and he comes on purpose to enlighten you in this great point and to witness this great Truth unto you Heb. 10.15 Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness for after that he had said before this is the Covenant that I will make c. vers 17. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more as the Principal part of the Covenant and of this the Holy Ghost is a witness This great Truth of the forgiveness of Sins the Holy Ghost comes to bear witness of and seal this to thy Soul that thy sins are forgiven this is the great work of the Holy Ghost after believing to seal up the forgiveness of sin and this is one great reason why the Holy Ghost hath the Title of Comforter because as he comes to convince of sin so also to witness and seal up forgiveness of sin to the soul And indeed as it shews the excellency of the mercy of forgiveness because the Holy Ghost is so much in it so the greatness of it that must have so high a Person to witness it and indeed the Soul is not satisfied until it have this special witness of the Holy Ghost 't is true there may be probable arguments drawn by signs of Gods love unto us and the Holy Ghost may come in those signs but besides that there is the immediate witness of the Holy Ghost to limit him to witness by signs only is more than any man can have warrant for and this I say further that all the signs of Gods favour that we can have will not satisfie the soul until there be this special work of the Holy Ghost sealing and witnessing the favour of God unto us 1 Joh. 3. there are many signs of Gods favour in that Chapter Vers 9. He that is born of God doth not commit sin And Vers 19. Hereby we know we are of the Truth and shall assure our hearts before him and he that keepeth his Commandemenâ—s dwelleth in him and he in him that 's another sign and Vers 24 but the conclusion of all is this Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us it is the Holy Ghost must convince satisfie the soul of Gods love many there are that would fain have their sins pardoned and would fain have some signs of it and perhaps I may hereafter give some signs But now know that all the signs in the world will not serve to quiet the heart but that it may return again to its former doubts till God come to pacifie the spirit by the witness of the Holy Ghost for it is so great a matter where once the Soul understands the infinite breach made between God and it by sin that it must needs be more than an ordinary work to assure the Soul of Gods Reconciliation to it and nothing can do it satisfactorily but the Holy Ghost he must come to the Soul to assure it of this thing perhaps the case of a poor Soul is thus Suppose a Prisoner in Goal lies bound in fetters for some great offence against his Prince and some friend comes and tells him there is hope of pardon Oh says he 't is too good news to be true well another comes to the grate of the Prison and tells that he hears from the Court the King hath sealed Pardons and put such a ones name in this is some comfort but yet this frees him not from fears and doubtings But now suppose the Favourite of the Prince come from the King himself one that is of the Kings Bed-chamber and one to whom the King opens his whole soul and nothinâ—â—he King doth but he is acquainted with it he comes to this poor man and bids him be of good comfort I come from the King and bring you a Pardon from him shews it him and says there it is take it Oh this revives his spirit when such a special Messenger is sent unto him so in this case I may compare all signs to be like some friend or other that goes by the grate and speaks of the happiness of such a man that he is pardoned but the soul is under such blindness and fears by reason of the guilt of sin that God knows it is no easie matter to perswade it of pardon But now God for the comfort of those that he intends good will unto sends his own Spirit that lies in his own bosom and knows all his secrets to declare the mind of God and to say to such a soul Peace be to thee thy sins are forgiven now this satisfies the soul But it may be here objected How may I know it is the Spirit of God that witnesses and not my own fancies or delusions of Satan I answer as we know the Sun by its own light so we may know the Spirit by its own testimony and though there be may some ebbs yet it will rise again there is such a witnessing work of the Spirit by a kind of sweet and secret intercourse between God and the Soul whereby God over-powers all doubts and fears though I do not say every one hath it in a like sensible measure yet this I say when this full assurance comes although there may be doubts and many questions before in the soul for fear of being deluded for certainly many are deceived and deluded yet then the Spirit over-powers all doubts and fears and witnesses to the Soul it s own work Do not you say because some are deluded with fancies that there is no witness of the Spirit when as there is scarce any point in the Gospel the Scripture speaks more about than this of the witness of the Spirit indeed they that judge of the mysteries of the Gospel by Humane Reason and understand no further than that reaches too and that are little acquainted with those converses that are between God and a believing Soul they may slight this witness of the Spirit but you must know there is not any Soul that has assurance he shall go to Heaven but it is wrought on by a high supernatural and mysterious way and if there were no other way to evidence this to the Soul but by some signs this would be no higher evidence than by way of reason But we are to know as great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh so also great is the mystery of godliness God justified in the Spirit God justified in the Spirit is a great mystery Christs Incarnation is a great mystery so is a Believers Justification as well as Christs Incarnation so also the witness of Justification is a great mystery and therefore I beseech you look up higher than for such signs as Reason may reach unto and beg of God to reveal this unto you that thou may'st have the witness of the Spirit of God to testifie unto thee that thy sins are pardoned Now blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven seeing God the Father Son and Holy Ghost is so much in it CHAP. VIII
shall be said to those things you have heard in the former Doctrine CHAP. XIV Of the Dishonour that is done by Men to the Pardoning Grace of God by slighting of it FIrst this we have to say to those things Surely if the Pardon of Sin be so great a mercy as you have heard and that there is such a wonderful work of God in it then it must needs be a horrible and vile thing to sin against this grace that the heart of God is so much in to dishonour this great work of God must needs be a very vile and horrible thing And this hath been my intention my very plot as to set forth the greatness of the grace of God in the mercy of forgiveness so also to keep you from sinning against this grace If he be blessed upon whom such a great and glorious work of God is wrought in forgiveness of sin then it must needs be a most horrible and dreadful thing for any man or woman to sin against this grace of God and horrible to dishonour such a great work of God as this is But who are they that dishonour this great work of God or how many wayes may we be guilty in sinning against this great mercy of God in forgiveness of sin I shall shew first who they be that cast dishonour on this great work of God and Secondly Shew the greatness of the sin what a dangerous thing it is to sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin First They sin against this great work of God in pardoning sin that are altogether careless who little or nothing mind it or scarce spend any time about it there are a generation of men and women in the world that have sin and guilt enough upon their spirits yet they scarce ever call to mind or question what are the terms between God and their own Souls how things stand between God and them what God hath to charge them withal whether God hath any thing against them yea or no How few of you now this morning that are come into the presence of God have had your thoughts working thus O my soul how is it with thee How does matters stand betwixt God and thee What guilt is it thou hast upon thy Spirit What hath Divine Justice to charge thee withal Conscience speak freely and fully What is there in Heaven against me Is there any thing upon Record that I am charg'd withal How is it between God and me O what strangers are most men unto such thoughts as these but go on in a sleepy secure and dead hearted way either they believe there is no guilt at all upon their spirits or no great evil in that guilt or else think 't is no great matter for God to pardon you are very solicitous for the flesh what you shall eat and drink and what you shall put on and for your Estates how to get and increase in the world But to make up the Records between God and your Souls to get them discharg'd and the Records of Heaven cancell'd that are against you O how seldom do these things take up your thoughts know you that are of such careless spirits about this great matter of pardon of sin that it is a great aggravation of your sin that you are so careless about that great work of God in pardoning sin you are careless and spend but a few thoughts about that that hath as I may so speak with holy reverence taken up the heart of the infinite God from all eternity certainly there is not any in the world not any of the works of God towards his creatures hath taken up the thoughts and heart of God so much as this one work of the pardon of sin yet your thoughts are not taken up with it you little mind it certainly there is a great disproportion between your thoughts and Gods whereas those that are godly should labour to work as God works and those things that hath taken up the heart of God should take up their hearts whereas those things that are even unworthy of an immortal Soul take up your thoughts and those objects that take up the thoughts heart of God about pardoning sin your own Consciences can tell you is very little in your thoughts and hearts Certainly my Brethren were the thoughts of men and women taken up about this serious and great business of getting pardon of their sin it would prevent and cure them of thousands of other vain slight foolish and wicked thoughts there are I suppose many of you begin to be sensible of sin and of the base wandring filthy unclean and wicked thoughts of your hearts and you say O that we could but help our selves against these wandring vile and wicked thoughts surely this would be a great help if you would get your thoughts possest with serious subjects it would have a great deal of waight in it to help you against those light and vain things your thoughts work about Now of all subjects in the world this is the most serious about the grace of God How his infinite wisdom hath wrought to reconcile himself to your souls in the bringing about the pardon of sin and making peace between himself and the Children of men Now if you would take up your thoughts about the great business of getting pardon of your sins it would take off your thoughts from other things Suppose a man have a vain slight wandering foolish heart yet if he were condemned to die some dreadful tormenting death his thoughts would quickly be taken off from other things and taken up about using means if there were any possibility to deliver himself from death Jerom in one of his Epistles hath this Relation of one that was troubled with vile thoughts and he that he complained unto had this device I name it not to approve it but he had this device he brought the man to have a charge of a crime laid against him and caused him to be brought before a Judge and put into Prison and afterwards he came to him and askt him How is it now with you Does your vain thoughts still abide with you as they were wont to do he gave him this answer says he I cannot live and what shall I now think of Uncleanness and Fornication I am in danger of my life and I have now no time to think of such things and that help't and cured his thoughts from this we may see that if a soul was possest of the evil of sin and the danger of condemnation the necessity and great consequence of a pardon what a mighty means would it be to take off your thoughts from other things and turn them upon this and certainly who ever you are whose thoughts are not mightily taken up about this great subject of the pardon of your sins you take the name of God in vain and do not sanctifie him in this great work of his and know this you that spend
expression as if it were so there is no Text of Scripture hath those words there is one Text of Scripture this is taken out of but that is spoken to another end and therefore you had need to examine what is spoken 't is Ezek. 18.21 this comes the nearest to those words mark this Scripture and see what you can have from thence to defer the seeking of Gods pardoning mercy and grace till sickness and death But if the wicked shall turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die here this Scripture does not limit a time though it says not At what time soever it says if he turn from all his sins and keep all my Statutes and do that that is lawful and right so that this Scripture promises mercy to one that turns from all his sins and will keep all Gods Statutes and so do all that is lawful and right But now if you put it off to the time of sickness and death How can you do all this Turn from all sin and keep all Gods Statutes then or How can you do that is lawful and right then it must be then when you can keep all Gods Statutes as well as turn from all your sins so that if you take all together there is not so much incouragement to that which is so frequent in your mouths At what time soever a sinner repents it must be at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes but further God speaks here to the Jews according to the condition of the Covenant of works because they made account to be justified by the Law says God you will put it off and think at last to turn from your wicked wayes and that I will have mercy on you I but look to it if you will repent it must be such a repentance as must be joyned with a keeping all my Statutes therefore those that do not understand the way of the Gospel but depend upon a repentance on their death-beds God will hold you to this Scripture that you must repent at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes then you see this is the worst time of all to defer repentance till your sick-beds or death-beds for how can you keep all Gods Statutes then and do all that is lawful and right then 5. It is the worst time because all the tag-rag all the base and vâ—lest wretches in the world will come in then And what hast thou no other spirit but to defer coming in till then Hast thou no more care of thy soul no more love to God and his ways but to put it off till such a time as all the abominable wretches in the world will come in that is the seventh way in dishonouring the pardoning grace of God by seeking it in the worst time that possible can be 8. The Eighth way of dishâ—nouring the pardoning grace of God and the most considerable of all is the seeking and expecting of it any other way but only through the Mediation of the Son of God I told you in the opening of the glorious mysteries of pardoning grace that it must be done by a Mediator Now not only gross ignorant people but many others dishonour the pardoning grace of God they are not sensible of this that it is such grace that only comes through the Mediation of the Son of God We have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God if we do think there is a possibility of attaining it any other way than by the mediation of him that is God-Man If we think our crying to God at any time will do it or our roaring out in anguish of spirit forty fifty or sixty years is enough to do it or that there is any thing to attain it by under the mediation of the Son of God we have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God we give not God that honour that is due unto it Luther has a notable expression to this purpose It is a horrible blasphemy if you presume to pacifie God by any works 't is an excellent speech so I say 't is horrible blasphemy and intolerable to think to have any thing in the least of your own to presume upon that God will be pacified with it whereas God cannot be pacified by any other means then by the infinite price of the Death and Blood of his own Son one drop of which is more precious than all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God will say Have I revealed such a way of being reconciled with my Creatures and that at such a rate and infinite price as the death of my own Son Shall his life and blood go to procure pardon one drop of which is more worth than ten thousand worlds and when all this is done shall my creature think to put me off by a poor work of their own prayers tears good meaning or the like or with the most glorious work that they can perform for the greatest and most glorious work that they can perform is not near worth so much as one drop of the blood of Christ And if you have not such high thoughts of Gods Pardoning Mercy that it must be procured by that which hath more worth in it than all the Creation besides you do dishonour it by having such low thoughts of it when as you think to obtain it by any duty that you can do you think God is a merciful God and you hope upon your reforming and performing duties of Obedience that God will be pacified towards you for all that is amiss Certainly when you have these thoughts of Gods pardoning grace you make it to be but as common and ordinary pity towards one in misery but the grace of God is a higher thing than common pity and compassion and it is a mighty dishonour to God to have no higher thoughts of it that you think of it but as of common pity and compassion that one creature hath unto another or if you think it differs from that pity one creature hath to another it is but a difference in degrees only you think it is a little higher in degree but you must look upon it in another way and as another kind of pity then one creature bears to another it is true Gods pardoning his poor creatures is in pity and compassion but it is through the death and satisfaction of his own Son and if you think to procure it any other way than by the mediation of the Son of God you look upon it but in a natural way as nature will dictate unto you for nature will dictate that the beholding of one crying out in misery will move pity and compassion and you go no further But you are to know the pardoning grace of God is the most supernatural and mysteriousest thing in all the Book of God therefore when God works in us
