Mat. 18.23 c. The Lord there gives us a Parable of a Servant The Lord had compassion on him and forgave him the debt and the same servant went out to his fellow-servant that owed him an hundred pence and he took him by the throat saying pay me that thou owest me c. Here is set forth the spirit of the children of men they would have forgiveness from others but they will not forgive themselves Well but when Peter came to Christ and said Lord how often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until 70 times 7. As often as he doth offend so often thou shalt forgive Use 6. Again This Doctrine calls for an abhorrence of all Papal Masses as propitiatory Sacrifices for sin You that have heard any thing of the grace of God in the forgiveness of the New Covenant do you detest and defie the Idolatry and the abominations of the Church of Rome who would pretend to forgive sins What is this but to wrong the grace of God What is this but to trample upon the blood of the Covenant as an insufficient thing No pardon of sin doth not come in at so cheap a rate as to be bought with money but it comes in at the door of free Grace through the blood of Jesus Thousands of Rams ten thousand of Rivers of Oil the first-born of the body for the sin of the Soul will not satisfie for they and their money will perish together that would buy pardon of sin with such a price Bless God that you know better and let it raise up in you an abhorrence of that Religion that would thus corrupt you Quest Ay But some poor Soul will be saying Ah! But how shall I come to get God's discharge sealed upon my Soul O! had I but the evidence and witness of this all would be well Ans 1. In the first place Come before God with confessions in thy mouth Bewail and spread thy transgressions before him Psal 32.5 Says David I acknowledged my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin I confest says he and I said I would confess He came and judged himself before God he came and lamented his sinful condition and his sin-guiltiness before God he lamented and bewailed he poured out his confessions before God and the Lord he came and visited his Soul with pardon with the sense of forgiveness 2. Plead with God for his pardon and urge his promise for forgiveness This is that which the servants of the Lord have done when they have wanted the sense of pardon Psal 51.1 Have mercy upon me O God! according to thy loving-kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions When sin lay against Israel God began to threaten Moses steps up and pleads with God for pardon that God would pardon their sin So the Servants of the Lord have all along pleaded with God for pardon in the want of it Do you do thus and urge God with his promise of forgiveness 3. Have your Eye upon Jesus Christ Pardon comes through his blood it is merited it is purchased by Jesus Christ look unto him and put forth renewed acts of faith upon him and in the renewing of thy close with him and in the resignation of thy self by faith to him thou mayest come to have thy pardon sealed 4. Wait upon God in sealing Ordinances It may be thou hast wronged thy Soul to this day that thou hast walked at so great a distance from God in his sealing Ordinances if thou hadst gone thither and attended upon God it may be thou hadst had some hint of his pardoning love to thee that would have more satisfied thy Soul I remember what God said to Gideon I only allude to it Judg. 7.10 11. Go and listen says he and thou shalt hear something that will strengthen thee So I say wait upon God in those Ordinances where God gives out strengthening grace and where God seals up his love to his People and there thou mayest have something that may be a feast to thy Soul there mayest thou meet with something that may confirm this love of God to thy Soul and put all out of doubt more to thee than ever And you that have the sense of God's discharging love in your hearts I have two or three words to leave with you 1. Improve it improve the sense of it unto an influence to all duties and to all obedience to God Let the sense of his kindness to you be so improved and wrought upon your hearts as it may constrain you to devote and dedicate your selves to God in your whole course to lay out your selves in all duties of obedience to God more than ever And know that you can never serve this God enough you can never do for this God enough that hath done so much for you labour to do more for him than ever and to serve him with a better heart and with a better spirit to pray more in your prayers to pray with more fervency and to confess with more sincerity and to walk with God in more exactness lay out your selves to the utmost in this work 2. Extend your pity and compassion unto those that are yet in a condemned state Your Souls should mourn over those that are yet in their sins You know what it is to be under sin and you know what it is to be under grace and therefore your hearts should be full of compassion to those that are yet in that state that by grace you are delivered from Ebedmelech's compassion and tenderness to the Prophet is recorded Jer. 38.11 That he took men with him and went into the house of the King under the Treasury and took with him old cast clouts and old rotten raggs and let them down with Cords into the Dungeon to Jeremiah O Sirs your bowels should work towards those that are yet in their sins I remember what David promiseth to God Psal 51.12 13. Restore to me the Joy of thy Salvateon and uphold me with thy free Spirit then shall I teach transgressors thy waies and sinners shall be converted unto thee He would then make it his business to turn sinners to God he would make it his business to convince and awaken and draw others out of their sinful state that is to labour with them if by any means the Spirit of God may work upon them be you full of compassion to others in a state of condemnation And 3. And lastly Keep up a humble sense of your great transgressions that God hath forgiven you I say keep up and walk under a humble sense of those transgressions that God hath forgiven you Sirs though God hath forgiven your sins yet you should remember them you should remember them so as to walk humbly and softly before God all your daies that you did ever provoke so gracious a God by such heinous provocations and inormities FINIS A Catalogue of Books Printed for and are to be sold by Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market place A Discourse of Divine Providence A Word in Season Defensive Armour A Discourse of the Ordinary Matter of Prayer Sermons upon the whole first and second Chapters of the Canticles Allen's Way of the Spirit in bringing Souls to Christ The Glories of Christ set forth with the Necessity of Faith in several Sermons By Thomas Allen late of Norwich Several Sermons of Timothy Armitage late of Norwich Lougher's Precious Promises the Portion of Overcommers The Saint's Ebenezer By Francis English late of Norwich Directions for the Learned to Spell English right The History of the Protestant Reformation as it was begun by Luther The Dead Saints Speaking A Sermon Preached upon the Death of Mr. Newcomb The English Presbyterian
