graciousness free gifrs redound unto the praâ—se of the giver only Thirdly This way of gracious giving suiâ—es best with us the receivers of blessings It suits best with us the receivers from God For consider us eiâ—her 1 As meer sinners We have no hope or plea from any thing in our selves we are a company of lost people who have undone our selves and are both insufficient to help our selves and also unworthy that God should help us 2. As made believers Faith can finde no ground to plead with God to challenge him to rely on him to expect anything from him but his promise to give and to give graciously A believer neither may nor can rest on any work or worth of his own all is but drosse and dung he trades only with a gracious God in Christ 3. As Petitioners thus also it suites best with us Gods graciousness is the best ground for us to ask upon O save me for thy mercies sake Psal 6. 4. Answer me in thy truth the surest ground to speed Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. The most fixed and invariable ground God is for ever the Lord merciful and gracious you will quickly finde a want of worthiness in your selves but you shall never find a want of goodness and graciousness in God Vse 1 Are all the blessings which are in the Covenant given by God unto his people not upon the account or reason of their worthiness but of Gods graciousness A threefold error censuâ—ed Then behold a three-fold error worthy to be censured and shunneâ— First Of the Papists who boast so impudently of their meritorious good Of the Papists works merita de Congruo before men are in the state of grace merita de condigno being in the state of grace They can take up all sorts of merits for soul aâ—d bâ—dy nay heaven itself and eternal glory upon the account of their own merits Hear what Bellarmine saith opera nostra propriè merentur faelicitatem de Lib. 5. de 〈◊〉 cap. 16. 17. congruo Hear what Vashquiz saith opera nostra nâ—n habent dignitatem à persona Christi sed à persona à qua procedunt Hear the Anathema of the Council of Trent against all who deny that the works of justified persons do vere mereri vitam In 1. 2. Tom. 2. Disp 214. c. â— N. 44. Aeternam but against this we may oppose the Scripture Not by the works of Righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us saith Paul Tit. 3. 5. Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified saith David Psal 143. 2. How holy a man was Job and how abundant in good works see Chap. 31. 16 17. and yet saith Job Chap. 9. 15. Though I were righteous I would not answer him but I would make my supplication to my Judge and ver 20. If I justifie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Paul how strict was he and as touching the righteousness which is in the Law how blameless And yet he will be found in Christ Not having his own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 9. Secondly Of the ordinary sort of Protestants who set out something of their Of the ordinary sort of Protestants own as reasons why God should bless them and save them they mean no body any harm and they serve God devoutly and keep their Church and pay every one their due and say their Prayers and their Belelief and their ten Commandements and cry God mercy when they sin and will not all this deserve heaven and a few blessings on earth Thirdly But most of all to be blamed and that with pity are poor broken-hearted Of poor brokenhearted sinners sinners who discern so much sinfulness and unworthiness in themselves and yet are so difficult to place their hopes in the graciousness of God and are hearking extreamly after something of worth in themselves something in themselves for which God would hear and help them if once they could reach unto it It is a great work to break a hard heart It is a greater work to make a broken heart to look up and trust for mercy It is the greatest work to make such an heart to believe for itself that all mercies and blessings are to be had upon the sole account of Gods graciousness Whether this may arise from our exceeding Guilt which fills us with exceedingâ—â—â— slavish fear or from the pride of our hearts which would be something or from the greatness of Gods kindnesse which is so unusual with man or from the particular genius of unbelief which is gone and hath nothing to say more when once we come to acknowledge Gods graciousness for the sole reason of all our blessings and possessions or from all these conjunctively I will not now dispute but sure I am that the broken-hearted sinner is hardly brought off from boasting on himself and is hardly brought on to commit or venture all his hopes and confidences on the graciuosness of God as the entire cause why God should pardon accept blesse and save him And this is a principal cause why his soule dwells so long with fears and tears and sadnesses Doth God dispence all the blessings of the Covenant unto his people not upon the account of their worthiness but only of his own graciousness Then under the Under the sense â—f unworthinesse let us go to God and trust on him sense of all our want yea and of all our unworthinesse let 's go to God and pray to him and trust upon him to do us good for his own Name sake Here is water said the Eunuch to Philip what doth hinder me to be baptized So say I God promiseth to give all blessings unto his people and he promiseth to give them graciously now what should hinder you from going to God and beseeching and trusting of him to perform his good Word unto you You are grieved for your sins what should hinder â—ou to believe the free forgiveness of them You would fain have your hearts sanctified what should hinder you from going to God and trusting on him freely to make them holy You would have
Christ and why do you not go to God freely to give you Christ What can you say or object when God promiseth to give you all and to give you all upon gracious terms how would you have God to frame and form his Covenant better or otherwise to encourage your hearts to come unto him and rely upon him 〈◊〉 you be wholly beholding to God or would you not are you contented that God should have all the glory of mercies or are you not Is it any disadvantage to the working of your faith that God will pass by all your sins and unworthiness and will love you freely and justifie you freely and save you freely Is there any more reason to distrust God when he saith he will do you good for his own sake then when he saith I will be merciful to your transgressions and will freely bless you Had you rather be under a Covneant of works than of grace would it please you better to come by your mercies upon harder terms You find that you have nothing of worthiness and yet you are not content to receive all from Gods graciousness why do you pray that God would do you good for his own sake and yet you will not believe that that is reason enough to prevail and enjoy I will say no more but this 1. The blessings of the Covenant are worth our enjoying 2. God doth promise to give them 3. His own graciousness is the price or reason of it 4. Upon better or other terms it is impossible to attain them 5. It is for want of faith that we do not justifie this unspeakable loving-kindness of God towards us O beg for faith to believe a God Covenanting to give all good and all good though not for our sake yet for his own Name sake Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you HAving finished those four general Conclusions I shall now handle the Gifts of the Covenant in particular mentioned in this verse and in the subsequent verses In this verse there is promised unto the people of God the Remission of their sins concerning which you may observe 1. The Efficient I will c. 2. The Matter clean water 3. The Form or Manner I will sprinkle upon you 4. The Power and Efficacy And ye shall be clean 5. The Quantity or Extent from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you From these parts there are these four Points which do offer themselves to our consideration 1. That forgiveness of sins is promised and one of the first mercies promised by himself unto all his people in Covenant with him 2. Gods promise of forgiveness of sins doth extend to all the sinnes of all his people 3. Though the sins of people have been exceeding great yet when they become Gods people in Covenant even those sins also are forgiven 4. The blood of Christ is the cause and the only cause for which many and great sins are pardoned 5. That God will make unto the Conscience of his people a particular application of forgiveness by the blood of Christ CHAP. II. Doct. 1 THat forgivenesse of sins is promised and it is one of the first promised mercies by God himself unto all his people in covenant with him I will sprinkle c. This is a very comprehensive Assertion Forgiveness of sins one of the first mercies promised by God to all his people in Covenant consisting of many Particular Branches For the opening of it I shall shew unto you 1. What forgiveness of sins is wherein it doth consist 2. That God himself doth make promise of it unto his people 3. That it is promised unto all and every one of his people 4. That it is one of the first mercies promised by God unto his people SECT I. Quest 1. VVHat is forgiveness of sins and wherein doth it consist Forgivenesse of sins described Sol. It is a gracious act or work of God for Christs sake discharging and absolving believing and repenting persons from the guilt and punishment of their sinnes so that God is no longer displeased with them nor will he ever remember them any more nor call them to an account and condemn them for their sinnes but will look on them and will deale with them as if they had never offended him Here we must pause awhile and consider six things First That forgivenesse of sinnes is a gracious act of God there be some acts It is a gracious act of God of God which have a special reference unto his power as the Creation of the world and the resurrection of the dead There be other acts of God which have a special reference unto his Justice as the condemnation and destruction of unbelieving and impenitent sinners And there are some acts of God which have a special reference unto his meer goodness and graciousness there being no Reason or Cause of them on our parts such an act is his Remission or forgiveness of our sins Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my Name sake Eph. 1. 7. The forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Psal 51. 1. Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Rom. 3. 25. Being justified freely by his grace Not that Repentance is not required in the sinner who is to be pardoned For the Scripture speaks expresly of a turning from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God that we may receive forgivenesse of sinnes Acts 26. 18. Not that Believing is not required in the sinner to be forgiven for the Apostle Peter saith also expresly Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 10. 43. but because these are not Reasons or meritorious causes for whose sake God doth forgive any man his sins they declare the effect who are pardoned not the cause why they are pardoned Secondly The forgivenesse of sinnes hath foundation in Christ and in him only It hath foundation in Christ as the Mediatour as the meritorious cause thereof Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood is no remission Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins Ephes 1. 7. In his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of sins 1 Joh. 2. 12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his Names sake Forgiveness of sins hath a double respect One unto our selves so it comes unto us freely from the grace of God as a free gift Another unto Christ so it comes by way of purchase and merit it doth cost us nothing but it did cost Jesus Christ his precious blood to obtain the remission of our sins and to make peace for us Now Christ comes in as the cause of
repentance be not a cause yet it is a means of pardon which God hath ordained for us to enjoy the forgivenesse of sin of the which his grace only is the efficient cause and the blood of Christ only is the meritorious cause Though God doth freely forgive yet he enjoyns repentance on us for besides the many reasons on our part there is reason for this in repect of Gods own grace which did it expresse itself in a free forgivenesse of wicked and impenitent persons it would be exceedingly undervalued and despised as an unjust act and besides that it would be improved to all licenciousness and profanenesse Whether justified persons may charge themselves with sin Fourthly Whether justified persons may charge themselves with sin seeing God hath graciously discharged them of sin Answered How far justified persons have charged themselves with sin Sol. I will speak something unto this Case also wherein I shall shew unto you two things First How far the children of God have charged sin upon themselves we read in Scripture that they have charged themselves 1. With the matter of sin that they have been guilty of Original sin Psal 51. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me Rom. 7. 20. Sin that dwelleth in me And with Actual sin as David I have sinned 2 Sam. 12. 13. I have sinned against thee said Job Chap. 7. 20. and so David Ezra Nehemiah c. 2. With the manner of sinning as to the Circumstances of it against mercies warnings judgements on others Dan. 9. Neh. 9. 3. With the merit of sin that if the Lord should deal with them according to their sins there were no abiding If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand Psal 130. 3. Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgement for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Job 9. 2. How should a man be just with God Ver. 3. If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand Dan. 9. 8. O Lord to us belongs confusion of face 4. So far forth as to acknowlegde no hope nor help of discharge but in Jesus Christ and in Gods free grace O save me for thy mercies sake 5. So far forth as to quicken all penitental works they have remembred their sins Lam. 3. 20. My soule hath them still in remembrance and is humbled within me They have considered their sins Psal 119. 59. I considered my wayes and turned my feet to thy testimonies Mark 14. 72. Peter thought on the words of Christ and went out and wept bitterly They have mourned for their sins Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him c. and shall mourn we read of Davids tears and Peters tears and Mary Magdalens tears c. They have reformed their sins Hose 14. 8. What have I any more to do with Idols They have been earnest with God for the pardon and for the assurance of the forgivenesse of their sins Psal 51. 1 c. and Dan. 9. O Lord hear O Lord forgive and Hose 14. 2. Take away my iniquity Secondly How far forth they may not charge sin upon themselves I answer Wherein they may not charge sin upon themselves briefly they may not charge sin on themselves First As to conclude that God will damn them for their sins For there is no condemnation to them c. Rom. 8. 1. And he that believes shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. Though they must acknowledge that by reason of sin they are worthy of condemnation yet they are to believe that Christ hath dyed for them and they shall not be condemned Secondly As to undertake any self-satisfaction to God for their sins you read of their confessions and tears and prayers but not of their satisfaction All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Isa 64. 6. Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord shall I come before him with burnt-offerings will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Rivers of Oyle c. Mich. 6. 6 7. If I justifie my self mine own mouth will condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Job 9. 20. Thirdly As to disanull their relation to God of Sonship c. Isa 64. 8. But now O Lord thou art our Father Ver. 9. Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever behold see we beseech thee we are all thy people Having thus opened and cleared the nature of the forgiveness of sins I proceed to the other part of the description of it SECT II. THE second thing in the Proposition of forgivenesse of sins is this viz. That God himself undertakes this work and he undertakes it by promise First God undertakes to forgive sins Luk. 5. 21. Who can forgive sins but God alone Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake Exo. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgressions and sin Dan. 9. 9. To thee O Lord God belongeth mercy and forgivenesse Forgiveness of sin is indeed one of his Royal Prerogatives therefore you find his people making their addresses unto him for forgiveness of their sins Exod. 32. 32. Oh this people have sinned a great sin yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin c. Psal 25. 18. Forgive all my sins Dan. 9. 19. O Lord hear O Lord forgive Hose 14. 2. Take away all iniquity Act. 8. 22. Pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee There is a forgiveness 1. By way of charity wherein we forgive the offence and trespass against us If thy brother repent forgive him Luke 17. 3. And forgive one another as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4 32. 2. By way of Ministry thus the Apostles as Christ delivers it in Joh. 20. 23. Whose sins ye remit they are remitted 3. By way of immediate and absolute authority thus it belongs to God and to him alone God in Scripture is stiled a Judge Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right Gen. 18. 25. And to the Supreme Judge it belongs to condemn or to acquit A Creditor there was a certain Creditor which had two debtors Luk. 7. 41. who can forgive the debt but the Creditor A Lawgiver There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy Jam. 4 12. who can forgive the transgressions of the Law but the Lawgiver Now God himself undertakes to forgive sins and none but he must do so Reasons of it God himself undertakes this work First Because all sins are offences against him and deviations from his righteous will and injuries to his glory even those sins which are wrongs unto men are injuries also unto God for his Will is slighted and his Law is violated in them therefore the remission
of them is proper to him Secondly Because unto whom the power of death and condemnation authoritatively belongs unto him also the power of life and absolution doth belong but the power of condemnation belongs only to God Ergo. These are acts seated in the same power Thirdly Because the forgivenesse of sin takes off the infinite desert of sin reaching even unto eternity of punishment eternal punishment is deserved by sin and who can relieve us from that but God alone Fourthly Because our consciences might have a resting place which they could never have if God himself did not forgive sins What if all the men in the world did forgive you if God did not clear you but still held you guilty What though all the lower Courts absolve a Malefactor as long as the Supreme Court condemns him what though the Malefactor forgive himself if the Judge do not forgive him Simile But here lies the comfort that God himself who is the Supreme Judge who hath the Soveraign Power to save or to destroy to remit or binde to acquit or to condemn whose sentence none can reverse if he will pardon our offences and sinnes against him now there is peace with him and peace in our own Consciences Secondly As forgiveness of sins solely appertains to God so God undertakes the same by way of promise which shews that he is willing to forgive sins and God undertakes it by promise that he engageth himself to forgive sins and that he will certainly forgive sins Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more Pro. 28. 13. Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy 2 Chro. 7. 14. If my people shall turn from their wicked wayes then will I forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and abundantly pardon 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Quest Now if any should demand why God contents not himself with a Declaration Reasons of it only that he is a God who forgives sin but also he makes a promise that he will forgive sins Sol. I suppose these Reasons may be given of it First Because this is a greater relief to the troubled conscience A promise of forgivenesse is a more hopeful foundation to work upon than a meer Declaration that God hath power to forgive and it serves to answer our fears and doubts more fully You would not imagine how powerful and dreadful the guilt of sin is and how strongly working when a conscience is awakened and wounded with the sence of it How great is the apprehension of Gods wrath how amazing is the curse threatned how hard is it to look toward the Mercy seat through all the threatnings and through all the terrors how difficult is it to settle it with any apprehensions of mercy And therefore the Lord is pleased not only to declare that he is a God forgiving sins but also he makes promise that he will forgive sins for Christs sake this is apt to preserve troubled sinners from despair and to breed some hopes in them that perhaps they may find mercy for who can tell but that a merciful God and a God who promiseth mercy to poor sinners may at length shew mercy to them and forgive their sins Secondly Because this is a stronger Obligation and Argument to prevail with sinners to repent of their sins and to turn unto the Lord. Beloved I beseech you mark what I say 1. The greater inevidence and improbability there is of forgiveness of sins the more indisposition and averseness there is unto repentance If a person apprehends mercy as impossible he then looks upon repentance as unuseful either he grows despairing or desperate For saith he to what end should I repent and come into God who I am sure will shew me no mercy 2. Again the greater hopes that a sensible sinner hath of mercy the more easily and kindly is his heart wrought upon to Repent to come off from his sins to God Hos 14. 2. When taking away of sin is hinted then ver 3. Ashur shall not save us neither will we say to the works of our hands Ye are our gods for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy so Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver. 22. Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Mark how this insinuation of mercy bowed in their hearts Psal 103. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Now when a sinner sees forgiveness of sins in a promise this appears with more evidence of hope for him I may yet have mercy so great is Gods goodness and why should I stand out any longer and why should I for lying vanities forsake my own mercies I will home to my Fathers house for there is bread enough and to spare c. Thirdly Because this is the surest ground for faith you know this is the great scruple But may I find mercy and what ground have I to expect mercy Suppose I do repent what assurance have I that God will forgive my sits Why having Gods promise for the forgiveness of your sins in this case you may be confident that if you come to him and rely upon him he will unquestionably be as good as his word he will shew mercy to you Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed c. he shall surely live and not dye Ver. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him SECT III. 3. I Now come to the third part of the Proposition of forgiveness of sins viz. God promiseth the same to all his people That God promiseth the same unto all his people all his people in Covenant Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Isa 33. 34. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Note Of the people of God some are sooner in Covenant and some are later in Covenant for some are called at one houre and some at another houre as Paul spake of Andronicus and Junia Rom. 16. 7. who were in Christ before me that may we say of people some are in Covenant before others but as soon as any of them are brought into Covenant they are pardoned immediatly their sins are forgiven unto them Again of the people of God some have been greater sinners and some have been lesser sinners but as soon as
omit all needless disputes I humbly conceive that there may be three reasons why forgiveness of sins is one of the first mercies mentioned in the promise Three reasons of it It doth most of all set forth the glory of God First Because it is one of the mercies which doth most of all set forth and illustrate the glory of God the greatest appearing of God in his glory in his love and in his grace and in his mercy to forgive sins Exod. 34. 6. The Lord proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Ver. 7. Forgiving iniquity transgressions and sins In this Proclamation the Lord opens and shews his glory unto Moses and one of the first sights of that is this that he is the Lord God merciful and gracious and that appears by this that he forgives iniquity transgressions and sins and indeed this is the glory of his Throne that it is a Throne of grace where sinners may finde mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Hebr. 4. 16. Hence is it that his grace and mercy is so often called his glory Ephes 3. 6 According to the riches of his glory i. e. of his grace and mercy see Rom 9. 23. That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of mercy see 2 Cor. 3. 18. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord i. e. the glory of his mercy and love in Christ Jesus therefore the Prophet saith Micah 7. 18. Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage as if Gods forgiving of sins were one of the greatest demonstrations of his Deity Though his Godhead doth appear in other of his Attributes and in other of his Works Rom. 1. 20. yet it doth most clearly and most comfortably appear in this merciful Attribute and work of forgiveness of sins his wisdom and his justice and his power have put forth themselves as it were in a way of subserviency to the glory of his mercy he found out by his wisdom a way to satisfie his justice by Christ that so he might bring glory to his mercy in the forgiveness of our sins Secondly Because it is a mercy transcendently excellent a mercy which excels It is a mercy transcendently excellent It excels the mercies of men most of the mercies which we do receive there are 1. The mercies of men they do sometimes pardon offences committed against them but Gods forgiving mercies far exceed this e. g. First When man hath forgiven you yet God may call you to an account and question and condemn you Secondly Mans forgiveness may acquit you from some temporal punishment due unto you by some humane Lawes by you transgressed but Gods forgiveness reacheth to the discharge of you not only from temporal but also from eternal punishment Thirdly The mercy of man in forgiveness looks only at outward offences but it meddles not with inward sinnings with those of the heart but Gods forgiving extends to internal invisible obliquities as well as external and invisible transgressions Fourthly When men forgive us this perhaps may be some lesser offences but no great and capital or if these then the benefit of this forgiveness is lost and forfeited by the next offence as in the case of Shimei but when God forgives a sinner he forgives all sorts of sinnings and will never remember those sins again any more 2. The mercies of God whereof some are corporal and some are spiritual now forgiveness of sins doth excell First All the corporal mercies or blessings which possibly can be enjoyed in It excels corporal mercies this world for 1. One may enjoy all corporal blessings in greater abundance and this may be all his portion they have their portion in this life said David Psal 17. 14. but forgiveness of sins is a mercy which never goes alone but hath the concomitancy of all choice blessings it is a better portion and yet not all 2. The outward blessings respect only the condition of the body the preferment delight ease relief support and safety of that and notwithstanding this preheminence the soul may be in a most miserable condition but forgiveness of sins hath a special respect to the soul and the welfare and everlasting good of it and happiness of it it makes us truly blessed 3. Notwithstanding the presence of outward blessings the spiritual misery of man is nothing altered they cannot release you from the wrath of God nor deliver you from that curse which the Law pronounces against you for your transgressions but when God forgives sins then the forgiven person is freed from wrath and curse and condemnation and God is pacified and reconciled 4. One may possibly enjoy them and yet never enjoy God nor Christ nor peace in conscience nor glory in heaven nay his enjoyment of these may accidentally cause a farther distance from God and Christ as in the young man whose riches and possessions kept him off from closing with Christ but forgiveness of sins necessarily involves all these grand enjoyments if sins be forgiven unquestionably God is your God and Christ is your Redeemer and heaven is your inheritance Secondly It excells if not all yet certainly most of Gods spiritual mercies I It excels most of Gods spiritual mercies am unwilling to make comparisons between them yet with reverence I speak it that forgiveness of sins in some respects excells all the graces in man 1. For the perfection of the work the change of the soul by grace is indeed an For the perfection in the work excellent work nevertheless it is imperfect therefore it gets on by degrees but the forgiveness of sin is a perfect work when God sanctifies a man he doth it so that the person needs yet more holiness but when he forgives us he doth it not so that those sins need more of forgiveness when he sanctifies a man there still remains some corruption but when he forgives a sinner you cannot say there remains yet something behind of condemnation God can find enough in our graces to except against but nothing in his forgiveness of sins 2. For the causality in the work Compare your graces and your forgivenesses For the causality in the work together there are several choice effects in the soul which you cannot affirme of your graces as their cause yet you may safely affirm Gods forgiveness of sins to be their cause e. g. peace in conscience you cannot say that any holiness or righteousness in you is the cause of this for conscience cannot be quieted by any thing in us but forgiveness of sin is a just cause of peace in conscience being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. I will say no more at present but that all the springs of joy and peace and comfort are in your justification Rom. 8. 11. Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee Matth. 9. 2.
but unto our merits and deserts of forgiveness God forgives sins freely and graciously i. e. without any merit or desert of ours Isa 43. 25. I even I am be that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine name sake but God doth not forgive sins freely i. e. without our repenting and believing for these he doth require of us that we may receive the forgiveness of our sins Secondly When God is said to forgive sins freely the meaning is not that he forgives every sinner in the world freeness notes the means not the extent of forgiveness with such a free unlimited largeness he doth not forgive but the meaning is that all those sinners who are forgiven they are freely forgiven God doth not put them upon any personal satisfactions nor doth he agree with them for any work of theirs as a cause or desert of the forgiveness of their sins Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God c. Therefore take heed that you deceive not your selves with a confidence that your sins are forgiven because God is gracious and forgives freely for God is gracious to whom he will be gracious and they whom he graciously forgives are only the people of his Covenant even believers and penitents The death of Christ for all Thirdly A third false ground upon which some do absolutely conclude the forgiveness of their sins is the death of Christ that he shed his blood for the remission of sins and that he dyed as to that purpose for all and every one therefore their sins amongst the rest are unquestionably forgiven Answered Sol. That Jesus Christ did shed his blood for the remission of sins is most true he himself hath delivered it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins but that his blood did procure an actual remission of sins for every sinner in the world this is most false for Christ himself hath said Mark 16. 16. He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins and the Angel to Mary Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins But for your help and direction in this point take my mind in these three conclusions 1. That there was a necessity for Christ to shed his blood that so our sins might be forgiven Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission 2. His death did purchase the forgiveness of sins Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 3. This remission purchased though illimited as to the sins forgiven yet it is limited as to the persons forgiven 1. By the Decree of God to the Elect. 2. By the Covenant 3. And by the intention of Christ 4. And by the Gospel to whosoever believes that the shedding of his blood for the remission of sins did so illimitedly procure the same That every sinner in the world enjoys the fruit thereof whether he believes or not or whether he repents or not as I know no man living of so wicked an opinion so the Scripture delivers no such matter but the quite contrary Luke 24. 47. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. Then Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past It is true that remission of sins hath foundation in the blood of Christ as in a meritorious cause but our enjoyment of that merited and purchased remission takes in faith and repentance for neither God nor Christ ever intended nor promised the application thereof unto any but such as believe and repent therefore do not venture absolutely upon this that Christ dyed for the remission of sins therefore your sins are forgiven for as God did ordain the death of Christ as the meritorious cause of forgiveness of sins so did he ordain that all who have the benefit thereof should repent and believe Fourthly A fourth false ground from which some do absolutely conclude that their sins are forgiven is this their sins are but small and little sins which The smalness of sin God marks and regards not and will never take notice of but will pass them by indeed if they were guilty of great transgressions then they had reason to doubt whether they were within the compass of forgiveness promised but alas their sins are small c. Answered Sol. For answer unto this deceit remember these four particulars 1. No sin is simply little or small 2. Those sins are not little or small which people do ordinarily count so 3. God hath severely expressed himself against persons for those sins which we look on as small sins 4. This very conceit that sins are little and are past by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of his sins First No sin is simply or absolutely little or small though comparatively when we set on sin by another we find them to be of different magnitude some to be great abominations and others to be lesser transgressions yet absolutely no sin is little but as there is a greatness in the least mercy so there is a greatness in the least sin for every sin whatsoever is a transgression of the royal Law and it is committed against a great God sin is to be considered as to the object as well as to the act how were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses Every sin doth expose to a great curse even the curse of the Law Cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written to do it Is that a small offence which may cost a man his life nay it cannot be taken off but by the death and blood of Christ there is an infinite offence and merit in any sin you read in the Mosaical Law that the blood of the beast was to be shed for the expiation of sins of ignorance and inadvertency which did signifie the shedding of the blood of Christ for the expiation of the least sins and surely that offence may not be reputed little or small which cannot be put away but by the death of the Son of God Secondly Those sins are not little or small which people
ordinarily do count so people do look on it as a very small offence 1. To omit praying and reading in their Families but God threatens to poure out his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his Name Jer. 10. 25. Though this be spoken of the Heathens yet it is much more true of Christians 2. To pass by Christ offered unto them but the Scripture saith He that believes not shall be damned and that he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Mark 16. 16. 3. To despise the Ministers of Christ but Christ saith He that despiseth you despiseth me Luk. 10. 16. 4. To come unworthily to the Lords Table but the Scripture saith He that eats and drinks unworthily doth eat and drink damnation to himself 1 Cor. 11. 5. To be proud and speak lies but the Scripture saith that a proud look and lying tongue are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 6. 16 17. 6. To speak idly and vainly but Jesus Christ saith Matth. 12. 36. That every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned 7. To wound the name of others behind their backs whisperingly and cunningly and privately but the Scripture saith Deut. 27. 24. Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly 8. To give way to wicked thoughts and sins of heart but the Scripture shews that these are no small sins Acts 8. 22. Pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee 9. To make mention of the Name of God vainly and rashly and irreverently on any occasion in ordinary discourse O God! O Lord but the Scripture doth not look on this as a small sin Exod. 20. 7. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his Name in vain 10. To profane the Sabbath by buying and selling but God threatens to send a fire for this Jer. 17. 27. Thirdly God hath expressed himself very severely against persons for those sins which we perhaps look upon as small Adam eating of the forbidden fruit it lost him Paradise and brought an exceeding misery on mankind Vzzah did but put out his hand to stay the Ark and he dyed for it on the place Vzziah would be medling with the Priests office and he was immediately struck with a leprofie to the day of his death 2 Chron. 26. 19 21. Korah Dathan and Abiram misliked the authority of Moses and Aaron and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up Ananias and Sapphira for a lye are struck dead Fourthly This very conceit that sins are so little and small that God will pass them by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of sin for it is a means 1. Of carnal security 2. Of impenitency 3. Of neglect of Jesus Christ 4. To implore God by prayer for the forgiveness of sins like the proud Pharisee who sought not for mercy and missed of mercy because he took no notice of his sins at all the greatest sin is pardoned upon repentance the least sin will damn without repentance Secondly I now come to the second position which is this That some do put Some put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins and there are eight sorts of these persons 1. They who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost 2. They who will not repent and forsake their sins 3. They who delay and defer Repentance 4. They who do repent feignedly and hypocritically 5. They who do not believe on Christ and refuse to be his 6. They who do absolutely despair 7. They who do rest on their own works as reasons and causes of the forgiveness of their sins 8. They who are unmerciful and unplacable and will not forgive others who trespass against them They who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost First They do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness of their sins who do sin the sin against the Holy Ghost Matth. 12. 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men Ver. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Here you find it expresly and peremptorily delivered from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven Quest But will some of you say What is this sin against the Holy Ghost What that sin is which never shall be forgiven Sol. It is a wilful and malicious and reproachful opposition of the Gospel attended with a total and final Apostacy from it after and against the clear convictions of the Holy Ghost First It is an opposition of the Gospel the Gospel must be preached and the Gospel must be opposed by such as hear it else it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost they therefore who are charged with this sin are said to hate the light Joh. 3. 20. and to hate Christ and to hate the truth Joh. 15. 25. and to be disobedient unto the Gospel and to be a gain-saying people Rom. 10. 21. and to reject the Corner stone Acts 4. 11. and to refuse to hear Acts 13. 46. and to put the Word from them who resist the truth and contradict it 2 Tim. 3. 8. as you may read of the Pharisees and other of the Jews Secondly It is a peculiar kind of opposition not of ignorance not of inadvertency not of passion but 1. A wilful opposition therefore they who commit this sin are said to sin wilfully Hebr. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin A man sins wilfully when the reason of his sinning rests solely in the perverseness of his will though his judgement be disarmed of all Apology and his conscience be convinced yet he will sin and oppose the Gospel because he will do so 2. A malicious opposition it ariseth from a bitter hatred against Christ and rage against the truth therefore they who sin this sin are said to offer or do despite unto the Spirit of grace Hebr. 10 29. as if they did sin on purpose to vex and affront the Spirit of God 3. A reproachful opposition hence it is affirmed of these sinners that they speak evil of the ways of Christ and blaspheme his Word The Jews were filled with envy and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming Acts 13. 45. that they mock at Jesus Christ Matth. 27. 41. The chief Priests mocking him with the Scribes and Elders c. Ver. 29. When they had
they will repent but not yet hereafter they will when they are sick and when they are old and near to death and what mean you to do for the present til the time of sickness or age or death is it not that you serve your sins and take your delights and pleasures and when you can no longer enjoy them then you will give over your sins and then God must give down your forgiveness Simile As if a Malefactor should say I will steal and kill a few years more untill I be taken and then I will leave those courses and the Judge shall pardon me O what a cheat and deceit is this 1. To think that we have repentance in our power 2ly To think that we have forgiving mercy at our command 3ly To love and serve and live in our sins for the present and to promise unto our selves the forgiveness of our sins at the last But wilt thou know and understand O vain man that he who defers to repent is in the mean time impenitent and he that resolves only for hereafter to leave his sins resolves also untill that time to keep his sins and he that resolves to keep his sins doth for lying vanities forsake his own mercies He that will not presently repent doth put himself out of a present capacity of mercy and he who puts himselfe out of a present capacity of mercy may by going on in his sins so harden his heart as to put out himself from a future capacity of repentance The promise of forgiveness is to him who doth repent or forsake his sins it is not to him who defers to repent and saith he will do so hereafter O how foolish is the sinner who might be presently forgiven upon a present repentance and yet will hazard his soul to the loss of mercy upon a presumption of future repenting Surely thou dost not prize the great mercies of God in the pardon of thy sins who dost put off that blessed mercy to enjoy a little longer thy cursed lusts To day if you will hear his voice put it not off till to morrow for 1. It is a question whether late repentance be true 2ly You at least will question it 3ly And whether God will give it at the last 4ly Especially when we put it off to the last Fourthly They do put themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins who do presently repent but it is fainedly and hypocritically not cordially They who repent presently but fainedly and really Jer. 3. 10 Her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but fainedly saith the Lord. Psal 78. v. 4. They returned and inquired early after God Ver. 36. Neverthelesse they did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongue Ver. 37. For their heart was not right with him Now they do repent fainedly who 1. Spare their beloved sins 2. Who put them off with a purpose to resume them again You have many persons who in the times of sickness or of danger or of loss or of fear of death or of terror of conscience will forbear their sins will cry out against their sins will pray and beg for mercy and as soon as hope and ease and safety appears they do return again with the dog to his vomit and with the swine to the wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. They forget their terrors and tears and prayings and resolutions and professions and are worse in wayes of wickedness than heretofore Their righteousnesse is as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away To these God may speak as in Hose 11. 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes and the house of Israel with deceit They think to circumvent and deceive the Lord with penitential pretences but indeed they do deceive their own souls for God searcheth the heart and trieth the reins and his eyes are upon the heart and upon the truth and it is just that they should be deceived with the fancy of pardon who think to deceive God with the shadow of repentance He who is but hypocritically good is really wicked and he that repents fainedly and falsly doth but provoke the wrath of God more against his soul c. Fifthly They do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness who remain They vvho remain unbelieving unbelieving whose hearts are not subdued and brought in to Christ by the Gospel will not consent to take him for their Head and Lord and will not serve Christ in his commands will not suffer him to reign over them to set up his kingdom in them nor to destroy his enemies in them Beloved mark what I say unto you be you what you will if yet you remain unbelievers your sins shall never be forgiven Suppose you be great or mean persons rich or poor persons learned or simple persons covetous and civil persons and just persons Papists or Protestants of this or that Opinion for Doctrine or Government if you believe not on Christ as well as profess Christ if your hearts will not consent to match with Christ if there be any sin or any thing of the world which lies nearer your heart than Christ which holds it off and keeps it from Christ you are now unbelievers and your sin shall not be forgiven 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth not shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Mar. 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned Sixthly They also do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness who do They vvho despair of mercy absolutely despair of mercy Isidore said right Desperare est in infernum descendere to fall into dâ—spair is to fall into hell where there is perfection of misery without any hope of mercy Here consider a few Particulars 1. It is one thing to doubt and fear and question whether God will be merciful unto our sins and it is another thing to despaire of his mercies one may fear and doubt of mercy for his sins who yet doth not absolutely despair of mercy fear and questionings about mercy may arise from infirmity Psal 77. 9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his mercies Ver 10. I said this is my infirmity but absolute despair of mercy ariseth from absolute infidelity and it is a peremptory concluding against all the powers and goodness of mercy in God My sinne said Cain is greater than may or can be forgiven Gen. 4. 13. 2. Again there is a passionate and transient despaire And there is a setled and permanent despaire The one is total but not final the other is total and final In times of strong temptation and Gods desertion and our own melancholy and troubles of conscience one may possibly conclude there is no hope of mercy and his sins are such as exceed
those parts of Repentance that so you may know whether you do truly repent of your sins and consequently are under this most comfortable promise of the forgiveness of your sins First The qualifications of penitential grief or mourning for sinnes are The qualifications of penitential mourning for sin It is a supernatural grief these 1. It is a grief which is supernatural and wrought in us only by the Spirit of God it doth not arise from the strength of any natural principle in our own hearts as worldly sorrow doth in which one may abound who hath no grace at all and for which he needs not to pray at all but this sorrow is given from God and is sought by us from him Job 23. 16. God maketh my heart soft Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the heart of stone and will give you an heart of flesh Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. You may easily mourn for worldly losses and under worldly distresses and melt and weep as Davids men did who wept untill they had no more power to weep 1 Sam. 30. 4. And yet under all these floods of grief the person may not be able to shed one tear of godly sorrow for his sins because this comes from another kind of Spring and is raised upon other Motives and Considerations it will cost you many convictions and many meditations and many earnest supplications and attendances on the Word to get this Fountain set open in your hearts 2. It is a grief which is sincere for sin as sin sin as sin is a transgression A sincere grief for sin as sin of the Law of God a provocation of God a dishonour unto God a separation and withdrawment of God a defilement and pollution of the soul and in a respect solely unto these considerations of sin doth truly penitential mourning break forth in the soul though no hell to damn me though no conscience to torment me Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight saith David Psal 51. 4. I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Job 7. 20. One may be troubled for sinning because of punishment from man or of punishment from God feared or inflicted but this is not a trouble for sin as an offence to God but as an offence to our selves How we may know that we grieve for sin as sin Quest. But now the scruple is How he may know that he doth grieve for sin as sin and only for sin Answered Sol. He may know it First By the acting of grief for sin when there is an universal cessation of punishment though conscience cease to torment and the hand of God is drawn off and there is no fear of man what he can do yet the heart is humbled and mourns still for offending of God Secondly By the rising of grief for sin upon the Assurance and Certificate of peace and reconciliation with God of which the more certain evidence is given into the soul the more sorrow and grief breaks forth out of the soul for sinning against such a God Thirdly By the extension of grief not only for our own sins but also for the sins of others the punishment of whose sins reacheth not to us but yet the dishonour by these sins doth reach unto God which therefore doth cause our hearts to mourn Psal 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law 3. It is a grief which is very high and great the Scripture seems to make It is a grief very high and great it a superlative sorrow calling it a great mourning like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo and a bitterness as one is in for his first born Zach. 12. 10. And my bowels are troubled within me mine heart is turned within me for I have grievously rebelled c. Lam. 1. 20. and David watered his couch with his tears Psal 6. 6. Quest You know it is a question whether grief for sin ought not to be the highest and chiefest in quem dolorem Sol. For the resolution of which they â—â—stinguish of grief of passion and grief of the will which is a displeasure of the heart with it self perhaps another kind of grief may be higher in a passion but grief of heart for sin is the highest for displeasure and also for duration when that Land-flood is gone yet then the River of godly sorrow still runs My sin is ever before me said David Psal 51. and yet his Absolom for whom he took on so passionately was not ever before him 4. It is a grief which is vertual godly sorrow worketh Repentance 2 Cor. It is a grief which is vertual 7. 10. He who truly mourns for sin his heart doth hate sin and separates from sin and sinful ways and it becomes more holy and godly and he fears to sin against his God any more thus it is not with any false grief whatsoever 5. Lastly It is such a grief under which the soul seeks comfort from God It is a grief under which the soul seeks comfort from God and nothing can relieve the soul so grieving but the voice of joy and peace from God Psal 51. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people c. The qualifications of penitential confession Secondly The qualifications of true penitential confession of sins There are five Ingredients in penitential confession The acknowledgement of sin from a deep sense of sin 1. It is the acknowledging of our sins from a deep sense or feeling of them and our misery by them Penitential confession is the language of a sensible and troubled spirit Simile like a sick mans opening of his estate to the Physitian O here lies my grief my pain my distemper my danger and I fear my death so here in penitential confession of sins to God out of a tender and troubled feeling of them a repentant sinner cries out O Lord this is my heart and this hath been my life thus have I lived and thus have I sinned and thus and thus have I dishonoured thee O I am ashamed and confounded c. 2. It is a self-judging acknowledgement of our sins that for them we are A self judging acknowledgement unworthy of the least mercy and most worthy of the greatest judgement I am not worthy to be called thy son Luk. 15 19. not worthy to be called an Apostle confusion of face belongs to us Dan. 9. 8. And thou art just in all that is brought upon us thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Nehem. 9. 33. 3. It is an ingenuous acknowledgement of our sins not hiding or concealing An ingenuous acknowledgement the greatest and worst nor extenuating or lessning any one sin in the