we must act faith upon it in a mystical way or act faith upon it as a great mysterie and therefore you that have been made sensible of sin it may be you have thought of Gods grace for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins and for to quiet the trouble of your spirits Have you done that there is I suppose many a poor soul may say I have been often with God when no eye saw me but only Gods seeking the pardon of my sin in trouble of spirit you have done so but has your eye at that time been fastened on the Son of God as the great Mediator between God and Man to interceed to God the Father for the obtaining this mercy by making satisfaction to infinite Justice Together with your cries for pardon have your eyes been upon the Son of God at the right hand of the Father pleading for man Have your hearts been taken with the great mysteries of godliness and wrought upon by the infinite grace of God Have you put forth a mighty power of the Spirit of Faith to tender up to God the Father the Attonement that his Son has made by his blood and death for your sins Have you seen that the pardoning grace of God is so high that it is impossible to be reach't unto by any thing you can do but only by the mediation of the Son of God If it have been thus with your spirits then you have somewhat of the sense of the great work of God in this thing but otherwise though you have been never so much wrought on and have had floods of sorrow and have cryed never so earnest for the pardon of your sins yet except you have had some such kind of thoughts of Gods grace as these are upon your hearts working after God this way you were never throughly acquainted with the way of Gods pardoning grace and so you have dishonoured him by having too low thoughts of it except your hearts have been raised to this height Psal 51.7 in that time when David was on repenting he called unto God to purge him with Hysop David desired the renewing of the assurance of Gods mercy in Christ in the pardoning of that horrible offence he had committed and therefore prays that he may be purged with Hysop What is the meaning of that there is a great mystery in it in the time of the Law when the blood was sprinkled it was done with a bunch of Hysop and it was a Type of the Blood of Christ that was to make an Attonement Levit. 14. They were to take a bunch of Hysop to sprinkle withal Now says David Purge me with Hysop that is apply to me the blood of Christ for I have need of fresh applications of the blood of Christ I have sinned against him and have done what in me lay to bring my self under Gods wrath and have brought new guilt upon my soul Now for the assurance of thy love to me let there be fresh applications of the blood of thy Son let there be a new sprinkling of the blood of thy Son upon me I suppose many of you in reading this place did not think of the meaning of the Spirit of God in it that may be a great help unto you when at any time you are seeking the pardon of your sins to cry to God to be purged with Hysop O Lord sprinkle the blood of Christ afresh upon me for I know that all my Prayers and Tears and all that I can do cannot purge me from the guilt of that sin I have committed against thee except thou purge me with Hysop that is by applying of the Blood of thy Son unto me And this is the Eighth way of dishonouring the grace of God in seeking for it any other way than through the blood of his Son and remember when you are seeking it that it may be the last time and therefore remember you look up to God for it in by and through the death of his Son for otherwise though you are never so earnest in Prayer you dishonour this grace It is an easie matter to convince men and women that they are guilty of dishonouring the grace of God if they seek for pardon in a negligent and sluggish way but now though you are never so sensible and put forth never so much strength in seeking for it yet you dishonour God except you look upon it as such a high thing that can never be reacht unto but through the mediation of the Son of God 9. The ninth way of dishonouring the grace of God is for any one to venture on sin the rather because they hope they shall be pardoned that dare to venture on sin on that ground hoping that God will at last pardon them I spake before of those that did nothing else but increase their sins in stead of seeking pardon of sin and of the miserable sad condition of such But those we now speak of are not such as are come to this height of sinning to do nothing else but increase their sins but such men and women who being convinc't of sin and if they were perswaded that God would never pardon that sin they would find knots enough to stop them from the commission of it but because they have some hopes that God will pardon therfore on that very ground they venture on sin 't is true it is an offence but God is a merciful God he will forgive though it be an evil there is more evil and mischeif in this than thou can'st imagin What art thou convinc't of sin and wilt thou venture on sin meerly on this ground because thou hopest that God will pardon thee I may say unto thee as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8.22 Pray O pray to God that if it be possible this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee for this thought of thy heart hath so much malignity in it and is so great a provocation against God as possible can be imagined except the sin against the Holy Ghost for any man or women to venture on any sin in hopes of pardon some will say What need we be so strict and trouble our selves so much God is merciful and therefore they think upon that ground they need not be so strict this is a horrible degree of turning the grace of God into wantenness Jude 4. the Apostle speaks of such there that profest they did believe in Christ mark what he says of them There are certain men crept in unawares ungodly men turning the grace of God into laciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ 't is a most dreadful place if there be any one in the Congregation that have ever had the glorious light of the Gospel revealed to them that can reason thus I do such and such things yet God is merciful O that God would convince thee of this evil give me leave to open it unto you how men creep in they were Christians and were
of sin and account it a great misery that they cannot be sencible of it the Lord would incourage them therefore the greatness of sin is no discouragement at all Further The way that thou takest is the way to perish there can be no good in that way thou mayst pine away in thine iniquity but for to get any Councel help comfort or mercy be assur'd thou canst not therefore reason as the Lepers 2. Kings 7.3 If we sit here we shall certainly dye if we go to the Camp of the Syrians they can but kill us let us arise and go And it was a good going to them for they met with that that helpt and relieved them So do you say if I sit down thus there is no way but I must dye but however though I should never get any comfort or help yet it is better venture that way than the other thou knowest not what thou mai'st meet with may be thou think'st it humility to sit down in this way but know that most desperate pride may be under it and stand with such discouragements We know the most proud spirits may be the most discouraged spirits as the Devil the Scripture sets him forth to be as proud as Lucifer yet none so proud as spirits under such discouragements there may be much pride in discouragements therefore take heed least there be any secret pleasing of your selves this way though you be in some trouble yet if you feel there is a secret pleasure in that smart that falls upon you and some kinde of contentedness in going your own way as many men though they meet with abundance of Crosses yet if they go their own way it pleases them much take heed there may be desperate pride at the bottom of all this If this be to dishonour the pardoning grace of God what would you have us to do We would not speak it were it not so to what end is it for us to study and pray to God for light and help to open the grace of God if a little discouragement of heart and sulleness of Spirit shall turn all aside and make all that we say to be of none effest therefore great reason there is that we should tell you this is a great dishonouring of the pardoning grace of God but what would you have us to doubt no more but go on and perswade our hearts our sins are pardoned and there 's an end No if I should say you could do this it would be in vain for me to say all this for it is not in your power to cast off all fears of Gods anger and presently perswade your selves your sins are pardoned this is not in your power to do and therefore this is not the thing I put you upon it must be the mighty work of God in the 2. of Ezech. When the Prophet had done in the end of the 1. Chap. the next verse of the 2. Chap. he saies Son of Man stand upon thy feet but that was not enough to raise the Prophet no not for God himself to say Son of Man stand upon thy feet but together with the voice of God verse the 2. There enters into him the Spirit of God and sets him on his feet so it is with the Ministers of the Word we speak to souls that are cast down under the burden of their sins to stir up themselves that they may not alwayes lye down drooping but stand up on their feet But together with our speaking God must speak and convey his spirit to the soul before it is able to stand up Quest Well but what would you have us to do Answ These are the things I would have you do First I would have you turn your fears of presuming into fears of dishonouring the grace of God I would have you be as fearful that Gods grace should be dishonoured by unbelief as now you are fearful lest you should presume upon Gods grace those that are secure they fear not lest they should presume but those whose consciences are awakened their great fear is least they should presume upon Gods grace and dishonour it by presumption if thou fearest thou shouldst dishonour the grace of God by presumption why shouldst thou not fear lest thou shouldst dishonour it by unbelief as well as by presumption certainly the strength of this temptation is from the Devil Those that have their consciences troubled for sin he labours to keep them from venturing on the grace of God least they should presume but the way to cut the Sinews of this temptation is to fear rather least thou shouldst dishonour the grace of God by unbelief many look not at unbelief as a great sin but God is displeased at thy unbelief as much as by those that do presume Secondly The thing I would have you to do you that are under the checkings of Conscience for sin and full of doubts that God will not pardon and you cannot be perswaded your sins are pardonable Labour to set the greatness of the pardoning grace of God in the fulness of it to the utmost you can before the eye of your souls That it may be before you though you cannot reach to it yet set it before you you do not know what an efficacy the pardoning grace of God hath by being presented before your souls and kept there no marvel you find not the power of it when as you set it not before your eyes the efficacy of Gods grace lyes much in presenting it before your souls The Brasen Serpent if they lookt not to it it would never heal So though the pardoning grace of God be in books and Sermons yet unless it be before your eyes and you fix and fasten the eye of your souls upon it it will never heal you therefore keep it before your eyes Psal 5.3 There is an excellent expression In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up I suppose many of you in the morning will not neglect prayer to God but mark the expression I will direct my Prayer T is not I will say my prayers but direct my prayer there 's a great emphasis in it I will level my Prayer aright and dart up my soul aright to Heaven and observe the way that God would have me and so direct my heart in prayer to him It may be some of you go thus far not to content your selves with a dead hearted sluggish Prayer But what do you look to all the day after what shall wandring and discouraging thoughts bring you to look down all the day Would you look up to your morning Prayers and what you prayed for there would come a great deal of efficacy upon your souls Thirdly Be careful to keep your hearts stirring and active be afraid of deadness and dulness take heed of such thoughts Why should I pray and read when as I have no heart to perform any duty Up and be doing and the Lord be with you if ever
not a slight notion like water running through a Pipe that leaves nothing behind it for so the thoughts of most People are but it is such a thing as brings Christ into the soul and the soul into Christ and so feeds and lives upon him this is relying upon Christ for pardon so as to have the concomitants and comforts of pardon continually going along with it Now you have heard these things go away and beseech God to settle things aright in your souls say to your hearts Lord I see that setling of the heart aright upon Christ for justification and pardon of sin is another manner of business then I was aware of and I am perswaded that if I had died before I should certainly have dyed under some of these mistakes Lord settle my heart aright in this great business Do not go away with such thoughts as these the Minister speaks of such mistakes but I hope it is far otherwise do not venture to put off what we say with such slight thoughts when we speak unto you we speak in the Name of God and it is a horrible taking of the Name of God in vain if we examine not what we say unto you by the Word And therefore know you are charged this day in the Name of God to look to it and examine your hearts what grounds you go upon for the pardon of your sin that you may not mistake in which we shall give you some further help in laying down some positive grounds that you may rest upon for the pardon of your sin CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin BUt if it be asked Who are they that have their sins pardoned surely they are not many this Text puts it in the singular number Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned and by that which hath been delivered about the mistakes it appears there are not very many but yet some there are and this is the work of this day in the Name of the Lord to declare to some poor souls this day their sins are pardoned this is the message from the Lord I am to speak to them I hope divers in this place as from Christ Son and Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned And blessed is that man and woman that this day shall hear that joyful sound in their hearts and that shall have the Spirit of God witness unto their spirit that as I have heard so I have felt this day that what signs of forgiveness of sin have been delivered I have felt them in my own soul Well then What are they to insist upon them The First is that the Apostle gives in Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified Justification consists especially in the remission and pardon of sin Now the Holy Ghost says whom he hath called them he hath justified would you know that you are justified and that your sins are pardoned the Spirit of God shews you it is not a note of mine but it is that which comes from the Holy Ghost whom he hath called them he hath justified Vocation is a certain Evidence of Justification this Vocation or Calling is the second link that does unite those two links of that golden chain together mentioned in that place the first link is the foreknowledge of God Gods Predestination and then there is Vocation the next after that Justification and then Glorification the first chain in the link is that God from all Eternity predestinates some persons to have their sins pardoned but there is Vocation comes in between Predestination and Justification and after that Glorification so that while I am giving Evidences of Justification here in this Text I shall give Evidences of Predestination and Glorification too for these are linkt altogether Many People look only after Justification they hope their sins are pardoned but they look not to any other link of the chain as Calling and Vocation whom he hath called them he hath justified but the question then is What is this Calling What do you mean by that how shall we know whether we be called or no in 2 Pet. 1.10 he bids them there to give diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Mark as here Predestination and Calling are put together so their Calling and Election says he Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Election is first sure in respect of God but Vocation is first in regard of our selves make that sure and then you make Election sure Justification sure and Glorification sure too then what is Vocation for answer to the Question Know there is an outward call and an inward call when God sends the Ministers of the Word to reveal the Gospel and the way of Salvation that is no other but Gods calling mens souls from the ways of sin and death to come into the ways of life all that come to hear the sound of the Gospel preacht unto them let them know that is Gods call to sinners to come in and repent God calls to the Drunkard the Unclean person and all others that live in sin to repent when you come to hear the Word God calls you and God requires of you as you would have God to hear your cry when you are calling for mercy in the day of your distress hear my call now I call and cry in the Ministry of the Word Would you have me to hear you when you cry to me do you hear me now I am calling to you O that People would understand the Ministry of the Word that it is the call of God for sinners to return and repent of their sins that they would look beyond man and know that it is the voyce of God by them and therefore it is a dangerous thing for People to neglect resist or rebel against the Ministry of the Word and there is some good hopes that God hath some souls in such a place that he intends everlasting good will unto where he sends the Ministry of the Word God do's not use to send the call of the Gospel to a place but there are some souls to be called And therefore Secondly Besides the Outward Call there is an Inward Call and that is it the Apostle speaks of Many have the Outward Call of the Word to Faith and Repentance and yet they perish eternally But those whom God intends to save and hath love to indeed he comes to them with an Inward Call and this Inward Call of God is on this wise God beholds the poor wretched sinner going on in the ways of sin death and perdition and he comes to him by a secret and powerful voyce speaking to his very heart O Sinner consider where thou art What art thou a doing Whither art thou a going What is the end of thy way like to be thou art going from God from happiness and life to woful misery and blackness of darkness to the infinite