we are passed from death to life we know it says he And the Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God Rom. 8.16 There is a report and a testimony of the Spirit of God within and there is by the work of the Spirit and by the hand of the Spirit the discharge and the work of God in the discharge sealed upon the Soul of the Believer so as he knows as really as he hath known that he was a sinner that he is discharged from his sins Though a person may be discharged and not know it for the Spirit of God doth not alwaies witness the Spirit of God doth not alwaies seal Nay he may seal and his Seal may be hid he may make report and give evidence and this evidence may be lost Those that have had the assurance of the pardon of their sins may lose it again or it may be some considerable time after the Soul hath been discharged before he is able to read his discharge but the Spirit of the Lord first or last will be a Witnesser and Sealer to all those that have their discharge and they shall know it and have the comfort of it It is a real discharge Secondly It is a free discharge God doth all that he doth for his People gratis there is nothing in them that hath procured and bought in the blessing at the hand of the Lord. But when he comes to discharge a Soul he doth it for his own Names sake As Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins I will blot them out says God not for thy sake for thou hast deserved no such thing at my hand but I will blot them out for my own sake I do all that I do freely and therefore says he Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace We are justified freely by the grace of God When the sinner deserveth the full and the effectual execution of the sentence that was denounced against him then comes the Lord in a way of free and soveraign grace and he discharges and he pardons As Hos 14.4 I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from them I will love them freely and I will pardon freely and I will pass by and I will forgive freely So Col. 2.13 And you being dead hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses So we read it But it may be read Having freely forgiven you all trespasses God freely forgives the trespasses of his People those that he takes unto himself and those that are in Christ therefore we are called upon by the Lord for to come unto him without money and without price Come ye says he that thirst to the waters such as have no money such as have no price come and hearken diligently and your Souls shall live Isa 55.1 2 3. Thirdly It is a full discharge which the Lord grants unto his People a discharge that takes off all their sins at once Psal 103.3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases They are not hundreds and thousands only but all that you stand guilty of All sins of omission and all sins of commission all sins against the first Table and all sins against the second Table they are all at once forgiven all secret sins and all open sins all heart-sins and all life-sins they are all forgiven Hezekiah he made Faith of this Isa 38.17 For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back The sinner when he returns to God comes with a load of sins upon him thousands of thousands of sins he brings with him a multitude of sins and the Lord when he receives this guilty Soul he forgives them all at once Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his waies and the unrighteous man his thoughts Or the man of wickedness and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and unto our God for he will abundantly pardon Or as it may be read he will multiply pardons Sins have been multiplied in daies of ignorance and multiplied in daies of knowledge multiplied against all the strivings of the Spirit multiplied under many tenders of Christ multiplied under many of the beseechings of the Spirit multiplied in the clear Light of a Gospel-day But says he this shall not keep off for I will abundantly pardon God's pardon shall be as extensive as all his transgressions were Hereupon says the Apostle There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus There is no sin remaining to condemn him of all his repeated transgressions of all the thousands and ten thousands that he is guilty of there is no condemnation not one sin left upon the score to condemn him V. 33. Who shall lay any thing unto the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifieth Satan will heap up things against them but there shall not condemn them their own Consciences may bring in Indictment after Indictment against them but says he there is not any thing that shall stand in record against them not any thing that shall be laid to their charge to condemn them not any of their sins be they never so small not any of their sins be they never so great that shall remain against them Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect when God justifies Whereupon says the Prophet Jer. 50.20 The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Their iniquity shall be sought for and there shall be none found why because the pardon of God reacheth every one Col. 2.13 Having forgiven you all trespasses And Heb. 8.12 I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more I will be merciful not to this unrighteousness or the other but to all their unrighteousnesses to their sins and to their iniquities It is spoken of in general terms that they might know it will reach every particular It is a full discharge in so much as the believer is counted righteous he is constituted righteous before God Heb. 11.4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous that is in his justification in Christ Jesus in which justification he had absolution and in the compleatness of his justification before God by Gods imputative act he was reckoned he was constituted righteous 4. The discharge that God gives out to those in Christ it is irrevocable It is such an act of grace as God will abide by as God will never recede from no not to eternity therefore he saies Jeremiah 31.34 I will forgive their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more The believer he is afraid it may be that something may be brought
much to us that howsoever spotted and howsoever defiled and howsoever tainted our duties are as they come from us Jesus Christ makes them sweet and savoury and pleasant unto his Father and presents them as a sweet memorial unto him Isa 56.7 Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and I will make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt Offerings and Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar c. Why the Believer comes and brings his poor Petitions but they are not fit for the great God to read over to consider nor to look upon but Jesus Christ he examines them and he mends the Petitions and draws them up fit to be presented to his Father and delivers them with his own hand and then they come to be accepted You are says God unto his Church of old a Kingdom of Priests unto me and an holy Nation Exod. 19.6 Now this is applied unto the Church in New-Testament daies 1 Pet. 2.5 And in v. 9. Ye are a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People Ye are made a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices Ay but will they be accepted yes through Jesus Christ acceptable to God by Christ Jesus And Rev. 1.6 He hath made us Kings and Priests unto God the Father that is to offer up spiritual Sacrifices but this will not do alone Jesus Christ he stands to receive every Offering and it passes through his refining and cleansing hand and his perfuming Incense and so it comes unto God and then 't is a valuable Sacrifice then 't is a pleasant and delightful Sacrifice he puts it into his golden Censure and offers it up to his Father as Rev. 8.3 Here is the great Mystery of the Intercession of Jesus Christ held forth to you in reference to your spiritual Oblations he had a golden Censer and there was given him much Incense he hath enough for all your prayers there was given him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints so we read it but it might also be read That he should add it unto the prayers of all Saints so as our prayers are not weighty as they come from us nor acceptable but they have the Incense of Christ Jesus added to them and