man and healed him so it is sometimes a strange way God heals in the impotent man had none to put him into the Pool now to be healed in a strange way unexpected this doth greatly inhance the mercy of God 5. Observe and take notice of the designe and end of mercy and deliverance what Errand it comes upon what work and what gracious effect it hath all believers are under that general Promise Rom. 8. that all things shall work together for good to them c. afflictions shall and mercyes shall every thing shall now to see them thus working for our good this heightens the mercy The poor man goes into the Temple and there acknowledgeth it it is to further duty when â—t is done in mercy caring not only to be healed but to be Thankful 6. Observe the respect mercy hath to the Prayers and desires of your Souls and to the things you beg there is a wonderful value upon mercyes when they are in Answer to our Prayers when you in distress have cryed to God and called others it may be to cry to God for you and the Lord hath heard as Psal 34. This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and delivered c. he had Answer of Prayer so that you should have such Interest in Heaven and that God hears the cryes of his poor ones this exceedingly endears the mercy to us as Psal 40. 1 2. I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me and heard my cry he brought me up also out of the horrible pit out of the myery clay and seâ— my feet upon a Rock and established my goings That is the first thing to be observed in our healing and delivering mercyes the Circumstances in it that heighten the mercy being looked upon with a considerate fixed Eye and an intelligent heart to further our acknowledgement 2. Observe and behold every mercy and deliverance how it doth fulfil the word of God to you there is never a Providence of God but it is a fulfilling of Gods word as it is said Psal 148. 8. Stormy winds fulfilling his Word so doth every mercy and deliverance to his People Now you should look on the work of Providence together with the Word of God and see what particular word of God is made good to you by his Providence for that is encouragement from experience to trust in the word of God another time God saith call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Psal 50. 15. Now such a Deliverance is an Answer to such a Word and Promise sued out by Prayer for therein God hath fulfilled a Promise to you So 1 Cor. 10. 13. the Lord tells you that with every Temptation he will work a way for your escape and that you shall be able to bear it and in such a deliverance God hath fulfilled that Word to you this adds Beauty unto and honours Gods word in seeing God fulfilling it in the Execution of Providences so in Joh. 19. 36. not a bone of Christ was broken this was done that the Scripture might be fulfilled 3. In all Deliverances and healing mercyes that you should observe and consider in them who is the author of them we are not only to look to the work done that this person is healed but whence it is The Effect is a manifestation of the cause we must labour to understand the cause our understanding must look through things done to the cause every one should see the hand of God which healeth him for there is the Name of God written upon the mercy and especially upon a gracious and eminent delivering Providence And consider what you are to see of God therein 1. You are to see the care God hath of you as your heavenly Father so we are told in Scripture God as your Father cares for you he knows what you need Math. 6. 26 27. if for inanimate Creatures much more for rational especially those among them that are also spiritual and in every delivering mercy manifests that care of you We are commanded that we should be found in our duty whether we are under afflicting Providences or any other Trusting in and leaving the Issue with the care of our heavenly Father who careth for us 1 Pet. 5. 7. therefore we are bid to cast our care upon him and so every godly man rowls that care as to the Issue and Event upon the Lord and then in the Deliverance the Lord manifests his care so that in considering the mercy you may read and see that God doth take a fatherly care of you under whatsoever dispensation of Providence you are 2. You may see the wisdome of God in healing and restoring you especially being eminent Deliverances when it may be you were past hope and had no means left for encouragement the wisdome of God found out a way provided means and gave the blessing to a good Issue 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of Temptation c. he hath many wayes he doth not make known till the time of Deliverance so that here also you may read this in the Deliverance the wisdome of God 3. Observe in what way God doth convey his mercy that is a great and beautiful thing to behold the way in which God conveys every mercy to you The way is Christ Jesus No mercy comes to you but through the blood of Jesus Christ Remember thou art he whose sins brought distress upon Christs Soul how comes any Remedy for or deliverance from the wounds sicknesses evils and dangers sin hath brought thee into but only by Jesus Christ That Pool of Bethesda was a Type of Jesus Christ who can make any thing healing and Sovereign for recovery A curse came by the fall upon every means used only Jesus Christ hath restored the blessing upon the means and that should heighten our thoughts of the mercy that it comes from and by Christ no mercy comes otherwise therefore never look on any mercy but in the view of it remember and think of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. all is yours saith the Apostle life death every thing but how only as you are Christs We came to have a right to every mercy by Jesus Christs and only by him and that should be a most beautiful Contemplation to us here upon Earth which will be so glorious to our Eye in Heaven where this discovery will be made fully how all our mercyes flow to us by and through Christ 4. You may read the grace of God in every such mercy It is great love and kindness of God manifested in every mercy for every sinner is unworthy of the least mercy as Jacob acknowledgeth I am less then the least of all thy mercyes so it must be grace that brings mercy to you and if you are made whole know that healing mercy is of grace yea there are riches of mercy in every outward favour the Lord bestows and this