they be not made so sensible to you and therefore soul take hold of that which you can see or feel and be assured the other are there though they are not seen if thou can'st take hold of one linck of a chain and all the other be fastened to it thou may'st be able to draw the whole chain unto thee for by taking hold of one link thou takest hold of the whole though thou touchest not the other so in the work of Gods graces they are as a link united to one another and if you can lay hold of one link you may be assured of the other although you see them not it is with many in this point as it is with some ignorant man the Physitian tells him he must take such a thing that must have these and these ingredients in it and when the Apothecary has mingled all it may be but one of these things can be seen in the colour and outward appearance perhaps some one syrup may take up all the colour in the outward part and when it is brought to him says he I must have so many Ingredients in it and I see but one I but though you see but one yet there may be the efficacy of all in it though but one give the colour so it is with the graces of Gods Spirit though at the present some one appears yet there may be the efficacy and power of them all in the soul though there appear but one perhaps it is in this case as among many ingredients you can see and tast but one yet there may be the power of twenty there though neither seen nor tasted so it is with the work of God in the soul sometimes it may be that there is but one grace to be seen tasted or felt and yet where that one is there are all the other so that that is one rule when you look for Evidences and Signs if you can find but one in your souls all are there as it is in sin where one sin hath Dominion over the soul though the others be not seen yet we are to know that other sins have dominion over the soul too though some men live under the slavery of one sin more than another as one man under the power of Covetousness another under the power of Ambition or any other sin this man may be thought to be under the power of but one sin but the truth is he is a slave to all sin every natural man that is out of Christ is under the power of every sin he is a slave to the Devil in every sin but by reason of the constitution of his body and for some outward respects he may refrain from some particular sins that do not so well suit with him whereas if it would serve for his own ends and purposes he could as well commit any sin as that one this is a certain truth Whosoever makes not Conscience of every sin he makes Conscience of none though he refrain from the practice of some others it is not out of Conscience but for by-ends therefore he that is under the power of one sin is under the power of every sin Many think all men are sinners and for their parts they have but a few such a sin I cannot leave but I am free from all others Dost thou keep from all sin but one God will find thee under the power of every sin and God will charge thee at the Tribunal as under the power of all sin so now on the contrary Gods people are mightily troubled that they cannot find the work of Gods graces in all of them such an one they find but they want it in another because it is not so evidently stirring as the other but as the truth is certain on one side of the wicked so it 's true on the other side of the godly that where there is one sin there is every sin so where there is one grace there is all grace there is the power of godliness in every grace where there 's one grace that is the first rule to help us in making use of the Evidences before given The Second rule is this When ever we have found any one Evidence upon serious examination in the presence of God and now it appears not positively to the contrary at the present but thou art meerly dubious of those things that heretofore thou hast felt because thou dost not feel them now in this case we may and should have recourse to what God has wrought heretofore and build upon the former workings of Gods Spirit upon us true it is when we come to give Evidences in our Ministry of those that have grace we may meet at such a time with them as that they have sense of nothing and in such a condition as that they are not able to know their own hearts nor feel any workings upon them Now if it be meerly from want of sense and that the contrary positive evil appear not but only the want of feeling of what thou had'st and felt heretofore thou art to have recourse to the days of old as David often speaks that he would remember the days of old it may be you will say some Hypocrites have thought they have been in this condition they have had many slashes and yet they have proved naught how can we have recourse to what was before when God did work upon me I can indeed remember when God did draw my heart and then I thought I could have closed with any Evidence out of the Word I felt such workings in my heart but I might do all that and yet all be but in hypocrisie I answer that certainly the bare want of sense is not ground enough for me to think that all was in hypocrisie for this consider if I groan under it as under an affliction and would fain feel those former manifestations I had formerly and that I can take little comfort in my present case and that my soul is continually longing and panting after the workings of Gods grace that I heretofore had if this be so and that there is nothing to the contrary thou fallest not off to sin or to the world to satisfie thy soul in sinful ways and that thy heart is yet panting after God if it be thus with thee thou may'st take the comfort of what thou had'st before and feed upon it as Provision laid up before hand for thy soul as if thou had'st it present But Hypocrites that fall off from the visitations of Gods Spirit they fall not off only to a want of sense of those former movings and workings of the Spirit but their hearts come to be satisfied with something else and they take up with some other contentments and 't is not a want of feeling only of what they had heretofore but their hearts run out from God into other ways of sin and wickedness so it is with Hypocrites but thou hast this testimony that it is not so with
whose Sin is Covered CHAP. I. The Text Opened and the Main Doctrine Propounded I Have as you may remember in many Sermons endeavoured to shew unto you the malignity and dreadful evil that there is in Sin And what more seasonable and suitable Argument can we now treat of than the blessedness of Pardon of Sin How sweet and acceptable will this be to such fouâ—s that by the former argument have been made apprehensive of the dreadful evil of it How readily will they say with the Prophet How beautiful are the feet of those that bring such good tidings Wherefore me thinks while I am reading this Text I should be like a man at an Eccho that hears the words thereof resounded back again by every broken hearted sinner in this Congregation O blessed blessed is the man indeed whose transgressions are forgiven and whose sin is covered A word spoken in season says Solomon is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver and considering how large I have been in opening of the Evil of Sin unto you if ever a word was spoken in due season I hope it may be out of this Text The word of Reconciliation and pardon of Sin and if God inable me to clear up unto you the excellency of those Truths contained in this Scripture I hope they will prove in all your eyes to be as Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver The words read are the first words of one of David's Penitential Psalms and they are indeed the genuine voyce of a true Penitent the very Character of an humble Penitential Soul he is one that has admiring thoughts of the blessedness of the pardon of sin I will not spend time in Analysing the whole Psalm because the sweetness and blessedness of the Argument draws my heart to come presently to it And blessed may your ears be who after hearing of the dreadful evil of sin may come to hear the blessed doctrine of Pardon it is that which God has deny'd to many thousands And who knows but many even of those that in this Congregation have heard the sorrow of that Doctrine are now gone perhaps to their own place and feel what they then heard and much more and are past ever hearing the argument of pardon and forgiveness of sin that blessed sound shall never come to their ears but the horrid noise of yelling roarings and cursings of damned spirits for the wrath of God that lies heavy on them for their sin This Psalm in the title of it is a Psalm of David Maschil that is a Psalm of Instruction or for Instruction And what is a more useful Instruction than to instruct the soul where true blessedness lies And what is a better instruction than to tell man the way of the pardon and forgiveness of sin the way to true happiness The happiness of the reasonable creature is that which many wise men thought to find out but after all their search they were much puzled and in the dark and could never come to find where it lay by all the wisdom of the flesh only the rational creature is capable of blessedness because it is capeable of such an act as to reflect upon it self that is the ground why the rational creature is capable of blessedness above all other creatures no creature can truly be said to be a blessed creature but only the rational because no creature else can reflect upon its own condition to know it self But then not only to know our selves but our own happiness where our blessedness lies this must needs be a profitable instruction No Philosopher did ever give such a description of happiness as this is Blessed is the man whose c. yea David who had a Monopoly of the comforts of this world to the full and had the Crown upon his head says not Blessed is he that is Crowned and has a Kingdom David that had the riches of this world did not say Blessed is he that hath this worlds goods David that had honours and was reputed among the mighty men did not say Blessed is he that hath worldly honours David that had many Victories over Enemies says not Blessed is he that rides in Triumph over his Enemies David that had sumptuous Palaces and the delights of this world does not say Blessed is he that has them But in the midst of all Outward good things David enjoyed in this world he finds his blessedness to consist in this The pardon and forgiveness of his sins he pronounces them and them only blessed whose sin is pardoned This Instruction of the blessedness of Pardon of Sin as it lies here annexed is of weight indeed and of infinite concernment Luther says The Argument of free Justification and Remission of Sin is that that makes a Divine and this may be added to that 't is this that makes a Christian To be instructed rightly in the Justification of a Sinner is that that makes a Christian Nay although we had ten thousand Instructors in other things not only in Natural knowledge but in Divinity too in all the points of it yet we could never be wise unto Salvation except we were instructed with this instruction in the blessedness of Justification and pardon of sin Luther says Let this Doctrine lie dead and all the whole knowledge of other Truths is to little purpose Therefore well may the title of the Psalm be a Psalm of Instruction Blessed is the man whose Transgressions are forgiven and whose Iniquities are covered Wherefore our Point of Doctrine according to the words is this Doct. The Blessedness of a Man or of any Soul consists in the free Grace of God forgiving of his sin That is our point the blessedness of any man or woman does not consist in the enjoyment of any thing in all this world but in the free grace of God forgiving of his sin It neither consists in any thing we can do or have but in the free grace of God forgiving of sin and that is the meaning of that Text Rom. 4 6 7. which St. Paul cites from this place of Scripture observe it 't is to this very purpose even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works saying Blessed are they whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose Sins are covered The scope of the Apostle in this place is to declare the blessing of Abraham the father of the faithful consisted not in any thing he had or did but in the free grace of God forgiving of his sin Gal. 4.15 says Paul Where is the blessedness you spake of for I bear you record if possible you would have pluckt out your own eyes and given them to me Where is then the blessedness you spake of What 's the meaning of this blessedness certainly this blessedness in my Text it was this blessed doctrine St. Paul being first that brought it to the Gallatians concerning the free Justification of a poor soul by faith in Jesus Christ
charge This is the second mystery in point of Justification thou a poor soul stands charged with thy sin and art in danger of eternal damnation rather than thou should'st eternally perish God is contented to pass over thy sins upon his own Son Now they must needs be blessed that God does so much for and know thou if ever thy sin be pardoned God does do so much for thee Of the third Mystery It is by Christ's Sufferings 3. Where ever sin is pardoned Christ stands charged not only with the sin but to suffer as much punishment for thy sin as if thou wer't eternally damn'd for them it is not such a pardon as that there is no punishment to be suffered but whosoevers sins are pardoned there is this agreement between God the Father and the Son that his own Son shall suffer as much punishment as if thou shouldst suffer eternally the wrath of God for thy sin there is this done for thee and surely that man is a blessed man for whom Christ is content to suffer so much as thy sins comes to or else thou must have been eternally damn'd this Religion and the Gospel teaches us that we can never come to be pardoned by any other way Of the fourth Mystery Where Sin is pardoned the Soul stands righteous before God 4. There is this mystery in it Where ever sin is pardoned God does not only pass by sin and forgive it but he makes the soul stand righteous before him every justified man stands righteous before the Lord. A malefactor may come to a Prince and be forgiven his fault and yet not accounted a righteous man he may be lookt upon as a wicked wretch still though out of free grace the Prince forgive him But God never forgives the offence of any one sin but that man is set righteous before the Lord this is done by an Act of Justification I speak not of Sanctification A Prince may forgive a Traytor but the Law is not satisfied but God when he forgives sin takes such a course as that the offence is not only forgiven but the Law comes to be satisfied and the soul stands before God as a righteous person and surely he that is righteous must needs be blessed Of the fifth Mystery This Righteousness is in another 5. This Righteousness is in another and it is a higher righteousness than ever that of Adam's was in Innocency this is a great mystery that a soul should stand righteous before the Lord and yet in the righteousness of another not of his own Phil. 3.8 9 10. St. Paul counted his own righteousness as dung that he might be found in him that is in Christ Not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness of God that comes in by faith and so Rom. 5. latter end Christ is said to be our righteousness ver 19. As by the disobedience of one many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous 't is a righteousness transferr'd upon us beyond our own Mark in forgiveness as our sins comes to be transferr'd and put upon Christ so the righteousnes of Christ is transferr'd upon a justified soul and that soul comes to be righteous before God surely then blessed is that man that comes to have the shining garments of Christs righteousness upon him Ahasuerus could not think of a better way than this to honour Mordica more than to cloath him with the Kings Royal Rayment and proclaim before him This shall be done to the man whom the King delights to honour surely that man or woman is honour'd indeed that God shall cloath with the shining Robes of the Righteousness of his own Son thou that wast cloathed with the filthy rags of thy own sin and wickedness and had'st no other garments to stand in in the presence of God now he puts on thee the Righteousness of his own Son and so thy iniquity comes to be covered Oh that is a glorious Garment all the Garments in the world bedest with Diamonds are but filthy Garments in comparison of the Garments of Christs Righteousness that is put upon a man when his sins are forforgiven Of the sixth Mystery A near Union is made between Christ and the Soul 6. When God comes to forgive sin the way God takes is this he brings a man into such a near Union with his own Son as makes thee to be one with â—â—m yea so to be one with Christ as no two things in the world are joyn'd so together as thou and Christ art the Soul God pardons he does it this way 't is not thou hast sinn'd and I will pardon thee 't is no such slight business as I may say in a sinners pardon No for when God forgives thee he makes thee one with his own Son so as no two things in the world are so near together as thou and Christ therefore the Scripture expresses it by the Union of Branch and Root Body and Members that is a near Union of bones and flesh in one body so also the Union between Man and Wife is a near Union but the Union between Christ and a justified Soul is nearer than any of these there is one expression in Scripture that Christ useth Joh. 14.20 You in me and I in you there are no two things so nearly united though the members be in the body the body is not in the members so the branch though it be in the root the root cannot be in the branch but the Union between Christ and us Is Christ in us and we in him He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit It is a spiritual Union and the Union of spiritual things is the nearest that can be Now Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven because by this means God brings the Soul and Christ to such a near Union that all natural Unions are but dark shadows of it Of the seventh Mystery It is by Faith yet boasting excluded 7. It must be by Faith and that is the most glorious work that ever God inabled a poor creature to do yet boasting must be excluded the Scripture excludes boasting from both not only from the Law of works but the Law of faith but you may say How can both be excluded both the law of works and the law of faith for works they may be excluded say some because works are our own but faith is the gift of God God inables us to believe therefore there can be no boasting of faith because it is the gift of God but works are our own this answer is but a fiction for if we be inabled for the performance of any work that is of God too the work of any grace is the gift of God as really and truly as faith is the gift of God all gracious works are performed by the grace and gift of God Adam could not do what he did in Innocency 〈◊〉 by the gift
though they be never so many and great But also such a Covenant upon my coming in that God will discharge all sins that shall be committed for time to come though I be ready to fall into sin dayly yet I shall not come into condemnation O what will so infinitely ingage a gracious and ingenious spirit as this does surely nothing like this Now if this be true that man that is forgiven is thus forgiven not only for time past but also for time to come Then blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven and whose iniquities are pardoned Of the tenth Mystery God pardons a sinner not because he is but that he might be chang'd 10. The tenth Mystery is this for I would endeavour to shew you what a mighty work Pardon of Sin is and raise up your hearts to have higher thoughts of it than ever you had before God does not pardon because a sinner hath his heart and nature changed but that he might be changed And thus the pardons of God differ from all other pardons a Prince pardons a Malefactor or a Father a Child but upon what terms a Prince expects his Subject should be changed as far as he can discern and a Father though never so tender will not pardon a Child unless he come in and manifest a change of his disobedient spirit and then he pardons God doth not pardon because we are chang'd but that we might be chang'd his Pardon comes first Rom. 4.5 a very strange place for this and may incourage any poor soul that is troubled for sin to come in and lay hold upon Gods mercy in Christ But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted unto him for righteousness Mark when God comes to justifie a sinner he looks upon him as ungodly he stays not till the sinner be made godly and then justifies him as a Prince stays till a Malefactors heart be changed and he become a loyal subject and then pardons him God is not so in justifying souls he justifies the ungodly one that is ungodly coming to him he justifies This is a mighty Argument I name it for this end because I would teach people that notwithstanding any sin or guilt that lies upon their spirits yet they have a liberty to come in and lay hold upon Christ for Justification do not say I am ungodly I am a great sinner and have a vile heart and I find not my nature changed and therefore How dare I lay hold upon Gods grace for mercy and pardon yea thou may'st because God justifies the ungodly though thy nature be not chang'd and sanctified as thou say'st take it thus Thou must lay hold of Gods grace for Justification that thou may'st be sanctified not only pardoned but sanctified Come but thus with thy heart affected to close with the grace of God that thou may'st be sanctified as well as pardoned though for the present thou feelest not any Sanctification yet thou may'st have right to lay hold upon Christ as well as any one whatsoever Will not this be presumption for a sinner thus to lay hold on Christ If faith were meerly a perswasion that Christ dyed for them or as many men think thus Well God is merciful and he will pardon me Christ having dyed there may be presumption in laying hold on Christ But now as Justification is a great mystery so is faith and faith is a mighty work of the Spirit of God in the soul that causes the soul to roul and cast it self on the free grace of God in Christ and venture it self and all its hopes for good and happiness on him there is not only a coming to Christ for pardon but for grace holiness light good and happiness here and for whatever it doth expect hereafter it looks for all from him Now when there is such a work of God upon the soul in casting it self on God in Christ though there be nothing at present but ungodliness in him appearing yet such a one may and hath right to come unto God for pardon for God justifies the ungodly Rom. 5.6 Christ died for the ungodly and vers 10. If when we were Enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son when we were Enemies and had base hearts full of enmity against God yet then Christ died to reconcile us unto God thou may'st then venture to come to him for pardon and it is no presumption though thou seest no change in thy self yet he pardons that thou may'st be chang'd now here 's a glorious work of God in pardoning a sinner that God should pardon justifie and reconcile us when we were Enemies to him here is a glorious work of God for a sinner to be justified and reconciled and yet when the sinner was an Enemy unto him Of the eleventh Mystery God himself purchases the Pardon 11. When God pardons a sinner he himself is fain to purchase the pardon and this is different from the manner of pardons among men A Prince pardons a malefactor but the Prince himself doth not purchase the pardon and if one have offended you you pardon the offender but you that are offended do not purchase a pardon for the offender possible some friend may come and purchase a pardon at the Kings hands for an offender but the King himself doth not purchase it yet thus it is with God God doth not pardon any one sin but it costs God himself dear before he gets it therefore 't is not such a slight thing to be pardoned you must not think to go to God and cry mercy and that he will pardon 〈◊〉 thus in a natural way God never pardons sin but it costs God dear yea that which is more worth than all the world if that could have done it God would rather have dissolved Heaven and Earth than have given that that he did give What was that It was the bloud of his own Son God gave him up to death for the sin of mankind and for the purchasing a pardon for man But some may say What need God have purchast a pardon for man Could he not have forgiven him by his absolute Prerogative I answer there was need because of the satisfaction of Justice he did purchase it out of the hands of Justice God was fain to lay down a price to Justice before he himself could pardon one sin Justice must be satisfied before he could give out one pardon Well take all these together Christ must be our Surety take the debt upon himself and suffer as much punishment as we should have done in Hell to all eternity and to make the soul stand righteous before God yet this righteousness to be in another yea a near union is made between Christ and the Soul And yet further 't is by faith and yet boasting is excluded and God is infinitely merciful and yet infinitely just and when he pardons one sin he lays in a pardon for al