then they are weighty and then they are acceptable and from hence God the Father comes to be delighted in the supplications of his servants Now by the way Christians I beseech you take in this notion into your faith it is generally received and believed that we must rest upon the satisfaction of Christ Jesus for the acceptance of our persons let me tell you that you must also act Faith upon Jesus Christ as an Intercessor and rest upon the Merit of his Incense and of his Mediation for all your speedings in your approaches unto God As you must act Faith upon the Merits of Christ Jesus for the acceptance of your persons so you must act Faith upon the Merits of Christ's Death and of Christ's Life now in Heaven for the acceptance of all your spiritual performances with God And here my Brethren you have another ground of Joy and Comfort in your low estate here Suppose that you be tossed to and fro by many tempests suppose that you were sorely broken in upon by breaches of providence suppose that you have lost many dear friends that you did use to consult withal and to go to for assistance why yet you have Jesus Christ keeping your way clear unto the Father and he it is that gives you a constant boldness with him Bring all your Petitions ask what you will in the Name of Christ Jesus and it shall be granted to you Christ stands ready to receive your Petitions and to mend whatsoever is amiss in them and to present them in his own dress unto his Father that they may be accepted and in and through Christ you have a liberty and boldness with God Let us come boldly saies the Apostle unto the Throne of Grace Heb. 4. ult And in Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus Jesus Christ will not throw out a Petition because it was no better worded Jesus Christ will not throw back a Prayer because the Spirit was no more composed ond ordered in it Jesus Christ will not throw back a duty because he sees a little unbelief in it or something of self in it or something that is displeasing to his Father in it but he takes out whatsoever is displeasing and he adds his own incense to it and carries it unto his Father and delivers it an acceptable offering unto him And on this ground you may joy and rejoyce in the Lord Jesus whatsoever your condition in this world is 4. Jesus Christ doth in wisdom direct and with love and grace influence all the losses crosses and afflictions of your Christian state whereby they are all made to further your spiritual interest and be subservient unto your great soul advantage It is the lot and portion of Gods People to be often afflicted to be sore broken as in the place of Dragons and they are many times emptied from Vessel to Vessel but there is infinite wisdom Christian infinite reconciled wisdom that doth order all the motions of providence in all the changes of thy condition Jesus Christ he hath hold of every providence and he directs it in wisdom and influences it with love and grace that so it must do thee good it cannot be unto thy harm or prejudice in Eph. 1.22 And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things unto the Church Christs providential Kingdom is subordinate unto his spiritual Kingdom unto which thou doest belong and by his grace and wisdom he directs all and in mercy doth manage all for thy advantage Psal 34.15 The Eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry The Lord Jesus is ever viewing of a Christians state in his goings out and in his comings in in his lyings down and in his risings up he is ever viewing a Christians condition and wisdom doth direct all for the best it is said therefore Ezekiel 1.18 and it is an observable Scripture as for their rings they were so high that they were dreadful and their rings were full of Eyes round about them four The Prophet is here speaking of the great mystery of providence sometimes saies he Gods providences are very deep they are very tremendous and dreadful but be it so the rings of the wheels of providence they are alwaies full of Eyes saies he round about them four they are full of Eyes Eyes note wisdom directing guiding influencing and managing Now saies he the rings of the wheels that move in every state condition are alwaies full of Eyes there is not only an Eye one way but there is an Eye that looks every way The wheels of
providence they are full of Eyes there are many Eyes Jesus Christ does observe and he looks narrowly and in his infinite wisdom he doth direct for the best there are Eyes in the wheels Things do not casually come upon you things do not come upon you by chance but there is the wheel that is full of Eyes that doth move Christian in all your troubles and in all your losses and in all your crosses and by the Eve of God that is upon your condition that set the wheel a going doth he observe and take notice what is best for you when it is seasonable to make a breach and then a breach shall be made when 't is seasonable to take away a comfort then a comfort shall be taken away when 't is seasonable to let a temptation loose then a temptation shall come when 't is seasonable to put you upon a tryal then the tryal shall appear The rings are full of Eyes There is wisdom that doth direct the providences of a Christians state therefore you have it 1 Pet. 1.6 I pray mark this Scripture if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations the Eyes of the wheels observe when 't is needful to come in with a change of providence when 't is needful to let loose Satan upon you when 't is needful to bring a cross into your condition when 't is needful to bring an affliction upon you to lay a wound upon your bodies or a weight upon your Spirits if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations so as the temptation don't come till you have need of it God sees when 't is time to bind when 't is time to loosen when 't is time to enlarge and when 't is time to straiten when 't is time to give and when 't is time to take and if need be 't is thus and thus with you and as the Lord sees for the over-ruling in matters of affliction so also for the comings in of comfort therefore saies the Apostle Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in the time of need when God seeth that you need more strength and more grace you shall have it when God sees that you need more comfort and more peace you shall have it so as wisdom does direct all and love and grace does influence all the crosses and all the losses of a Christians state so as they shall work for his good and advantage so Heb. 12.5 6 7 8. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth Now see the design of God in all afflictions the design that love and grace is managing and carrying on through the influence that it hath upon afflictive dispensations v. 10.11 For they verily for a few daies chastened us after their own pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness c. He fans you that he might fan away your chaff he puts you into the furnace to refine you from your dross and make you more pure Gold he is carrying on a design of grace and holiness by all the emptying providences that he brings upon your state and by all the changes that he makes in your condition Isaiah 27.8.9 In measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away sin And Ezekiel 20.37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bonds of the Covenant they were Gods Covenant People already therefore he means I will bring you more into the Covenant I will bring you to walk closer up to the Covenant of my Grace the Apostle under this consideration tells us 1 Pet. 1.7 That the tryal of your faith being much more precious then that of Gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ This is from the blessed design that Christ Jesus is managing by all your afflictions in wisdom directing of them and in love and grace influencing of them hence the Apostle James saies James 1.2 My Brethren saies he count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations why how is it possible for a Christ so to do Let him but consider that infinite wisdom reconciled does direct the temptation and love and grace do influence the temptation then behold he may count it all joy when he falls into divers temptations and 2 Cor. 4.17 For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory See how all the losses crosses troubles and temptations of a Christians state are made subservient unto his main and spiritual interest they help to perfect holiness that is begun to bring your hearts closer to God to cause you to walk more watchfully to live more believingly more dependingly to carry it more humbly before the Lord Now Christians here is a further ground of reioycing for you whatever are the emptyings of thy state whatever are the losses and the crosses of thy present condition why say that wisdom directs and love and grace influenceth all for the best If I be broken it is for the best that I should be broken if I be thus and thus afflicted why it is best for me to be thus afflicted I am thus and thus reproached I will be contented and I will be satisfied in the will of God it is best for me to be thus reproached I am thus and thus tempted I am thus and thus unsetled thus and thus burried well God sees it best for me to be thus this is the best condition and this is the best providence this is the best dispensation for me God sees that it is so for wisdom that doth direct and love and grace that doth alwaies influence 5. Whatever are the failures of your outward condition Jesus Christ doth alwaies keep the wells of Salvation open for you which are alwaies full whither you may come and have your fill Creature Springs they often times run low but promise streams they are alwaies high Creature Cisterns they are often empty and dry but the promises that are the wells of salvation they are alwaies full The leaves and the blossoms of your outward condition they are often blasted by the wind and withered by the frost and they drop off but the promises they alwaies keep their greenness they alwaies keep their beauty they alwaies retain their fulness Christians there is a fulness in the promises that you can never draw out if you should spend all your daies upon a promise you can never empty it the Saints that have gone before have been spending one age after another upon the promises and still they are full and they are full with a running over measure now whatsoever is thy condition
in this world if thou beest a believer there is some promise of Grace that doth sute thy condition whatsoever is thy temptation or thy tryal there is some promise that doth offer relief whatever is thy necessity there is some promise that stands ready with mercy and grace Now Jesus Christ he stands at the head of every promise and keeps the way clear and the passage free for every believer and therefore Christ is called the yea and the Amen of every promise that is they have their certainty and their stability in him and from him confirmed by him and are communicated from him Jesus Christ is the Lord of every promise and he will see Christian that thou shalt not be wronged of thy right he will not suffer any to come and take away thy blessedness that lies there now whatsoever thou wantest in thy outward condition the promises are alwaies full whither thou mayest go for relief we read that the Philistines did fill up the wells that Abrahams Servants had digged Gen. 26.18 these wells of water they were stopped enemies could fill them up but my friends all the Devils in Hell cannot fill up one well of Salvation they cannot rob a Christian of one Gospel promise neither can they obstruct his way to the promise but Jesus that sits above and is at the head of the promise he alwaies keeps the way clear and open now my friends here is another ground of rejoycing for you in Christ Jesus you look into your estates and you see that you are on the losing hand daily you look upon your outward condition and you see that you are going down the wind there you look upon your outward comforts and you see them fading and dying and uncertain and perishing before your Eyes ay but your choycest blessings that lye in the promises these are in no uncertainty and though you have not a friend upon earth to go unto and though you have not a fulness upon earth to go to yet you have a fulness in the promise Christian that you may go to there is a fulness of mercy and a fulness of grace in the promise whither you may go Those that have taken away your outward comforts they cannot take away your comfort in the promise neither can they stop up your Wells of Salvation says David Psal 119.50 This is my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickened me The word of Promise that came to my Soul with life and that was as life from the dead unto me when I was in a low and in an afflicted state when I was sorely tryed and broken in upon why consider Christians then that you have a ground of rejoycing in Christ Jesus that he is the Yea and the Amen of every Promise that can never fail and he secures the Grace of every Promise for you and the Comfort and the Light and the Strength of every Promise for you You may therefore though you are brought low in your outward condition look up unto Christ Jesus and rejoyce Sixthly Jesus Christ he is alwaies a Light unto the Believer in all his darkness and a Guide unto him in the intricacies of his way unto his Fathers house We know not which way to go nor how to direct our own steps Jesus Christ he is promised as a Light as a Light unto the world and that is not all but he is a Light unto his own People in a special manner and a Guide unto them in all their waies Luke 1.79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace Why the Believer he wants counsel and he wants direction and he wants advice from the Lord how to steer his course Jesus Christ he stands by him and he administers it he opens the way he reveals the Mysteries of the Kingdom he instructs the ignorant and teaches those that are fools the great and deep things of God and therefore the promise is that the way-faring man though a fool shall not erre in the way of peace Isa 35.8 He will guide them and direct them and instruct them by his counsel at all times And because Believers go in a wildered way that is very hard to find and dangerous and hazardous Jesus Christ therefore is such a Guide that takes the charge of them as a Commander and Leader So the Promise runs Isa 55.4 Behold I have given him for a Witness to the People a Leader and Commander to the people so as he takes the charge of the Believer in his wildered way he guides him and he directs him in his course and he will see that he shall be safe aided to his Fathers house Now Christian here is a further ground of rejoycing for thee You meet with many troubles and discomfortures and discouragements and disappointments in your outward condition but Jesus Christ he will see that you shall not be disappointed of Heaven but he is an abiding Light to you and a constant Guide to you and he will so lead you that you shall not stumble nor fall nor perish in your way unto the Kingdom Seventhly Jesus Christ maintains the Union of the Believer with himself from whence arise unchangeable relations of Grace both with the Believer and him and with the Believer and the Father which are alwaies pleadable and improveable My Brethren Jesus Christ takes Believers into a near and intimate union with himself and makes them branches of him who is as the stock