what is it to be justified but to be pardoned 5. And so for Repentance and Faith certainly they have been true if forgiveness of sins have been granted unto you because to none but unto such who do truly repent and who do truly believe is forgiveness of sins promised 6. And lastly If your sins be forgiven you shall be undoubtedly saved Rom. 8. 30. Whom he justified them also he glorified So Acts 26. 18. That they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified Secondly If your sins be forgiven you then your way is opened and cleared You have access to God with all boldness with all boldness of access and confidence to your God and Father There are three choice Cordials and Encouragements to all who have obtained pardoning mercy 1. They may look upon their God as sitting altogether and always on his Throne of grace and mercy as their loving God as their kind God as their good God as their Father as their Helper as their Saviour O what a sight of God is that sight of him in heaven where there is love and nothing but love peace and nothing but peace joy and nothing but joy favour and nothing but favour blessed communion and nothing but blessed communion Such a kind of sight of God have justified and pardoned persons here on earth they may now look on God as their God as their Father as loving of them delighting in them and rejoycing over them to do them good and what should hinder them to come with a filial confidence to such a God and Father 2. They may look up unto him for any mercy which they do need and which he doth promise unto them Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Hos 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving-kindness and in mercy Ver. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and the heavens shall hear the earth Ver. 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel Beloved there is no partition wall but sin nothing that separates between God and us but sin nothing that hinders good thingâ— from us but sin now if that partition wall be broken down as certainly it is when sin is forgiven there is nothing on your part to hinder you from asking and nothing on Gods part to with-hold him from giving any thing that is good unto you 3. They may look on all their enjoyments as mercies as the fruits of love with marvailous contentment and delight mercies are sure and sweet unto them As every one of the Vessels had that inscription upon it Holiness to the Lord so every receit which the forgiven sinner partakes of hath this superscription on it A token of love from the reconciled God you have the bond and the seal the wine and the sugar the day and the Sun-shine mercies from mercy mercies in mercy this and that and my sins pardoned Thirdly If your sins be forgiven you this will be a great support strength It will be â— great support in all times and occurrences whatsoever In times of outward wants relief upholdment unto you in all occurrences whaâ—soever and in all times whatsoever 1. In times of outward wants and straits as Lactantius said of Lazarus he was sine domo but not sine Domino sine veste but not sine Fide sine cibo but not sine Christo The like may we say of the pardoned person he may be without money but not without mercy he may be without friends but he is not without a Father he may be without outward mercies but he is not without the God of mercies his body may want riches but his soul is not without forgiveness God is his forgiving God and his reconciling God and his blessed God and portion for ever and ever 2. In time of outward troubles when all the world is in combustion and distraction and there is no rest nor peace to be found amongst men why then can the pardoned sinner find rest and peace peace in his God and peace in his In time of outward troubles Christ and peace in his conscience my sins are pardoned it is God that justifies me he is at peace with me and I am so with him and therefore I can rejoyce in tribulation it self 3. In times of losses and trials God hath taken away this friend and that parent this childe and that comfort but he hath not taken away his loving-kindness In times of losses and â—ryals from me 'T is but a cross 't is not a curse 't is but a refining fire 't is not a consuming fire 't is but the rod of Father 't is not the word of a Judge 't is to heal and pacifie 't is not to harden and destroy 't is but the physick of love 't is not the sting of wrath for if sins be pardoned then enjoyments are from love and then losses are from love If God gives that is in mercy if God takes away that also is in mercy O Sirs a loss a cross sits heavily on the heart when the guilt of sin sits strongly on the conscience but if the guilt be taken off there as certainly it is upon the forgiveness of sins then may a man take up the cross and kiss it then may he stoop down and bear it then may he take in a mercy and rejoyce and then can he give back a mercy and bless that God who hath given and now hath taken c. 4. In times of sickness and death when all the world is leaving of us and when we are leaving all the world and the short minute of time is expiring In times of sickness and death and the larger date of eternity is appearing when Physitians say there is no hope and friends are taking their farewel for ever and no earthy thing can be of comfort or relief O then the fiduciary apprehension of a reconciling Christ and of a reconciled God and of all our sins as pardoned why this revives this stays this chears up our spirits this is better than life this is life in death Now let thy servant depart in peace said Simeon for mine eyes have seen thy salvation now let me dye and go to my God and Father it is certain that that man may look on death with joy who can look on Christ and the forgiveness of his sins with faith 5. In times of temptations How many temptations are answered if once our sins are pardoned In times of temptationâ— 1. God will damn thee for thy sins O no he hath pardoned my sins and therefore he will not damn me for them 2. But do not thy sins deserve hell and damnation they do so but God hath forgiven according to the riches of his grace in the blood of Christ 3. But thinkest thou
Here take notice of five particulars 1. God will shew unto his people the riches of his mercy and the exceeding riches of his grace even those hidden and unsearchable Treasures of his loving kindness God will shew his people the riches of his mercy such as infinitely excâ—ed all the mercies and all the kindness of men not only for acting but also for thinking and comprehending Ephes 2. 7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in kindnesse towarâ—s us through Jesus Christ Chap. 3. 30. To him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we are able to ask or think c. Now although the pardon of sin doth assure us that God hath mercy and grace yet it must be the pardon of all our sins which doth demonstrate the exceeding riches of his grace To pardon a few sins and to damn us for the rest this is not exceeding riches of grace nor exceeding abundance of mercy nor exceeding great kindness 2. The Reasons within God himself yea and the Reason without God are both of The reasons within God and without him are of an universal obligation them of an universal and total obligation from God to pardon all the sins of his people as well as any one of their sins The Reason within God himself which moves him to forgive the sins of his people is his own love and grace they are a ground of perfect mercy and forgiveness Now the same love and grace which moveth him to pardon one doth likewise move him to pardon all the sins of his people Again the Reason of forgiveness without God which is the meritorious sufferings of Christ on which God also looks for he forgives us for Christs sake Ephes 4. 32. this is an universal motive for Christ did not suffer for some of the sins of the Elect and not for other of their sins he did not dye for some of the gâ—eater sins only or for some of the lesser sins only but for all and every one of their sins and accordingly made such a satisfaction as reached to the discharge of all 3. This must necessarily be granted that when God forgives the sins of his Whose sins God forgives he becomes their friend people he doth then shew so much of his grace that he now becomes their friend and so much of his love towards them that he ceaseth to be their enemy O but if all their sins were not forgiven but if some were and some were not then this inequality of his grace and partiality of his love would at the same time set him out as our friend and also as our enemy and would also at the same time set us forth as a people of love and a people of hatred so far as we are forgiven there you see the love of a Father and so far as we are not forgiven we may also see the wrath of a Judge 4. He qualifies his people for an universal remission of their sins in bestowing on them such gracious qualities upon the presence and actings whereof he hath He qualifies his people for an universal remission by promise assured them of that universal Remission For he hath given such a Repentance by which their hearts are turned from the love unto the hatred of all sin and from the service of all sin to a contrary course of new obedience And upon this doth God expresly settle a forgiveness of all sin Ezek. 18. 21 22. He hath likewise given such a Faith unto his people which joynes and unites them to Christ and consequently gives them a full claim unto Justification Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith Now Justification is opposed to condemnation Rom. 8. 33 34. and therefore it carries with it the forgivenesse of all sins 5. There is such a Relation and such a love between God and his people as The relation and love betwixt God and his people proves it must necessarily take in the forgivenesse of their sins The relation is very near and full of love and delight in his people and they are very dear unto his heart his soul delighteth in them and all the tokens of his loving kindness are sent unto them and bestowed on them his presence is with them and he takes up his habitation in their hearts he dwells in them they are his Temples where they meet with him and he with them Now none of these would be if yet any of their sins stood before his eyes as unpardoned For unpardoned sins make a separation and distance and so are contrary to the nearness of union and likewise do hold up a difference and an enmity and so the contrary to all gracious communion Thirdly A third Argument which may demonstrate that the forgiveness of sins is univesal it is of all sins to the people of God is this viz. The consideration From the gracious effects of forgivenesse of sins of forgivenesse of sinnes as a sure ground of many precious effects redowning thereby unto the people of God The Scripture delivers five of them unto us 1. One is Peace with God Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God 2. Another is Peace in Conscience which if I mistake not the Apostle calls the peace of God which passeth all understanding Phil. 4. 7. and Psal 85. 8. He will speak peace unto his people c. 3. A third is Joy and rejoycing We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ having now received the attonement Rom. 5. 11. 4. A fourth is the hope of glory The Apostle delivers this as the proper effect of our justification Rom. 5. 1 2. 5. A fifth is a boldnesse of accesse unto the throne of grace that we may finde grace and mercy to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. Which of these fruits could any of the people of God enjoy were not all their sins forgiven Did any of their sins yet stand upon Record did God yet hold them guilty 1. Ye could not say that ye have peace with God for God is not at peace with you nor are ye at peace with him whiles enmity continues between you and so it doth whiles any sinne remaines unpardoned Note 2. Nor can you have any peace in Conscience In three cases Conscience cannot be quieted 1. When it sees no forgiveness at all 2ly When it fears it is such a forgiveness as God will quickly recall and reverse And 3ly When it sees only a part of the debt forgiven but much or some of it still standing upon the accompâ— O but saith Conscience your condition is sad and unsafe any one of these sins yet unforgiven will lose your soul will bring you to hell 3. And what joy can you have from a partial forgiveness only suppose the Malefactor be pardoned as to his theft if yet he shall be tried and condemned and executed for murther what joy can he have Simile so if God should pardon some
Saints all along 5. And it seems to be a strong Guard against presumption and carnal security and looseness 6. And hath no direct natural appearance of inconveniencies in or from it Object Whereas they say this is Popish and Legal Sol. They speak ignorantly if not maliciously for they know that Jesus Christ in the Gospel-Commission joyned Repentance and Remission of sins It is as Popish to say Repentance is required for Assurance as for Remission for both are acts of grace Object But what if one should die before he repents Sol. And what if he should not dye That God who hath promised renewing mercy hath likewise promised renewed repentance Object But a man may be damned for the sinnes committed if all be not forgiven at once Sol. 1. As if a particular sin destroyed the state of Justification 2. What a sin deserves is one thing what it shall redundantly and eventually bring on the person is another thing 3. Though God doth not forgive all the sins at once yet he will certainly forgive them unto his people when committed and when repented of for God hath promised so to pardon them And no one promise of God can be shewed to the contrary It was Fulgentius his prayer Domine da poenitentiam postea indulgentiam Object But God justifies the ungodly therefore no need of subsequent repentance in relation to forgivenesse Sol. 1. Nay and put in too any Repentance or Faith at all for God justifies the ungodly 2. But he justifies the ungodly i. e. a man stands before God when he justifies him as a poor undone sinner having no righteousness of his own nor is Repentance required as the meritorious or as the material cause of Justification but as a meanes to enjoy what God hath pâ—omised to the believer Having thus waded through this great Controversie I shall now proceed unto the useful Application of the Doctrine That God doth promise to forgive all the sins of his people SECT III. Use 1. THe first Vse shall be of Information It may informe us of five Information things 1. Of that exceeding greatness of mercy which is in God 2. Of that exceeding love and kindness which is in God unto his people 3. Of what a heavy weight did lie upon Jesus Christ 4. Of the high Obligations which rest upon us who do enjoy this promise of universal forgiveness 5. Then multitude of sinnes is not absolutely inconsistent with pardon First In that God engageth himself by promise to forgive all the sins of all That God is a God of infinite mercy his people This doth manifestly declare unto us that he is a God of infinite mercy must he not needs be so who forgives such a number of sins and transgressions There are two things which discover unto us the infinite fulness and depth of mercy in God One is that vast Title attributed unto him and his mercy He is said to be of great mercy Psal 105. 8. and to be rich in mercy Ephes 2. 4. and to be plenteous in mercy Psal 86. 15. and to pardon abundantly Isa 55. 7. 1 Pet. 1 3. according to his abundant mercy and to keep mercy for thousands Exod. 34. 7. and to be of everlasting mercy Psal 100. 5. and to be of transcendent and incomparable mercy As the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him Psal 103. 11. In like manner there are ascribed to his mercy and mercies a multitude Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy tender mercies A depth Mich. 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea Not only an abundance but an exceeding abundance 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant Nay an over abundance where sin abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5. 23. It did superabound c. 2ly The other is the vast quantity of sinnes of which the people of God have been guilty Who saith David Psal 19. 12. can understand his errors i. e. the number of a mans sins is so numerous that with all the Arithmetick he hath he is not able to cast up how often he hath sinned Nay David surveying the number of his own sins he is non-plused and professeth that they are innumerable and that they are more than the hairs of his head Psal 40. 12. And Ezra in his confession Chap. 9. 6. Our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasse is grown up into the heavens Now if the number of sins in respect of one person be so innumerable what then is the number of all the sins of all the people of God yet there is mercy enough in God to pardon all and every one of them To pardon â—â— their sinnes which they do know and all the rest which they do not know Secondly In that God doth pardon all the sins of all his people this doth likewise discover the exceeding love and kindnesse of God to his people The Apostle The exceeding love and kindness of God to his people saith in 1 Pet. 4. 8. That Charity or love covereth a multitude of sinnes and that he that converts a sinner shall hide a multitude of sins Jam. 5. 20. Certainly then it shews exceeding love in God to cover to blot out to forget to passe over to pardon all the multitude of sins in his own people To injure God is infinitely more than to injure man to offend and dishonour him is infinitely more than to offend and dishonour man and for God to passe by all this it must needs flow from his infinite love and kindness and therefore God is said Rom. 5. 8. To commend or highly to exalt his love toward us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ died for us and to shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus Eph. 2. 7. And the forgivenesse of our sins is rightly attributed to the riches of his grace Eâ—â—es 1. 7. Thirdly in that God forgives all the sins of all his people this may inform us What a heavy weight did lie upon Christ What an heavy weight did lie upon Jesus Christ and of that wonderful power and vertue of his sufferings There is no man who is able to express the surpassing desert and burden in any one particular sin we finde many times that some one sin set on with the wrath of God doth drive us to our feet it is more unto us than the shadows of death it doth fill us with such distractions and horror that we can neither live nor dye we are not able to sustain it nor yet to decline it what work then would all our sins make within us if the Lord should in wrath return them upon us Now all the sins of all the people of God from the beginning of the world to the end thereof were in all their kinds and numbers and aggravations laid upon Jesus Christ he bare all our
thereof After conversion there are two sorts of sins incident unto us 1. Daily sins of ignorance and infirmity and they are so many that we know not the number of them yet all of them do need forgiving mercy 2. Voluntary sins and of a very gross and hainous nature which make a deep wound and raise an hideous cry in the conscience and shake all our foundations and lie as an heavy burden upon us and they do the more wound and afflict us because committed after mercy and against mercy Now in such a self-wounding and self-judging and self-humbling condition what should the ashamed and confounded sinner do why he should return speedily to his God and with tears and shame spread his sins before the Lord and acknowledge that he is unworthy of any more mercy and yet beseech the Lord to shew him mercy again who hath promised to forgive all the sins of his people and he should hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people but let them return no more to folly Psal 85. 8. SECT V. Vse 3 THE third Use of this Point shall be partly of Comfort and partly of Encouragement First Of Comfort to all who are brought into Covenant with God especially Comfort to such as have stood out a long time and have abounded in transgressions who have made the very creature groan with the burden of their many sins why all these are forgiven as soon as God hath brought you into the Covenant Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy O what a day of salvation is the very day when God brings a man into Christ and into the Covenant all his enemies that pursued him are drowned not one of them is left so all his sins are forgiven and not one of them is alive to his condemnation Secondly Of Encouragement to come out of a sinful and unbelieving condition Encouragement and to yield up our selves to Christ and to be willing to become the people of God and to walk in his ways why all the sins that ever you have committeâ— shall be forgiven you they shall not be mentioned unto you your Drunkenness Swearing Whordome Theft Lying Sabbath-breakings all your sins of Omission and of Commission sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel sins that your own hearts can charge you with and that God himself can charge upon you all forgiven any one of them would damn you and now all shall be pardoned if you will hear and believe and repent c. Cast away all your transgressions repent return and live why will ye dye O house of Israel I offer to you life and death choose life Do not for lying vanities forsake your mercies A greater offer there cannot be than Christ nor motive than the pardon of all your sins EZEK 36. 25. From all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you HAving spoken somewhat unto the extensive part of promised forgiveness that it reacheth all the sins of all the people of God I now proceed unto the Intensive part of that promised The intensive part forgiveness which respects the greatness and hainousness of sin as well as the number and multitude of sins from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you whence you may observe CHAP. IV. Doctr. 2 THat although the sins of persons have been exceeding great yet when these persons become the people of God in Covenant even those sins also are forgiven them from all your filthiness and from all your Idols Great sins are forgiven to the people of God in Covenant will I cleanse you forgiveness reacheâ—â— to the greatest sins which the people of God have been guilty of this assertion 1. I shall clear from the Text it self 2. From other Scriptures Proved 3. Demonstrate by some Arguments and Reasons 4. And then apply it unto our selves SECT I. 1. THE Text clearly holds out the Assertion for God doth give here By the text instances of two great kinds of sins One against the second Table all your filthiness and the other against the first Table all your Idols in the one is implied the great injury done unto our Neighbour and in the other the great injure done unto God yet God promiseth to forgive both I will speak something of both these sins and something of the greatness of them both which yet God promiseth c. First From all your filthiness that word filthiness is sometimes taken What is meant by filthiness for any sin every sin is a pollution and uncleanness a filthiness therefore the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit there are bodily sins which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of our flesh and there are spiritual sins arising from and acted in the soul which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of the spirit Sometimes that word filthiness is taken restrictively for bodily pollution or uncleanness when the bodies of men and women are defiled and polluted and do defile and pollute themselves Several kinds of it Bestiality of which in Scripture you finde several sorts and kinds 1. Bestiality that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abomination not to be named it is confusion you read of this sin in Lev. 18. 23. and of the punishment of it with death Lev. 20. 15 16. 2. Sodomy of this horrid sin and the punishment thereof you read in Sodomy Lev. 20 13. This is not only a sin but also a recompence of other sins and for which God gives men over to a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 27 28. and for which he destroyed those five Cities with fire from heaven Gen. 19. 24 25. 3. Incest ubi servatur sexus sed non gradus it is the sin cum agnata Incest or cognata with a kinswoman of the fathers or the mothers side yea and with ones fathers wife see Lev. 20. 17. and with ones brothers wife 4. Fornication which is between single persons Fornication Adultery 5. Adultery which is uncleanness between persons married to others or when one of them is married to another and yet defileth himself with a stranger some of these sins of uncleanness are so horrid that they are said to be against nature yea against corrupt nature the very natural light in natural conscience condemns and opposes them and the rest of them as fornication and adultery the Scripture sets them out as very odious in the eyes of God and very foul transgressions and extreamly pernicious in them you may read ten things concerning Ten things concerning these â—hese sins First That they are the express fruits of a vile and naughty heart out of the heart proceedeth fornications adulteries saith Christ Matth. 15. 19. The works of the flesh are manifâ—â—â— which are