the Word which before terrified my Conscience yet now my sin being pardoned my soul is reconciled and the Word of God speaks nothing but good unto me and all those fears that before so terrified me are dispell'd But may not a pardoned man have these fears or somewhat of the nature of them resting on his spirit after he is pardoned Yea he may but the ground of them is dispel'd and gone it is not the work of Gods Spirit that causes these fears as it did before Rom. 8.15 You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of adoption whereby ye cry Abba Father may be you may have some fears but being justified by faith you have not again received the spirit of bondage if hereafter you have any fears of Gods judgments and wrath against you it is not the spirit of bondage the Spirit of God that causes these fears your own selves may mistake the matter for those that once receive the spirit of bondage never after receive it you may have fears through your own mistakes but not by the Spirit of God as the spirit of bondage shewing us our bondage by our sins and working terrors on the soul for it these fears are dispell'd for in our peace with God in the pardon of sin the matter of enemity between God and the soul is taken away there is this in it which might have been added in the mysteries When a Prince pardons a malefactor he gives him his life and he is glad goes away but the Prince regards him not any more and possibly he may yet have enmity in his heart against the Prince still But God when he pardons a sinner not only is the enmity taken away but forthwith that soul is brought into the state of infinite friendship he receives the soul into his very heart so that there shall be a greater and more intimate love and friendship between his Majesty and that Soul than ever was between the greatest and dearest friends in the world this is wonderful and yet this is so for as when God comes to pardon sin there is not only taking away the guilt of sin but the soul is made actually righteous in Justification so also there is not only a taking away of the enmity between God and the soul that was there before but he receives the soul into infinite love and takes him into infinite friendship with himself Oh the sweetness and blessedness of that mans state whose sins are pardoned Reconciliation with God follows thereupon and he takes the soul into his bosome-love Further upon this there follows two things Peace in Conscience and with the Creatures being justified by faith he hath peace with God and as the immediate consequence thereof peace in Conscience and with all the Creatures 1. Peace in Conscience those fears and grating terrors that arose on guilt of Conscience are gone those dismal accusations of Conscience are still'd though 't is true a mans Conscience may trouble him after Pardon and Justification but it is through mistake the ground of all those troubles of Conscience are gone 't is with trouble of Conscience after pardon of sin as with the Sea you that are Marriners may see the wind at Sea raising the boisterous waves on high yet after the wind is quite down 't is a great while before they be still and quiet so in mens souls it is guilt of sin that causes woful disturbances but when God pardons sin he comes into the Soul as Christ in the Ship and bids all be still and though through our weakness after the sting and guilt is removed Conscience is troubled yet is God pleased to help the weakness of his People sooner or later not only to pardon sin in the Court of Heaven but in the Court of Conscience too and then all fears and troubles are gone certainly those that know what the burnings throbbings and ailings of an accusing Conscience means they know what a blessing it is to have Peace of Conscience a great blessing to have all well there because the Soul hath much to do with Conscience and Conscience hath much to do with God yea only to do with God and if all be well with that which hath so much to do with the Almighty it is a great blessedness blessed is the man that is thus pardoned 2. There follows this also Peace with the Creatures If I should meet with these in a full Text each of them might require a Sermon themselves to shew the excellency of a quiet Conscience and peace with the Creatures But I must but touch it here God is Lord of Hoasts and all the creatures stand armed ready to avenge Gods quarrel and not only do they stand in readiness but there is a kind of cry in the creatures to God to make them the Executioners of his wrath Shall I go and strike this Drunkard says one and shall I strike this Blasphemer says another All the creatures in heaven earth cry against thee every day But when God pardons thy sin all the creatures presently become thy friends when the Judge hath quitted a Malelefactor the under-Officers have nothing to do with him Conscience and the Creatures they are under-Officers and when God is at peace they are at peace too When Joab came and stab'd Absalom the ten young men that were his Armour-bearers did so too so if God come to a sinner unpardoned and give him a stab all the Creatures will be ready to stab him too but when God comes and pardons thy sin He makes a league with thee and the stones of the field as the Scripture speaks that is the first great mercy that flows in to the Soul upon pardon of sin and peace with God Of Gods Revealing his Secrets to those whom he Pardons 2. This follows upon pardon of sin God comes in a wonderful gracious way to reveal himself to that soul he comes to reveal his secrets to that soul he pardons and pardon of sin is the very ground of the Revelation of the Secrets and Mysteries of God by the Spirit to that Soul Jer. 31.33 among other particulars in the New Covenant God promiseth they shall be all taught of God in Heb. 8. that Text is quoted something more fully than in the Prophet vers 10 11. They shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest Mark For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Pardon of sin is made the ground of Gods teaching them his Covenant They shall know me from the least to the greatest you little ones and young ones if God please to bring you to Christ and pardon your sin a glorious light shall come into your souls God will shew himself in a glorious manner to you there shall be another manner of light
great vanity of men and women that look after pardon of sin but 't is only at such times as God takes away all other comforts from them as thus they think to satisfie themselves with the creatures while they can enjoy them while they can go up and down amongst friends eat good chear and have all coming in but when God takes away all these as on a sick-bed then they will cry for pardon Oh mercy Lord oh mercy I am a wretched miserable sinner oh mercy Well now you would have mercy Why now and not before before you had other things and you quieted your hearts with them and why not now were not they mercies but I know not whether they were out of love or hatred Well yet you quieted your hearts with them and now they are all going Do you now think it a fit time to cry for mercy Oh how infinitely wast thou mistaken that thou did'st not cry for mercy before thou think'st it now a fit time to cry for mercy why thou had'st no mercy that thou could'st take the comfort of as a mercy unless thy sins were pardoned and therefore thou hast now cause to cry for pardon when sickness comes and God takes away this and the other mercy thou think'st thou art left naked if you knew all you are naked now and therefore would you live a comfortable life in this world and have your House Estate and all Relations mercies to you never be at rest till you have got your sins pardoned and forgiven this considered might be a mighty argument and means to draw the hearts of men to get pardon that all their outward things might be sweetned to them 2. If all outward good be not a mercy unless sin be pardoned then what good wilt thou or any one get by the increase of sin thou think'st it to be a good Why all thou hast now is not a good is not a mercy and dost thou think to get good by the increase of sin when a temptation comes to draw thee to sin think thus I have heard this day that all I have is not a mercy unless my sin be pardoned and therefore I can never get any mercy by the increase of sin Certainly did men and women understand themselves they would easily answer the Devil by this kind of reasoning Of Pardon of Sin making all afflictions easie to be born Where-ever sin is pardoned there follows this that any thing that befals that man or woman is very easie to be born an easie matter it is for any one that hath his sin pardoned to bear any affliction and this is a great blessedness or rather take it thus That either such a one may be assured that afflictions shall be removed or otherwise made easie to be born for pardon of sin delivers us from abundance of afflictions that otherwise might befal us in this world though it is true God lays many afflictions on his people after their sins are forgiven yet it is more than they know but that if their sins had not bin forgiven they might have had other manner of miseries than they do now meet withal perhaps you meet with some now and more than you did before but for ought you know those miseries you meet with now might have been seven-fold more than now they are and another manner of wrath than you now think of Isai 40.2 Cry her warfare is accomplished for her iniquity is pardoned where iniquity is pardoned there warfare is accomplished if afflictions be not quite removed yet they are made very easie to be born and that upon two grounds First Because the greatness of the good that there is in pardon of sin makes the bitterest and saddest evil that there is in affliction to be as nothing as to instance suppose a Malefactor that is condemn'd to some greivous and hideous death should have a friend at Court to sue for pardon or he comes up up to get pardon Well he comes and is admitted to come into the Kings Presence and he receives him graciously pardons him freely quits him fully of all his guilt and puts him fully out of all the danger he was in perhaps as he is coming from the King he loses his Glove or Handkerchief Would not that be an unseemly thing for a man that after he has got his Pardon yet because he has lost his Glove should whine and wring his hands because of the loss of his Glove would not that be an unreasonable thing Certainly there is as much unreasonableness for any man or woman that hath the pardon of their sin for them to wring their hands and whine and keep a stir as though they were undone because they are afflicted For the greatest affliction that can befal any in this world compared with the good of pardon of sin is not so much as the loss of a Glove for the saving of any mans life by the Kings Pardon though your afflictions may be more than the loss of a Glove yet your pardon of sin is greater than any Kings pardon in the world put these together and know hereby thy unreasonableness and when to check thy self having any assurance of pardon of sin that thou should'st be so troubled at any affliction and have so much good from God in the pardon of thy sin Further for those that are troubled at afflictions I would put this to them either they are pardoned or not pardoned if ye are pardoned why are ye so troubled if ye are not pardoned then you had need to spend the strength of your spirits by waving your grief for afflictions to seek pardon of your sins Secondly Pardon of sin will make afflictions easie because the soul may be assured that the evil of affliction is gone he that has his sin pardoned may be assured that there can nothing befal him in this world but that if he knew all he himself would be willing with all his heart it should be so And is not this a blessed condition for any man while he lives here in this world in which there is abundance of evil yet to be in such a condition as that we shall certainly know that there shall nothing befal us as long as we live in this world but that which if we knew all we our selves would chuse it and account it to be a better condition than any other this is a blessed estate to be in such a condition as this is for God to testifie from Heaven unto us that it shall not be in the power of any creature in the world to do us any hurt for certainly so it is when once a man or woman is justified God does as much as speak from heaven to that poor soul saying Soul now you are safe be certainly assured that there is no creature in all the world can do you any hurt Psal 116.7 thou may'st say as David there Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee God
God promised to make all his goodness pass before him and Exod. 34.6 he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and then to the point in hand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here 's the glory of God Would you have a demonstration indeed that Gods heart was set upon this as the greatest work that ever was done take it in this that the very thoughts of effecting this by the death of his own Son made God very well pleas'd and delighted with his death surely then his heart was much set upon it for rather than he would not effect it he would part with his own Son Never was there such a hideous thing as the death of the Son of God and therefore if there were any delight to be taken in it that God the Father took delight in it there must be some great thing to sweeten it such an horrid thing as the death of the Son of God had need have some great thing to sweeten it what now sweetned this to God the Father that his own Son should be put to death Why nothing but this that hereby sinners might come to be redeemed justified and pardoned nothing else would sweeten it to God the Father but this does Isai 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and again the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Scripture says God takes no delight in the death of a sinner and yet God did take delight in the death of his Son it pleased God to see his Son bruised when God the Father saw his Son under his wrath swetting drops of water and blood under the curse of the Law it pleased God well certainly then there must be some mighty thing that must sweeten this and make the death of his own Son a delightful object to him Why the very thing that did it was this that Christ being made a curse he thereby did redeem us from the curse procur'd the pardon of our sins and reconciled us unto God and this very thing sweetned the death of the Son of God unto God the Father therefore the heart of God was much in it 2. For Christ What was the business that brought him from the Fathers bosome made him content to take our nature upon him to suffer and to be a man of sorrows so as to delight in it there was a kind of delight to Christ in induring the wrath of God for with desire says Christ have I desired to eat this Passover because it was the Preparation to his Death and Sufferings of the wrath of God in all the fruits and effects of it for the sin of Man and when Christ came to institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and to give his blood for the remission of sins the Text says He gave thanks What did he give thanks for surely the thing for which he gave thanks for upon which the Supper of the Lord is called the Eucharist from the Greek word that signifies Thanksgiving was this that by his death Remission of sins should be obtain'd when Christ was to die suffer all the wrath of God that was due for our sins Christ blessed God thanked God the Father for it surely there must be some great matter to sweeten it that he should be so affected as to bless God the Father for that that cost him his life and yet he did Mark what it is that satisfies Christ for all this Isa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and his soul was made an offering for sin all was laid upon Christ Well but what did Christ look for for all this Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied that that shall satisfie Christ for all his pains labour and sufferings shall be to see of the travel of his soul What is that What is the travel of Christs soul What Why by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many as if Christ had said this is the very thing my Soul travels for in all that I have done or suffered in all my life that I might but bring this great business to pass to justifie some souls to get the sin of those poor souls that are thine Elect pardoned and their persons justified this my soul travels for and oh Father let me but see this the travel of my Soul and I am satisfied Christ accounted it worth all the travel of his Soul in all he did and suffered that he might justifie some souls as if he had said he would have no other boon from his Father but only this Father if thou wilt but recompence all my travel with this I shall for ever account my self that I am satisfied and have enough How should we be satified with Christ when Christ accounts the pardon of our sins satisfaction enough Shall Christ say notwithstanding all my sorrows let thy sin be pardoned and I have enough Wilt not thou now say and let me have Christ and I have enough Christ says to God the Father let me have those souls pardoned and I have enough Oh then do thou say let me have Christ and I have enough Surely Christ is enough to satisfie thee when the pardon of thy sin is enough to satisfie him 3. As the heart of God and Christ so the heart of the Holy Ghost is in this business too the great work the Holy Ghost hath to do in this world and the great business for which he was sent it is to convince poor souls of the righteousness there is to be had in Christ for Justification Joh. 16.8 9 10. Christ will send the Comforter and first he will convince the world of sin 2. Of righteousness What is that that is when the Spirit comes he will clear it up unto believers and convince them that the righteousness that they must have to stand righteous before God in is the righteousness of Christ alone and this is a mighty work of the Spirit of God and a work that would never have been done had not he come to have done it it is such a great mystery that we should be righteous by anothers righteousnes that it is above the reason of all Men and Angels all Men and Angels were never able to fathom this infinite depth it is above their apprehensions that ever we should come to be righteous in Christ and very few yet where Christ is made known are convinced of it Those men that take up Religion in a natural way they never are convinc't of the Righteousness of Christ it is a riddle and a mystery to them only those few souls whom God intends eternally to save the Spirit of God is sent unto them from the Father and the Son to clear it unto them that the righteousness wherewith they must stand righteous before God is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ this is the great work of the Spirit of God