he makes them as bone of his bone and as flesh of his flesh He takes them into an union that he will never suffer to be broken It is an indissolvible union it is an insuperable it is an inseparable union therefore says Christ Jesus Joh. 17. Those that thou hast given me have I kept and not one of them have I lost Jesus Christ never lost a member Jesus Christ never lost a limb Jesus Christ never lost a true subject Jesus Christ never lost a sheep out of his fold so as this near intimate union it is an indissolvible union now from this union do arise everlasting unchangeable relations of Grace that are alwaies pleadable and improveable from this near and intimate union with the Lord Jesus doth Christ ever abide your head filled with strength to animate you and to influence you filled with wisdom and knowledge to instruct you and inform you filled with understanding to guide you in your way In this intimate union you are members of his body he will never suffer you to be cast off so as you may alwaies Believer stand in him and plead the advantages of a standing in him and of an implantation and ingraftment into him Jesus Christ in this union is alwaies your Husband and you are alwaies his Spouse and the advantages of this relation are alwaies enjoyable and they are alwaies pleadable I have betrothed thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment for ever
shall not they cannot do it and Hosea 2.19 I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in loving kindness and in mercy c. I know full well what I do saies the Lord I will betroth thee in judgment I know what the Soul is that I take I take him so as to keep him and to maintain him I will hold him and never lose him I will do it in judgment and it shall be a relation for ever I will betroth thee unto me for ever But now the evidence of the relation that is passable that may be clouded after you have had some clear discoveries of it A Soul that is brought into the light may be turned into the dark again thus it was with Job Job he had a very clear and full sight of his interest at one time that he glories in Christ Jesus I know that my Redeemer liveth and yet the same Job at another time Job 6.4 Tells us that the Arrows of the Almighty did set themselves in array against him the poyson whereof saies he drinketh up my Spirit It was not the terrours of men it was not the terrours of his condition of his poverty or of his sores or of his great disgrace but saies he the terrours of God they are entered into my Soul and so David at one time he rejoyceth in Christ Jesus saies then though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil Psal 23.4 and another time he cries out Why art thou cast down O my Soul why art thou disquiered within me And in another place hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious are his mercies clean gone he mourns after the Lord and complains as one that was banished from his face though your interest cannot be shaken Christians yet the evidence of your interest may be darkned the love of Christ Jesus to your souls may be so obscured as you may be left without the feelings of it And the Soul that is sometimes under comfortable manifestations and filled with joy with peace and with comfort may at another time be darkned with clouds with vails and with curtains and know not where he is the seal of the Spirit of the Lord may be so defaced as that you cannot tell what to make of it the believer that is built upon the rock can never be washt off the rock yet the wayes may dash against him upon the rock he may be sorely dasht upon the rock though he cannot be washt off though your interest stands sure yet the evidence of your interest is not sure it is a passable evidence 6. Sense of interest is in a soveraign hand and is given out to whom the Lord pleaseth and when the Lord pleaseth The Lord is pleased Soveraignly to act in the sealing and ensuring and comforting of his People sometimes he will come in upon a believer at his first conversion and will fill him with joy and gladness that shall abide upon his Soul many years and sometimes the believer shall wait upon God from ordinance to ordinance and follow him many years in the dark and not have a discovery of his love sometimes the Lord will give a Soul no sight of his interest nor evidence of his relation until he come to die and some believers have walked with the evidence of Gods love in their hearts almost all their daies and when they have come to die they have died in the dark Sense of interest is under a soveraign dispense both as to the persons to whom it is given out and as to the time when and as to the way and manner how 7. Though the interest that believers have and are owned in with the Lord is the same and is not different as to its nature and properties yet the evidence of the interest will admit of degrees in different persons and also in the same Persons at divers times those that are taken into relation with Christ Jesus they are all owned in a near blessed intimate relation as I told you before so that there is no difference in the relation neither is the relation an encreasing relation indeed the benefits of the relation they are encreasing but the relation it 's self is not encreasing A believer is not more a Child of God afterward then he was at first when the Spirit of adoption came upon him but the evidence of the interest that admits of degrees the relation its self is capable of an improvement as to the advantages of it but that is not all but the evidence of the relation is sometimes clearer fuller and more satisfying then at some other times It is said Prov. 4.18 That the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day A believer hath a little sight of Christ a glimmering of Christ through the cravis this may be improved and it is possible that the Soul may come into a full assurance of its interest in Christ Jesus ay and it is possible you may be assured more at one time then at another Therefore Christian the little joy that thou hast may grow to a great deal and the small apprehensions that thou hast of Christ may greatly encrease in thy Soul and in this respect the day of small things is not to be despised 8. It is possible that believers may disingenuously act upon low principles in their carnest pursuits after sealings and ensurings I pray mark it assurance it is the Flower of Faith it is the growth the improvement the flourishing of Faith it is the fragrancy the odour and the sweetness nay the very brightness of faith the sealings of the Spirit they are the high strains as I may call them of the Spirit in and upon the hearts of believers And yet it is possible that the believer may act upon low principles in his eager pursuits of the sealings of the Spirit that is such an high act Then does the believer act disingenuously in a pursuit after an evidence of his interest when he presseth after the sense of his interest more for peace and comfort then to improve his interest unto more grace and holiness Your interest in Christ hath two streams the one runs with grace and the other runs with peace and comfort now then does the Soul disingenuously act when he presseth more after the stream of peace comfort then he doth after the stream of grace and holiness then is the believer acted upon low principles when he advanceth the sense of interest above the interest or if you will thus when the desires of the sense of interest do over-ballance the desires of more grace and holiness upon the interest Therefore in all your eager pursuits after the sealings of the Spirit consider the principle Christians upon which you act search whether there be no disingenuous actings n your spirits in your eager desires after assurance 9.
