Psal 32. 5. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin And this confession hath been full and free and without any covers for he there saith Mine iniquity have I not hid It is a false heart that petitions help against sin and in praying for it pleads excuses and extenuations This proceeds from â— spirit of bondage and not from a spirit of Adopâ—ion 5. Have you humbled your selves to Gods foot in your Prayers to him A spirit of Prayer is a Soul humbling a Soul-abasing spirit hence that Psal 9. 12. He forgetteth not the cry of the humble and 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear He that prays as he ought to God for pardon and acceptance in Christ is deeply sensible of his great vileness by reason of sin and of his utter unworthiness of mercy and hence he goes with â— rope on his head and sackcloth on his loyns i. e. He reâ—â—gns himself to God with all the Testimonials of his acknowledging that he hath no dependence on any thing but free Grace that he hath nothing of his own nor can he oblige God he therefore carries that with him in Dan. 9. 8. 9. To us belongs confusion of face to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses And his address is in that form Psal 25. 11. For thy name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great 6. Have you Prayed for the Purging as well as earnestly as for Pardon Doubtless he that knows what it is to be Guilty before God will be very importunate in asking forgiveness and well he may for who can stand before Gods angâ— But a kindly resentment of Guilt so as to justify God who condemns will be accompanied with an apprehension of the vileness of sin and that will make us weary of the presence of it and to loath our selves for it which will draw out our cryes to have it taken away both these therefore are included in that Hoâ— 14 2. Take away all iniquity 7. Are your Prayers importunate or in good earnest There are many that pray in good words and it may be with much of noise too and yet not from a Spirit of Supplication they are not importunate and cordial requests which they put up He that is in earnest will take no denial but will press with greatest urgency and resolution One of the Ancients complains of himself that when he prayed against his Lusts he was afraid lest God should answer him this was not from the Spirit of Grace and if you are in good â—arnest you will watch the answer of your prayers to see what return there is of them Psal 85. 10. I will hear what God the Lord will say 1â—0 5. My Soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning 8. Do you persevere in Prayer As it is the duty of all Gods People so to do Eph. 6. 18. Praying always c. watching thereunto with all perseverance So it is one property of the Spirit of Prayer and there is a double perseverance to be eyed in this you are constant and unwearied in your duty you pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17. You resolve as Psal 116 2. I will call upon him as long as I live And you hold on in it against all that would discourage you If you have not a present answer according to desire it doth not beat you off but quickens your ardour and you say as Isa 8. 17. I will wait on the Lord who hideth his face If he repulse you you turn his very repulses into arguments as that poor woman did Mat. 15. 25 26. 9 And doth the sense of sin always drive you to Prayer Do your Consciences at any time reflect and charge Guilt on you Doth this always bring you upon your knees and cause you to pour out your hearts in supplication Do you find the stirrings of inward Concupiscence and the Law in your members warring against the law of your mind What course do you take to get it mortified Is prayer now not neglected These are the motions of a Spirit of Supplication in a Child of God This course we find David is on all occasions taking in the Psalms USE III. For Exhortation in several particulars 1. Let this point awakened Sinners in what way to seek after Christ Certainly when God sets Sin home upon the Conscience of a Sinner it calls aloud to him to repair to the fountain And would you go to it so as to participate in the saving efficacy of it then 1. Do it mournfully Dry addresses to God are insignificant things and will find no acceptance Beg of God then to bestow such a Spirit upon you and labour to express it with all suitable deportment Labour therefore to embitter your Sin to your selves with all the proper considerations that may make it vile and fill you with the deepest sense of your misery by reason of it This is the only way for you to give God his glory both of his Righteousness in condemning you and his rich mercy in pardoning and healing you You will never come humbly unless you come mourning and this is the way to obtain the blessing from him God takes distinct notice of this and he is pleased with it see Jer. 31. 18 with 20. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself c. Is Ephraim my dear Son c. And we find that Christ was anointed purposely for the relief of such Isa 61. begin 2. Do it with Supplications If ever God giveth you the experience of the vertue of the Fountain in you for the taking away of your Sin and Uncleanness he will make you to pray for it he hath said Ezek. 36. 