46. saith Solomon If they sin and come and confess it for there is no man that liveth and doth not sin Joh. 1. 8. he that saith he hath no sin â—e denyeth the Truth the Truth is not in him that is his greatest sin a very great sin and discovers him to be in a state of sin to say he lives and doth not sin 2. But it is an Evangelical obedience and Perfection Christ calls for especially you may take up the meaning of it under these three considerations heads 1. Goe and sin no more that is labour to be in such an Estate that thou mayst be in a Gospel Sense in a sinless Estate you are now healed you have bodily hâ—aling let that be your care now that your Soul may be healed It is said of the Children of God those that are truly converted 1 Joh. 3. 9. He that is born of God doth not commit sin for his Seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God that is that Christ now directs you to to labour to be in such a State in which thou canst not sin that you may not be under the dominion and reign of sin under the domineering Ruling power of sin nor under the damning power of sin your great business is to labour to have a real saving Interest in Jesus Christ thereby Christ doth manifest his great care of this poor man that he would have his Soul healed he would have him in a saving State for Eternity Now let it be your main care to improve your health and strength renewed and spared to you to get a right to eternal life that you may be a child of God and though being such will not secure you from outward chastisement and affliction in the World yet it will secure them from you as being the punishment of sin and the effect of Gods wrath You are thereby perfectly healed in this respect that there shall never be an affliction in Gods anger but only the fruit of his love you find the same Counsel given by Jesus Christ Joh. 8. 10 11. when Jesus saw the woman brought before him and accused of Adultery that he should condemn her and all her accusers were gone he said unto her doth no man accuse thee she said no man Lord Jesus said unto her neither do I condemn thee goe and sin no more as if the Lord Jesus should say I came not now into the world to be a Judge to condemn sinners indeed there is a time when Christ will be the Judge but now I Judge no man therefore let that be your care that you sin no more you get a pardon of your sin and interest in a Saviour that your heart be sanctified for your future walking with God In this command of Jesus Christ he doth not only express what is his will what is approving to God and his own will but Jesus Christ was actually the Saviour of this man by this command he did hereby heal his Soul by this command as well as his body by bidding him take up his bed and walk and he doth thereby show his readiness when that is our care that we may not sin again that we may truly be the Children of God you shall find God manifesteth this in his mercy that he is much more willing to save your Souls then he hath been to deliver your bodies this is the great thing God would have you goe to him for that your Souls may be healed as well as your bodies that is the first thing that you labour to be in such a State that no affliction may ever come upon you in way of Judgement or in Gods wrath 2. Goe and sin no more it doth import thus much that it should be the diligent care and endeavour of them that are under saving mercy that they do not allow themselves in any known sin take heed of sin as of a poison that will do you a great deal more mischief now then ever before that you do not allow any sin either in thoughts or actions nor live in any known sin 1 Joh. 2. 1. saith the Apostle there My little Children these things write I unto you that you sin not but if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous all the writings of the Gospel that is the meaning of it it is not to encourage you to sin but to caution you against sin What sinning that is see you do not allow it but if sin be too hard for you and in a conflict carry you captive then make your confession to Christ and labour to get pardon and power against it Rom. 7. 