Of Pardoning Mercy being a Perfect Mercy BLessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven for this mercy is a perfect mercy that is where God doth pardon any sinner such a one stands as perfect before God in point of Justification as Abraham Isaac Jacob or any of the Prophets or righteous men that ever lived in the world thou poor Soul Man or Woman Youth or Servant if God come unto thee pardon any of your sins thou standest as fully justified as Abraham Paul Peter or any of the Apostles and Prophets though in Sanctification thou fallest short of them yet though art justified as perfectly as ever they were Justification is an act that is done altogether and at once therefore a perfect work and this is an Argument of infinite Consolation to the Saints of God that the great business between God and them in point of Justification is perfected Psal 51.7 David prays to God that he would purge him with Hysop and he should be clean that is that he might be cleansed by Justification by having the guilt of sin taken from his Conscience by a renewed act of pardon and then as it follows I shall be whiter than Snow the Saints of God though they be Sanctified they are not whiter than the snow in Sanctification but in Justification they are whiter than the snow no spot at all in them Ephes 5.27 Christ presents his Church unto himself without spot in point of Justification every believing soul is without spot before the Lord Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob that is though God knows there is iniquity there yet he sees is not to charge them with it or impute it to them all is done away in that regard by Justification it is observable to this purpose what we have in Cant. 4.7 Thou art all fair my love there is no spot in thee no spot in thee there are spots in respect of Sanctification yea but in respect of Justification it may be said of her There is no spot at all in thee Thou art all fair my Love it is the words of Christ he comes forth and says Thou art all fair my Love Alas when the Believer looks upon himself his own duties and performances he sees nothing at all but spots all besmear'd and bespatter'd all over why though thou lookest on thy self be spotted yet Christ looks upon thee without spot and God the Father looks upon thee through Christ without spot and says Thou art all fair there is no spot in thee thou thinkest it may be that if God should make a discovery of thy heart to all thy Christian friends and acquaintance thou would'st appear so foul that they would cast thee out of their society and never have to do with thee more yet for all this Christ says Thou art all fair there is no spot at all in thee Justification admits of no degrees no not in Heaven thou art not more justified there than thou art here thou art now as perfectly justified as ever and accepted of Christ as ever Sanctification is renewed day by day it being a work of God within us we increase in it dayly but Justification is a work of God without us and so is perfected at once and hence then this makes a pardoned soul blessed because pardon of sin is of such a nature that it is a perfect work Hence then I will but touch it Here is 1. Abundance of comfort to a pardoned soul though thou art weak in Sanctification and it troubles thee to think how far thou comest short of Abraham's David's Paul's Solomon's wisdom and Job's patience yet this know that thou art equal in Justification with Abraham Moses David and all the Prophets and this may be a mighty comfort to thee against the weakness of thy Sanctification 2. This should be a mighty ingagement upon thy spirit Has God made thee equal to them in Justification how should'st thou labour to be like to them in Sanctification think thus with thy self Is the mercy of God so rich and glorious come though I be a poor wicked wretched vile sinner that I should be made equal to the greatest Saints in Justification Oh how should I labour to follow hard after them and get as near to them as I can in point of Sanctification this Argument should come with power and strength upon our hearts to stir up all our endeavours to be like to them in point of Sanctification that are equal with them in point of Justification How should we imitate Moses his Meekness David's Love Paul's Zeal and Job's Patience CHAP. IX Of Pardoning Mercy being an Irrevocable Mercy BLessed are they that have their Iniquities forgiven for it is an irrevocable mercy when God pardons sin he never revokes it again it is true the soul that is pardoned may afterwards commit many offences that may provoke the displeasure of God against him yet he shall never so provoke God as to cause him to revoke this mercy of pardon to all eternity if thou art once pardoned thou art pardoned for ever It is not so with God in pardoning as it is with men a King pardons a Malefactor on condition of his good behaviour afterwards though it is true a Believer will be more careful of offending after he is pardoned than ever before But yet God does not pardon me so much on condition of my good behaviour as of his free grace therefore it abides He does not say to a poor soul I will pardon you but it shall be on this condition that you behave your self well and if you be found tripping in any one thing I will recal my pardon back again it is so with a Princes Pardon a man that is pardoned for his life if that man afterwards offend perhaps breaks the Peace which in another man would not be so great a matter for he could soon satisfie the Law for it but he that goes under pardon for his life if he break the Peace it costs him his life whereas another if he strike a man it is but an Assault and Battery in him but he that has his Pardon for his life for such a thing done by him his Pardon may be revok't again and it may cost him his life I hope you will not abuse this grace of God I know not how to open it to Believers but with a great deal of danger to others but how much danger soever it may be to others yet it must be opened and delivered to Believers it is Gods mind that his grace should be made known unto them he would have them to know it to the full that his Pardoning Mercy is irrevocable and therefore a Believer should not question his Justification upon every failing in his Sanctification this is a dishonour to the free and rich grace of God if on every failing we call in question that great work of the Justification of our souls either to say or think I indeed did hope before that
free altogether from himself 't is his own work and proceeds from his own hearts love and nothing in us that may challenge it from him Now seeing there is that in the Creature that challenges justice and nothing at all that can require mercy therefore if God shew mercy but to a few it is as great a glory to his mercy as it is to his justice if he condemn a hundred but if he should save as many as he condemns the mercy of God would be beyond all proportion to his justice but because that cannot be hence it is that few are saved and many damned Answer 2. There are more damn'd than saved because God would hereby manifest his mercy the more to thee that art saved by suffering so many others to perish this is one end that God hath in it that their destruction might set out the excellency of the glory of his grace to thee When a Limner would draw a Scutcheon or a Picture in Or or any other curious colours he lays the ground-work in black and then the beauty of the other colours will thereby most appear thou oh soul that hast thy sin pardoned know that God lays the ground-work of thy mercy in the black dismal destruction of multitudes of ungodly sinners he gives them their due that that is their right but the ultimate aim of God in it rises to this that their destruction may make the brightness of his glorious grace appear the more gloriously to them that are saved that the Saints whose sins God hath pardoned may in Heaven have this argument to praise his grace so much the more because they are cull'd out of the mass and multitude of sinners that are damn'd this will mightily inflame the hearts of Saints in giving God glory in Heaven when they shall see so many thousands and millions of thousands cast down to eternal destruction that God should do this to set off the riches of his grace to them How will this inflame their hearts in giving God glory and this God aims at as the top of his glory that he might have a company to be the eternal objects of the riches of his grace and this shews the base and low account God hath of wicked men that he lets them perish eternally that he might magnifie the glory of his grace to Saints What an aggravation is it of the greatness of Gods mercy to Saints when he is content that so many thousands of others shall perish that his mercy to them may more gloriously appear As when a Prince hath a Child born that he might shew his honour to the Child in solemnizing the Christning of the Child it may be thousands of Oxen and Sheep shall loose their lives in the solemnizing of the joy the Prince hath in his Child If the Solemnity of the Joy the Prince hath in that little Infant may be the cause of thousands of creatures losing their lives this shews the dear respect he hath to his Child or else he would never let so many creatures go to the Shambles but that he might shew his respect to his little Infant So says God there is a handful of People that I have thoughts to do good too to all eternity and I have set my heart upon them and that I may manifest the greatness of my mercy to them I will let thousand thousands of others perish eternally to be but as a black ground for that glorious work that I intend to manifest in the riches of my grace in Christ in the pardoning of their sin thus you see it is a peculiar mercy and therefore blessed are they that have their iniquities forgiven for it is a mercy that is peculiar to them only Oh how ought they to bless God that he hath call'd them out of the multitude when he has left others to the sway of their own carnal sottish and malitious hearts to go on against the ways of grace and all because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy CHAP. XII Of the Possibility of Pardoning Mercy how it would be prised by poor Souls now under wrath FUrther Blessed is he that hath his iniquities forgiven because the very possibility of it to thousands of creatures now under wrath would be prised more than ten thousand worlds to have but a possibility of it upon any terms those that are now damn'd in Hell and see the stroaks of Gods dreadful wrath against them for their sin that are now swallowed up in the gulf of misery and condemnation if they might have but any possibility to have their sins pardoned how would they prise it if such a Messenger were sent from God to Hell-gates to call there and to cry out O ye damned spirits behold a message from the Almighty I come unto you from him and this is the message to let you know That there is a possibility upon some terms that God will require that your sins may be pardoned and you delivered from that dreadful wrath you now lie under How would the damned spirits sing and rejoyce and look about them to attend this message What acclamations would there be in Hell in the mid'st of those fiery flames What holding up of hands and rejoycing would there be to hear of such a thing that there is a possibility on any terms they would not stand to enquire what the terms were whether hard or easie they would answer let them be what they will if there be but a possibility it is enough thinking every one it might be he Well then if the possibility of being saved would be received with such joyfulness by the damned in Hell What then is the Possession of it and glorious knowledge of it to a soul that is already pardoned if they would all cry out on supposition a message should be delivered of a possibility that some should be freed from Hell and have their sins pardoned They would all cry out Oh blessed blessed indeed is he that shall have his sins pardoned and be delivered from Hell if they would give this testimony let us give it much more Though there be a blessed difference between their condition and yours yet not long since there was not it may be for ought you know some of them might go to Church with you sit in the same Pew and hear those Sermons of the Evil of Sin which now they are gone to feel and are shut up in the bottomless pit beyond any possibility of pardon But this is granted to you all that are before the Lord this day In the Name of God I can boldly preach this unto you that if you come in and believe there is a possibility yea even for the worst of all they may come in and be pardoned Now if the damned in Hell would prise it so high if there were a possibility for them to be pardoned shall not you prise it as high as they as I remember in setting out the evil of sin that was
to try and see whether God would extend his mercy further and further we tell you in the Name of God and say to you the sins you have committed already are so grievous that it must needs be a wonderful work of God to forgive them and what must you needs add more and more and tempt God to extend his mercy further Take heed of tempting God to extend his mercy further for though God may be pleased to extend his mercy thus far Who shall prescribe God how far he shall go Who can tell but that the thoughts of God towards thee are thus that he will go thus far to pardon thee but if thou go on in sin who can tell whether he will go on to pardon further 'T is true when God comes to pardon he will do them all away but know thou that goest on to increase the guilt of thy sin thou may'st find it as many thousands have found it a mighty hard thing which hath cost them much anguish and distress of spirit to get the pardon of their sin sealed in the Court of Conscience though it was sealed before in Heaven O the anguish of spirit it hath cost them and dost thou still go on to heap up more and more sin as if the pardon of thy sin was nothing there is a great deal of reason in this to cry to sinners to stop in the course of sin for thou hast gone on enough already go no further that 's a second abuse of the mercy of God in pardoning sin Thirdly They abuse the mercy of God that have extream slight thoughts of pardon of sin that think to have it at any time when they will 't is but repenting as it was said of Lewis the xith King of France That he wore a Crusifix in his Hat and when he had committed a sin it was but taking it down and kissing of it and all was well again so many Idolatrous Papists they have as slight thoughts of pardon of sin as can be if they commit a sin they make no more of it but go to a Priest to shrieve them or kneel before a Crucifix and knock their breast which is a thing soon done and all 's well again certainly 't is a great dishonour to God for any man to have slight thoughts of the pardon of sin It is such a work as if ever any thing put God to it as I may say to pardon sin and yet to salve his Justice it was this work and certainly if ever God have love to thee thou wilt change thy thoughts about this and certainly the slight thoughts men have about this is the cause many times why they are held so long under the spirit of bondage when God begins to work upon them and stirs the Conscience and lays the guilt of sin home upon it how long are they before they can have any assurance of pardon and in just judgment it is so because they had slight thoughts before of the pardon of sin I remember it is storied of Pompey when one of his Captains came to him and told him he wanted men says he I can but stamp my foot upon the ground and bring forth so many men presently but when the Enemy came this Captain came to him again and said where 's your men now but then he could not get them when he was in distress and had great need of them as many think they can do great things with a word speaking as if all must be at their beck presently but when they come to it they fail and find it otherwise so many make it a small matter to get pardon of sin they think to do it with a Lord have mercy upon us at their death-bed or the like but when they come to it indeed God makes them to know It is the greatest business that ever they had to do in in all their lives there is nothing that God is so jealous of as his honour and specially about this great work and certainly were it not that God is very jealous of his honour and would cure the slight thoughts that men have of this great work there needs never be so much humiliation and workings of the spirit of bondage and certainly did we but know the greatness of this work how would sinners snatch at any opportunity or hint of Gods favour appearing to them they would do as the servants of Benhadad 1 King 20.33 diligently observe if any thing would come from him and hastily catch at it they watched that if any thing did come from him that did make any way to that which they sought after and did hastily catch at it so did a soul understand the pardon of sin what a great work it is he would be so far from having slight thoughts of it that he would come cloath'd in Sackcloath and every Sermon would be watching and enquiring what hath God spoke any word to my soul or no And if any word fall from a Minister concerning this great business such a soul would catch greedily at it and lose no opportunity to imbrace it Psal 32. is very remarkable to this purpose David found it a very hard thing to get pardon of his own sin vers 4. and he acknowledged it and God forgave him vers 5. what follows vers 6. For this shall every man that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou may'st be found as if David in this language spake thus O all you poor sinners that sin against God think it an easie matter to get pardon of sin know I have found it otherwise it cost me dear before I could get assurance of pardon and therefore for this cause let every one that is acquainted with the ways of God seek to God in due time and not put it off from time to time for the business is not so slight to put it off many abuse the example of David and think because he sinned they may take liberty to sin but they consider not what abundance of sorrow it cost him to get his pardon it cost him so much as that he tells them for this cause every one shall seek God in due time many think they may put it off till any time but mark what David says For this cause every man that is godly shall seek thee in a time when thou may'st be found he does not say I have found mercy in the pardoning of my great sins and for this cause men shall be bold to put it off to any time no but for this cause those that are godly and have any acquaintance in the wayes of God will seek God in a time that he may be found and if those that are godly that have sin pardoned in the Court of heaven find so hard a matter of it to get it pardoned in their own Consciences how does it concern thee that perhaps hast thy sin neither pardoned in the Court of Heaven nor in thy own Conscience But art in the