37. I will be sought to c. Seek his face and favour confess your sins and keep not silence seek to him in Christ's name and present your petition before him this is the right returning to God Joel 2. 12. By thus doing you will acknowledge Christ to be the Fountain of Grace when you do seek it of him and call upon him for it And for your encouragement know it that if you do indeed thus seek him you shall find him If a persecuting Saul prays to him he observes it and accepts it of him Acts 9 11. Behold he prayeth Yea he hath said Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me 2. Let this stir up mourners to pray Are there any whose sins are made their burden and they are in bitterness by reason of them instead of nourishing despondent and despairing thoughts in you and making you to hide away from God let it drive you to him to seek his face and favour his pity and pardon let it draw forth that request from you in Psa 41. 4. Heal my Soul for I have sinned against
to God but by a Mediator for without one God is a consuming fire God graciously resolves to bring some of that unhappy race back again to himself and be a fountain of life unto them and herein to manifest his rich Grace for this end he appointed his own Son to become man and in our nature to bring about an Atonement by reconciling God and man one to another and procuring a Redemption for us for this he put Christ into his Office and indented with him in the Days of Eternity 〈◊〉 counsel of peace is therefore said to be between them both Zech. 6. 13. 3. Christ by his satisfactory Obedience purchased and laid in all that was needful for the Salvation of man Had not God put him into Ofâ—ice and Commissioned him for this all his Obedience had been insignificant for not only or meerly the value but the Acceptance of it for us made it a purchase and yet had â—t not been valuable it would not have done because Justice and Mercy could not otherwise have agreed in our Salvation as they must Psal 85 10. Mercy and Truth are met together Justice and Peace have kissed each other But Christ bought us at a valuable price 1 Cor. 16. 12. Ye are bought with a Price and because his â—eath was more eminently concerned in this â—ence it is peculiarly Attributed to his Blood â— Pet 1. 18 19. Ye are Redeemed c. with the â—ecious blood of Christ and as he bought â—s â—ut of the hand of Revenging Justice so he â—ought all that Inheritance foâ— us in which â—ur whole happiness is contained which is â—alled the purchased Possession Eph. 1 14. 4. Hence all this good is deposited in him and â—e dispensation of it is committed unto him As â—e was at the cost to procure it so his Father â—ath betrusted him with the application of it â—e is made the Store house or Treasure of it is laid up in him Col. 2. 3. In whom are hid â— the treasures of wisdom and knowledge We â—â—st go to this Heavenly Joseph if we would â—â—ain it God put not only a Priestly but a Prophetical and Kingly Office on him and now he leaves all to his management and he gives eternal life according to his pleasure John 5. 21 22. The Son quickneth whom he will the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son 17. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him USE I. For Information in two or three particulars 1. Learn we hence the happiness of all those that have gotten an interest in Christ All the Titlâ—â— that are put upon him in the Word of God are to commend to us some excellent benefiâ— that flows from him to those that participatâ— in him Now as Christ's Office is to convey saving mercies to us so herein he appears glorious in that they are all stored in him as in a fountain and that he therefore is a fountain of them How rich then are all they who are owners of this fountain that dwell with him Such are all true believers these can never want all that they can need is in him and there is enough and to spare this may turn the valley of Baca into a well Psal 84 6. Christ himself hath told us what is the priviledge of those that believe in him Joh. 7 38 Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water and hence theâ—e is such blessedness pronounced on believers Jer. 17. 