18 24 25. as Paul did he acknowledged there he did sin but it was against his will the sin that I would not do I do it and how doth it appear to be against his will by the sad moans he made to Jesus Christ by his earnest cry for deliverance and by his acknowledgement of that great mercy of God that had found out such a deliverer for him so you must go and do likewise Do not allow your self in any sin but shew you disallow it confess it there is your encouragement you have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ therighteous there is great liberty for you to goe for every Covenant mercy pardon and power against sin are great Covenant mercyes 3. Goe and sin no more that is be sure you take heed you do not commit that sin again for which God hath especially afflicted you or hath threatned you for that sin God hath in especial manner been dealing with you for chastising you for goe and sin no more commit that sin no more so he saith to that woman Joh. 8. Goe sin no more take heed of Adultery as long as you live you must remember that ordinarily the chastisements and afflictions God brings on his people are for their sins and there are some special sins of the people of God that are the provocation of special chastisements when God doth not cast you into hell for them but doth deliver you and save you then that is your great duty that you should live with a fear of that sin all your dayes and take heed of that Psal 89. 33. If thy Sons break my Statutes I will chastise them with the Rods of men We ought to look on every Chastisement as coming to us for sin and to find out those special sins and there should be the great care of a Christian that he should forsake them not to meddle with them any more that that hath pulled down so great a Judgement Oh take heed you sin that sin no more Quest But you will say how shall we know what is that sin that God doth specially chastise us for that we may be warned and take heed ever of committing that sin any more Answ Observe and take special notice what evil God doth threaten with punishment and Chastisement on his people
improvement hereof by way of Exhortation that I may set home this Counsel of Jesus Christ on all your hearts and upon my own that we take good heed that we sin no more There are five or six Motives or considerations to further our acceptance and improvement of this Counsel If it were no more then that it is the Counsel of Christ from his own blessed mouth who is a true lover of mens Souls that were enough to further any that have love to Jesus Christ and to their own Souls to be careful to attend to his Counsel Christ never advised any to their own hurt Suppose you had been hearing Christ himself and that he had spoken in particular to you do not you think his words would have been of weight to you why this is Christs advice and not to that man only but to all in like case therefore for your furtherance Consider 1. That sinning again will disappoint you of the good of your deliverance I say it will eat out the good and sweet of it The outward mercy of healing or whatever the Salvation of God is to you it is not a mercy alone Such is mans misery since the fall that there is no outward mercy or dispensation of God to him but if it comes alone it comes under the curse and it proves a greater misery then a mercy and where you enjoy any mercy from God if it do not deliver you from sin it is not in favour but comes under the influence of the old Covenant 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. As the Apostle saith of every Creature of God it is good if it be received with Thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and Prayer i. e. if it be received with a heart truly Thankful it is sanctified without this you have no good in any Creature enjoyment because it is unsanctified as whatever the sinner doth is defiled because himself is defiled so whatever he enjoys is defiled he himself being unsanctified Then mercy and outward deliverance carries a great deal of good in it when it fits you for Gods service then it tends to the end of its first Institution to further the Service of God but sinning again destroys this end of it If a mercy makes you better then it is a choice mercy but if it do not better you in your Souls it is far from being good to you I may say of such mercies as of Jonahs goard Jon. 4. 5 6. When he was in great distress and the Sun beat upon him and greatly afflicted him and the Lord made a goard to come up over Jonah to be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief and Jonah was exceeding glad of the goard But Jonah was not sanctified hereby in his heart by obedience to God therefore there was a worm that smote the Goard that it withered You may be glad of your deliverances but if sin remain it will be as a worm in them to destroy the shadow the comforts of them therefore take heed that you sin no more for that will spoyle you of the best good of your mercyes the flower and sweetness of a mercy will be eaten out thereby that is the first Motive 2. Consider that sinning after deliverance will hinder you from the enjoyment of other mercyes which God intends you together with your deliverance for that is not all God intends in shewing poor sinners a common bounty Christ seems to tell this healed man here this is not all my meaning in coming to heal thee I have Soul healing to bestow upon thee but sin stops and prevents this as the Lord said to David If that had been too little I would have done so and so for thee 2 Sam. 12. 8. the outward mercy is the least God is inclined to do more but as Jer. 5. 