and witnesses affixed to it but we use to take an Oath Well says God I will swear and take an Oath to make my Covenant of grace sure to your souls Heb. 6.13 when God made a Promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself and this is in the 18. verse an admirable Text of Scripture That we might have strong Consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us there is hope of Gods grace through the Reconciliation of Christ Jesus and this hope the soul runs to as to a City of Refuge when his guilt like the persuer of blood follows him Well says God this poor soul notwithstanding will have doubts of my grace now that it might have strong consolation I have swore that I might make my mercy sure to such a soul that 's a fourth way but is there any thing else you use to make things sure between one another Yea Lord Fourthly we put our Seals to it an Oath taken may soon pass over but a Seal that abides says God I will do that too I will give you Seals and there are divers sorts of Seals there 's first the Broad Seal of Heaven What is that that is nothing else but the very Printing of the Image of God on the Soul that is the Broad Seal of Heaven And as the Broad Seal of England hath the Picture or Image of the King stampt upon it so the Broad Seal of Heaven is nothing else but the Image of God stamp't or imprinted on the Soul 2. There is the Privy Seal of the Holy Spirit of God which is the perswading and assuring of the soul of its interest it hath in Christ and God the Father In 2 Tim. 2.19 you have Gods Privy Seal The Lord knows them that are his and they having his Privy Seal know themselves to be the Lords Cant. 6.2 I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine so Paul Gal. 2.20 being sealed with this Seal saith of Christ He loved me and gave himself for me he was perswaded and assured of salvation 2 Tim. 1.12 Rom. 8.38 39. This Privy Sealing is like the New Name Revel 2.17 Which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it And to this you shall have a third Seal Baptism and the Supper of the Lord that is to assure you that the end of the Sacrament is to Seal up Pardon of sin God saw that his People would be very solicitous and therefore added all these wayes of assurance to them when you therefore come to the Sacrament you should come with a sense upon your souls of the great need you have of the grace of God in pardoning sin and come to it as to a Sealing-day you have many fears and doubts come so as that you may have the grace of pardon seal'd to your souls take heed of coming so as to have your condemation sealed for certainly all Ordinances if they work not for that end that they are appointed they turn to another and quite contrary as the Word if it be not the savour of life it is the savour of death and so the Sacraments if they seal not the pardon of thy sins up unto thee they seal up the sentence of death and condemnation therefore look to it as oft as you come unworthily to the Sacrament you have so many Seals of death and condemnation set upon your souls Take heed you do not come to take another Seal of death 't is much to be feared many in this place come to take the seal of eternal death upon their souls but those that come worthily though administrations be not in that due order as they should yet God may be present with his own Ordinance to give them comfort from it and help their Evidences by it I must conclude this those that content themselves with slight Evidences about this great work dishonour the grace of God you would have us preach of mercy and indeed it is a blessed Argument which our souls delight much to be preaching of because we find so much sweetness in it and for which our souls shall expatiate themselves in glorifying God to all eternity but we are withal jealous of your dishonouring of God in this mercy and therefore it is that we labour so with you after the laying open of this mercy that you may not abuse it for certainly my Brethren there is nothing in the world God takes to heart more than the dishonour that is done to his pardoning mercy and nothing more aggravates the sin of People than to have slight thoughts of this great work Seventhly This is a great dishonour to Gods pardoning mercy for men to put off the seeking of it to the worst times that possible can be Is it not the ordinary way of most people to put of the seeking of the grace and favour of God Pardon of sin and Reconciliation till the time of sickness and the time of death they go on all their life time in sinning against God but when they are lying upon their sick-beds and death-beds Lord have mercy upon me pardon me forgive me a wicked wretch that I have been these kind of words we hear from men at that time O that God would forgive and pardon such and such sins and then perhaps they will tell some particular sins if they think they shall die they will open themselves to the Minister or to some faithful Neighbour in the disclosing of their particular sins and beseech them to pray to God for mercy but if they have any hopes to escape they will keep them in and be loath to rip open the sins of their lives This I say for any to put off the seeking unto God for his pardoning grace till that time it is to put a great dishonour upon God for it is a putting of it off to the worst time that possible can be And that makes much to the dishonour of God For First Those men seek pardon of sin when sin is leaving them or they must leave sin whether they will or no when you have served your own turn of sin after you have had as much supposed pleasure as you can then you think to be delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin what is there but a meer selfish spirit in seeking God now and God sees it so it is not seeking after pardon of sin that you may honour God in his infinite grace for then you would seek after it now and the honour of God would be dear to you now but you seek it at such a time meerly out of respect to your selves this is a great dishonour to God It is the first born of Gods glory to pardon sin and for God to see men and women have no higher ends in seeking pardoning grace but meerly to save their own skins How may God look upon them with disdain What shall I magnifie the riches of my grace so wonderfully in this work of
read them it may cost him a great deal of trouble before he get them renew'd again so 't is with a poor creature that hath got some comfortable Evidence of the pardon of sin but giving way to temptation commits a sin and there he gets a blot and then the next temptation coming possibly to worldly Mindedness Passion Unbelief slightness of Spirit Vanity Sensuality and abuse of the Creatures by often yielding to these he gets more and renewed blots so that if his Evidences be lookt into they will be found so full of blots that no marvel in a time of temptation they cannot read them possibly some that are skilful in the way of God and the nature of the Covenant of grace may pick out somewhat of the meaning of them but thou hast faln so souly from God that thy Evidences are so blotted and blur'd that in thy own apprehension thou can'st see nothing but that thy condition is as dangerous as ever it was and as uncomfortable thy Evidences are so blotted that thou can'st not read them thy self and so hast no comfort by them and 't is to thee as if thou had'st none at all this is the duty and would be the comfort of every Christian that when they have gotten their Evidences that they would keep them so clear that they might read them every morning and run and read them and not stand pooring and beating their brains and hearts and fret themselves because they cannot find such and such a thing that was to them an Evidence of the pardon of their sins this is through their neglect and if they had been careful to have kept their Evidences clear and plain O the comfort they might have had to have read them every morning If the Pollution of sin recoil back again no marvel the sense of guilt of sin upon thy Conscience recoil back again if God have committed such a Jewel to thee as the Evidence of pardon of sin and thou makest no better use of it 't is just with God to take it out of thy hands and keep it in his own and though he shew mercy at last unto thee yet thou may'st not know it while thou art in this world 't is a very hard thing to recover it again those that have had the pardon of sin seal'd unto them have by their falling into sin afterwards so darkned and lost their Evidences that they could never recover them again as David see how he cries out Create in me a clean heart and restore to me the joy of thy Salvation David saw all was gone and that there must be a new Creation and Restoration Restore to me the joy of thy salvation O the joy that once I had and now have lost O Lord that I may have it once again David had a little sensual pleasure for a while but he paid dear for it he lost the joy of Gods Salvation What think you David would have given to have got it again for ought we know he never had it so fully as before Those that have had some comfortable Evidence of pardoning grace and afterwards through their negligence loosness and vanity have lost it may never come to injoy the comfort of it again as formerly they did and therefore when Peter had sinned against his Master mark when Christ came to Peter says he Lovest thou me he answered Lord thou knowest I love thee Christ puts it to him again Lovest thou me he would not take his first answer but puts it to him the second and third time Lovest thou me as if Christ had said to Peter look to your self it is not any present sudden work that can recover your Evidences again you that have sinned and darkned your Evidences had need to put this Question to your own hearts again and again to get it sure that you love Christ and that Christ loves you 3. Thirdly Let me speak to such as sin after pardon it may justly provoke God to deal with you though he do not take away his everlasting love yet to deal with you as a Slave rather than a Child I mean in following you with sore and heavy chastisements though he may save your souls at last yet it may cause God to meet you with such sore and evil things in this world that for that sloath and sluggishness of your hearts you may pay dear for it before you die truly so may be the dealings of God with his own Children whom he pardons Jer. 2.14 God is speaking there to his own people Is Israel a servant Is he a home-born slave and at vers 18. What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt so thou to whom God hath heretofore received to mercy and pardon but thou hast walk't so that Gods ways to thee seem to be such as it may be said Is this man or woman a servant Is he a home-born slave God speaks it with pity Israel is my dear Son How comes it to pass that he is as a home-born slave What is he a servant and brought into such a condition as a servant or a slave What is the matter Why he is in the way of Egypt so it may be said to thee who walkest in the sensual drossiness of thy spirit Hast thou not been in the way of Egypt Are thy ways such that Gods dealings with thee are as if thou wer 't a servant and a home-born slave Where is that filial ingenious spirit of thine that God is fain to deal with thee as now he doth 4. Again thou that sinnest after pardon thou comest to aggravate thy sins more than the sins of the wicked in some regards those that are wicked and go on in their vile ways against God you cry out of them as wretched creatures base filthy drunkards swearers lyars false men and women in their dealings such as are not to be dealt withal in the world you think these are wicked but you that sin after mercy your sins have an aggravation upon them beyond theirs for they never knew what Gods sweet pardoning mercy meant they never heard God speak peace to their souls as thou hast to thine they never had the secret Visitations of Gods Spirit nor the warm beams of Gods mercy shining into their hearts they were never acquainted with such things and therefore though they go on in sin after which they have bin accustomed 't is not so much to be wondered at But thou that haste had a tast of the sweetness of Gods love in Christ in pardoning mercy for thee to sin after this 't is a greater aggravation than the sins of the other and as 't is a greater aggravation than the sins of the wicked so thy sin goes more near to the heart of Christ than the sins of the wicked and ungodly do the sins of the most prophanest wretch in all the Town doe not go so near to the heart of Christ as those that are committed after receipts of mercy from Christ What
you my sons to do thus and thus against me I remember 't is reported of Caesar when many with their Poinyards came about him and stab'd him in the Senate-House at length comes Brutus whom he had done much good for he comes and gives him a blow he look't upon him and cries out What thou my son Brutus wilt thou give me a blow and stab It went nearer to the heart of Caesar to have Brutus come and give him a wound and stab than for all the other that came round about and stab'd him so Christ may look upon thee for whom he has purchas 't pardon shed his blood and laid down his life for What thou my son wilt thou sin against me for wicked wretches that are strangers to him no marvel if they sin against him but for you that are his sons his redeemed ones that have received such pardoning grace and mercy for you to sin this goes to the heart of Christ more than the sins of the ungodlyest wretch in all the Parish And would you not be loath to do more against Christ than the vilest wretch in the Parish you that have received so much mercy from Christ Further other mens sins anger God but no mens sins grieve the Spirit of God so as the sins of those that have received pardon they go to the heart of God and greive the Spirit by which they are sealed the Spirit of God that hath sealed to your souls the pardon of your sins let not that Spirit be grieved 't is a greater sin to grieve the blessed Spirit of God than you are aware of Further yet once more you bring a disgrace upon the Doctrine of Assurance of Pardon We preach that a man may not only have some good hopes that his sins are pardoned but we say God hath revealed such a fulness of riches of grace in the Gospel that a man may have certain and full assurance of the pardon of his sin as if he heard a voyce from Heaven speaking to him by name thy sins are pardoned or as if when Christ in the days of his flesh said to any one son go in peace thy sins are pardoned certainly there may be as full assurance of pardon of sin by the witness of the Spirit of God as if such a voyce came from Heaven But our Adversaries say open but that gap and 't is an open way for men to take liberty to commit any sin What need men care what sins they commit when they know they are pardoned that has been objected against us but now we say there is such a vertue in the grace of God going along with pardoning of sin that heals the soul as well as comforts the soul we answer it thus but you take away our answer and digrace that blessed Doctrine of Pardon of Sin for wherein does it appear there is such a healing power in the assurance of the pardon of sin if it be so then you would walk more strictly than any man in the world can do in the time of the greatest horror of Conscience that possible can be and this would bring an honour to the Doctrine of Assurance but you by sinning after pardon How do you disgrace this blessed Doctrine and take away the answer out of our mouths So much for the present to be spoken to those that dishonour the pardoning mercy of God by sinning after pardon CHAP. XV. Of the Dishonour done to the Grace of God by not resting on it 2. Of the Evil of it THere is one sort more that are great dishonourers of the pardoning grace of God and they are those that think they honour him and yet dishonour him exceedingly such as being apprehensive of the greatness of their sins the vileness of them and their own misery by reason whereof lie down in a sullen desperate discouraging mood under the wait and burden of them and are ready to turn against themselves saying certainly my condition is such as I must expect no other but to lie for ever under the burden of my sins and bear for ever the punishment of them I have heard much indeed of the riches of the pardoning grace of God but for my part my condition is such that little expectation I have of being made partaker of it certainly this kind of sullen discouragement in lying under our sins is a mighty aggravation of our sin and exceedingly dishonourable to the pardoning grace of God many that are thus let them hear never so much opened of the riches of the Gospel and the infiniteness of the grace of God all is nothing to them it raises them not from the sullenness of their hearts and the dicouragement of spirit that hangs upon them they are like to those in Exod. 6.9 that Moses spake unto but they hearkened not for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage God sent Moses to shew them the grace of God to deliver them from their bondage but says the Text they hearkened not to Moses only for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage so many People when God comes to awaken their Consciences there is so much anguish in the sense of their sin that they hearken not to what is said let them hear never so much in private or in publick they are just where they were the same complaints sullenness and objections as before you may answer all their objections against the grace of God that they know not what to say but go away for half an hour and they will have the same objections as if never any thing had been said unto them certainly there is more evil in this then you are aware of this limiting and determining of Gods grace t is true there is reason to judge your selves unworthy and that God may deny you but that God will deny you is another thing there is a great deal of difference in these some when they are put upon the use of means will confess they ought to attend upon them and that they will do it but yet when I have done all I have little hopes that God will deliver me but I shall dye and perish in my sins as that woman 1 Kings 12.17 saies she I am a poor Woman I have but a handful of meal in the barrel and a little Oyl in a Cruse and am gathering two sticks that I may eat it and dye so much as I have I am preparing and when I have eaten this I must dye thus saies many a soul I may go hear the word and pray but to little purpose But I will go and do them and then I must dye It is but little that I can make of Prayer when I have spoken two or three words I am presently distracted with wandring thoughts Two or three sticks I may lay together but when I have done that I must dye Now know and consider this day what from God shall be said unto you thou much dishonourest the pardoning grace of God First Know it is