8. Hâ— shall be as a tree planted by the waters and spreadâ—th out her root by the river c. Rejoyce theâ— in this your lot and envy not the world their broken â—isterns though they seem to be neveâ— so full 2. Here is good news to those thirsty Souls that have sought for living waters and found none elsewhere When God awakens the Consciences of Sinners and shews them something of the misery which they labour of they are inquisitive where they may get a remedy and they seek it at home and abroad they go from hill to mountain in quest of it they have gone to every pit hoping to draw waters to refresh their Souls out of it but they have come away empty and ashamed and may possibly be ready to sit down and despair of ever finding any that will quench their thirst and refresh their Souls but be of good cheer here is a true report made of a fountain of such waters as you need there is none in the world nor is there any in your own power but there is enough in Christ he is an infinite and inexhaustible fountain of it and if there was no more to be said yet here is encouragement to hope if there were none at all your case were then desperate but if it be any where and there be enough of it too think then I will not abandon hope for who knows but that he may shew me the favour to give me to drink of these waters of life 3. This may answer their doubt who are afraiâ— to come to Christ by reason of the greatness of their sin misery When deep convictions of these do make them instead of making the greater haste to Christ to discourage themselves there by from daring at all to come to him their sins are too great to be forgiven them their hearts are so hard that there is no softnign of them their debts are run up to ten thousand Talents they have gone beyond the ordinary sort of Sinners and sure there is no help in Christ for such as they are Look now he is a foâ—ntain yea he is an immense and an incomprehensible fountain whatsoever you want or can desire is to be supplied out of it to the utmost extent of your cravings yea indeed he came for that very end that where sin hath abounded Grace might much more abound Rom. 5. 20. And is therefore furnished accordingly Hence USE II. Let it be to exhort and direct miserable Sinners and such are all the Children of men in their natural estate till they are gotten into Christ and interested in his Redemption Be you then pointed hereby to come to Christ for all your supplies make him your object and address your selves to him Many arguments might here be used to press this advice but I shall only offer two or three which are fetched from the Doctrine in hand 1. You must have a supply or you will perish There is no living in the condition you are at present in if you sit still you dy unavoidably your samishing Souls must have something to live upon and that can be nothing else but these living waters or you will faint and dy The whole Word of God will assure you of your woful infelicity which as long as you abide in your natural state you labour of and are perishing in if therefore there be no supply to be had you will sink under this distress and
the world 2. That the great usefulness of this Fountain is to take away the Sin and Uncleanness which man had contracted It is certain that Christ is a fountain of all Saving good to sinful man as hath been already observed but the Spirit of God doth point us here to some peculiar benefit that it was designed for and for that reason do require our particular consideration of Here then we may enquire 1. What we are here to understand by Sin and Uncleanness 2. In what respect Sin and Uncleanness may be said to be taken away 3. What is the usefulness of this Fountain for such an end Of these in order 1. What are we here to understand by Sin and Uncleanness A. There are some who take these two words to be Synonymical and to intend one and the same thing only allowing an Emphasis in the ingemination of things they suppose them to include all sorts and degrees of Sin Some by Sin understand those errors or ordinary transgressions which men live in the Commission of by Uncleanness the more enormâ—â—s and Conscience wasting sins which they defile themselves withall sâ—me again by Sin understand Actual Sin and by Uncleanness â—riginal Sin which is the root of defilement â—â— man and makes all the actions which he doth polluted But there is yet another sense which is more generally entertained and seems morâ— appositely to belong to the meaning of the Text and recommends to us the excellent vertue of this fountain and its extensive usefullness viz that by Sin we are to understand the Guilt and by Uncleanness the Defilement that â— contracted by Sin There are two wofull pâ—â—perties of sin recorded in the word of Goâ— in which the misery of sinful mâ—n is comprehended 1. There is a Guilt that is contracted by it which is properly a respect that it beaâ—s to the Covenant of works or the Sanction which was added to the Law which God at first gave unto man Expressed in Gen. â— 17 In the â—â— thou â—atest thereof thou shalt surâ—ly dy Expounded in Ezek. 18. 4. The soul that Sinneth it shalâ— Dy. This word is therefore used for the punishment of sin or rather for the Guilt by whicâ— the man lâ—eth obnoxious unto punishmenâ— Gen. 4. 7. If thou dost not well Sin lyeth at tâ—â— door Levit. 20. 20. They shall bear their siâ— And in the Levitical Law it is often used fâ—â— the Sacrifice that was offered for sin for thâ— expiation of the Guilt of it Lev. 4 20. 2â— And frequently else where 2. There is also a defilement which the Sin leavâ—s behind it upon the man and that in respect both of Original and Actual Sin Original sin is the very pollution of our nature which makes us unclean things and hence it is Allegorically and Emphatically set forth by the condition of a New-born Infant in Ezek. 16. begin And every actual sin leaves a spot a stain a filthiness behind it upon the man that commits it Ezek. 20. 