25. Your iniquities have turned away his Ear from you and your sins have withheld good things from you Are you not made better by mercyes are you not changed renewed by repentance under mercyes what is the matter why your sins have hindred your iniquityes have kept good things from you As it is said God makes a way for his anger so sometimes he doth for his mercy in removing a present Judgement but Impenitency unreformedness that stands in the way God had made for his mercy as it is said of Christ at Capernaum he could do no great works there because of their Vnbelief So to speak with reverence God cannot proceed in mercy when sin is renewed Christ tells them Luk. 16 11. If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the true Riches if you carry it not well to God in a common mercy do you think that God will bestow and betrust you with more and better mercyes 3. Consider that sinning after deliverance it is a greater sin then your sins before you received the mercy you cannot sin now at so easy a Rate as before you sin with a higher hand Your mercy puts an aggravation upon your sin for to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin Iam. 4. ult that is he sinneth at a higher Rate then another because he sinneth against light yea and against love Gods love therefore his sin is of a deeper dye then the sins of others are 4. Consider they that sin after Deliverance they are a greater provocation to God God is more angry with such for such sins then others 2 Sam. 12. 8. the Lord by the Prophet reckons up great things to David he did for him I anointed thee King over Israel I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into thy bosome and I gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah and if that had been too little I would moreover have given thee such and such things wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord for it is said Chap. 11. ver ult The thing that David had done displeased the Lord so that the Sword should not depart from his house c. Sins after Deliverances and great Mercyes are a great provocation 5. Consider sins after deliverance they are sins against your special engagements and Covenants I doubt not but many of you in time of distress have made that prayer which David did Psal 119. 175. Let my Soul live and it shall praise thee have not many of your prayers and cryes in sickness been that you might live to praise God to be better in Gods Service Now to live in sin to Gods dishonour after deliverance how contrary is this to your Ingagements to reproach and blaspheme his holy Name afterward 6. Consider the great advantage of not sinning any more this is preserving Diet of an healed sinner Christ as a wise and faithful Phisitian prescribes this as health preserving Diet. This is the way to preserve and continue the mercyes you have received and
will certainly be as good as his Threatning to you Jer. 44 25 26. when Ieremiah had told them from the Lord what was the sin had provoked the Lord against them therefore if now they would carry it better God would have compassion on them but they were resolved on their way and would have their lusts We will surely perform our Vows we have vowed to pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven therefore hear the word of the Lord behold I have sworn by my great Name that my Name shall be no more named in the mouth of any man of Iudah So what ever is the sin you have made solemn Vows to God in the time of your distress against if it have been your Sabbath breaking contempt of the Word and Ordinances of God Covetousness pride Sensuality Contention if these be not reformed if you will live in them still and have your own way what ever God saith to the contrary this is to live in those sins that will pull down greater judgements 3. That greater Judgements will befall such for God hath threatned it Lev 26. 24 28. If that doth not doe saith God I will punish you seven times more for your abominations when one is over God tryes what that will doe and if that doe not doe and God on trial sees that you are never the better then you must expect seven times greater judgements And we find that this hath been the way of Gods proceeding both with profane sinners and his professing people that he hath followed them with worse judgements when they have not been amended with lesser so God did with Pharaoh God hath variety of plagues when he delivered him from one and yet he continued hardned against the Lord then he brought another and worse plague till he himself at last was destroyed and his people So it was with a professing people Psal 78 throughout that Psalm God delivered them many times and they provoked him and provoked him so far till he gave up his glory into the hand of the enemâ— There were degrees of punishment and every punishment was worse then before then God abhorred his people and gave up his strength into the hand of the enemy v. 60. The Reasons of it Reas 1. From the Justice of God who gives every man according to their works Rom. 2. 6. He will render every man according to their deeds Where deeds have been worse the Judgements of God will be worse Tribulation and anguish to the Jew first and then to the Gentile a Jews punishment shall be greater and worse then that of the Gentile because God will render to every one according to his works Judgements are the wages of sin Rom. 6. 23. Now God will give wages according to every mans works they that have been more in the work of sin shall receive greater wages of sin now sinning after eminent mercy is a greater sin therefore deserveth greater punishment for 1. It is a sin against a great deal more mercy there is Gods sparing mercy and the riches of Gods goodness as the Apostle calls it Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness there is a great deal of riches of mercy in every mercy a sinner enjoyeth when God hath a sinner at such an advantage to destroy him it is rich mercy now to spare him the going on in sin is contempt cast upon the riches of Gods mercy that which Justice will not bear but is sure to revenge 2. It is against more light after more of the knowledge of their Masters will now he that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Luke 12. 