are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Secondly From all your Idols Having shewed the greatness of the sins of uncleanness I now proceed briefly to shew unto you the greatness of the sin of Idolatry the greatness of that sin Idolatry This people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of gold Exod. 32. 31. And you shall find it very great First By Gods singular detestation and loathing of Idolatry and Idols Idols are frequently in Scripture called abominations 1 King 11. 5. Solomon went after By Gods singular detestation of it Milcom the abomination of the Amorites Verse 7. And he built an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon Idolatries are called abominable Idolatries 1 Pet. 4. 3. which the Learned call Epithetum perpetuum non distinguens see Acts 15. 20. That they abstain from pollutions of Idols 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contaminations filthinesses defilements Therefore Idols are called dunghill-gods stinking filthy and defiling Secondly By Gods special warnings of his people against this sin of Idolatry Jer. 44. 4. Do not this abominable thing which I hate Deut. 18. 9. When thou art come By Gods special warnings into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee thou shalt not do after the abomination of these Nations Deut. 4. 23. Take heed unto your selves lest you forget the Covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you and make you a graven image the likenesse of any thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee 1 Cor. 10. 14. Flee from Idolatry 1 Joh. 5. 21. Keep your selves from Idols Thirdly By the grievous threatnings of Idolaters read at your leasure Deut 32. By grievous threatnings 15. He forsook God Ver. 16. they provoked him to jealousie with strange gods and ver 19. and when the Lord saw it be abhorred them and ver 20. and I will hide my face from you and ver 22. A fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn to the lowest hell ver 23. I will heap mischief upon them and will spend my arrows upon them ver 24. they shall be burnt with thunder and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction ver 25. The sword without and terror within shall destroy c. Fourthly By the unparallel'd judgments on Idolaters God hath given the bill By unparalleld judgements on Idolaters of divorce and broken them in pieces and rooted them out of their dwelling places and scattered them over all the earth and persecuted them in his wrath untill he hath destroyed them from off the face of all the earth Fifthly And besides all this he hath shut the dore of heaven against Idolaters and threatens them with no less then hell and damnation and the lake that burns The dore of heaven is shut against them with fire and brimstone Sixthly But once more consider the nature or effect of this sin of Idolatry it is so every way contrary to Gods glory of which he is most tender Isa 48 11. The nature or effects of this sin and Isa 42. 8. and will not give it to graven images It is the changing of his glory They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things Rom. 1. 23. and the sordid abasing of his glory to imagin any creature capable of that excellency and of that worship which belongeth to God and verily we do no less than make the creatures to be God when we do conferre on them that worship which is proper unto God or suppose such excellencies to be in them which are to be found only in God It is the exceeding provocation of God Hos 12. 14. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly therefore he shall leave his bloud upon him Idolatry is therefore often called adultery and Idolaters are said to commit adultery with stocks and stones what greater offence and provocation in a wife than to forsake her husband and to play the adultress with strangers the Lord for this sin of Idolatry hath utterly forsaken people he would be their God no more nor would he own them for his people any longer Nevertheless though this sin of Idolatry is so exceedingly high and provoking yet God hath pardoned it unto his people He pardoned it to Abraham Solomon to all the Churches of the Gentiles to those of Rome to the Corinthians Ephesians Galatians Thus you see the Assertion evinced from the Text. Secondly I shall in the next place evince it from other places of Scripture that From other Scriptures God will forgive the greatest sinnes c. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy O what sins were these blasphemy persecution injuriousness even to banishment and death but I obtained mercy In Acts 3. 14. And ye denyed the Holy One and desired a murderer to be granted unto you ver 15. and killed the Prince of life yet Acts 44. Many of them which heard the Word believed and the number of men were about five thousand Isa 1. 18. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red as Crimson they shall be as wooll Thirdly Let us see it further demonstrated by some Arguments Arguments to demonstrate it God is great in mercy 1. God is great in mercy Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the Remnant of his heritage Micah 7. 8. Grave est quod habeo sed ad Omnipotentem confugio said Austin Infinite mercy can forgive great iniquity 2. The satisfactions of Christ are great aad full so that by them grace did Christs satisfaction is great super abound He undertook the whole state of the sins of Gods people sins great and small many and few â—gnorance and knowledge all their iniquities and all their trespasses and all their transgressions and did satisfie the Justice of God fully and to the utmost so that in him there is plenteous Redemption The obedience of Christ is as much above our sins as his person is above our persons 3. When the Lord calls upon people to repent as therein he deals with them to leave and forsake all their sins great and small he excuses them in no one God calls us to repent of great sins and promiseth pardon sin but of all sinnes he presseth them to forsake their great sins so to draw and encourage them to this repentance he doth hold out his promise of pardon indefinitely of all their sins this Covenant makes no distinction at all twixt small and great God usually instances in the greatest sins 4. God by the Gospel gathers of all sorts into his kingdom The notorious God gathers all sorts of sinners sinners as well as the
away all grounds of despair from the hearts of his people There are but three principal grounds of despair God takes away the grounds of despair 1. O my sins are so many that there is no hope of mercy 2. O but my sins are so high and so great that God will never forgive them 3. O but though God can and will forgive many sins and great sins yet he will not forgive my great sins My sin said Cain is greater than shall be forgiven Gen. 4. Now God answers all these Arguments and Grounds of despair which possibly may arise in the hearts of his people For 1. He promiseth that he will forgive all their sins and will cast them also into the depth of the sea 2. He promiseth to forgive their great sins though they have been as scarlet and red like crimson and though adulterers and though idolaters c. 3. This promise he himself doth make with respect unto every one of their persons as you may see here in the Text and in other Scriptures So that there remains no ground at all of despair for them Indeed there may be matter enough for their humiliation but none for desperation SECT III. 2. Vse DOth God promise the forgiveness of all sins yea of the great sins of his people Then let all the people who are sensible of any great Make out for the pardon of great sins transgression speedily and seriously make out unto the Mercy-seat for the pardon of their great sins For the managing of this Use I will 1. Premise a few Conclusions 2. Lay down some Directions what is to be done to get the pardon of great sinnes 3. Discover some Signs and Evidences by which one may know that even his great sins are forgiven First The Conclusions which I would premise as Motives to get the forgiveness Conclusions premised of our great sins are thesâ— First Even the people of God may be guilty of great transgressions both before The people of God may be guilty of great sins their conversion and also after their conversion 1. Before their conversion scarce any of them but have been guilty whâ—â— soule sins were those Corinthians guilty of before God had called them by his grace even of drunkennesse and idolatries and adulteries and Sodomies and Paul himself who seemed so unblameable in his conversation yet what great sins stood he guilty of He was mad in persecuting the Saints he had his hand in the blood of Stephen he was consenting to his death nay the Lord Jesus Christ arested him and accused him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. Ephes 2. 3. Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Titus 3. 3. We our selves were also foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another 2. After their conversion they have also been guilty of great sins Noah of drunkenness Gen. 9. 21. Lot of drunkenness and incest with his own daughters Gen. 19. 35 36. Solomon of abominable Idolatries 1 Kin. 11. 6 7. and David of adultery and murder 2 Sam. 11. 4. 12. 9. And a thousand to one but most of us have been guilty of some great sin or other either for the kind of it or for the circumstantial aggravations of it either of Omission or of Commission so that we all have cause to look after the forgiveness of great sins Secondly Their great sins do dishonor God as much nay more than the great sins of others 2 Sam. 12. 14. By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies Their great sins dishonor God as much if not more than others of the Lord to blaspheme c. Rom. 2. 24. The Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you Yea they do exceedingly provoke God to withdraw his comfortable presence of joy from their spirits and to speak bitter things unto them and to correct them with a strong and exemplary chastisement and to suffer them to be buffeted by Satan with very heavy and distracting temptations upon this accout also they have reason to look after the forgivenesse of their great sins Thirdly Apprehensions of their great sins as unpardoned must needs fill their hearts with marvellous fears and their Consciences with unutterable unquietnesses The apprehension of these sins will fill their hearts with fears and burdens as in Davids roarings and his complaint of broken bones There is I think not any one person whose great sins have not at some time or other returned upon him and deeply wounded him Great sins of all other are certain terrors unto the Conscience and of all great sins these are so 1. The sins against nature 2. Those of grosse uncleanness 3. Those of blood and murder 4. Those of compact with the Divel 5. Those of blasphemy 6. Those against the workings of Conscience 7. Those against the Gospel 8. Presumptions 9. Relapses Any of these and any other great sins of which one hath been guilty they sit heavy upon the Conscience and do make dreadful work there and do often arise with exceeding terror and distraction so that the soul sinks under the guilt of them c. Fourthly There is nothing whatsoever which can allay and quiet Conscience troubled and troubling for the guilt of great sins but the presence or at least Nothing can allay those fears but the sense or hope of pardon the hope of forgiveness of them No earthly thing can quiet conscience in that condition David wanted not for them and yet he roared all the Day long and his bones waxed old and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer Psal 32. 34. Nay let me speak a bold word there is nothing in God which can do it but this merciful and gracious nature to forgive If the distressed sinner looks on his Justice he falls down confounded if he looks on his holiness O he is of purer eyes than to behold sinne if on his power O it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Nothing but mercy answers this distress or gives ease to this pain and trouble Be mercifull unto me O God said David God be merciful to me a sinner said the Publican Take away iniquity said the Church Beloved In all sorts of distress there is but one thing which is a proper relief In sickness health is the only help in hunger bread is the only help in thirst water is the only help in pains ease is the only help and so under the guilt of sin mercy is the only help This is life this is deliverance this is all Fifthly Though your sins have been or are very great yet there is hope of mercy Though your sins be great yet there is hope of mercy and that for you which may appear briefly by four particulars 1. The promise of
God reaches as you have heard to the pardon of great sins 2. The instances or acts of mercy they are recorded grants of grace and mercy to great transgressions You know thus they have passed to David to Solomon to Mary Magdalen to Peter to Paul to the Corinthians As great sins as yours hath God pardoned yea and perhaps greater sins than yours 3. God is still of a merciful nature he is as able and as ready to forgive as ever the Fountain is as full and as open Although the Lord hath shewn mercy to many and great sinners already yet he reserves and keeps mercy for thousands nay for a thousand generations You are not the first great sinners nor yet the last great sinners on whom he hath or on whom he will shew mercy his mercy endures for ever 4. He calls upon such as have been guilty of great sins to leave their sins and to come in unto him and hath assured them that if they do so he will forgive their great sins Isa 1. 10. Hear the Word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom and ye people of Gomorrah Ver. 15. Your hands are full of blood Ver. 16. Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings before mine eyes cease to do evil ver 17. learn to do well c. Ver. 18. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sinnes be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Jer. 3. 1. They say If a man put away his wife and she go away from him and she become another mans shall he return again unto her shall not that Land be greatly polluted but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet return again unto me saith the Lord. Ver. 5. Will he reserve his anger for ever will he keep it to the end behold thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest Ver. 7. And I said after she had done all these things turn thou unto me but she returned not Ver. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am mercifull c. Secondly I now proceed to lay down some Directions what one should Directions how to get the pardon of great sins do who hath been guilty of great sins to get the pardon of them I will propose unto you no other Course or Practice than what you may read in the Scriptures that some have taken who have been guilty of great sins and have thereupon found mercy in the pardoning of them Quest What 's that will you say Sol. You shall find First That they have been greatly humbled and have greatly mourned for Be greatly humbled for them their great sinnings and then God did shew them mercy in the pardon of those sins Zach. 12. 11. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Chap. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse Jer. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord Psal 6. 6. I am weary of my groaning all the night I make my bed to swim I water my Couch with my tears and you know the Lord forgave his great sins Luk. 7. 38. Mary Magdalen stood at the feet of Christ behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears Ver. 48. And he said unto her Thy sinnes are forgiven thee Peter went out and wept bitterly for his great sin and that sin was forgiven And Paul fell down and trembled for his great sins and they were pardoned In all these instances you see great mourning for great sins and gracious pardon for them Go you and doe likewise and you shall find friendship Secondly That they have cordially and really forsaken their great sinnes they durst not continue in them but have loathed themselves and their abominations Cordially forsake them and have cast them away Ezâ—a 9. 14. Should we again break thy Commandements and joyn with the people of these abominations Isa 30. 22. Ye shall also defile the covering of thy graven Images of silver and the ornaments of thy molten images of gold then shalt thou cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence Ver. 23. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed c. Hos 14. 8. Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more with Idols I have heard him and considered him I am like a green firre tree from me is thy fruit found Judg. 10. 16. And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord. Acts 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your sinnes may be blotted out Thus did David thus did Manasse thus did Mary Magdalen thus did Paul and the Prodigal and thereupon did find mercy Such were some of you but ye are sanctified but ye are justified c. Lookst thou for mercy to pardon great sins and yet still goest on in thy trespasses c. Thirdly That they have earnestly prayed unto the Lord for the forgivenesse of their Earnestly pray for the pardon of them great sinnes Exod. 32. 31. O this people have sinned a great sinne and have made themselves gods of gold Ver. 32. Yet now if thou wilt forgive their sinne and if not blot me I pray thee out of the book which thou hast written so Moses prayed Psal 25. 11. For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great Dan. 9. 5. We have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled by departing from thy precepts Ver. 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesse though we have rebelled against him Ver. 19. O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and deferre not for thy Name sake Ver. 18. We do not present our supplications unto thee for our righteousnesse but for thy great mercies Luke 18. 13. And the Publican stood a farre off and would not lift up so much as his eyes to Heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be mercifull unto me a sinner In these Prayers for the pardon of great sinnes you may espy four Ingredients 1. That they have come from broken hearts sensible of their greatness 2. That they have come from humble hearts sensible of their own unworthiness 3 s That they have been sent up with believing hearts 4. That they have been plyed and followed with earnest and servent and importunate hearts which would have no denial and all of them found acceptance Fourthly That they have pleaded with God upon such grounds which have alwayes Plead with God upon prevailing grounds been prevalent with God for the obtaining of the forgiveness of their
repentance David after the pardon of his great sins then saith he Psal 51. 13. will I teach Transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee 3. A forgiving compassion bearing much and forgiving much as God for Christ sake hath forgiven them Sixthly True peace and joy which flow only from forgiving mercy Luke True peace and joy 7. 48. Thy sins are forgiven Ver. 50. Thy faith hath saved thee go in peace Rom. 5. 11. We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement There is a two-fold peace in a sinner 1. One ariseth from stupidity and depends upon an ignorant and seared conscience as a sick man is quiet while he sleeps 2. Another ariseth from faith which seals to the goodness and truth of the promise and causeth the soul to rest in that good and faithful Word that God for Christs sake will indeed forgive their great sins a peace that follows faith is a right peace and a right testimony that sin is forgiven 1 John 3. 21. If our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God So there is a two-fold joy 1. Of presumption which is ungrounded and rash irrational and irreligious a joy that a mans sins are pardoned and yet no Word of God hath said it only his own heart saith it and with that joy there is at the same time conjoined sinful sensual joy in some lust or other 2. Of the Holy Ghost a joy which comes frâ—â— the Holy Ghost and depends likewise upon faith in Christ By whom we do receive the atonement this joy doth exceedingly enlarge the heart to God and fills it with special complacencies and delights in God and sweet communions with him c. such a peace in conscience and such a joy in God are the very fruits of his grace and love and mercy SECT IV. Vse 3 THE next Use shall be of Caution that we take heed lest we abuse and pervert this gracious promise of God touching the forgiveness of great sins Caution Abuse not this gracious mercy either by continuing under the guilt of former transgressions or by adding new guilt in the commission of more great iniquities O say some wild Atheists God is such a merciful God that he will forgive any sin yea the greatest sins adulteries and idolatries and drunkenness and blasphemers and therefore we will continue in these sins we will not be curbed and restrained but will take our delights and give over our selves unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Ephes 4. 19. To prevent such presumptions and desperate inferences in all that hear of Gods Six antidotes against presumption great mercifulness to pardon great transgressions give me favour to lay down fix Conclusions or Antidotes First Such presumptuous inferences are expresly contrary to the goodness and Such inferences are contrary to Gods goodness intention of Gods great mercy Psal 130. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared He doth not say There is forgiveness with thee that we may therefore boldly go on in sin but that we may fear to sin any more Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Rom. 6. 1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid q. d. Thou dost utterly mâ—stake and pervert the aime and intention of Gods mercy in sparing of thee and forbearance to punish and destroy thee alas it is not that thou shouldest therefore continue in sin but that thou shouldest repent of sin Beloved there is no Attribute of God which can be an encouragement to sin but every one of them is a strong reason to tuâ—n us from sin he is holy and of purer eyes than to behold sin therefore we should not sin he is just and righteous to recompâ—â—ce the sinner according to his ways therefore we should not sin he is mighty in Power and of great Might able to make good and to execute all the judgement which he hath threatned sinners with therefore we should not sin he in much patience bears with us and forbears to deal with us according to our sins therefore we should not sin and he is merciful and gracious ready to forgive therefore we should not sin not therefore we will continue in our sins not therefore we will multiply and adde sin to sin Secondly As God is merciful in pardoning great sinners so God is just in condemning God is just as well as merciful great sins and as he hath and will glorifie his mercy in forgiving and saving some great sinners so he hath and will glorifie his justice in judging and damning some other great sinners therefore do not presume to go on in great sins because God hath promised to forgive great sins Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Here you see his mercy declared that he will forgive the great sins of some persons but then read on and you shall finde his justice that he will punish the great sins of others And that will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the childrens children unto the third and to the fourth generation You read that some of the Corinthians were justified and pardoned who had been guilty of adultery and Sodomy 1 Cor. 6. 9. And so you read of others that were damned for those sins Jude ver 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over unto fornication and going after strange flesh are see forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Thirdly There was never any great sinner whom God pardoned nor is there Never was any great sinner pardoned but he repented any great sinner whom God doth promise to pardon but he hath repented and he must repent of his great sins 1. Consider the great sinners whom God hath pardoned as they were great sinners so they were great penitents David was guilty of great sins but he repented of them all he repented of his murder and he repented of his adultery and he repented of his pride in numbring the people Manasses was an exceeding great sinner hardly any the like 2 Chron. 33. from ver 1. to ver 11. but he repented of his great sins he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers Ver. 12. And prayed unto him and he was intreated of him Ver. 13. And he reformed all again for he pulled down and put away all his Idolatry Ver. 15. And he did set up the true worship of God again and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel Ver. 16 c. 2. Consider the great sinners whom God doth promise to pardon certainly you shall find that promise to pass upon terms of
repentance not else Isa 1. 16. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Ver. 18. Come now let us reason together saith the Lord Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Acts 3. 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out what their great sins were you may read in Ver 14. They denied the holy One. And Ver. 15. Killed the Prince of life and if they would have these sins blotted out they must repent of them Fourthly God hath threatned unto great sinners on whom his mercy hath God threatens eternal wrath to them that repent not not wrought repentance eternal wrath and a peremptory privation of mercy with inevitable destruction unto them who have presumed to go on in their sins for the first of these see the known place of the Apostle Rom. 2. 4. Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Ver. 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God For the latter of these see that smart place in Deut. 29. 19. And it come to pass when he heareth the wâ—â—ds of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Ver. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under heaven Ver. 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law Fifthly A going on still in great sins if it be any sure testimony at all it is Persisting in great sins if any testimony at all it is rather that God will not pardon rather that God will never forgive you than otherwise why so will you say because 1. There is no promise of mercy to any that goes on in his great transgressions but refuseth to hearken and to return in such a condiâ—ion and course no promise 2. There are dreadful threatnings of God against such who shall go still on in their trespasses Psal 68. 21. And God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his trespasses Isa 65. 20. The sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed Prov. 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy 3. Your going on still in sinning unless the Lord be infinitely and extraordinary merciful towards you will render you utterly uncapable of forgiving mercy for First This course of sinning is that which doth desperately harden your hearts and fear your consciences that no dealing whatsoever can make any impression upon you toward Repentance Secondly The Lord doth usually give up such sinners to their own hearts lusts and to a reprobate mind and soul Sixthly Though possibly some few sinners who have for a long time continued Though a few such obtain mercy yet they are hardly perswaded of Gods mercy in great transgressions may obtain mercy yet they shall find it a very difficult work to be perswaded of Gods mercy to their souls Psal 6. 3. My soul is also sore vexed but O Lord how long My Reasons are these 1. Because the threatnings of God are so many and so express against great sins especially against the continuing in them that it will not be easie to over-ballance these threatnings of God with the promise of God 2. Because the truth of repentance is very apt to be much questioned by great sinners when yet indeed they do repent they do conceive and that rightly that for extraordinary sinnings extraordinary repentance is required but they feel such a hardness such a deadness of heart O they cannot repent And let me tell you if any great sinner be in dispute about the truth of his Repentance he will also be in dispute about the apprehension of mercy 3. Because of all sins whatsoever great sins do incline us under the clear apprehension of them to despair You shall find this experimentally true that the more desperate people have been in sinning they are more apt to despair when conscience ever sets upon them for their sins The guilt of great sins will be heavy and bitter and the woundings for great sins will be sharp and deep always for them there falls in the sense of Gods great wrath and the fear of Gods great judgement and the instances of the great punishments of God inflicted on great transgressions and with all these Satans great and subtile temptations all which are powerfully apt to sink the sinner with despair and then this is clear that the more apt any sinner is to despair the less apt is the sinner to close with pardoning mercy nay it falls off the more from the hope of it 4. Because the Lord is pleased to hold up the manifestation of his love a long time from those that have a long time sinned against the offers and calls of his love and mercy thereby teaching great sinners how unworthy they are to taste of his goodness and warning other great sinners not to presume of any easie enjoyment of mercy And you shall find it a hard work to settle and perswade the conscience of a great sinner about mercy when the Lord doth after many seekings still hold up the manifestations or sensible expressions of his favour and mercy towards him 5. Because it is a very difficult thing to act faith under the sense of great transgressions lesser iniquities do many times check and keep down our confidences much mort do great transgressions c. SECT V. Cases of conâ—ience What a troubled sinner should do that can find no parallel instance of the like sin forgiven Ansâ—ered Troubled sinners look after instances of like sinners pardoned BEfore I pass away from this Point of Gods pardoning great sins I would speak to a few Cases or Scruples of conscience with which some are or may be troubled Quest 1. What that troubled sinner should do who hath been guilty of some great sin for which he cannot finde any one parallel instance of forgiveness in all the Scriptures i. e. that ever God did forgive any that were guilty of that sinne Sol. To this very sadly distressing Case I would deliver these six Answers First It is true that a person convinced of and really troubled with the sense of any great sin doth look after and will not easily be satisfied in conscience without a parallel instance in the Scripture