43. Ye shall remember your wars and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled And this ariseth from the moral respect which sin bears to the Law of God which is an holy Law and men are said to be holy when they observe it and for this reason sin is said to be an aboâ—iâ—able thing Jer. 44 4. 2. In what respect this Sin and Uncleanness â—â—y be said to be taken away A. This will be evident from the former for in what respect Sin and Uncleanness cleaveth to the man in the same it must be removed There is therefore a double taking away of â—â—â— answerable to the twofold miscâ—iâ—f which it doth the man bâ— its adhesion to him tâ—â— former is by Justification the latter by Sanctification And theâ—e are two great and comprehensive benefiâ—s which the Gospel tells us do derive from Christ to us These were in the old Mosaick Law represented the one by the Sacrifices of Aâ—â—ement in which the blood oâ— the offering was made uâ—e oâ— hence that Heb. 9. 22. Without the shedding of blood there is no remession The other by the many washingâ— and puâ—ifications that men were appointed to make use of And some think these two were Emblematized in the blood and water which issued from the body of Christ when he was pierced Here then 1. Sin is taken away by Justification when the Atonement being accepted for the Sinner he is pardoned and his Guilt removed As long as the Law makes its demands of the sinner personally so long his sin lyeth upon him he is Guilty but when this pardon is bestowed he ceaseth legally to be a Sinner i. e. He is not a Guilty one because he is discharged from the Sentence that was out against him his sin is in that regard as if it had never been we read in Jer. 50. 20. In those days and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and thâ—re shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon c. And this is done by Gods accepting of aâ— Atonement when he saith as Job 33. 24 Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome 2. Sin is taken away by Sanctification when God by his Spirit applies â—is Grace to the Soul by which he mortifyeth sin and cleanseth it of the defilement which â—â—eâ—vâ—th to it This is called the purgiâ—g away oâ— iniquity Isa 27. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged And thâ— purifying of our hearts Acts 15. 9. And we are allâ—sively told how it is done Ezek. 36. 25. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be cleansed from all your filthiness And this is nextly applied to Original sin by the mortification whereof we are Sanctified and as sin decreaseth so Grace encreaseth which is our purity 3. What is the Usefulness of this Fountain for such an end A. There are two things to be considered in the Lord Jesus Christ as a Fountain or a Treasury in whom they are laid up which do suitably and sufficiently Answer these two occasions of Sinful men viz. his Merit and his Grace I shall give some general glances at each of these 1. There is an Infinite Merit fountained in Christ for the taking away the Guilt of Sin the Justifiâ—ation of the Sinner We observed that this Guilt is an obligation lying upon the Sinner by reason of the threatning to suffer the penalty menaced by the Law The Removal of this Guilt with respect to the Sinner himself can be only by a free pardon for he haâ—h nothing of his own to make compensation to the Law withal But the removal of it with reference to the Covenant of works and the Established Rule of Relative Justice in it mâ—st be by Justification God as a Judge must either Justify or Condemn him upon his Trial and yet in Justifying him he must also pardon him These two are inconsistent in
Covenant of Grace We do now stand upon other terms with God through Christ in the New Covenant whereof we are partakers by faith in him But still the Precepts of the Moral Law abide on us as our Duty there never was any repeal of the Command nor indeed can they ever cease to be a Rule to man for the guiding of him in the right ordering of his Conversation inasmuch as they are every way suited to the nature of man considered as being made on purpose for the actual glorifying of God so that if we would actually glorify him as men we must do it in compliance with these precepts All that is contained in this rule is reduced to those two heads Mat. 22. 37 39. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self And this can never cease to be our duty so long as we are men nothing can discharge us from the obligation of loving God and our neighbour inasmuch as the Relation we bear to both cannot cease and the duty is inseparable from such a Relation It is also certain that all of these Duties are reinforced in the Gospel or under the dispensation of the Kingdom of Grace and may be all of them found on record in the preceptive part of the New-Testament required of Christians as they would walk worthy of the vocation with which they are called and are therefore called New Commands because they are there reinforced with arguments fetcht from the consideration of the Grace of God appearing to us we have this summarily commended to us in Tit. 2. 