47. 3. They are sins against vows and engagements to obedience to sin after deliverance the praying for deliverance layes the Sinner under a Vow of obedience and duty to God besides the voluntary vows that many have made in their distress unto God now that is a great sin to sin against our voluntary engagements we have made to God when we have said we will no more transgress see how God puts Jacob in mind of it how angry God was with Jacob when he did not perform his Vow Gen. 35. 1. Goe to Bethel where thou vowedst to serve the Lord. The greatest affliction that ever he had in his Family was on the neglect of his vow that great miscarriage of his daughter Dinah and of his Sons was a punishment of the neglect of his vow God doth not delight in fools Eccles 5. 4. that when they say they will take care of their duty doe not perform it when they are rash with their mouthes it is a provocation to God to destroy the work of his hands Reas 2. From the faithfulness of God worse things must needs befall such because he will as certainly perform what he hath threatned as what he hath promised God will be as good as his word and he hath threatned every Sinner that continues in sin after warning after mercies that greater judgements shall befall them Reas 3. From the wisdome of God the manifestation of Gods wisdome a great deal of Gods wisdome will be manifested as in variety and excellent ways of delivering his People so in special judgements on evil doers 2 Pet. 3. 9 God knows how to deliver the godly and to reserve the wicked to the day of Judgement to be punished It is a part of the wisdome of God in governing the world that he knows how to give out punishments to evill doers that he knows how to reward all the obedience of his Servants though he seems to forget them for a time and knows how to punish Sinners though he seems to wink at them for a time By way of improvement The only Vse we shall make of this is to be a word of Conviction awakening to us we have been under the judgements of God and God hath eminently delivered us He hath delivered from the sword of a barbarous enemy and hath in a great measure delivered from that more immediate judgement the Small-Pox that came with such commission from God to destroy now you are delivered you must not look on your selves out of the reach of Gods Judgements doe not think God hath done his worst and will doe no more or put your selves in a fools Paradice to say as Agag 1 Sam. 15. 26. He put himself in his brave cloaths and said The bitterness of death is over so many think the bitterness of death and hell is over now they have escaped the present Judgement but he found it otherwise to his cost And you that continue in your sins have reason to be afraid that greater Judgement is nearer then you are aware of 1 Thes 5. 3. When they say peace and safety when an ungodly man saith so that lives in his sin all shall be well with me then sudden destruction cometh I would only lay before you these two or three Considerations 1. Consider that outward Providences are no
you should behold Behold the free and undeserved favour of God in all 5. See the wonderful condescendency of God every mercy shews wonderful Condescendency in God to a poor Creature considering though the Lord be high yet he hath respect to things below Psal 138. and those that are so very low as we have made our selves by our sins Oh what a stoop is it in the divine Majesty to take such care of vile sinners that God should have any respect to your prayers if God hath heard you in such a day it heightens the Condescendency of God 6. Lastly observe and consider the end that God aims at in your Deliverance God is a rational Agent aiming at a spetial mark in the Deliverances he gives Now what is the aim and designe of God what is Gods language to you by the mercy is not the designe of it to further your Repentance and your returning into Gods favour that is the general end these mercyes are the great Arguments God would prevail with sinners to return to him by true Repentance That is their encouragement in Hos 6. 1 he hath wounded and he will heal but you may be much more encouraged if you can say God that hath wounded us hath healed us therefore in Rom. 2. 4 5. he tells us this is the language of every mercy and of all Gods goodness to bespeak our hearts for Repentance the goodness of God leadeth thee to Repentance as one mercy is leading to many other mercyes from God to you so the designe of them all is to lead you to God to serve him with chearfulness Deut. 28. 48. Consider therefore what God calls for that you may comply with God and that is what Christ here minds the poor man of Behold thou art healed thou hast attained that thou hast long waited for and God hath given it now it is not enough to bring a thank offering to bless God before the Congregation but that you sin no more it is walking thankfully and obediently before the Lord all your dayes and so you shall serve the end and designe of God herein 2. As you should contemplate thus the mercyes God gives so you should take a full and through view of them with a fixed mind upon them and that is in two things 1. So look on every mercy that your heart may be affected a serious fixed Eye will affect the heart as we should look on transgressors breaking Gods Laws so as to be grieved at them Psal 119. 158. I beheld the Transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy Word so you should behold the mercyes of God and be affected so as to rejoyce and have your heart engaged to God as the Psalmist Psal 116. 