of some sinners in the like condition of guilt with himself whom yet God did pardon but did ever any sin as I have sinned and did God ever pardon any who have sinned as I have sinned or had their sin all those aggravations though God hath pardoned them as my sin hath can you give me any one clear record or pattern of the same There are two reasons which draw a troubled sinner thus to search and thus to enquire 1. One is because he thinks that what God never did in a way of mercy he will never do 2. Another is because he thinks that the apprehension of great mercy past in a case parallel with his will be a quicker help to his hope and faith that God may likewise forgive his great sins even as he hath forgiven the same to others Nevertheless under favour be it spoken this is not so regular a way Yet this is not so regular nor so sure a ground of hope nor yet so sure a ground for hopes of mercy for 1. If instances and precedent patterns of former mercy were necessarily to be look't at as grounds for hopes in us of the like mercy then the first transgressors they that had been first in the guilt of great transgressions must have despaired of forgiveness for no pattern example or instance of the like was ever found before but mercy was pleased to make them the pattern of mercy for others as Paul speaks of himself in 1 Tim. 1. 16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting The Lord himself would have put us upon that way of searching records and instances before we should look up unto thiâ— promise by faith 2. These instances of mercy will not absolutely quiet the troubled conscience but notwithstanding them the fire will still burn and the torments and fear will abide in strength and that upon a double account First Though God shew mercy to a great transgressor in the like kind yet he hath not shewed mercy to every one in that kind so that still the sinner is troubled But will God shew mercy to me Again that a like great transgressor I find hath had a great change wrought in him O but this I cannot find or discern in my self Ergo. So then troubled sinners do usually look after instances and examples of pardon before they do look up to the promises of mercy but this is not so regular nor so sure a way to raise faith as I shall presently shew unto you But secondly Though you cannot finde a powerful instance yet possibly there Though you cannot finde a parallel instance yet instances in the same kind may be found may be found instances of transgressors in the same kind of sinning whom God hath formerly pardoned though you cannot find them yet they may be found in the Scriptures Suppose your great sin hath been 1. Extortion you may read that forgiven in Zacheus 2. Drunkenness you may read that forgiven in Noah 3. Theft you may read that forgiven to the Penitent Thief on the Cross 4. Whoredome you may read it forgiven to Mary Magdalen and adultery it was forgiven to David 5. Incest you read it forgiven to Lot and to the incestuous Corinthian 6. Sodomy you read it forgiven to some of the Corinthians 7. Murder you read it forgiven to David 8. Idolatry you read it forgiven to Solomon and also to some of the Corinthians 9. Blasphemy why all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven c. Matth 12 31. 10. Apostasie Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful Jer. 3. 12. 11. Scoffin and mocking of the Gospel and the Ministers thereof yet some of these heve been forgiven Act. 2. 13 38. and 17. 32 34. 12. Denying and forswearing of Christ yea and that after knowledge and faith yet pardoned unto Peter possibly the great sin which lies so heavy upon the Conscience may be soon one of these and then you see a parallel instance as you do desire But 3ly admit you read not of a particular personal example yet if you do May not instances of pardon of sins that exceed yours serve the turn read of any instance of forgiving mercy to any sinner whatsoever whose great transgressions do not only equal but farre exceed that or those of which you are guilty may not that serve you Surely it is not impossible that thy great sins may be forgiven if mercy hath past an Act of grace in forgiving some sinners their great transgressions Object O no! no mans sins were ever greater than mine c. Sol. Well but what if I produce one whose sins have been such that thy heart will be amazed at and dread to think of being guilty of such transcendent iniquities my instance shall be in Manasseh of whom you may thus read 2 Chro 33. 2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord like unto the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord hath cast out before the children of Israel Ver. 3. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his Father had broken down and he reared up Altars for Baalim and made Groves and worshipped all the Host of heaven and served them Ver. 3. Also he built Altars in the house of the Lord whereof the Lord said In Jerusalem shall my Name be for ever Ver. 5. And he built Altars for all the Host of heaven in the Courts of the house of the Lord. Ver. 6. And he caused his children to passe through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom Also he observed times and used Inchantments and used Witchcraft and dealt with a Familiar spirit and with Wizards he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger Ver. 7. And he set a carved image the idol which he had made in the house of God Ver. 9. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre and to do worse than the Heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel Ver. 10. And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken Are not these sinnes greater than thy sinnes Such high Idolatries sacrificing of Children to the Divels Yet this greatest of sinners that you read of in the old Testament upon his deep repentance found mercy as Paul who called himself the chiefest of sinners in the New Testament did likewise obtain mercy c. Fourthly Under the sense of incomparably great sinnings the business is not Under the sense of great sinnings the businesse is not to debate but to repent to debate but to repent Not what great sins you or others have committed and whose great sins God hath pardoned but to obtain an heart from God to repent of those sins for though
sins be lesser sins a sinner shall be damned for them if he repent not Though sins have been exceeding great yet they shall be forgiven upon repentance You demand what a great sinner should do who can find no instance of mercy to any under the same guilt with himself I answer plainly 1. He should do what God calls upon him to do and what he hath called upon other great sinners to do and that is to repent Let the wicked forsake his way c. Isa 55. 7. Repent and be converted Act. 3. 19. Put away the evil of your doings Isa 1. 16. 2. He should by faith lay hold on the promises of mercy by Christ to a repenting sinner To dispute who hath found mercy is the least of your business but do you repent and you shall quickly see mercy in a promise to your own souls although you cannot find Instances of mercy unto others Fifthly Though you cannot find particular and answerable instances yet in case Though you cannot find instances yet in case of Repentance you shall find promises of Repentance you may and shall finde sufficient promises which are proper grounds for your faith to work on to answer your conditions All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy aganist c. Matth. 12. 31. Certainly this promise will reach your sin be it never so great unless it be the sin against the Holy Ghost and that sin you are not guilty of because you are repenting of your sin whereas it is impossible to renew those who are guilty of that sin unto repentance Heb. 6. 6. Sixthly And let me tell you one thing more That as when God forbids any kind of sin he doth therein forbid the particular individual branches of that sin So if I do not exceedingly mistake when he doth promise to forgive a sin in any kind that promise of forgiveness will extend to any one particular or distinct sin of that kind be that particular sin never so hainous vâ—g When he promiseth to forgive uncleanness indefinitely upon the repentance of a person this promised forgiveness is appliable to the most vile and horrid wayes of uncleanness of which a person hath been guilty But I have said enough to this Scruple Whether the first work of a sinner be to repent or to believe 2. Quest Whether in case of great transgressions the first work which concerns the sinner be to repent of his sin or firsc to believe that God hath forgiven his sin or rather will do so Answered Sol. Truely I think that whatsoever we may Theoretically argue in such a case yet practically he that is wounded in Conscience for any great sin hath little leasure or ability to keep Rank or File I mean thus artificially to consider the Method or Order of Spiritual actings But one while he thinks on sin and another while on mercy when on his sin then with great fears and when on mercy then with great doubts That he should repent he knows that he may presently believe he questions and to speak plainly he can neither well repent nor yet well believe a third work ordinarily presseth him which is of a troubled and troubling Conscience But yet if you would have me speak my thought to this Nicity rather than Case of Conscience I should say First As to experience trouble and tears and fears and sighes and groanes are usually the immediate workings and issues of great sinings Secondly As to the command Repentance is the first work which God layes out for the great sinner This generally you read prescribed both in the Old and New Testament 2 Chron 7. 14. Isa 1. 16. Isa 55. 7. Ezek. 18. 21. and Luke 24. 47. Act. 2. 38. Act. 3. 19. And truely it will be no easie work to clear out that a man can or may believe that God according to promise will forgive him his sins though very great whiles he yet remaines impenitent Thirdly As to the order of practice I would prescribe both of them to be first The sinner should repent first and the sinner should believe first and that he may do both first he should pray for both first A believing Repentance and a Repenting Faith such a Repentance which is accompanied with Faith and such a Faith as accompanied with Repentance And verily in this case if the Faith be right it is not without Repentance and if the Repentance be right it is not without Faith you cannot rightly repent unless you have Faith to see some mercy neither can you confidently believe unless there be some Repentance I beseech you whiles others are a disputing which of these should appear first do you earnestly and seriously beg of God for grace to act them both What that sinner should do who cannot find a heart to repent or believe 3. Quest But there is another Case which is more real and more to purpose viz. What that sinner should do who upon the commission of some great sin cannot find a heart either to repent or to believe the heart is become hardned and no workings can be raised either of mourning for the sin post or of believing for mercy future Answered Sol. This is unto the sinner a very dreadful case because 1. God seems to deal with him in a plain judicial way and in a forsaking manner denying unto him the presence and power of his Spirit to raise him out of the depth of his sin and misery into which he hath plunged himself 2. God seldom leaves a sinner thus but where the sinner hath presumed to commit some great transgression against some special actings of knowledge and Conscience Nevertheless to the case propounded First Let the sinner in this condition consider whether no penitential and no believing operations at all are to be found in his heart whether he doth not at least Consider whether there be no penitential and believing operations at all to be found with a sad and troubled heart consider into what a condition he hath by his great sinning brought himself whether there be not some judgings and abhorrings of himself and some desires after a Spirit of mourning and believing Secondly this sinner should acknowledge it as a great and righteous judgement of God upon him for his sinning And that the Lord may for ever withdraw from Acknowledge it a righteous judgement of God upon him him and utterly leave him because he hath thus presumptuously sinned against him Never let him open his mouth against God but justifie and clear him as most righteous and condemn himself as most unthankfull and unworthy that ever the Lord should look on him any more That he should thus against light and warnings and reluctancies of conscience and against mercy and love and perhaps experience presumptuously venture to offend and provoke God Thirdly If under all the dâ—stinct Considerations of this sinning and his free confessions unto God and his self-judgings no tenderness yet
blood hath satisfied you and mercy longs to help and pardon the poor sinner it shall come saith Christ for my blood hath purchased it Secondly Jesus Christ must make good his bargain and agreement he did agree with Christ must make good his bargain his Father to be a Surety for all his people and was content to stand in their stead and to have all their iniquities laid upon himself and to answer for them and to suffer for them and to clear and discharge them and to reconcile and save them by his death and therefore even upon that account it was necessary that Christ should dye and shed his blood that the agreement 'twixt him and the Father might be performed Thirdly It was necessary also in this respect To convince us of the hainousness To convince us of the hainousness of sin of sin we ordinarily look on sin as a small matter as if God were not offended and provoked by it and if he be â—et a small matter will serve the turn to satisfie God to pacifie him towards us and get forgiveness but we do extraordinarily delude our selves for without shedding of blood there is no remission it cost Jesus Christ the Son of God his precious blood and if that had not been shed never could any have got the forgiveness of any one sin Fourthly It was necessary likewise as to the acquiescing quieting or satisfying To satisfie conscience of conscience which would never come to any rest or peace unless Jesus Christ had shed his blood for still the conscience cries out Gods justice must be satisfied and who will undertake that great work Lo I come saith Christ I have laid down a price I became sin I was made a curse I wrought redemption I have satisfied the just God and purchased the forgiveness of your sins and now conscience is quieted Who shall condemn it is Christ that dyed How it may be demonstâ—ated Quest 3. How it can be demonstrated that the blood of Christ is the cause of forgiveness of our sins though many and great Answered Sol. Besides the clear Scriptures already mentioned these Arguments may help us to demonstrate it First We are set free by the blood of Christ Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit Secondly We are justified by his blood and saved from wrath Rom. 5. 9. Much more being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him Pray tell me what is it to be justified but to be pardoned and what is it to be saved from wrath but to be delivered from all punishment and both these depend upon the blood of Christ Thirdly So we are said to be made nigh by the blood of Christ Ephes 2. 13. and to be reconciled through the blood of his Cross Colos 1. 20. Secondly Now I come to the second Branch of the Assertion that as Jesus Christs blood the only cause of pardon Christs blood is the cause so it is the only cause for which God forgives the sins of his people Yet let me distinguish causes of forgiveness are of two sorts First Internally moving God and that is his own free grace only Secondly Externally meriting and that is the death or blood of Christ only Isa 63. 3. I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other Name for there is none other Name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses 1 Cor. 3. 11. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ The truth of this will easily appear if you consider Demonstrated First The works of God the Father who laid on Christ and none but Christ the iniquities of us all Isa 5. 3. 6. and sealed him John 6. 27. and set him apart authoritatively commissioned him and set him forth to be a propitiation Rom. 3. 25. Secondly The office of Christ amongst the rest to be our High Priest and in this respect two things are proper unto him 1. The oblation of himself for sin 2. His intercession for transgressions Thirdly The nature of merit which 1. Must be opus indebitum for he who doth do no more than he ought to do or suffers but what he deserves to suffer merits nothing by his doing or by his suffering 2. Must be opus perfectum against which no exception can be taken nothing is meritorious which is short and faulty 3. Must be opus infinitum a work of infinite value and worth which cannot only stand before justice but plead also with it and challenge it for the dignity of what is done or suffered Now these qualifications not to mention any more set the Crown on the head of Christ alone and strike it off from us and all our works yea the best for they are 1. But debts our best obedience is but so and our best repentance is but so 2. But imperfect when we have done all we are but unprofitable servants and so much iniquity accompanies our holy offerings that we need Jesus Christ to be our Aaron to bear them and have need to pray as he that mourned for his sins Domine Lava lachrymas me as 3. Were they perfect yet they are but of a finite worth and rise not to the far more exceeding mâ—rit in sin nor yet to the surpassing worth of Divine mercy If Jacob were not worthy of the least of mercies much less are we of the greatest of mercies Fourthly The purpose of grace which is universally to be exalted in the forgivenâ—sâ— of sins with which though Christs merits can well consist Rom. 3. 23. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ yet our merits are contradictorily repugnant Rom. 11. 6. If by grace then it is no more of works and if it be of works then it is no more grace SECT II. Vse 1 BUT let us now make some useful Application of all this unto our selves Is the blood of Christ the cause and the only cause for which the people of God come to have their sins forgiven from thence let us learn two things Hence learn To judge of the hainousness of sin First To judge in another manner of our sins than in former times we have done how hainous they are and how high the â—uilt of them is There are five glasses in which we may behold the hideous guilt of our sins of which yet many persons do but yet make a work of pastime 1. One is the dreadful threatnings of the Law of God which reveals and discharges the wrath of God and all sorts of curses corporal and spiritual and eternal
gave himself for me said Paul Gal. 2. 20. 2. Another is evidence of the propriety a knowledge that Christ is mine and that he washed my soul from my sins in his own blood without these what joy and comfort can there be Rom. 15. 13. The God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost A good prayer for believers for joy for peace for hope yea and God hath promised every one of these unto them and therefore he applies unto them the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and assures them of the same Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Atonement Thirdly God will be praised and blessed by his people for Christ and for all the God will be praised for Chrâ—st blessings accruing unto them by Christ and his servants do bless him for them Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Psal 103. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul ver 3. which forgiveth thy iniquities But unless the Lord did impute the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and did give them some assurance thereof how could they praise and bless him 3. Quest. I now come to the last Question viz. Why the Lord himself doth Why the Lord himself doth undertake it undertake to impute the blood of Christ unto his people for the forgiveness of their sins and to assure them thereof I will sprinkle Sol. There may be these Reasons given for it First The difficulty nay the impossibility of this work unless the Lord himself undertake it There are three things which you can never attain unless the Lord The difficulty of the work himself doth undertake for them 1. To forsake your sinnes Jer. 31. 18. Turn thou me and I shall be turned 2. To believe in Christ Ephes 1. 19. 3. To gain assurance that Christ is yours and that God hath for Christs sake forgiven you your sins As Christ spake to Peter when he confessed his Diety Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven So say I about the particular application and assurance of your forgiveness of sins it must be God himself by his spirit which must raise us to that and make us to know that Take me a person rightly sensible of his sins although he be converted although he hath faith although he studies the promises although he hath all the grounds made clear unto him upon which he may conclude that God hath forgiven him although others can evidently discern his particular interest and propriety yet unless the Lord himself let in a special light by his Spirit to make him to see the special love of God towards him in this he cannot see it so as to be assured thereof Therefore you find in experience that this assurance is one of the longest and last and most questioned works in the soul The glory that comes to God by it Secondly The glory which God doth reserve unto himself of all the effects of his Covenant he will be known to be the Cause and Author of them all he will be acknowledged to be the God of grace and the Father of mercies and the God of love and the God of comfort and the God of joy and the God of peace I the Lord create peace the fruit of the lips peace Isa 57. 19. As none in the world can give trouble but God so none can give peace but God Job 34. 29. None can cast down the heart but he and none can raise the heart but he none can make sin known to the Conscience but he and none can make mercy known to the conscience but he All the Covenant-gifts come from him and all the knowledge and assurance that we have of those very Covenant-gifts come from him all the promises are of him and all the evidences of our propriety in them are from him in his light we see light our graces our abilities our comforts our assurances are from him Thirdly That the effect might he certain unto his people O what great things doth God promise unto his and for which he alone undertakes And if he That the effect might be certain did not so his people could never enjoy them Neither grace nor comfort c. If the Lord himself did not work the grace in our hearts which he promiseth whose soul should ever partake of it And if the Lord did not bring in that comfortable assurance of his forgiving mercy who should ever taste the sweetness of it Object Why will you say what doth hinder it what doth stand in the way but that we way enjoy it though God appears not to our help for it Sol. I will tell you what doth hinder and what will hinder unless the Lord himself remove them 1. Your own unbelief of heart doth and will hinder with such continual fears and doubts and exceptions and reasonings that unless the Lord himself doth silence that unbelief it will never be assured nor will your hearts be quieted with assurance 2. Satan will and doth hinder it by his many and subtile and strong suggestions and puzlings of your weak faith that none but the Spirit of God can answer them and settle your hearts with perswasion and assurance But now because God himself undertakes to sprinkle clean water upon them they shall be sprinkled if he will make Christ thine and forgive thy sinnes for Christs sake and make this known to them they shall certainly enjoy all for who is too strong for God who can resist his will he is too hard for our unbelieving hearts and Satan If he saith to the heart be of good comfort be at peace and it shall be so 1. Vse Doth God himself promise and undertake to sprinkle clean water upon his people so to apply unto them the blood of Christ as that every one of them shall have forgiveness and assurance of forgiveness by it Then in the first place let this serve to stir up the hearts of all the people of God Not to be sluggish or rest contented without this but to give all diligence Rest not contented without this untill they do attain the knowledge and certain evidence or assurance that their sins are forgiven to them in particular for Christs sake You have attained to much already but strive also for this The Reason why I would press this duty upon you are these 1. Many of the people of God are not yet come unto this sprinkling of assurance Reasons of it 2. Many of them are too remisse and negligent about the attaining of it 3. By reason of the want of it they are in a very uncomfotable condition 4. There is a possibility to compasse this assurance 5. The