11 12. The Grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Under which three heads are comprized all those duties which are required in and by the Moral Law 8. That all the Commands of the New-Covenant which are purely Evangelical are inclusively Comprehended in this Rule It is to be observed that there are some Duties introduced by the New Covenant and are enjoyned on all such unto whom it is promulgated which were not Duties incumbent on man whiles he continued in a state of Integrity such as Faith in Jesus Christ Repentance unto life and the several things that are contained in these as they point to us the way for fallen man to recover Gods favour and obtain eternal Salvation and indeed these Duties were inconsistent with that state Man had not forfeited himself to the Law and so needed not a Redeemer he stood in his uprightness and was defiled with no sin and had no occasion for Repentance These Duties therefore were not immediately comprized in the law of nature nor was man in Innocency able by the improvement of his reason to gather that there were any such Duties hypotheâ—ically belonging to his Rule Nor is it to be supposed that when God at first indented with man in the Covenant of Works and warned him a-against disobedience by shewing him the threatning that he made any discovery to him of an hope that in case of his miscarriage he might be saved or that he foretold a way of his recovery in case he ruined himself by trespassing against the command and bringing of himself under the threatning doubtless he reserved this for the Opening of the Covenant of Grace and till he so made it known man could not possibly so much as guess at such a thing However there is thus much contained in the Moral Law and the light of nature clearly discovered to man at first viz. that the rightful authority and supremacy that God hath over all men claims a liberty for him at any time to enjoyn man in any thing and make it his duty by vertue of his command to do it if it be within the power which he at first endowed him withal and consequently that he ows Obedience to God in whatsoever he shall at any time declare to be his will hereupon Positive Commands oblige men by the light of nature as well as Natural duties supposing there be a Revelation of them made to them We find therefore that God at first exerted this authority over our first Parents when he put them into the Garden by an arbitrary exempting the Tree of Knowledge from their eating of it under pain of death nor did they dispute but acknowledge his Soveraignty over them in that regard though afterwards the adversary used it as a snare to draw them into Sin And how many such positive Precepts did God give to Israel of which he renders 〈◊〉 other reason but this I am the Lord Hence there fore when God once reveals to fallen men that it is his will that they should repent and believe in order to their being made partakers in Pardon and Salvation it becomes their bounden duty by vertue of that Command that they so do and not only will they miss of Salvation if they neglect to comply with these terms on which it is offered but they will thereby Sin against God and so aggravate their Guilt and in this respect the Gospel may well be called the Law of Christ Hence we are told Acts 17. 30. Now God commandeth all men every where to repent i. e. Now when the Gospel is promulgated and 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his Commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. 9 This being a perfect Rule requires every sort of personal perfection in us Our perfection must needs consist in our conformity to the Rule of it and if so we cannot be entirely perfect unless our conformity be as large as the duties which are required by it and that not only in all the parts of it by answering to every precept in it and having a respect to all the Commandments of God but also in the degrees of our compliance with it which must consist in such an Holiness as hath not the least mixture of the contrary in it that doth not only do the thing but doth it with that accuracy that there be nothing wanting in the matter of it with that diligence that we never fail either in omission or commission with that intenseness of love that hath no mixture of reluctancy or backwardness with that singleness of heart that hath no allay or mixture of any sinister aimes or ends and with that constancy that we hold on without wavering to the end which though none of the Children of God ever did or shall in this life attain unto yet it is the perfection which we are called to aspire after and not to rest in any thing short of it but to be in an earnest pursuit of it as long as we abide here and till we reach it in the Kingdom of Glory And that this is required of us will appear if we consider 1. That every thing short of this Perfection is