1. I will love the Lord because he hath heard my voice c. There should be a drawing out of our affections to God from the beholding the mercyes of God to us and as you should love so admire God so behold as to wonder at such a mercy as he Psal 31. 19. how great is thy goodness which thou hast wâ—ought for them that trust in thee before the Sons of men 2. We should be so fixed in our contemplation of the works of Gods mercyes that we should never forget them observe them so as to be alwayes minding them Psal 111. he will cause his works to be remembred c. It must not be such a view as Jam. 1. 21. a Man looking his natural face in a glass and going away forgets what manner of person he was you must not look so on your mercyes but keep up the Remembrance of them that they may never be forgotten We are prone to forget though highly taken and wonderfully affected with them for the present be it the escaping of death when the deliverance is over as with Israel Psal 196. 13. they sang his praise but soon forgat his works David therefore ingageth Psal 103. 3 4. to praise the Lord with all his Soul and chargeth his Soul never to forget the mercyes of God therefore you should charge your memoryes to be a Treasury of the mercyes of God there may be erected a monument of them in your hearts That is the second thing how you should take notice of Gods delivering mercy we should take a through view of them observing how the Lord manages all our afflictions by mercifull providences leading us on to eternal For as the Psalmist saith Psal 107. 43. By observing these things we may understand much of the loving kindness of the Lord. SERM. II. IT is the latter part of the verse we are speaking unto the counsel Christ gives to the impotent man whom he had miraculously healed how he might preserve that mercy and improve it There are two Directions given him 1. That he should take special notice of his Deliverance Behold thou art made whole 2. A Caution against sin goe and sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee From the first we observed That it is the duty of those that are under saving mercy to take special notice of it I shewed you what was the notice we should take of such a delivering and saving providence we should look upon it throughly upon all the circumstances that doe endear that mercy to us that tender care of God that respect it hath to our Prayers we should look it all over We should doe it with intention so as to be affected with it that it may abide with us that we may remember it that it may be a mercy never forgotten I shall give you only a few Reasons briefly because I would pass to the other which I mainly intended in the choice of these words Reas 1. You ought to consider your mercyes because God commandeth it It is a duty that God commandeth and that God expecteth and therefore hath frequently put that affix upon a special mercy Behold it So Christ saith to this man Behold this mercy look upon it with wonder that a Sinner a provoking sinner should be saved and delivered wonder that God hath wrought so great deliverance before men That was a matter of the Psalmists wonder Psal 31. 19. And in Math. 6. 28. Christ saith there to his Disciples Why take ye thought for raiment consider the lillies of the field how they grow Look on the care of Gods providence to other creatures If we must observe Gods care of inanimate creatures or those only animate much more should we look on his care of our selves the special mercyes he bestowes on us God would not have you so to look abroad that you should not look at home but the more to admire Gods mercy and care toward your selves 2. Reas The non-observance of Gods mercy God doth severely reprove We find it smartly reproved by God when his People do not consider their deliverance Psal 106. 13. They soon forgat his mercy It is put as a special aggravation of their sin in their murmuring against God They soon forgat his mercy Why
of mercy ready to receive thee that hath reached out so much love unto thee when thou wert in the way of thy sin 2. It shows thee the way to greater mercy as the contrary is the way to thy greater misery A confessing and forsaking of sin is the way to find mercy The Lord doth bespeak in every healing mercy that is not all I would do for thee but do not hinder nor forsake your own mercyes You have now experienced that you have to do with a God of mercy and he that hath shewed mercy to you through Christ you may easily think how rich and bountiful you may find him if you would close with him But if you turn aside to lying vanityes you forsake your own mercyes Joh. 2. 8. 3. It is a great folly because healing mercy gives space for Repentance and neglecting this is a despising of the mercy why are you restored but that you might have opportunity to make your peace with God It is a space to repent but sinning is an abusing this patience in mispending the present time that God hath given you to make sure of a good estate What serious thoughts have you had if you had time again how you would improve it 5. Take heed how you spend the time now you have it Rom. 2. 