ways of worldly advancements and advantages But the rule which a renewed heart sets up to guide and prescribe him is none other but that which God himself sets up for his people to walk by and that is his written Word Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy Word This rule he sets up for all matters of faith and for all matters of fact this I must believe because God reveals it and commands me to believe it this I receive for truth because God delivers it for truth and that I reject as erroneous because the Word of God condemns it as contrary to the truth And this work I do and that way I walk in because God sets it out in his Word for me and that I do not do and so and so I dare not walk for I have no Word of God for it nay the Word of God is against it why mans heart is right indeed it is renewed by grace but if a man will walk contrary to this rule if he will not speak and live according to this Word it is because there is no light in him Isa 8. 20. SECT V. Vse 4. DOth God promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him a new heart and a new spirit then there is comfort and joy to Comfort to those that have a new heart all those who finde the new heart given unto them it is true that when the Lord doth renew the heart of any by his grace and separate them from the world unto himself that 1. They shall meet with many troubles and scoffs and reproaches and persecutions from the world All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions 2 Tim. 3. 2. They shall meet with many temptations and oppositions from Satan if he cannot hinder grace and conquer grace yet he will molest and disquiet grace 3. They shall meet with many conflicts and warrings within their own hearts and with many weaknesses and failings and tryals nevertheless their condition is a very happy and comfortable condition and there are eight Eight comforts proper to them choice comforts which are proper to every renewed person and which may cheer up his heart all his days v. g. 1. Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of the greatest matters which can concern the soul 2. This newness of heart is an unquestionable effect of our union with Christ 3. It is the noblest and highest elevation of the soul here on earth and the clear evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ 4. It enables you for all heavenly communion and serviceableness to Divine glory 5. God will own and accept of it and the fruits of it though but little and weak 6. He will strengthen and uphold and perfect it unto the day of Christ 7. He will poure upon every person who enjoys it all necessary blessings for this life and will take special notice of him and care for him in the days of adversity 8. Renewing grace shall without all doubt bring us at the last to eternal happiness First Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of It is a clear testimony of the greatest matters which can concern the soul the greatest matters which can concern the soul There are six things which do concern the soul as nearly I think as any can and of every one of them is renewing grace a sure testimony 1. The love of God 2. The election of God 3. A relation to God 4. A change from death to life 5. The pardon of sin 6. The hope of glory 1. Of the love of God that the Lord doth indeed set his special love A testimony of the love of God his very heart upon a person 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God Psal 146. 8. The Lord loveth the righteous for any to be made the sons of God this is an effect or fruit of the love of God now all the sons of God are new born they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quicked us together with Christ As it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods hatred and wrath for any to be left to his old sinful heart and lusts and ways so it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods love when he pities them in their sinful condition and delivers them out of it and gives his Spirit to enliven and renew them by grace 2. Of the Election of God for this see two places 1 Thes 1. 4. Knowing Of election Brethren Beloved your Election of God Ver. 5. For our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy Holiness or renewing grace it is as one speaketh the counterpane of Gods decree of Election God by his own eternal prescience knows whom he intends for salvation and we by that work of renewing grace in our hearts come to know that eternal purpose of his grace concerning us it being given unto us an effect flowing from his Election and in order unto that happiness unto which he hath chosen us 3. Of our Relation to God as our God and our Father as none but his Of our relation to God people and children are holy so all his people and his children are holy Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness they are 1 Pet. 2. 9. an holy Nation and a peculiar people 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Ver. 18. And I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty 4. Of our translation from life to death See Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Of our translation from death to life Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Luk. 15. 32. This my son was dead and is alive again Rom 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God Renewing grace is one of the strictest differences between men of death and men of life not any man hath it but he who is made alive by Christ and is in the state of life no profane person hath it nor doth any hypocrite partake of it 5. Of the pardon of our sins if any
that seek thee I believe all this Lord help my unbelief c. 3. Perseverance hold on this request and against all the rebellious workings of your old heart and against all the fears and disputes and discouragements of your old hearts yet lift up one Prayer more and one Prayer more you shall certainly prevail if you can persevere in Prayer There are three Requests which a poor broken-heart is sure to speed in if he will pray alwayes and not faint One is for a Christ and another is for pardoning mercy and a third is for a new heart Thirdly Diligently and patienly attend the Word by which God converts Attend the Word and changeth and renews the heart Psal 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting souls Jam. 1. 18. Of his own Will begat he us with the Word of Truth Ephes 5. 26. That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word How many old sinful hearts hath God convinced and converted by his Word that have come unto it with ignorance and been sent from it with knowledge that have come to it with hardness and have been sent from it with tenderness that have come to it with pride and have been sent from it with humility that have come to it with all manner of profaneness and have been sent from it with all manner of holiness with the Love of God and fear of God and hatred of sin and real purpose to walk with God in newness of obedience O therefore attend the Word of the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation and therefore the power of God to Renovation c. Fourthly Lastly beseech the Lord to give you the uniting faith that faith which will unite your hearts to Jesus Christ which will effectually bring you into Begge uniting Faith relation with him as Members of the Body of which he is the head as Branches of himself the true Vine Object Why what will this do may some of you say Sol. I will tell you what it will do it will infallibly bring in renewing grace to your hearts You can never be changed and renewed Creatures unless you be in Christ 2 Cor 5. 17. For our spiritual life is in and from him he is the Authour of life unto us as Adam was the authour of death unto us And he was anointed with the Spirit that we from him might be Anointed with the Spirit And if once you be united by Faith unto him you partake of his Spirit to sanctifie and renew and conform you unto himself He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. EZEK 36. 26. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh THese words are yet a further Declaration of the gracious will and intention of God towards the people of his Covenant Two things already hath God promised unto them one was to justifie them to pardon all their sins another was to sanctifie them to renew all their hearts And there are two more choice mercies and blessings which he doth graciously undertake to bestow upon them First One is to take away the stony heart out of their flesh Secondly The other is to give them an heart of flesh O what a mercy is it to be rid of the stone in the body which puts us to such exquisite pain and torment your mercy is infinitely greater to be delivered from the stone in the heart which is the depth of sin and the height of judgement There are three Propositions which these words do hold forth unto us viz. First There is a stony heart or an heart of stone in every man Secondly That God will take away the stony heart from his people Thirdly He will not only take away from them the heart of stone but he will also give them an heart of flesh CHAP. IX A heart of stone in every man Doctr. 1. THat there is a stony heart in every man I will take away the There is a stony heart in every man stony heart out of your flesh there it was else it could not be taken away the natural heart is a stony heart not Physically so as if it were so indeed but Metaphoriaclly so it is like the stone it is a hard heart spiritually hard that is meant by the stony heart Zach. 7. 12. They have made their hearts as an Adamant stone Isa 48. 4. Thy neck is an iron sinew and thy brow brass q. d. Thy heart is exceeding hard like Iron which will not bow and like brass which will not change both which are explained in the first words of the verse Thou art obstinate For the opening of this Point I will shew unto you 1. Why the hard heart which is in every man is called a stony heart 2. What stonyness or hardness of heart is to be found in man 3. Several Demonstrations or Convictions that the heart of every man naturally is a hard or stony heart SECT I. Quest 1. VVHY is the hard heart called a stony heart Why called a stony heart It is so called for the resemblance which it hath with a stone and in five particulars 1. Unsensibleness 2. Unflexibleness 3. Resistingness 4. Heaviness 5. Unfruitfulness First Because it is an unsensible heart What sense is there in a Rock in a An unsensible heart Stone in the Adamant in Ephes 4. 18 19. hardened sinners are said to be past feeling and that expression past feeling seems to be taken from the hands of labouring men which are so thickned and hardned by pains that they can grasp nettles and thorns and yet not feel the sharpness nor sting the natural heart is in this respect a stony heart i. e. unsensible Though he hath as many sins upon the soul which makes the very Creation to groan and to travail in pain Rom. 8. 22. yet he neither complains nor feels he goes on fâ—om day to day and adds drunkenness to thirst and drinks up iniquity as water yet he saith What evil have I done and there is no iniquity in my doings though the judgements of God be very near him and the tokens do abundantly appear yet like Ephraim when gray hairs were here and there upon him he perceived them not Hosea 7. 9. Yea though the anger of the Lord be poured upon him and sets him on fire round about yet he knows it not nay though it burn him yet he lays it not to heart Isa 42. 25. Such a gross stupidity is there in the natural and stony heart What one spake of himself in an humble way Erubescenda video nec erubesco dolenda intueor nec doleo peccata inspicio Bern. in Med. cap. 12. p. 1200. nec geno This and much more may be said of him that hath the hard and stony heart he blushes not he grieves not he sighs not for his sins nay he rejoyceth and boasteth and makes
both convince Preparatively and break the heart of a sinner The Spirit by the Law doth let in the sense of sin and wrath which is irresistible upon the Conscience which is of that authority and force that it rents the heart and fills it with fear and trembling and astonishment This is that which the Schoolmen call Attrition And our Divines usually stile Legal preparation and the Scripture the spirit and bondage whereby all the powers and presumptions and confidences of the soule are shaken and the heart is made so sensible of its transgressions that it quakes and trembles and hath no rest nor peace but is filled with bitterness and terror and cries out with woful complaints I have undone my self I have sinned I have sinned and what will become of me I feel the wrath of God and what shall I do to be delivered I cannot live thus and I dare not dye thus if the Lord shew me not mercy I perish for ever Secondly The Lord takes away the hardness of the heart Effectually and this Effectually he doth when he diâ—solves and melts the stonyness of the heart It is one thing to break a stone into pieces and it is another thing to melt a stone as it were into water Simile The Lord doth by the Law break the stony and stout heart of a sinner but he melts and dissolves the heart by the Gospel and on this wise he doth dissolve and melt it 1. By revealing of mercy and hope of mercy to the broken and distressed sinner thus and thus hast thou â—â—nned against me and now thou seest and findest it to be an evil and bitter thing to slight my Word and resist my Spirit and to harden thy heart thou art now fallen into the hands of the living God and I can make all my wrath to fall on thee and to destroy thee at once for all thy rebellions But I am the Lord merciful and gracious I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn and live Lo I have given mine own Son Jesus Christ to dye for sinners and I have said that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3 16. Therefore go thou broken-hearted sinner go thou unto him and be saved accept of him and thou shalt find mercy to pardon all that is past he is able to save thee to the uttermost and he is a merciful High Priest O how this works on that sinner but is it possible that there should be such a surpassing goodness in God what and to such a proud and stout-hearted sinner as I have been what mercy to one who hath so often slighted mercy and Christ for one who hath so often refused Christ this begins to melt the hard heart of the sinner 2. By the offer of mercy and particular invitation of the broken-hearted sinner to lay hold on it The Lord Jesus comes as it were to the very house of this sinner and knocks at the door and saith Here dwells a broken-hearted sinner and my Father hath sent me to him that I may save his poor soul Come come unto me be not afraid I my self do call thee to come unto me And I do assure thee in the word of a Saviour that I will not reject thee but I will pity and help and refresh thee I will answer for thy sins and I will make thy peace though thou hast been very wicked I will not stand upon that and though thou art utterly unworthy yet I will not stand on that neither only receive me and I will be thine and mercy and salvation shall be thine freely and aâ—suredly 3. By the collation of Faith which makes the sinner willingly and really to close with Christ The Lord by his Spirit doth enable the broken-hearted sinner to receive Jesus Christ and to take livery and seizin of a reconciled merciful loving blessing God in and by him And now the apprehension and possession of all this rich mercy and great love and exceeding goodness of God in Christ melts and dissolves the stonyness of the heart this works in him a tenderness a mournfulness a pliableness and all that is contrary to hardness of heart Thirdly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people successively Successively or by degrees indeed the dominion of it is taken away in an instant as soon as ever the sinner is brought into Christ as soon as he is called and converted the raigning power of hardness is taken away the man shall never have such a stubborn opposing resisting base heart any longer But yet the grudging of the stone the remaining gravel the reliques of hardness are taken away by degrees the remaining hardnesse the Lord takes away First one while by Afflictions Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Word Secondly Another while by mercies and kindnesses Ezek. 16. 60. I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant Ver. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed So Hose 3. 5. Afterwards shall the Children return and seek the Lord and shall fear the Lord and his goodness Thirdly Sometimes by his Word and Ordinances which are like Refining fire to melt and purge away our dross How frequently do the people of God find the Word of God to be the power of God to melt away their carelesness and their indisposition of heart and deadness of heart and backwardness and unruliness of heart Fourthly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people perfectly and compleatly Root and Branch so that no part of it and no degree of it shall Perfectly ever be found in their hearts any more This shall be done in the very moment of death when we come to the dissolution of soul and body we shall then come to the perfect dissolution of all hardness and of all remaining sinfulness of heart Quest 2. Now to the second question why the Lord will take away the stony Why God takes away the stony heart and that by promise The Lord will do it that They may be his people heart from his people and why he himself doth undertake it by promise Sol. The Lord will take away the heart of stone from his people That First They may be his people and receive him for their God and Lord Beloved as long as hardness of heart prevails on any people it is impossible that they should become the people of the Lord they will not hearken to his voice nor obey his voice nor receive his Laws nor fall in with his offers and entreaties but will reject his Word and despise his counsel and will follow the lusts of their own hearts and therefore of necessity the Lord must take away the hardness of heart if he will have any people to be his people he must break down the pride and stoutness and resistance
them When did you ever see any ungodly hardened sinner judging himself for his hard heart and begging of the Lord to heal it or willingly applying himself to a 〈◊〉 heart-breaking Ministery c. SECT II. Vse 1. DOth the Lord promise that he will take away the stony heart from his people and doth he really do so in his time Hence it will follow First Then they are none of the people of God whose stony heart doth They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed still abide in them and compleatly raign in them and then in what a wofull condition are many people â— fear amongst our selves e. g. All those who are unsensible of their sinful estate all those who incorrigibly go on in their sinful wayes all those who were never wrought on by the Word of Christ all those who oppose and reject and slight the Word in the threatnings and precepts thereof all those who do continue impenitent and unbelieving notwithstanding all the offers and invitations of grace c. Secondly Then no marvel that the people of God are of another spirit and The people of God are of another spirit than other men of another temper than the common sort of people are that they dare not run into the same excesse of riot with others nor live so as other men do live that they are so much altered as to themselves Heretofore they were frequent in swearing and now they fear an oath heretofore they made nothing of great transgressions and now a small sin even a little neglect carelesness remisness doth exceedingly disquiet and deject their hearts heretofore they could neglect the Word as well as others and scoff at it and refuse to be ordered by it but now they stand in awe of the Word they are presently bound up by it and wholly moulded and fashioned and ruled by it The reason of all this is because God doth take away the hardnesse of our hearts c. Thirdly Then it is no sign of an evil estate to be troubled for our own sins or for the sins of others David did water his couch for his own sins Psal 6. 6. It is no sign of an evil state to be troubled for our sins And rivers of tears did fall from his eyes for the sins of other men Psal 119. 136. When your former sins are your grief and your present sins are your burden and future sins are your fear and other mens sins are your sorrow this is a clear evidence that the stony heart is taken away and therefore you stand in relation to God as his people To sin and not to be troubled for sin is a sign of an hard heart and of an evil condition but to fear sin and to be grieved for sinning this is a signe of a changed and broken heart They are not to be blamed who oppose Heresies and blaspâ—emies Fourthly Then it is very unjust to accuse and discountenance any of the people of God as ill affected for this reason only Because they do oppose the Heresâ—es and blasphemies of these times and because they doe so earnestly contend for the Gospel and Ordinances of Christ by Prayers and tears and speaking and writing c. Why are you angry with them that God hath taken away from them the heart of stone must we be sensible of Gods dishonour or must we not And if if Christ wept at the hardness of heart in Jerusalem because she would not receive the Gospel is there not much more reason to weep and pray because of the hardness nay of the desperateness of any man who endeavours to pull down and extirpate the Gospel I say the Gospel in which all the love and goodness of God is revealed and in which all the glory of Christ is interested and in which all the salvation of poor sinners souls is so necessarily concerned Vse 2. Will the Lord take away the heart of stone from his people what Blesse God for this cause then have those people to bless the Lord who do find this cure wrought in their hearts O it is an unspeakable mercy and favour whether you respect the evil from which you are delivered or else the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart First If that you do consider the evill from which you are delivered by being In respect of the evil from which you are delivered delivered from an hard hâ—art One saith it is the greatest sin in the world another saith it is the greatest judgement in the world Certainly it is one of the strongest holds of sin and it was the hardness of heart which kept up all the power of your sins and all the sinful practâ—ses it was the foundation of your long impenitency you had long ere this repented had not your hearts been hardned If the Lord had not in wonderful mercy by his exceeding power of grace taken away the hardness of your hearts your souls would never have been brought in to Christ but you would have gon on in your sins and dyed in your sins and been damned for your sins And yet again that after the long reâ—stance of Gods grace offers of mercy callings of the Gospel strivings and resistings of his Spirit the Lord shall pass by all this and mercifully cure thy foolish proud stout self-destroying soul O what mercy was this and what grace was this And the good which falls in with it Secondly If you do likewise consider the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart certainly you have great cause to blesse God c. e. g. 1. An immediate receptivity or capacity to have the Law or will of God written and engraven on your hearts Simile as when the wax is softned it is thereby made capable of any impression 2. A spring of repentance is set up in the heart to bewail all our sins and transgressions and fear to transgress any more 3. An obediential principle appears in making of us ready and willing to comply with the precepts of God liberty and ability c. 4. The great work of Faith to receive the Lord Jesus into our hearts 5. Affectionate communions with God and a special delight in his presence and Ordinances and Services 6. A liberty and confidences in our accesses unto the throne of grace 7. In one word a newnesse of heart and a newness of relation unto God as our God and Father All these flow in upon the soul when God takes away the hardness of the heart and in time all the good of the Covenant and therefore unquestionably you have great obligations lying on your hearts to blesse God if he doth take away the hardness of your hearts Object I will some say no question it is a great blessing to be delivered from an hard heart but we feare it is not so with us for we finde sometimes such 1. A strange indisposition to what is good 2.