convey water into your houses so doth faith receive from the Lord Jesus Christ and convey into your Souls Faith is the great Conduit that Jesus Christ doth send down his grace in into our hearts Faith that deals with Christ in all his royalties of grace and takes life from him and takes comfort from him and peace from him and joy from him and whatsoever the Soul standeth in need of Faith is the life-grace that feeds your Souls and that keeps you living and thriving and that makes you strong in the Lord we are said therefore to stand by faith Rom. 11.20 Well because of unbelief they were broken off and thou standest by faith Faith is a confirming grace it doth build the Soul upon it doth root the Soul in the Lord Jesus Christ and doth receive strengthening confirming assisting grace from Christ according to to the Soul's necessity So as Christians if you would be strong in the Lord you must get your faith strengthened more and more Tenthly The Lord Christ in the dispence of mercy hath great respect unto the glory of his office-fulness and office-faithfulness The Lord Christ in the communications of grace hath not only a respect unto your necessity but also to his own glory and he will dispense in such a way and at such a season and under such circumstances as shall make most for the glory of his office-fulness and office-faithfulness The Lord Jesus Christ therefore he comes in such a way and at such a time as shall most of all publish his glory unto those to whom he comes and before whom he comes When the creature is run into emptiness and hath spent all then doth Jesus Christ open his fountain-fulness In the weakness of the creature does Jesus Christ discover his all-power and in the uncertainty of the creature doth Jesus Christ glorifie his constancy in the darkness of an outward condition doth the Lord Jesus Christ cause his morning Star to arise and shine from on high that gives light to our feet when we know not how to direct our own paths when we have lost all here below and all our comforts have failed us and forsaken us then doth Jesus Christ appear as a friend that stands up in a time of adversity that neither troubles nor crosses nor trials nor temptations shall separate And he chuses this most dismal state to come in that he might glorifie his office-fulness and his office-faithfulness that he might glorifie his office-fulness to let us know it is a never failing fulness it is a fulness that is alwaies running over that is not dry when streams are dry but can fill streams at any time when they are never so dry and empty and then he comes that he may glorifie his office-faithfulness to appear as one that never doth forget his people that can bear all the concerns of his people upon his heart 2 Cor. 1.9 But we had the sentence of death in our selves So the Lord Jesus Christ he comes and discovers himself when the sentence of death is upon our outward mercies and upon all our outward supporters that they are fading dying and falling down under us then doth the Lord Jesus Christ appear as our God Ye had the sentence of death in your selves that ye might trust in the living God The Lord will so appear as his appearance shall be unto the glory of his own Name in the Office that he is placed in by the Father And therefore do but consider what titles Jesus Christ hath put upon himself that are denominative thereof Psal 9.9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed a refuge in times of trouble A poor distressed Soul that hath no whither to go that is driven off from all his former holds and that hath all his other Wells of consolation dryed up Jesus will be a refuge to such an one and that at such a time And Psal 10.14 The poor committeth himself to thee and thou art the helper of the fatherless And Psal 68.5 A Father of the fatherless and a Judge of the widdow is God in his holy habitation Why says the Soul Now all is gone my Father is gone and my Husband is gone and my Friends that use to comfort me have left me and I am now a miserable creature No says Christ this is my time to appear to shew my self to be a Father to the Fatherless and a Judge of the widdow And Isa 25.4 Thou hast been a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible one is like a storm against the wall Why Christian do not fear an outward distress then do not fear a low condition do not fear a breaking providence why because Jesus Christ doth then take his time to discover his All to you he will then take his time to discover a Fountain to you that can never be exhausted he is a refuge to the poor and needy And these considerations might be prevailing upon your spirits to gather off your eyes from beholding other objects and place them upon the Lord Jesus Christ where there is a sufficient ground of Joy to us whatever our condition is SERMON X. Habakkuk 3.18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will Joy in the God of my Salvation I Proposed several weighty Considerations to encourage your spirits to be getting up into this Life of Faith I have already gone through Ten and shall now proceed 11. Consider That to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ without the least encouragement of sense is the most noble exercise of Faith and that which doth most please the Lord. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ when he is breaking of you and when he is frowning upon you and when you have nothing else to live upon this is the most noble exercise of Faith in this life To believe on the Lord Jesus when your heads are lifted up in the world and when your Table is spread and when your Borders are enlarged is no great difficulty but now to live by Faith upon Christ when there is no encouragement in the creature this is the most noble exercise of Faith What! says Sense live by Faith upon Christ when he hath impoverisht me and emptied me of all creature-enjoyments Ay now is the time to exercise Faith and this is the most noble exercise of Faith and that which doth most of all please the Lord Such an exercise of Faith as this was found in Job When the Lord had taken away his estate and taken away his Children says Job Job 1.21 Blessed be the Name of the Lord. There was a great exercise of Faith in that word and such an exercise of Faith was found in David in the case of Ziklag he had a little place given him in the enemies Country where he might live alone but he had it not long before enemies came and smote the place of his habitation and take away his relation and his goods and leave him
in a strait Remember therefore that when such a stream is dried up the fountain is full still and the fountain can send out more waies than one The fountain that issued out a stream in such a place can issue out a stream in another place as long as the fountain is full there is no fear of want and if you would come to live upon the Lord Jesus Christ in a strait you must keep your eye upon the fountain that is ever full and overflows SERMON XII Habakkuk 3.18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will Joy in the God of my Salvation VVE are upon the Directions 10. In the tenth place if you would live by faith upon Jesus Christ so as to fetch joy and comfort from him under the saddest providences of your state then consider the unchangeable love of Jesus Christ that meteth out and manageth unto blessed ends all the losses crosses trials and tribulations of your state The hard thoughts that we have of our troubles and the hard thoughts that we have of the Lord when we are troubled do drive us off from him and lay our Spirits under great discouragements O saies the Soul live upon Jesus Christ and rejoice in him How can I do that when he comes out against me as mine enemy he writes bitter things against me he is undoing of me he is breaking and spoyling of me and what can I rejoice in him The hard thoughts that the Church had of the Lord was that that did so much overwhelm her Spirit when she came into a low condition his mercy is clean gone and he hath forgotten to be gracious he will be merciful to me no more his mercies are shut up and fail for evermore and such bitter expressions as these are and how can we now rejoice in this Lord and all this while you understand not the Lord nor the design of the Lord and by your ignorance you come to wrong your