4. losing a season for Salvation and it may be the last you may have you would think it folly in other matters for a vain companion or trifle to lose the opportunity of getting a great bargain here you do so for worse then naught Lastly it is a great injury and folly to your selves to sin again after you have been healed for it is an acting against a mans own experience God hath made you to taste the bitterness of your sins and yet he tels you in your deliverance how unwilling and loth he was to punish you sin brought all your evils it was free mercy that delivered you Have you surfeited with the dainties of sin and will you desire them again Thus David prayes let me not eat of their dainties And the burnt child dreads the fire Now mercy tels you you have escaped do not run into sin again this will appear to be greater folly But that is the first Argument from the goodness of God towards you will you hear then the language that your healing mercy speaks Oh the Oratory it hath in the Ears and hearts of men if we be men O that it would bespeak our Souls now and caution us against sin 2. Another argument Jesus Christ useth and that is an argument used by mercy it doth not only put you in mind of the good you receive but it gives you warning of future misery If it were Justice that should come to treat with the sinner it would not be by warning but by smiting but mercy tells you how the Justice of God stands engaged to avenge the abuse of it You must not be pleased with your condition and think the bitterness of death is over No a worse thing may befall you Mercy is now willing to imbrace you but if that will not doe Mercy will at length deliver you into the hands of Justice and woe to the Sinner that is so delivered by the hands of mercy Methinks it is such a language as God spake to Balaam Numb 22. 31. when an Angel with a flaming sword stood in the way of his Rebellion He was striving to goe though he found difficulty in his way So the Lord Jesus tells you there is a flaming sword in every sinners way after deliverance you run upon your own perill and uttermost hazzard the Judgements of God will be bitter you will feel the smart of them And by these three Arguments the Lord gives warning of Judgement to come upon the Sinner that continues in sin 1. Consider that all the afflictions and troubles that you had were a fruit of your own doing He puts you in mind to remember your former wayes and evill doings You were in the hands of Justice and mercy hath delivered you but it is not a compleat and total deliverance if you continue in sin it is but a Reprieve if you sin again There is a present respite of Judgement it is not a consuming and desolating Judgement you are reprieved but if you sin remember you are in the hands of Justice still and those afflictions you have suffered are but the beginnings of those sorrows which God will bring upon you for your Sins 2. Remember that God hath greater strokes and can lay on heavier then any yet Dont you think that God hath spent all his arrows or hath done his worst No He can doe yet a great deal more God can heat the surnace seven times hotter then ever yet Lev. 26. 14. But if ye will not hearken unto me to doe all these commandments c. I will even punish you seven times more for your iniquityes God hath other arrows that are more poisoned deadly arrows 3. Continuance in sin will provoke God after deliverance to inflict greater strokes As God can punish you more so he will certainly punish an impenitent people when Judgements and mercyes will not change them Ezra 9. 14. Should we break again thy Commandments wilt thou not be angry with us till thou hast consumed us That this holy man was afraid of after deliverance Reas 3. Why you should take heed that you sin no more From the proneness that is in mans nature to return again to sin more prone after deliverance especially those that are in a state of unregeneracy when corrupt nature hath been only under a chain of restraint with what eagerness do they return to sin again Yea we find a proneness in Gods own Children as Hezekiah after great deliverance his heart was lifted up he did not render unto the Lord according to the benefits received How much more those that are in a state of sin you will meet with the same Temptations the Devil will be more busie and your own heart more careless if you be not exceeding cautious Lastly Consider the engagements that lye upon healed sinners not to sin any more And they are 1. From God what a mighty engagement is that when God saith Oh do not this abominable thing my Soul bates That when you have had the love and kindness of God manifested to you you should carry it so to God 2. The engagement of your own vows When God hath made sin bitter to you O how ready were you to vow and engage to sin no more This then is a forfeiting of your Bond and Obligation VSE I. For Information Hence learn and you may see that our Thank fulness to God the main of it doth not lye in our expressions only but in our Spirits Conversations This was a man that Jesus Christ found forward in the Temple bringing his thank-offering to God and he was early there Christ finds him there diligently attending upon the means very few
Famine that is a more terrible judgement when there shall be a famine not of bread not of that only but of hearing the word of the Lord Amos. 8. 9 10. That is a threatning of a sorer judgement when you want bread for your souls there shall be none to break it to you And those spiritual wild beasts those that will make a prey of mens souls either those that will persecute for conscience sake or as Christ saith of them Math. 23 13. Such as will not goe to heaven themselves nor suffer any else togoe when the bonds shall not be only on your bodies but on your consciences you shall be conscience bound and there shall be snares laid for your consciences this is a sore Judgement when you shall have such that in stead of feeding the Flock shall devour the Flock Eccles 34. 