repentance that is a truth Esau was very much troubled and shed many tears and yet there was no true repentance but I rather take the meaning of the Text thus he found no place of repentance in his Father Isaac his Father Isaac had given the blessing to Jacob and would not call it back though he sought it with tears there was no place for Isaac to recal it any more though he shed many tears yet he went without it so that there may be much sorrow and thou may'st seek the blessing with many tears and yet God may be so turn'd against thee that there will be no place for repentance that is God will not call in that that is out against thee And of Judas 't is said when he saw Christ was condemn'd that he repented 't is said he did repent yet Judas was not pardoned so that you see plainly there may be repentance and yet sin never pardoned Indeed true repentance hath ever pardon going along with it but the Scripture speaks of a repentance that may be without pardon therefore when thou say'st thou repentest you must not look upon it so because you repent therefore your sins are pardoned as if every repentance was true for thou mistakest in the work of repentance thou thinkest this to be repentance to Salvation for thee to be sorry at the very heart for thy sins certainly thou may'st be sorry at the heart and yet perish for all that I make no question but Judas was sorry at his heart and wisht it had never been done and if it were to do again he would never do it there is as much exprest he repented and he brought the 30 pieces again he was not only sorrowful but made satisfaction he brought the mony back again that he had got in a wicked way and therefore if you think this to be true repentance you are mightily mistaken but wherein is it that we fail It is not for me now to enter on the Doctrine of true Repentance I am to speak of it so far as to convince men that it is not a ground for hope of pardon of sin Mark it when 't is thus with thee thou repentest because thou seest that sin will bring thee into danger Now thou hast had the pleasure or the profit of it and thou seest now it will bring thee into trouble and danger thou art sorry that ever thou did'st it certainly if God would be satisfied with such kind of sorrow he might have enough of it in Hell for there is yelling and sorrow because of the troubles that sin hath brought upon them to sorrow because of the trouble that our sins bring on us is meerly natural and flows from nature it self and far from a saving work of repentance therefore the repentance many hope to have What is it when we tell them of their sins they say they hope to repent What do they mean Why they would take the pleasure of sin and when the punishment comes they would be sorry for it and repent of it the ordinary way to put men off from this plea is to tell them How do you know you shall live or that your hearts shall not be hardned but suppose you do live and that you have a heart to do as you say yet your repentance may fail you if your repentance be no other than that which comes for sorrow of sin because of the punishment it will fail you certainly that repentance that must go for current in Heaven is of another nature possibly I may shew afterwards what is true and false sorrow but for the present I shall shew where the mistake lies Whosoever therefore that builds their believing of the pardon of their sin meerly on their sorrow and such kind of sorrow they are like a man that would erect a great Building and lay the foundation of it in a quag-mire or on the sand as the Scripture speaks when storms come the building falls I shall speak hereafter to those that build on the Sand but these build on a Quagmire on a few tears sorrow and trouble of spirit they have upon the apprehension of punishment of sin this building will fall in time of straights and danger and this is the reason why people that depend upon sorrow never have peace for how can I tell the measure of sorrow I am to have before peace be spoken and then if they feel not sorrow they are questioning again it is a dangerous thing to lay the hopes of pardon of sin upon our own sorrows where or how then shall we lay our hopes why upon the sorrows of Jesus Christ there you shall find the surest ground there may be some mistake there too but for the present I shall not stay on that we must look ten thousand times more at the sorrows of Christ than at our own sorrows and therefore when your hearts are troubled and you look for mercy depend more ten thousand times on the sorrows of Christ than on all your own sorrows for your sorrows for sin cannot satisfie Gods Justice and that that must be a ground of hope for the pardon of my sin must be something that must satisfie the justice of God for though there be never so much sorrow yet it will not satisfie Gods justice and consider further True sorrow rather follows the work of Justification then preceds it as thus I am not therefore pardoned because I mourn but because I am pardoned therefore I come to mourn so stands the Truth in Divinity in point of Justification and Repentance you pervert the order if you think because you mourn and are a little sorrowful that therefore you shall be pardoned the truth is if your mourning and sorrow be a work of true saving grace you mourn and sorrow because you are justified sorrow of true repentance rather flows from pardon then pardon from it when God pardons sin he lets out the graces of his Spirit and then comes sorrow as a fruit or Evidence of Gods pardoning love and Reconciliation for though God may give outward favours to a man that is not pardoned yet God never gives his Spirit to work any saving grace in the heart till he is reconciled 't is a fruit of his pardoning grace and favour and because he has justified thee he sends his Spirit to work sorrow and repentance Many think Justification flows from sorrow but thou must come to sorrow and repentance another way know that all true sorrow flows from Justification all that sorrow before Justification it is but Legal sorrow and reveals something that may hinder the soul from Christ as sin and the terrors of the Law and the wrath of God but it does not interest the soul in Christ this I affirm as most certain Divinity that there is no sorrow whereby any soul is interested and planted in Christ the sorrow that is wrought in them before Justification in order of nature may be a means to bring them
to God and make them enquire after Christ and stir up their hearts to take away those things that do hinder from Christ but it does not interest the soul in Christ you do not understand the way of the Gospel if you think that sorrow interests the soul in Christ no that must be by faith laying hold on him for Justification and then comes sorrow of repentance after thou may'st see thy self an undone wretch for sin and lost for ever and nothing in the world can quiet thee all this may be by the work of the Law but then God comes and shews thee his grace in Christ and enables thee to close with it for Justification and then comes in Evangelical sorrow mourning and melting sorrow more than ever before but now it comes in another way from the Spirit of God melting the soul because it hath sinned against Jesus Christ who hath so graciously appeared to it in his pardoning mercy to the soul so that now you sorrow because you are pardoned for it comes as a fruit of faith laying hold of the pardoning grace of God and then there is no such argument in the world to melt the heart with sorrow as when faith tells the soul that sin is pardoned and though thy sorrow was little before and now is greater thou need'st not be troubled if God make thy humiliations greater for sin after the knowledg of thy pardon for the revelation of Gods grace in the pardon of thy sin is the most excellent means to humble the soul in the world the sorrows of Gods Children after pardon as they work on their own hearts so on Gods heart too God is mightily taken with it when once thy sins are pardoned then God makes thy heart melt to him as his does to thee but the sorrow of one that is an Enemy to God does not soften Gods heart there is a great deal of difference between the sorrow of Gods Children and the sorrow of others they make sorrow the ground of pardon this God accepts not 't is true you may sorrow for sin because it may be a means to bring you to Christ but that that justifies the soul is Union with Christ by Faith and all that sorrow that works Repentance to Salvation flows from Gods grace in Christ having justified you Justification is the first thing that estates thee in blessedness sorrow does not first state thee in a blessed condition but is meerly a fruit of that blessedness thou art stated in certainly these things are the Truths of God so that when you look for blessedness any other way you look for it meerly in a natural way or as a Heathen may do a Heathen knows he ought not to offend God and he knows he had need to have mercy from God and that he ought to be sorrowful for his sins I might give you many examples for it but I must hasten those then that seek after pardon of sin this way do but seek for it meerly in a natural way Secondly Others say I am not only sorry for my sins but I reform and is not this a ground of pardon Know likewise that there may be a leaving of sin and yet sin not pardoned for that take the example of Herod 't is said He heard John Baptist gladly and reformed in many things he was a great deal the better for John's Ministry and yet Herod was not pardoned this is a notable example for you that come to hear Sermons and seem to be much affected let me ask you in the Name of God and let Conscience answer What is it you reformed since you heard all those Sermons of the Evil of Sin and now of the Pardon of Sin What Evils have you reformed in your families and in your own hearts I cannot but hope that many of you may say through grace these and these evils were in my family before but now I have reformed them and these evils I did before but now I have left them I hope many can say so and blessed be God for this fruit of our Ministry if any thing be reform'd if Sabbaths be better kept and Duties in family set up and private Exercises of Religion performed that you are not so proud passionate and froward as before O that it may be said so 't is worth our labour to restrain sin that God may not be so much dishonoured if there were no more done but we preach for further and higher ends that souls would not stay in reforming for Herod heard John Baptist and did many things and Judas cast away the money he repented and would not keep the money there was a kind of reformation in both Herod and Judas but this is no ground to build upon for pardon of sin As those that depended on their sorrow for pardon built on the quagmire so those that depend on their reformation build upon the sand the one by his sorrow and trouble for sin seems as it were to be in the work of humiliation is like a man that digs deep for a foundation but does not cast out the old mould but builds upon it the other seems like one that not only digs deep but casts out the old rubbish and brings in new mould new earth lays by and casts away his former sins and does the contrary good but now though they go further than the former in casting out the old rubbish and bringing in of new earth yet after all this is done they build upon it and do not build upon the Rock Christ they bring in the new earth of their own Performances and Duties and this they build upon and do not build upon the Rock Christ for the pardon of their sins and Justification of their souls before God and here they fail and this is their undoing their mistake in this and yet it is most sure that every one of us would mistake in this if God did not reveal in the Gospel another way to receive Pardon and Justification in his Son we should certainly all of us rest here and go no further no man or woman in the world that never heard the Gospel went further than this and so far one may go without the Gospel we may dig deep cast out the old rubbish and bring in new earth this we may do and not hear of the Gospel And therefore we have a great deal of cause to bless God that we may hear the mysteries of the Gospel opened unto us for certainly we should else go no further and if we go no further we should certainly perish and therefore if we go but thus far it is not building on the Rock Christ hence the ground and bottom of faith for Justification cannot be in Reformation or in any thing in the creature it must be in something above and without us and yet by faith wrought in us though without us I mean the Rock Christ and the Foundation that is laid for the forgiveness of our sin in Christ that
must be the Foundation of our faith and not in what we do our selves For 1. Know that all Reformation in the world will not satisfie for the evil that you have done for the time past this I would convince you of and be you willing to hear it it may be of great use unto you when we preach Christ and free grace it is to bring you to Christ our preaching down of works is not to keep you from doing of them but from resting in them that which I aim at is to bring you into an enquiring frame of spirit a restless condition that so we may bring you to that which is the true rest and we shall be as glad to bring you into the true rest as now to bring you into restlesness Know all Reformations for time to come will not satisfie God for time past it will not amongst men if you have run into arrearages with your Landlord for Rent and you bring him a quarters Rent when there 's three or four quarters behind or may be two or three years if you should think to pay the Rent of two or three years with bringing the last quarter it would be accounted a foolish conceit so would it be if with God you should think the duties you do at present should satisfie for all the arrearages you have run into for time past you do not understand Gods way if you think that God will be satisfied for all that is past by what you do at the present Suppose what you do now were perfect and for all time to come you never committed one sin against God any more yet all this would not satisfie for time past this looks but at time to come and does not at all take off any thing for the time past Besides you may see matter enough in your best Reformations for God to condemn you not only for your former sins but sins in your reforming but if there were no sin in that that would be no satisfaction for that which is past Mark this That which must be the ground of the pardon of thy sin must be that that must satisfie for thy sin past and for all thy sins to come and that was opened unto you in opening the mysteries of godliness in the Pardon and Justification of a Sinner 2. Know this that God accepts of duties not for the duties themselves but because he accepts of the person that performs them God does not accept of the duties and then of the person that is not Gods way but he accepts first of the person and then of the actions God never accepts of what we do till he accepts of our persons As Abel God had regard to Abel 's person first and then to his offerings so God has first regard to the person of any man and then to his Offerings thou thinkest thou art a poor wretched creature and then thou thinkest it may be if I had such and such parts and could do thus and thus then God would accept of me I tell thee all thy parts and performances are cast away till God accept of thy person St. Paul was blameless according to the Law and yet he accounted all loss for Christ for he knew that when God revealed the Gospel to him that he could not be accepted for his righteousness but his person must first be accepted and then his righteousness So that the way of new Obedience and the work of Sanctification are the qualifications of the man that is justified but not the conditions required for the Justification of his person 't is not that that justifies the soul the Justification of the soul comes not through these but these flow from Justification and until a soul understands this he never rightly performs duties Therefore further to conclude this though good Works and new Obedience are good Nurses unto Faith yet if you make these the Mother of your Faith your faith is but a Bastard faith these are not the right Mother of Faith if your faith be begotten out of your Duties and Performances and your faith have no other Mother than these then your faith is illegitimate and not true born it has not the right Mother The right Mother of Faith is the manifestation of the freeness of Gods grace in the Covenant of the Gospel shewed unto the Soul through the mediation of the Son of God this laid open to the eye of the soul by the mighty work of the Spirit of God raises and creates faith in the soul this is the generation of true saving faith the faith of Gods Elect as the Scripture speaks Duties and Performances cannot be the Mother of it it is of a higher birth than that birth that arises out of Parts Duties or Performances whatsoever thy faith will not inherit if it be base born through faith we come to inherit the Promises and if thy faith hath no other foundation than thy sorrows and reformation thy faith is illegitimate and not that that shall inherit 't is not of the right kind that will bring thee unto Salvation thus you see what mistakes there may be in this great Point of the Justification of a Sinner and in being made blessed and therefore we had need look to it to be sure that what we rest upon will hold least when we come to lay claim and make challenge of blessedness our hold deceive us Many think the main matters of Religion to be nothing but believing in Jesus Christ and crying God mercy you see by these things that I have spoken that there had need be much workings of spirit in the way of Religion and mighty strong teachings of the Holy Ghost to lead the soul for there may be many mistakes and to prevent and remove those mistakes that lie in the way to get peace with God 't is a matter of great concernment and not a slight business to be done suddenly 3. Others say we trust in the mercy of God and in this I am to speak to two sorts First Those that are most grosly ignorant that have no other ground to hope for pardon of sin but because they hear that God is a merciful God Know thus much that notwithstanding what you hear of God that he is merciful and not willing that men should perish yet the Scripture reveals clearly to us that notwithstanding God is gracious and merciful yet the greatest part of the world perish in their sins there is nothing more clear then this that most people in the world do perish and therefore to say God is merciful is not enough you may be sorry for sin reform and say God is merciful and yet perish if these three were enough what needed the son of God to come and take our nature upon him and be made a curse for Mans sin lay down his life and shed his precious blood why might not these three have been joyned together and so Christ never have come for though Christ had never come I