Covenant with me by Sacrifice 2. The other is that they keep Covenant Psal 103. 18. To such as keep They keep Covenant with God his Covenant and this he expounds in the following words to those that remember his Commandements to do them When we enter into Covenant with God what is it that we do I suppose if we do understand our selves that we do then take him to be our God 1. In his Gracious Mercy 2ly In his Righteous Society that he and he alone shall be our Lord our King to Rule and guide and prescribe us laws and we will be his people to hearken unto him to be at his command to obey his voice and will Is any man so wild to make such a Covenant with God or to think that God will make such a Covenant as this with him I will have mercy and blessing from God but I will not obey him he shall be none of my Lord nor King or that God will yield to these termes I will be yours for all blessings but live as you list do what you please walk how you will serve your lusts regard not my Law Did God ever make such a Covenant as this Saith God to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. I am tby shield and thy exceeding great reward And Chap. 17. 1. I am the Almighty God I am able to do thee good and will do so but then he addes walk before mee and be thou perfect q. d. I will be a God to you for blessing and also a God over you for Ruling I expect that you should walk uprightly before me i. e. observe my wayes my Commandements and act them with sincerity of heart not willingly disobey and prevaricate So Exod. 19. 5. If ye will obey my voice in doing and keeping my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people And Verse 6. Ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests and an holy Nation But a little more to demonstrate this truth unto you be pleased to consider these five particulars First Those several Relations which fall upon all people who come to be in The relations betwixt God and his people in Covenant require obedience Covenant with God and they are all such as lay obligations upon them to obedience to walking in his Statutes They are the children of God and have God to be their Father Now saith God to them that pretend to stand in this Relation but walk disobediently A son honoureth his Father Mal. 1. 6. And if I be a father where is mine honour They are the servants of God and God is their Lord and Master Now saith he in the same place a servant honoureth his Master And if I be a Master where is my fear should not a Lord and Master be feared and what is it to fear God but to have an awful respect to his Commandements and a tender care to do his will They are his subjects and he is their King he is the Lord that Reigneth over them gives Laws unto them and are not his Subjects a willing people in the day of his power Do not his Saints humble themselves sit down at his feet and receive of his words doth not the fiery Law proceed from his right hand for them whom he calls his Saints Deut. 33. 2 3. Secondly The Covenant mercies and blessings as their scope is to express the Rich bounty of God to his people so likewise the end of them is to quicken constrain And so do the Covenant mercies and indear them unto duty and obedience Psal 86 12. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart I will glorifie thy Name for evermore Ver. 13. for great is thy mercy towards me Psal 130. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared Deut. 10. 12. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in his wayes and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Luke 1. 74. That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear Ver. 75. In holiness and righteousness Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrificâ— holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service Nothing more usual in the Scripture than to press the people in Covenant to obedience by and from the mercies of the Covenant The full and clear Revelation of the New Covenant takes in with it an express institution of obedience Tit. 2. 11. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men Ver. 12. Teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world The full and clearest Revelation of the new Covenant was when Jesus Christ himâ—elf appeared in the world and taught and dyed and rose again and ascended into heaven and even thence is obedience chiefly urged the Gospel all along pressing duties upon the people of God to love the Lord their God and to love their neighbour and to walk as children of the light Ephes 5. And to be obedient children 1 Pet. 1. 14. And to be holy in all manner of conversation Ver. 15. And to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called with all lowliness and meekness Ephes 4. 1 2. And to put off concerning the former conversation which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Ver. 22. And to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ver. 24. And to walk circumspectly Ephes 5. 15. or exactly unto the highest pitch of holiness and obedience Fourthly The Mediatour of the Covenant concerning whom you And the Mediatour of the Covenant finde 1. That he professeth that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it 2. That he explicated the Law in the true and spiritual sense of it vindicating it from the false glosses of the Pharisees and pressing it in many branches upon us as you may see in Matth. 5. from ver 21. to the end 3. Himself to be under the Law and making special use of it in several parts aginst the temptations of Satan It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Matth. 4. 7. And it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve ver 10. 4. That he makes obedience the discovery of our real love unto him Joh. 14. 15. If you love me keep my Commandements Ver. 21. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me Ver. 24. If a man love me he will keep my words 5. That it was one end of the giving of himself to deth for us Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good
they should not have done well to have observed it Thirdly If the Moral Precepts were ceased as to the people of God then God would have expressed in the delivery of them a purpose after some time to have revoked them and to have exempted his people from further obedience unto them or else Jesus Christ would himself have abrogated them as now unuseful but neither of these do we find Object Yes Christ saith in Luke 16. 16. The Law and the Prophets were untill John Sol. The Law here spoken of is not to be understood de Lege Morali of the direct and commanding Law of the Moral Law prescribing obedience sed de lege Prophetante per figur as as Rivet well observes Fourthly What shall we say to that of Paul Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inner man And Ver. 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God And Chap. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit What shall we say to that of David Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled who walk in the Law of the Lord Object But the Apostle saith we are not under the Law in Rom. 6 14. c. Sol. First One may be said to be under the Law in several respects How we are said to be under the law 1. For justification by the Law 2. For condemnation by the Law 3. For perfect and personal obedience to the Law 4. For a slavish and servile constraint In these respects the people of God are not under the Law nevertheless for direction and instruction to frame their lives unto the precepts of the Law thus they are under the Law But secondly the place to me expounds it self best of all The Apostle there saith We are not under the Law but under grace and this he gives as a reason why sin should not have dominion over them We are not under the Law i. e. in such a state where there is only a command given against but no power but we are under grace which is such a condition or estate where besides a command against sin we have also a power given with that command which pulls down the dominion of sin And verily all that can be concluded here is the comfortabâ—e estate of believers and regenerate persons not in this that they are utterly freed from the commanding Law of God but in that they are now under such a gracious Covenant vvhere there is not only a Law to command but grace also given to obey 2. Quest The next Question is what manner of obediential observation of God commands that is which concerns the people of God in Covenant Sol. It is an Evangelical manner of obedience or observation which hath four What obedience is required of Gods people It comes from Gospel-Principles ingredients in it First It must come from Gospel Principles even from the life and strength of Christ no man can walk without a Principle of life within him It is a living work which poceeds from a living Principle All the obediential workâ— of the people of God are performed in the vertue of their union and communion with Christ without me you can do nothing Christ doth not only give the Law unto the people of God but also he gives the Spirit unto them Heb. 8. 10. I will write my Law in their minds He doth by his Spirit write them in their hearts and makes them complying and willing to obey Secondly It must come from Gospel motives even from the mercy and love of God the people of God do obey him rather as a Father then as a Judge looking From Gospel-motives more at his goodness than at his severity They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Hosea 3. 5. And Psal 130. 5. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constrains them And Ver. 15. He died for all that they who live should not hence forth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them The great love which God hath shewed unto his people in Christ inflames and swells their heart and moves cares and endeavours to walk before him in all well pleasing Thirdly It must come from Gospel-affections especially from love and delight From Gospel-affections O how love I thy Law Psal 119. If a man love me he will keep my cemmandâ—ments Joh. 14. 23. The love of God which the people of God enjoy carries out their soules in all holy obedience unto the will of God and so likewise they serve him with delight I delight to do thy will O God Psal 40. 8. And thy Law is within my heart Psal 101. 1. Serve the Lord with gladness The Commandements of God are not grievous unto his people they say not What a weariness it is to serve the Lord no but as David I rejoyce in thy testimonies and I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes c. There is a servile serving of God which ariseth from a slavish Spirit unwilling backward constrained by threats and blows and there is an ingenuous free chearful delightful serving of God As the people of God are volunteers Psal 110. 3. of a princely spirit as the word signifies their duties though as to the rule are under a command yet as to their hearts and manner of performance they are a free-will-offering they find so much sweetness and happiness in communion with God and with a holy fervency of spirit they are not indifferent cold slothful but fervent in Spirit boyling hot serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. their hearts are conjoyned and united in the duties of obedience intent and intensive Fourthly It looks at a Gospel-end at the glory of God and Christ Phil. It looks at a Gospel-end 1. 20. Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or death Ver. 21. For to me to live is Christ Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth unto himself for ver 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord. Natural men do act from themselves and for themselves but the people of God do act from Christ and for Christ 3. Quest Why the people of Gods Covenant are in a more special manner charged to walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Sol. I will not insist on this but briefly thus the people of God should walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Why Gods people should walk in his statutes First In respect of God and here are three Reasons 1. His Will Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy preceps diligently 1 Thes 4. 3. It is the will of God even your sanctification 2. His Glory They are called to shew forth
thou him or what receiveth he of thine hand v. 8. Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousness may profit the son of man Psal 16. 2. My goodness extendeth not to thee q. d. Thou art not benefited by any good works of ours c. I cannot add any thing thereby unto thee we receive all from thee but can give nothing unto thee by which thou mayest be bettered for thou art an infinite being and therefore we can add nothing to thee Secondly You must not do any good work thinking thereby to satisfie God for your evil works Many people when they have committed sin and injured Nor to satisfie God for our sins and dishonoured God then they fall a praying and a reading and a hearing and put on to works of piety and charity and their intention or end in doing of these duties is to make God amends and to make up the wrong which they have done him supposing that the good which now they do will ballance the evil which they have done and satisfie God Now though this be true that our sinnings do injure God and therefore its reason that after our sinnings we should be much humbled and be more circumspect in our walking and more diligent and upright Yet to act all these as satisfactions to God for the sinful injurious workes which we have done against him This is 1. Foolish 2ly Sinful First It is foolish forasmuch as nothing that we can do can amount unto It s foolish a satisfaction for the evil that we can do Because 1. All the good which we now do we ought still to have done and that which Reasons of it was still a duty can never be a satisfaction 2. There is more evil in the evil that we have done than there is good in the good which we do our sinful evil is perfectly evil and our best good is but imperfect good The evil that we do against God deserves hell and the good which we do deserves nothing the evil which is done needs infinite mercies to pardon it and the good which we do is so mixt with our sinfulness that that also needs mercy to pardon and accept it and that which needs mercy cannot be a satisfaction Secondly It is sinful For this is to take upon us the work of a Mediatour to whom alone that work of satisfaction doth pertain and he must be both God and It s sinful man or else he could not have satisfied for our sins Now to presume that our own imperfect obedience is able to satisfie God for our sins and to clear all our accounts and reckonings between him and us what is this but to lay aside the perfect satisfactions of Christ the only Mediatour and to set up our own weak righteousness as sufficient to compensate the Justice of God Thirdly You must not offer up any performances of yours as causes of mercy and Nor as causes of mercies and blessings blessings you must pray and you must mourn and you must repent and you must obey the voice of the Lord your God and you must walk in his statutes and do them and if you do so with upright hearts God will meet you with mercy and blessings Nevertheless you may not look on any performance of yours as causes meriting and purchasing any blessing unto you remember that excellent passage in Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Commandements and his testimonies Yet Ver. 11. For thy Name sake pardon mine iniquity for it is great Here is mercy and truth for them that keep his Commandements and then here is not our obedience but his Name the cause of our mercy not for my obedience sake but for thy Name sake pardon mine iniquity c. So when Daniel fasted and prayed in an extraordinary way for mercy and for deliverance out of the Babylonian captivity he impleads not those works as causes of them nay as so he rejects them Dan. 9. 17. Now therefore O our God heâ—r the prayer of thy servant and his supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake Ver. 18. O my God encline thine ear and hear open thine eyes and behold our desolations and the City that is called by thy Name for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness but for thy great mercies There are four things to be observed about mercies and blessings What is to be observed about mercies and blessings 1. The Efficient Cause and that is only Gods own love and grace and mercy his own glorious love is the only efficient cause of all our blessings whether spiritual or temporal 2. The Final Cause and that is only Gods own glory all is from his mercy and all is for his glory he is the first and he is the last out of the sea of his mercy they come and into the sea of his glory they do return 3. The Meritorious Cause and that is Jesus Christ who by his blood hath purchased all things for us pertaining to life and godliness 4. The means by which not causes for which they are obtained and enjoyed They are means whereby blessings are obtained and such are our holy performances and walkings unto which God hath promised abundance of mercies and blessings and we shall enjoy them not Ratione facti for the worthiness of our doings but Ratione promissionis for the goodness and faithfulness of his promise unto our upright doing and walking Therefore take heed of looking on any doing and walking as meritorious causes of mercies and blessings For 1. All the good we can do is but what we ought to do and no duty of man can Why they cannot merit mercies be meritorious with God 2. All the good we do is done by the strength of Christ therefore it cannot merit seeing it is done not by our own strength but Christs 3. All the good we do finds acceptance only in and for Christ our prayers are accepted in him and our services are accepted in him and therefore they merit nothing of themselves 4. All good services must be done in faith or else they cannot be pleasing to God Heb. 11. 16. Now Faith and the merit of mans works are utterly inconsistent 5. Lastly All the blessings which you shall ever enjoy you must take them out of Gods promises or Covenant of grace and no gift flowing from that Covenant of grace but it is freely given unto us Fourthly You must not look upon any performances services acts of obedience They cannot make peace with God done by you as propitiations as able to make peace with God for the sins which you have committed against God When we have sinned against God we must humble our souls and repent and pray unto the Lord to pardon us and to be reconciled unto us and to take away iniquity and
salvation As are the sinews of all Religion As most concern our selves and families That concern righteousnesse and mercy That concern the avoiding of greater sins We should do all affectionately in or to observe Sol. I humbly conceive that our special care should be First Of those which do principally and immediately respect Gods Glory Summa ratio in summo fine Secondly Of those which do most absolutely and necessarily respect our own salvation as Regeneration Repentance Holiness Faith Thirdly Of those which are the bond and sinews of all Religion upholding it in the power and practice of it as the sanctifying of the Sabbath Fourthly Of those which do most concern our selves and such as are under our charge as family-duties Fifthly Of those which do require and enjoyn righteousness and mercy unto others and preserve publick society Sixthly Of those which do concern the greater sins which should be most carefully avoided Fourthly we should walk in Gods statutes and keep and do them affectionately we should affect the acts of obedience and be affected in them Suppose that a man did walk up to every statute of God yet if this were not done affectionately all were nothing Now there are four affections with which we should perform every service or duty that we do unto God 1. Love and delight 2ly Joy 3ly Fear 4ly Zeal First With Love and Delight We must love the Lord and his statutes and the With love and delight duties which he requires from us and take delight in obeying and doing his will Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 40 8. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart Secondly With joy and alacrity Psal 119. I have rejoyced in the way of With joy and alacrity thy testimonies as much as in all riches Psal 100. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness Our walking in Gods statutes should be our meat and drink we should find more satisfaction and soul contentment and refreshing when we are doing the will of God and are enjoying communion with him than we do find or take in any earthly enjoyment whatsoever Thirdly With fear Serve the Lord with fear Psal 2. 11. when ye are a performing With fear any duty to God ye must do it with a 1. Reverential fear Thou shalt fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord A reverential fear thy God Deut. 28. 58. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Psal 89. 7. Pray and hear with fear and trembling 2. Humble fear of our own sufficiency and of our own performance left Humble fear any thing should fall in with our duties by which God may be offended and our service of him may miscarry c. Fourthly With zeal or fervor of spirit The people of God must be zealous With zeal of good works and zealous in good works fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. It was said of Jehoshaphat that his heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord 2 Chron. 17. 6. And of Josiah that he made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandements and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul c. 2 Chron. 34. 31. See also 2 King 23. 25. Wrestling and striving in Prayer attend earnestly in hearing We must not walk in Gods statutes with careless sloathful indifferent spirits but with heightned and lively and enlarged spirits doing his will with all our might and strength bringing out all the might and power that we have in his service stir up our graces and our hearts Fifthly We should walk in Gods statutes uprightly and sincerely Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou upright And 1 Kin. 3. 6. David my Father walked Walk in them uprightly before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart c. 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Quest But here now is the great Question how one may know that he walks Signs of sincerity uprightly in Gods statutes Sol. There are 〈◊〉 discoveries of this First The prevalent motive which alone sufficeth to his obedience and that If we obey because God commands is the will or command of God if a man be upright and walk with an unright heart then he will and doth act and move upon the sole account of Gods command that alone is reason enough and will prevail with him for obedience There are several Motives which induce men to do good works some do respect our selves and are drawn from a respect to our credit and profit as do such a work and perform such a duty and you shall have honour amongst men by it and you shall gain much by it these considerations are the prevailing Motives which men of unsound hearts to some things which God requires as it was with Jehu c. And some are drawn from God himself only from his Commandement and this is sufficient and this prevails with men of upright heart Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts dilgently Ver. 5. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Mark how his heart is drawn out to obedience upon the meer command of God Thou hast commanded us c. Isa 2. 3. He will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths Mark there is no more considered to move to walk in his paths than this he will teach us of his wayes i. e. he will make us to know that this or that is his will and command concerning us Paul relates that it was the earnest prayer of Epaphras for the Colossians that they might stand perfect and be filled with all the will of God Col. 4. 12. It is not Compleri but Repleri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some look upon that word as Metaphorical to be filled with the will of God as the sails of a ship are filled with wind which is enough to carry the ship in voyage so it is enough when the will of God fills our hearts and that carries them out to duty and David hath a singular expression in Psal 119. 6. When I have respect unto all thy Commandements you know that to have a respect unto a thing is this when that of all other swayes most with us as when a Master commands a servant he will do such a business because he respects him and at his command he will go and come though he will not at the command of any other this was Davids