4. when there shall be none but wolves that shall not spare the Flock of Christ or make any profession to be so this is a sore Judgement as it is a far more desireable mercy then any outward enjoyment for a people to see their Teachers they are not driven into corners Isai 30. 12. So it is a sorer Judgement then the want of any outward comfort that in stead of those that lead you to Heaven should as blind guides lead you to Hell and both together fall into the pit And those Temptations of the Devil when God lets loose Satan with violent oppressing Temptations and God will give up men to be oppressed by the violent and subtle Temptations of the Devil and then this spiritual plague is the worst of all plagues that Pestilence of a hard seared Conscience that plague of the heart when God shall inflict it as a Judgement when God shall give up men to their hardness yea into the hand of their own lusts Psal 81. 11 12. So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts into the hands of their hearts lusts This is the sorest Judgement that God can inflict on a people in this world when it is in the highest degree of it a man to be delivered up to his own hearts lusts when the Lord saith to a people ye will not be saved and ye shall not be saved ye will not be reformed and ye shall not ye will not be made clean therefore ye shall be filthy still That very sin of living in sin after deliverance is a greater Judgement then the affliction out of which ye were delivered when God inflicteth spiritual Judgements in the highest degree as there are higher degrees of spiritual judgements when temporal and spiritual shall be together that is a great deal worse when God shall follow you with all his sore judgements both these afflictive to the body and the Soul when there shall be a Famine to the body and the Soul the Sword of the Enemy and the Sword of God an outward plague a spiritual plague these are worse greater judgements 2. God hath worse to inflict in another world if you should escape in this if a sinner should goe scot-free here every day would aggravate his everlasting punishment What will a sinner be a gainer in the issue when his main work in sinning and going on in sin after deliverance is but heaping up the measure of his wrath Rom. 2. 4. Thou treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath and the Revelation of the righteous Judgement of God Hell punishment is greater then any that can be inflicted in this world Math. 13. 28. Fear him that can cast Soul and body into Hell that is most to be feared as being the most terrible judgement and there are degrees of punishment in hell there is a hell that is seven times hotter they that continue in sin after judgement and mercy after deliverance they will have a greater degree of Torment Heb. 10. 29. How much sorer Judgement shall they be counted worthy of there are some are worthy of greater judgement then others are and God hath greater there is the Heathens Hell there is the hell of them that live under the Gospel there is the hypocrites hell where the fire will be more intense there will be a thicker darkness more exquisite Torment that God will inflict upon one then upon another that is the first thing that there are worse judgements may befall you worse in this world and in that that is to come 2. what is that continuance in sin for which God will inflict worse judgements that continuance in sin after deliverance mercies Ans 1. it is a continuance in a state of unregeneracy a being without a saying close with Christ the end of Gods mercyes and deliverances is to give space for repentance to give another time to try a sinner whether he will use longer time better in making provision for Eternity Rom. 2. 5. the riches of Gods goodness that leadeth to Repentance 2 Pet. 3. 15. the end of Gods long suffering is your Salvation that is Gods end his gracious end that that he doth approve if that be not a sinners end and his work that he may be saved this is a continuance in sin that will bring greater judgements Rev. 2. 22. I gave her space to repent and she did not repent therefore God threatens he would throw her on a bed of sickness It may be many of you were afraid when you were near to death that that was your great fear of dying was of being unprepared to dye what Vows and what promises were made then if you might have another day of grace now God tryes you if that be not so improved that that is given for your tryal when it is improved contrary to Gods end will pull down worser and greater judgements on a sinner this is that will leave you without excuse when another judgement overtakes you when God will say he will take your word no more when he hath tryed you and found you false to your Promise of improving time better 2. Continuance in sin in those particular evils God hath been convincing you of as provocations to himself some evil course and way of life some particular evils that God hath burthened Conscience with in time of sickness or under the word of God sins that you have Confest that you have in some degree bewailed before God and promised amendment the continuance in those sins is a provocation to greater judgements as is said of those Jer. 42. 21 22. I have this day declared to you but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God for any thing for which you sent me to enquire of God they promised and made solemn Vows they would obey yet did but dissemble with God now therefore know certainly that you shall dye by the Sword by the Famine and by the Pestilence in the place whether you desire to go you will dissemble with God but God will not be mocked if you will not be as good as your promise and your word to God God