own Spirits in your present condition by overcharging them with a discouragement that the providence rightly considered as stated by the Lord administers not for do but consider that there is unchangeable love engaged in and mixed with every adverse providence the Lord he strikes and he wounds in a way of love he breaks in upon this comfort and the other and makes breaches in your condition in a way of love and grace the Lord he takes away a creature comfort from a Christian to make more room in his heart for Christ The Lord he puts him into the furnace that he may purify him from his dross the Lord he purgeth him to make him partaker of his holiness The Lord he shakes him and shakes his creature standing and his relative standing under a creature consideration and condition that he might take faster hold upon Christ Jesus he sends out every tribulation upon you with a charge to do you good and to use you kindly as David when he sent out his Army gave them a charge deal gently for my sake with the young man Absolom So saies Jesus Christ unto every Cross that befals you use my Servant kindly for my sake treat him well saies the Lord unto a loss work for the gain of such a Servant of mine saies the Lord unto such a Cross do you try and do you refine and do you purge and do you better my Servant he saith unto such a tribulation go and do such Servants of mine good there is unchangeable love and grace that meteth out and manageth unto blessed ends all the crosses of your condition Job 5.17 Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty We say crost is the man and broken is the man and undone is the man that is so and so dealt withal ay but saies God happy is the man there is a blessing under the cross there is love and grace in the trial that thou dost not consider Christian and this will be more advantage to thee then all the disadvantages that the Cross can bring in upon thee in its self considered Proverbs 3.12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth So as there is love in all the Lords corrections and Isaiah 48.10 Behold I have refined thee but not with Silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction I have put thee into the furnace saies the Lord there is my love working towards thee there is my love speaking to thee there have I been refining and purging and purifying of thee to make thee more excellent gold for my use this is the design of the Lord Heb. 12.5 6. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto Children My Son despise not thou the Chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth and Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and Rom. 8.35 36 c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword None of these things shall do it saies he So as if you would come to a rejoycing in the Lord in a trying hour then consider the unchangeable love of Jesus Christ that doth mete out and manage the Crosses that you are called to bear It was good for me saies David that I was afflicted and again saies he Psal 116.10 I believed therefore have I spoken I was greatly afflicted I said in my hast all men are lyars what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits Surely the Prophet had not only the remove of the affliction in his Eye but also the design of God in the affliction that he saith what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits I will take up the cup of Salvation and bless his name he hath greatly afflicted me and sorely distressed me I will take up the cup of Salvation and bless his name here doubtless was an eye upon the design well then if you would come to live rejoycingly in the Lord in all conditions consider his unchangeable love that doth order and dispose the trials that you are exercised with 11. In the eleventh place Consider the auxiliary relations that Christ stands in to your Souls and the grace that is dispensed upon them You look Christians in an evil day below the comforts of your state and that is the reason you are so hurried in your own Spirits you pore upon an emptying providence and don 't consider the filling relations that Christ is unchangeably enterered into with your Souls relations of grace that are alwaies comforting and alwaies relieving and that have new supplies of grace alwaies springing up in them for your assistance I will give you a touch of some of them The Lord Jesus Christ is called the Father of believers he was promised under that name
if they had not something in reserve to mend their condition they were poorly on 't saies Christ John 16.33 In the world ye shall have tribulation The Saints have nothing but sorrows tryals temptations troubles and afflictions here But there is a glory which remains a glory that is in reserve that is to be revealed that is another manner of inheritance then what is possessed and enjoyed by them here Col. 3.4 For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God The life of the Saints is a hidden life God hath hid it from the world he hath hid their estate he hath hid their riches he hath hid their glory from the world they do not know what they are born and entitled to but when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory as for the men of the world you may see all they have for they have their All here All the portion that God intends to give them it is possest by them here and therefore they are called men which have their portion in this life Psal 17.14 And thus 't is said of the rich man in the Parable Luke 16.25 That he received his good things in this life And Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things thou hadst thy portion and thy All here all the comfort and all the peace and all the honour and all the riches and all the plenty that ever God intends to bestow upon wicked men they have it here but now besides all that the Saints have here they have a hope that is laid up for them in Heaven They can look beyond and over things that are seen unto those things that are not seen that is with a carnal eye they can look from present things that are perishing unto spiritual things that are eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 Whilest we look not saies the Apostle at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal We look at those things that are not seen at the unseen things of another world and Rom. 5.2 We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God We have saies he peace with God now which is something of Heaven let down into our hearts but this is not all but we rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and Rom. 8.17 18. Being Children we are heirs heirs of God and Joynt-heirs with Christ and saies he there is a glory that shall be revealed that all the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with it 2 Tim. 4.8 There is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to all them also that love his appearing Now saies he that I have fought the good fight now that I have finished my course now that I am come to the end of my journey now that I am a going out of the world and leaving all that I have here there is a Crown of righteousness which is in reserve for me that is just ready to be set upon my head and 1 Pet. 1.3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled which fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you It is not known what a Saint is whilest he is here in this world nor yet what a Saint hath what he hath in reversion what he is called to and what he shall be put into the possession of 1 Joh. 3.2 Beloved now are we the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is In speaking to this Proposition we shall shew you what Hope the Saints have laid up in Heaven for them A few particulars we shall alittle glance upon for the help of your Faith by the way But what the Hope of a Saint is which is laid up in Heaven for him is that which no man upon Earth is able to tell you The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 2.9 That eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love him And the Apostle Paul was mounted up into the third Heavens and when he came down he tells us that the glory that was there and the high and blessed enjoyments that are there they were unspeakable he was not able to utter them 2 Cor. 12.4 He was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter unspeakable words unutterable words he was not able to utter them when he was come down again He says at the 3d verse Whether he was in the body or out of the body he could not tell but when he was come down again he was not able to tell what he heard and what he saw when he was in the transport But yet there is something that the Word of Truth hath made known to us for the reviving of our spirits and the strengthening of our hope whilst we are in our Journey and some of those things I shall briefly lay before you As First In Heaven the Saints shall have the perfection of all grace Here they have grace but grace is under-age grace is in a great deal of weakness grace is mixed with a great deal of corruption that is there is a great deal of sin in the heart with grace they are not all grace grace doth not stand alone grace is not in its full strength grace here is so low and so little so born down and so often overtopt with corruption as that it can hardly be seen by another it can hardly be discerned by themselves That a Child of God is oftentimes at a loss to know what to make of his condition he knows not whether he hath any grace or no. Says Christ Matth. 