the Church dores and cast away Bibles and renounce all duties regard not Scripture regard not ordinances regard not duties O the Lord work upon thine heart in time for thou regardst not thine owo soul Thirdly All Formal Non-proficients such I mean who keep still to their All non proficients circle and move like a horse in a mill so much as they have taken upon them of Religion so much they will stick unto they will neither abate nor rise neither go backward nor go forward they know enough already Some outward duties they do but if you will press them a jot higher then you are precise you cannot possibly perswade them to proceed on to humble their heart to mortify their lusts to yeild to God in inward sanctity c. Fourthly But above all they offend most who turn Apostates and Revolters All Apostates who like Hymeneus and Alexaender make shipwrack of faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 19 20. Or like the Galatians begin in the spirit and end in the flesh Galatians 3. 3. Or like those in Peter who after that they knew the way of righteousness did turn away from the holy Commandements delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2. 21. Beloved there are three sorts of men in the world 1. Some never would endure to look or walk in Gods Statutes but resolve to walk in their own sinful wayes these are prophane Atheists 2. Some will take upon them to walk in Gods Statutes so far as consists with their own wayes and lusts these are hypocrites 3. Some make an enterance and a little progress but do after a while renounce them and fall off to their own lusts Now here give me leave to open three things unto you 1. The principal cause why some men hold not on in walking in Gods Statutes The cause why some Apostatize but break off and turn Apostates 2. Their great sin in so doing 3. The great danger and judgment 1. The principal cause why c. Because of the strictness of Gods Laws First The Spiritual strictness which they do meet with in Gods Statutes which they did not preconsider and which their loose hearts cannot bear Simile It is with many professors as it is with many lazey and idle servants who frame unto themselves a reputation and benefit to be in such and such great mens families but meeting there with diligent and constant paines they presently give up their place and service So many Christians fancy unto themselves an easie obedience to God and think that any kind of serving God will suffice but when they come to finde that God will not be pleased with easie and formal performances but he will be served in Spirit and in truth that we must mortify every sinfull lust and that we must seek and serve him with our whole heart and come up to all the duties of obedience though crossing our profits and delights now they complain and murmur as they in Joh. 6. This is a hard saying and turn away from the Commandements as too heavey a yoak for them to bear rather likeing their old wayes of wickedness and looseness Secondly Secret Hypocrisie of heart this is another cause why men do not Secret Hypocrisie continue and persevere in the way of obedience but do revolt and fall off Job 27. 10. Will the Hypocrite delight himself in the Almighty will â—e alwayes call upon God Some times he will call upon God but alwayes he will not for his delight is not in God There are foure things in every Hypocrite Four things in every Hypocrite 1. His sinful heart was never changed by Grace 2. His Soul was never mortified to all sin 3. His Heart could never comply with all which God requires 4. He never did Obey God out of love to God intending only the Glory of God but still had an eye unto himself seeking his own praise and advantage in the world And every one of these is a sufficient ground of revolting and what principle is there of perseverance in the wayes of God where no grace at all â—s planted in the heart Is it possible that the Commandements of God should be sure of us when sin hath the dominion over us Or can he hold out in obedience whose heart did never like obedience and of necessity his heart must break with God who doth prefer himself before God Thirdly External Difficulties and troubles The Apostle saith that all who External troubles will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. We may say of walking in the way of Gods Statutes what they spake to Paul of the way of Christianity it is every where spoken against Acts 28. 22. There is no travailer in the way to Heaven but shall meet with barking curs with many scoffes reproaches contempts indignities injuries hazzards losses But many men neither can nor will suffer these things they set a higher value upon their own names and ease and liberty and plenty and safety than on their Souls and Gods Commandements When the young man heard of selling all and taking up the crosse and following of Christ he took his leave of Christ and of the way to Heaven Simile Many travailers are taken from their joruney when foule weather appears although they were forward when the sun did shine forth c. Fourthly Sordid unbelief There are three things which some men do not Sordid unbeliefe believe 1. That the way of obedience is a necessary path to life What some men do not believe 2 At least that much obedience and constant or continued obedience is that path some little service for a little time if men have any to spare perhaps is but to spend a whole life in holy walking c. 3. That God is true in his promises of protection and benediction in case of conscientious and constant obedience they do verily think that by this course they shall be losers If they did not some times worke and sell on the Sabbath day why they should lose their custome and if they should deny visits on that day they should displease their friends c. O these unbelieving hearts of ours Not without cause said the Apostle Heb. 3. 12. Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Tell men seriously who is the God of blessings and God of mercies in whose power is it to make great Is it not God who blesseth and the man shall be blessed And who curseth and the man shall be cursed And read you not expresly of his blessings promised to the obedient and his curses to the disobedient And is not God faithful in his promises and true in his threatnings Hadst thou faith God should have better obedience and didst thou give to God more upright and stedfast obedience God would give unto thee more plentiful and abundant blessings If thou couldest say that latter part with
David I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever then mayst thou confidenly say with him Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes oâ— my life Psal 23. 6. 2ly Their great sin in Revolting and giving over walking in Gods The great sin of Revolters Statutes There is a Question which I have read somewhere of Infidels and Hereticks and Apostates which of them do sin more heinously And it is Resolved that the Apostate is the greatest sinner of them defection is a greater sin then the negation of subjection because in defection or Apostasie 1. More of God is rejected and the Apostate sins more against God Why Apostaâ—es are such great sinners 2. Having received the knowledge of God and his wayes 3. And likewise breaks asunder more bonds which lay upon him to continue his obedience And indeed the Apostle speaking of Apostates delivers three things concerning them which do set out their sins unto amazment Heb. 6. 6. First One is that its impossible to renew them againe unto repentance How great It s impossible to renew them is that sin which doth so harden the hearts of men that he doth never repent of it nay can never repent of it nay that it is impossible to renew him again to repentance A Second is that they crucify to themselves the Son of God they deal with They crucify to themselves Christ a fâ—esh Christ as the Jews did who rejected and crucified him O what a sin is this to crucify the Son God and to crucify him a fresh to pierce his heart and to shed his blood the second time The third is that they put him to open shame they themselves do put a reproach They put him to open shame and contempt upon Christ and cause others so to do as if Christ were not a master fit to be followed and his wayes were not worth our regarding and that the poor woâ—ld and our base sins are rather to be regarded and embâ—aced and followed then the Lord Jesus and his precepts and his wayes And take one thing more that never did any fall off or turn away from walking in Gods statutes but he grew far more wicked then ever he was before and likewise a desperate enemies to the wayes of God 3ly Their great danger and judgement This I shall shew unto you in three Particulars First Revolters or Apostates are judicially given up to the great power of Satan The great danger and judgement of Apostates They are given up to Satan The Lord doth in his just judgement give them over unto Satan that he should rule them and that they should be his sworn servants who will break off with God and refuse to serve him any longer Mat. 12. 44. That unclean spirit returned unto his house from whence he came out ver 45. and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and enter they in and dwell there and the last estate of that man is worse than the first Secondly They are judicially given up to the power of their sinful lusts they And to the power of their lusts grow worse and worse they having cast away the cords and all fear of God there is no wickedness but they are ready to obey it and they do now go on in their daring wayes of bold profaness with seared consciences Thirdly They are judiciously given up to the powers of damnation therefore And to the power of damnation it is said that they draw back unto perdition Heb. 10. 39. And the soul of God hath no pleasure in them Ver. 38. O what a dreadful condition is this to forsake the path of life and heaven and to turn back to walk in the path of death and Hell Fourthly They are many times in their life given up to exceeding terrors They are oft given up to terrors of conscience and despair of conscience and despair You may read this in Judas who turned back and what horror did that poor creature fall into he forsook his Master and left the path of life for a few pieces of silver but what got he by this he lept out of the ship into the Sea he could never meet with rest or peace afterwards but conscience brake in pieces and did so pursue him with guilt and terror that thereupon he fell into absolute despair and made an end of himself Simile The like you read of Spira who revolted from the truth and the path of Evangelical obedience after clear convictions and secret warnings of Conscience but what befell him O he presently fell into terror of conscience and despair and never could recover the least hopes of mercy to his dying day Fifthly They are many times punished by some extraordinary judgement here They are oft punished with extraordinary judgements on earth Take an instance in Israel and Judah they gave up to walk any longer in Gods statutes and wayes they forsook God and his Laws and what came of this why God forsook them and gave them up to their own hearts lusts and at last overthrew them with an utter destruction and scattered them over the face of the earth So you read of Joash who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiada the Priest 2 Chron. 24. 2. But afterwards Ver. 18. He left the house of the Lord and served Groves and Idols but what befell him for this you read of two great judgements that did befall him one in verse 24. That the Syrians came in with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a great Host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord so they executed judgement against Joash The other is in ver 25. His servants conspired against him and slew him SECT II. 2. Use SHould the people of God continue proceed on and persevere in walking in Gods statutes then you who are the people of God give me leave to offer unto you 1. A few Cautions about your walking 2. A few exhortations concerning our walking 3. A few encouragements for your walking continued walking in Gods statutes 1. The Cautions about your walking You see that it is your duty to walk on to proceed to persevere in walking in Gods statutes therefore take heed unto your selves and beware of four Cautions about our walking in Gods statutes Beware of slothfulness things First Beware of slothfulness and carelesness at any time in doing the will of God or in walking in his wayes Rom. 12. 11. Be not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. When a man doth a business slothfully he doth it with a slight spirit he doth not put out himself not his strength he hath no care in doing of it he doth it not with a serious and diligent spirit but remisly and indifferently as one not affected about what he doth nor addicted unto it saith the Apostle Heb. 6. 11. We desire that every
sufferings whatsoever Hereupon you resolved in the strength of Christ to go through thick and thin come favour or dishonour come good report or ill report come liberty or bondage come life or death to close with God and his wayes to walk in them to live and die in them O keep up this resolution still faint not at all God is the same God his wayes are the same for excellency necessity and peace his promise of reward the same often think of these and they will quicken and strengthen your heart to walk on â—nd to hold out to the end 2. The second part of the Exhortation is not only to hold on with constancy in walking in Gods statutes but to move on with more exactness and with more fruitfulness and more diligence and industry Psal 92. 12. The Righteous Move on in Gods wayes with more exactness shall flourish like the Palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Ver. 13. Thâ—se that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God Ver. 14. They shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing This was the special commendation of the Church of Thyatira Rev. 2. 19. I know thy worâ—s and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more than the first These Christians are choice and precious Christians who walk more holily more humbly and more accurately and more vigorously in their course and journey to heaven who the nearer they come to the center do move with more speed and zeal renewing and doubling â—â—eir care and pains and services shining more and more unto the perfect day How we may attain to growth Compare your wayes with Gods Word Quest But now the Question is What should we do that we may attain to this Sol. I would propound some helps for this viz. Simile First Be often comparing your wayes or walkings and Gods word together your work and your rule together The Scholler who eyes the copy much and compares his writing with that he will much mend his writing thereby So the Christian who eyes the word of God much and compares his daily walking with that rule he will see daily reasons to reform his heart and mend his walkings As for the doing of any work it is the safest course first to consider what warrant we finde in the word of God for the doing of it so when we have done any work it is best to bring the work back to the word of God again and observe wherein we have answered the word commanding and directing of us for the matter and manner of our obedience O how much weakness How many faylings How many wandrings shall we then finde out How little of prayer in praying How little of hearing in hearing How little of Godly sorrow in mourning How little of faith in believing Enough shall we finde still to humble our souls enough shall we finde still to provoke us to more integrity to more affectionateness to more exactness and diligence Secondly Often compare your present walking with your former progresses So many years a go I took it that God called me by his grace and then I became sensible and mournful and diligent and watchful so and so much I got Compare your present walking with your former progress of Christ and so much faith and so much love so and so did I put forth my self in the several wayes and services for Gods glory such and such delight did I take in himself in his word in his ordinances in his people so much power against such a sin and so much victory over the world and so much strength for such a duty But O my soul what is thy present standing and what is thy present growth the time is gone much forward art thou gone more forward It is a griefe to be no more then thou wast but it is a shame to be less then thou wast God hath vouchsafed thee more helps to farther thee more opportunities to advance thee more mercies to encourage thee more experience to quicken thee more afflictions to minde thee and yet alass thou art so far from exceeding thy self so far from out going thy self so far below and behind thy self that I finde thee more hampered with corrruptions and more intangled with the world and more flat in thy affections and more dull and careless in thy services and less circumspect and fruitful in thy walking Thy last works and walkings are so far from being more then thy first that indeed they are far less then they Why Here is less sense of sin and less sorrow and less fear and less desires after Christ and less delight in the ordinances of Christ and less watchfulness over thy self and less done for God and for thy self and for thy family thou art now more dull and more dead and weak in grace longer in time and less in growth O Lord pardon me and heal me awaken and quicken me I am ashamed make me as good nay make me better then ever I was O that I could go that I could run that I could out run that I could move faster and better for the time to come in the wayes of thy Commandements c. Thirdly Be much in the remembrance of four things Remember God in his goodness 1. Of your God in his goodness to you every way He hath been good unto your souls how much mercy and grace hath he shewn to them of his great mercy they are quickned and they are pardoned and they are upheld and they are comforted think of these fruits of mercy and then provoke your souls to more love to more obedience to more chearfulness to more forwardness to more fulness of holy and heavenly walking He hath been good unto your bodies and outward estates your life is still preserved your portion is still maintained your table is still spread and your cup runs over O who would not and who should not be endeared and be enlarged in the service of such a God he is willing and ready and delights to do men good he is constant in love and mercy faithful in his promises abounding in compassion faints not nor is weary but rejoyceth over me to do me good with all his heart and with all his soul will never leave me will be my God and guide to death And shall not I answer much love with much love infinite mercy with abundant duty freest kindness with exactest service more blessings with more obedience should I be straitned when he is enlarged 2. Of your selves as to your wants and imperfections do not minde so much Your selves aâ— to your want and imperfections what you have attained but what as yet you fall short in and have not attained forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before saith Paul in Phil. 3. 13. I press toward the
Ten things concerning the goodness of God to his people ibid. Twelve things may assure you that God will be kind to his people 51 Gods Eternity 52 It gives confidence to live upon God as long as we live 53 If God be your God then Christ is your Christ 54 Comfort to the people of God in Covenant 339 God would have the hearts of his people fixt on him alone 348 God doth confine our prayers to himself alone ibid. God gives all needful good assuredly 349 All the blessings which God promiseth to his people in Covenant he gives only upon account of his graciousness 353 God doth not enjoyn nor expect any worthiness as a reason of his blessings 354 God will have us acknowledge our selves unworthy 356 Under the sense of unworthiness let us go to God and trust in him 358 Arguments to demonstrate God is great in mercy 441 God brings great sinners into Covenant in a perfect league of love and peace ibid. God makes use of great sins to humble men 442 They are no small matters that God doth for us ibid. God takes away the ground of despair 443 The people of God may be guilty of great sins 444 God will be praised for Christ 469 God himself undertakes to sanctifie his people 493 God doth not expect that you should bring but receive 108 Difference betwixt restraining and renewing grace 506 Why such as have grace should labour to grow in it p. 635 I but I am under much weakness of grace and many wants Ans 215 H. H … ness OF the kinds of hardness in men 529 Some are sensible of their Hardness 538 Remove what breeds this Hardness ibid. God takes away hardness of Heart from his people 544 A difference betwixt the hardness remaining in the best and that in the wicked 547 Resist hardness returning ibid. They who partake of this mercy should beware of hardning themselves again 550 Of the judgements of God upon hardned sinners ibid. Three sorts of hardned sinners ibid. When we make most Haste we shall hardly finish all we have to do 685 A new Heart is a changed heart 497 God gives a new Heart and a new Spirit to his people in Covenant 496 Ten Characters of a new Heart 511 Why God gives a new Heart 501 Then many are not Gods people they have their old hearts still 502 Exhortation to use the means to get a new Heart 522 The misery of an old Heart ibid. The necessity of a new Heart 523 Hearken not to the prejudices of your old Heart 524 The way to get a new Heart 525 There is a stony Heart in every man 527 Why called a stony Heart 528 Comfort to those that have a new Heart 519 Of the evil of an hard Heart 540 Why God takes away the stony Heart and that by promise 546 The means how God takes hardness of heart away ibid. Labour to be cured of this hard Heart 534 The effects and fruits of a hard Heart 536 Means to cure a hard Heart ib. They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed 548 Keep up the tenderness of heart 554 Search your Hearts often ibid. All the people of God have a softned heart given them 555 What a heart of flesh is A fourfold softness 556 Characters of a heart spiritually soft and tender 567 This tenderness of Heart appears towards â—od 557 Why God gives a heart of flesh 559 Tryals whether we have a tender Heart 560 Bless God for this Heart of flesh 549 Convictions that many deceive themselves in a false softnesse of Heart 564 Get newness of Heart 583 Cet Hearts to love the Lord ib. How the tender Heart is affected in case of Gods honour 574 The workings of a tender Heart in case of Gods dishonour 575 The misery of persons destitute of softness of Heart 566 The benefits of a tender heart 579 How to know which is true humiliation 598 The carnal heart counts any one common and burthensom 668 Our helps are more then our work 693 Six things affirmed of Holiness 33 Why men look after mercy and not holiness 492 Be not discouraged in the sense of the want of holiness 495 The nature of holiness 136 How true holiness may be known ibid. The Author of this Covenant commands holiness 132 What the sin against the holy Ghost is 385 No creature can make another holy 494 What is to be done that we may be holy 137 I. Jesus JEsus the Mediator of the Covenant p. 222 Whilst we live we are imperfect 676 A threefold intercession in Scripture 274 How sad is their condition who have no part in Christs intercession 276 The Popish Doctrine of other Intercessors confuted 275 Idolatry the greatness of that sin 440 Every justified person hath cause of rejoycing 442 The difference between Justification and Sanctification 489 Wonder not to see little good done upon many by private Instructors 532 Its a great judgement not be accepted with God 664 K. Knowledge HOw Knowledge contributes to obedience 655 Without Knowledge obedience is not practical ibid. Some more slow in point of Knowledge some in point of practice 684 Get a clear Knowledge of the wayes of God 698 L. Laws THe observation of Gods Laws belongs to all that are in Covenant with him 643 How Gods people being not under the Law are bound to obedience 646 How the Moral Law never ceaseth ibid. How we are said to be under the Law 647 What is Legal obedience 652 A Legal obedience is indeed impossible 670 In what cases God leaves his Servants 710 Love is not the only rule of our obedience 658 M. Mediator WE cannot serve a better Master then God 696 God is the best Master and why ibid. God is no hard Master 707 Of the Mediator of the Covenant 225 What is a a Mediator ibid. Christ the Mediator betwixt God and us ib. There is a necessity of a Mediator betwixt God and us 226 There cannot be a New Covenant without a Mediator 227 Jesus Christ and he only is the Mediator ibid. Three conditions in a Mediator agree only to Christ 228 How Christ is to be considered as being a Mediator as God-man ibid. A Mediator must be a middle person twixt differing parties ibid. This Mediator undertakes all betwixt God and us 231 According to which Nature in Christ he is a Mediator 132 The works of Christs Mediation were such as no person could effect except he were both God and man 229 There is in us an unworthiness of any mercy 355 That God is a God of infinite mercy 431 Though your sins be great yet there is hopes of mercy 445 What is to be observed about mercies and blessings 662 N. Newness A Natural man can of himself do no good 706 Try our selves what newness is in us 504 O. Obedience HOw to please God in our obedience 664 Progressive Obedience is true Obedience 676 Three things in Christs obedience for our imitation 677 P.