14.31 O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt The same may be said to us all O ye of little faith O ye of little love O ye of little patience O ye of little humility O ye of little self-denial grace is in a great deal of weakness here grace indeed lieth under a growing promise and they that have received but a little receive it as the earnest of a great deal but they have only the earnest here But now when they come in Heaven there is perfection all their graces are put into perfect strength there will be no weakness in their love to God there will be no short comings in their submission to the will of God but in
he is not justified Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith on Jesus Christ might be given to those that believe All concluded under sin all under the sentence of condemnation every Child that is born into the world is concluded under sin concluded under the sentence of condemnation by reason of sin But now the promise of Salvation is by faith on Jesus Christ the promise of salvation and forgiveness the promise of righteousness and peace this is given unto them that believe So as when the sinner is translated when he is brought over to Christ when he hath faith wrought in him on the Lord Jesus Christ then is he pardoned And upon the loss of your pardon I mean the sense of it upon the renewal of faith and the stirring up of fresh acts of faith is the sense of the pardon returned and consolation and joy upon the pardon returned Use 1. In the first place If that God do thus discharge sinners in Christ then this calls upon all of you to study this discharge of the Gospel more fully that so you may understand this wonderful proceed of Gospel grace Sirs this point is a fundamental point it is one of the foundational truths and principles of the Gospel and therefore whatever you neglect do not neglect the study of this mystery There are other truths that are of great concernment There is no truth no principle of the Gospel but is worth your enquiring into But this is one of the main and if you be out here you are out in all and the more you know of this the more savingly you understand this priviledge the more will you be led into others and the higher will your consolation be This is even a Benjamin as I may so call it When Joseph came to serve his Brethren Gen. 43.34 He sent Messes to them from his board and Benjamin 's Mess was five times as much as any of the other Truly the importance and concernment of this truth is such that you had need study this point five times more than some others so much hath a dependance upon it Says the Apostle 1 Joh. 4.9 In this was the love of God manifested to provide a propitiation and atonement to provide a blood through which forgiveness of sins should be dispensed in this is the love of God manifest and you should study this truth that you may understand something of the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of God manifested unto you herein Dive into this mystery Use 2. Labour to clear up your own discharge unto your own Souls Many are the doubts and the fears that Believers labour under and they do arise from their darkness in this point Could they but make faith of this That there is no condemnation for them their fears would vanish their doubts would be answered and their Souls would be filled with the joy of God their Salvation Now there are some waies whereby this may be cleared up As 1. There is the Witness of the Spirit of God and this is a satisfying testimony unto all that have it It puts all out of doubt and answers a thousand scruples at once when once the testimony of the Spirit comes within all fears they vanish all mists and clouds that were about the understanding they all flee away and are scattered 2. It is evidenced by a lively faith in the promise of forgiveness and from thence the Soul is enabled to take in the comfort of the discharge And 3. Sometimes our Justification is cleared up unto us from our Sanctification But truly that satisfaction that comes in to a Soul through his searches into the work of Sanctification in the Soul that satisfaction it is but small it is coming going because the work of grace upon our hearts is under so much weakness and oftentimes cloudy and dark that a Believer many times can hardly tell whether he hath any grace or no in his heart but now that that comes in by the help of the Spirit of God through the actings of faith upon the promise of forgiveness that which comes in through the immediate testimony of the Spirit of God in our hearts this is far more refreshing and more satisfying to the Soul Well labour after the assurance of this discharge that you may know that you have a part in the promise of forgiveness Use 3. You that are forgiven you whom the Lord hath thus discharged you ought to walk thankfully and to live in the admiration of that grace that is glorified in this act of God towards you Psal 116.12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits We should say so upon all our common mercies though never so small What shall I render to the Lord I will take up the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. This is that we should say for ordinary mercies but what shall we say to the Lord for greater mercies Thou hast been brought up in a Land of Vision it may be under a religious education and hast sat under a powerful Gospel Ministry where thou hast been told of thy sins and invited and called to return to God and exhorted to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and yet it may be thou wentest on in a way of sinning against God ten twenty thirty years before God laid hold upon thee and after such a long course of rebellion and after that thou hadst run out in all manner of extravagancy or at least in thy heart didst commit all manner of iniquity and hadst it in thy heart to do a great deal more than the preventing grace of God would suffer thee and after all this disobedience and rebellion in a moment as it were God comes and pardons all The Prodigal a great rebel and yet received and embraced in his Father's arms and not one word objected against him but received as if he had never grieved his Father embraced as if he had never crost his Father as if he had never gone out of his Fathers house what wonderful grace is this Sirs it is stupendious grace for God to make his approach to a poor Soul and to press forgiveness upon it for God as a thick cloud to blot out thy transgressions as Isa 44. v. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions The Lord hath blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and hath caused the Sun of his love to break through and to scatter all at once You should admire the greatness of God's grace that so many treasons should be forgiven at once that so many years transgression against God should be forgiven at once I remember when the sufferings of Jesus Christ were spoken of when he saw what a cup of wrath there was in his Fathers hand it is said he was amazed and astonished when he saw all the wrath that was to be poured out upon him And was