pardon sin yet it does not work thus viz. You have sinned and my law requires such and such obedience to be performed on such tearms or else you must perish but I through my mercy will remit something of the rigour and strictness of the Law And most people confess that by the strictness of the Law they are condemn'd but they hope the mercy of God will grant some remission of the Law as it is with men if all Penal statutes should be executed it would be very hard but there is a Chancery to abate something of the rigour and strictness of penal statutes and thus men think to come to have pardon and deal with God after the manner of men you think the crying to God for mercy wil abate something of the strictness and severity of the Law but you mistake in taking this way to get peace and reconciliation with God to look upon Gods mercy to lye in this to remit something of the strictness and severity of the Law No but the work of Gods mercy lyes in this to finde out a surety for you and to transact the debt upon him Further Consider the work of Gods mercy in justification of a sinner when faith layes hold upon it faith must not lay hold upon it as a meer single Act but look at all the concomitants of the work of Gods grace in making way for the justification of a sinner The mercy of God workes many waies and faith must exercise it self on Gods grace according to the multiplicity of the work of it in bringing about the justification of a sinner as thus you have sinned and you cry to God for pardon but the mercy of God does not work thus to pardon you as t is a single act but the mercy of God works thus to mankind First he is pleased to enter into a second covenant with mankind after he had broken the first A second work of Gods mercy is to set his wisdom on work to finde out a way how mankind should be reconciled unto him and his sin pardoned and yet that God should be no looser this was the work of his infinite wisdom And Thirdly when this is found out this can be done no other way but only through the Son of God taking mans nature upon him and suffer for him then here 's the mercy of God to be willing to send his Son to mediate for poor creatures and then a further mercy in giving thy soul to his Son he sent not his Son that all might be pardoned but a certain number that God the Father had given to his Son from all eternity now there 's a great work of Gods mercy in passing by others and giving thee to his Son And further It is a work of Gods mercy in the powerful Ministry of the Gospel to reveal this And then further It is a work of Gods mercy to draw thee to close with his Son and thereby to unite and marry thee to his Son And then further It is a work of Gods mercy to assure thee of the pardon and justification of thy soul 't is a great deal more for faith to look upon God in this manner than to come in such a way as this God is merciful and I trust in his grace that he will pardon me we mistake mightily about the mercy of God when we do not look upon it in an Evangelical way as it is revealed in the Gospel Further know thus much that if Gods mercy will work so far for thee as to pardon thy sin and save thy soul certainly it will work so far as to take away the power of sin and let thee not live in the filth of thy sin Many think Gods mercy will do great matters hereafter but nothing now in comparison of what he will do hereafter they think he will give them outward blessings now but keep spiritual things till hereafter Certainly this is an infallible truth If Gods mercy work not so powerfully here in this world as to bestow spiritual good things on thee thou may'st be assured that it will never work so powerful on thee as to save thy Soul in the World to come Can it be thought a Prince pardons a Malefactor that he shall not be hang'd and yet suffer him to lie in Prison and rot in the Dungeon this were but a poor pardon a half pardon to be delivered from the Gallows and rot in the Prison Certainly whatever a Prince may do God never pardons a sinner so to shew him mercy to save him from Hell and yet to lie rotting all his life long in sin no God when he pardons he delivers and shakes off the fetters as we shall see further therefore thou that say'st thou hopest in Gods mercy that he will pardon thee let me ask What hath he done for thee if thou thinkest that Gods mercy will work so strongly hereafter to save thy soul certainly it will be as strong for thee here to sanctifie thee if it work not so strong on thee now as to sanctifie thee certainly it will never work so strongly for thee hereafter as to save thee 4. Others say in the last place we are not only sorry for sin and reform and trust in Gods mercy but we relie upon Gods mercy through Christ and therefore we hope we shall be pardoned this I might speak much too we must rest there but there is a mistake there too the relying on Christ is not relying on him by acting of some transient thoughts that passes over but it is an abiding thing when men hear there is no way to be saved but by Christ and they cannot deny it and because they are loath to think they are such as cannot be saved they are loath to have such ill thoughts of themselves hearing this is the way and no other therefore they will perswade themselves that they shall find mercy through Christ Now what great work is this so to rely on Christ the work of faith is a mighty work it is not a short transient work a few thoughts upon thy heart to be saved by Christ No wheresoever faith is right and a true reliance on Christ it is a mighty work of the Spirit of God working this grace in raising the soul higher than it self and carries it through and above all difficulties when it brings the soul to relie upon God there may be great mistakes when People say they rely upon Christ and therefore take this for conviction Relying on Christ is not barely to think my sins are pardoned by Christ but it is a receiving of Christ a possessing of Christ a coming into Christ a living in Christ and a bringing Christ to live in me 't is eating of the flesh of Christ and drinking of his blood and so finds nourishment and strength from him as really as the body by the meat and drink it takes that abides with it is strengthned by it so does faith to the soul therefore faith is
gulf of eternal Perdition O turn turn O sinner out of these vile abominable dangerous ways or else thou art undone for ever Behold here is the way of life set before thee behold my Son sent into the world for the Propitiation of thy sin and to bring thee into the ways of godliness which is the way to eternal life O turn sinner into these wayes Now this voyce of God calling to the Soul of a man or woman it comes with power it hath an over powering strength in it to prevail upon the heart it is much like that secret voyce mentioned in Isai 30.21 And thy Ears shall hear a word behind thee saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the right hand or to the left 't is a Promise of Gods mercy unto his People to convert them unto himself those that were only in an Outward Profession says God you shall hear a voyce behind you saying this is the way turn in unto it and so 't is when God calls a sinner from the ways of death and destruction such a sinner hears a voyce behind him it may be he has come many times to Sermons and heard a voyce many times without him and before him but never before a voyce within him and behind him an inward secret voyce speaking to the soul O sinner turn out of thy sinful ways Why wilt thou die and perish eternally for God to come thus secretly and to reason with the soul by a voyce behind it and 't is not bare reasoning but a voyce that hath a power and efficacy from God going along with it that carries on this work in the soul and causes the heart to listen and to yield unto God when God calls to the Soul to come into the ways of life the Soul answers Lord I come and with a trembling frame of heart cries out with Saul at his Conversion Lord What wilt thou have me to do No more now what sin will have me to do and what this and that and the other lust will have me to do No now I see the ways of Life and Salvation are the only blessed ways Now Lord What would'st thou have me to do Now Salvation is come to that Soul and Reconciliation with Jesus Christ For whom he hath called them he hath justified Observe the efficacy of that call spoken of in Isai 30.21 Thine Ears shall hear a word behind thee c. and then follows the fruits of it and ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven Images with Silver and the ornament of thy molten Images of Gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous Cloth and shall say unto it get thee hence the sins they before lived in was Idolatry and their hearts were much taken with their brave Images over-laid with Silver and Gold but when they heard the voyce behind them they look't upon those things they so much delighted in that was so brave in their eyes before but as menstruous cloathes which are the most filthiest things that can be and cast them away as filthy rags with indignation saying get thee hence as one that takes a rag in his hand and looks on it and sees it all filthy and defiled presently he throws it away with abomination and says get thee hence so this is the call of God when the Soul hears behind it a secret voyce that many hear not it may be many thousands hear the outward voyce of the Minister telling them of the evil of sin and their abominations and a poor Servant or a poor Youth that stands in the midst of the crowd he hears a voyce behind him that others do not a secret voyce besides the general voyce which is a prevailing voyce that the soul falls down and yields presently before he goes out of the Church and says Lord this day thou hast convinc't me of the evil of sin and thou hast this day shewed me the way of life and salvation Lord I come unto thee though he saw nothing and though no body else hear that voyce yet there is a secret voyce of God unto the soul though he stand in the midst of the crowd and no body else hear it yet at that instant pardon of sin came to that soul and reconciliation by Jesus Christ now when this comes into the soul he will not let such and such sins be there any longer but says Get you hence I will have no more to do with such and such beloved lusts and Idols that I set my heart upon Get thee hence and those men that God calls to himself certainly when they hear this voyce behind them though they now plead for Idolatry and Superstition and why should not we do as our forefathers did yet if once they come to hear this secret voyce of God and God shew them the way of his Worship in the purity and beauty of it they will say get thee hence to those things as vile things get ye hence I will have no more to do with you this is the way in the ordinary call of God and though God sanctifie some from the womb yet afterwards by a mighty work of the Spirit he discovers unto them what the soul is by nature there is somewhat like this even in those that are sanctified from the womb though God in an extraordinary way draw the soul out from sin into the ways of life but generally there are in the ordinary way of Gods working these three or four voyces calling to the soul 1. Says God to the soul O soul thou art made for God and for Eternity 2. O soul thou art now in the ways of Hell and of eternal perdition and must of necessity perish in it 3. O soul behold here are the ways of life and salvation reveal'd unto thee and set before thee in the Gospel of my Son And lastly O soul come in and thou shalt have favour and acceptation in my Son these are the four voyces in Gods call I do not say every one hears them plainly and distinctly yet they do for the substance of them in the ordinary way of the dispensation of Gods grace Every soul that God justifies they are thus called of God and 't is a prevailing call that brings them in to submit unto it Again concerning this call of God because the Scripture speaks much of it I shall shew a little further mark it That soul that once hears the call of God to bring it into the ways of life that soul will evermore depend upon Gods call in all other things if God hath called me out of the ways of death into the ways of life in obedience to that call that my soul hath yielded too I shall be evermore under the power of Gods call in all other things let God call me to what he will to what service he pleases to whatsoever difficulties and sufferings he shall think meet my soul is content and says Here I am Lord speak thy
servant hears Now for a soul to be so under God as to wait upon the call of God to any duty service and imployment that it dares not go about any thing but according to the call of God this is a good Evidence that such a soul hath been acquainted with that great call of God that powerful call of God to bring him off from the ways of sin into the ways of life and salvation Further those that have been acquainted with this call of God there is an answerable frame and disposition in their hearts to call upon the Name of God for assistance direction and a blessing on all they undertake they delight now to repair unto God and call upon him as God calls unto them so they call unto him for that is the way of God according to his work in the soul he puts a gracious frame into the soul answerable to it As in Election those whom he elects when God calls them home he puts a gracious disposition in their hearts for to elect him as God chooses the soul from the world so the soul chooses God above all things in the world the soul answers to God God sets his heart on the soul and says I will choose thee for me the soul again sets its heart upon God and says I will choose thee for my God as God calls the soul to come and live to him in the ways of grace while he lives in this world so the soul calls on God for his assistance that he would give his help in unto him on all occasions and therefore the Scripture gives us this expression for the whole worship of God Rom. 10.13 Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved that soul that is acquainted with Gods call that soul calls on God again And by the way those that are thus called are fittest for Church-Communion I mention this because the word translated Church comes from a Greek word that signifies to call out that which in Scripture is usually called a Church signifies nothing else but this a Company of People called out of the ways of sin to the imbracing the ways of Godliness so that the Church should consist of People called out of the ways of sin by the powerful and efficacious voyce of the Spirit of God and they that are thus called have their sins pardoned you say you hope God hath justified you you read what God says and what hath been presented unto you they who are called they are justified then Calling in order of nature goes before Justification this you will find in your own hearts and if not this you must do when ever you come before God to hear the outward call you must come with a waiting frame of heart to hear the inward call and call upon God with such a disposition say Lord I have been taught that there is an outward call of thine in the Word and an inward call and I am going this day to hear thy Word calling me out of the ways of sin O that I might have together with that the inward call of thy Spirit when shall I hear that secret voyce this is the reason though I have been convinced many times at the hearing of the Word yet my sin hath prevail'd against me because that inward secret powerful voyce hath not come to my soul that is the first Evidence whom he hath justified them he hath called A Second Evidence is this Whomsoever God pardons he receives into Covenant with himself all pardoned sinners are Covenanters with God God pardons no soul but such an one as he brings into the Bond of the Covenant with himself that is the way of the conveyance of the grace of God for the pardon of sin to bring the soul into the Bonds of the Covenant the Scripture is evident in this that forgiveness of sin is made a special fruit of the New Covenant that is clear enough Jer. 31.33 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel c. what is the special end of that Covenant I will forgive their Iniquities and remember their sins no more But how does that come in it comes in by way of Covenant I will make a New Covenant I will first receive them into Covenant and then they shall have the fruit of this New Covenant that their sins shall be forgiven and their iniquities remembred no more The New Covenant is a mysterie to most people and yet it is a certain truth the pardon of thy sin and thy eternal good depends upon it thou art one that God has brought into Covenant with himself if thou beest or ever shalt be pardoned as God will manifest to thy soul that he hath through his Son tyed and bound himself to thee to be thy God that whereas before thou wer 't departed from him and an enemy to him yet now he is pleased to call thee to enter into a second Covenant after thou had'st broken the first and wer 't cast off by reason of that breach God is contented to enter into a second Covenant with thee to be thy God in and through his Son thou art to come in and joyn in this Covenant for to a full Covenant there must be assent on both sides there must be a mutual ingagement of either parties when God reveals this to thy soul that though thou be by nature an Enemy to me and hast broken the first Covenant that I made with the Children of men and art cast off yet be it known unto thee O thou wretched soul I am content to enter into another Covenant with thee there is a second Covenant for life and salvation that I have made with poor man through my Son and I require that thou should'st come in and give up thy self in an everlasting Covenant to make me to be thy God and to close with me and my Son in whatsoever I call thee to in whatsoever thou hast or can'st do to give up thy self to the power of me and my Son this thou must ingage and tye thy self unto in the strongest Bonds that can be this is the nature of the Covenant we know there were two Covenants and all the good of mankind in the first Covenant depended on this his closing with the tearms of it Now the tearms of the first Covenant was Do this and live but that is broken and we have lost our ability Now the second Covenant is Believe and live and the soul that God pardons he brings into the Bond of the second Covenant it is brought to come and give it self up to the Lord and to be content to bind it self with all bonds unto God that he and he only shall be my God as I desire him to be mine and his grace and mercy to be mine so all that I have or can do shall be his I surrender up my self and ingage my soul to be his for ever my Estate Abilities
in thee I say unto thee in the Name of Christ be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned God will shew good unto thee when this world is ended thou art one that Jesus Christ hath brought into his Kingdom and set up his Throne in thy heart and therefore thou may'st be assured that he will take thee at last into his everlasting Kingdom Fourthly Where God forgives he gives much giving follows forgiving God never forgives any but he gives much to that soul whom he forgives As in that case when the Apostles preacht the Doctrine of forgiveness and pardon of sin the Holy Ghost fell upon them so certainly where the Preaching of pardon of sin hath power through the Ministry of the Gospel over a soul God gives much to that soul and there are three things especially that God gives presently unto the soul whom he pardons which have all been mentioned before in opening the blessedness of pardon of sin and therefore I will but mention them now to strengthen this note of tryal 1. Hath God forgiven thee then he hath given his Spirit to inlighten thee in the great mysteries of Salvation thou pleadest thou art ignorant and art not Book-learned if God have so great a favour for thee as to pardon thy sin he will give thee understanding in the mysteries of the Gospel Jer. 31.34 where God pardons sin they shall have this mercy to be taught of him 2. God will give this unto thee he will write his Law in thy heart that is he will work in thy heart a sutable frame and disposition to his Law that thy heart and the Law of God shall be like two copies that have the same things in them and vary not one title from one another there shall be a sutableness between thy heart and the Law of God not only to do that which God requires because I must do it but because I find it sutable to the new nature bestowed on me he will write his Law in the heart and therefore I pronounce before the Lord this day again that whosoever has his sin pardoned and his iniquities forgiven that God hath writ his Law in the heart of that man or woman by the finger of his own Spirit that heart of thine that was as a heart of stone God will write his own Law thereon as he did on the Tables that Moses broke though always thou hast not a real sight of it yet such a thing is there and is a comfortable assurance of the pardon of thy sin 3. God gives healing mercies to cleanse thee from thy sin Jer. 33.8 I will cleanse them from their iniquities and pardon all their sins cleansing from sin and pardon of sin they ever go together if God pardon thy sin he cleanses thee from sin do not look therefore only after pardoning mercy but likewise after cleansing mercy those whom God hath joyned together let no man put asunder pardoning and cleansing God hath put together God may bestow other mercies as health strength and success in outward things without pardon but never cleansing from sin without pardon of it and therefore if thou findest thy heart cleansed Peace be to thy soul thy sins are forgiven Fifthly Besides these those whom God pardons he puts a glory upon them there is a glory put upon all pardoned sinners they are indeed glorious creatures in the eyes of God and Angels yea and there is a glory put upon them that the Saints of God are able to see perhaps that glory is not seen by the purblind eye of the world that are in darkness but those that have their eyes in their heads may see a glory put upon every soul that is pardoned and for that that Text is clear Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified 't is not spoken only of that glory the Saints shall have in the highest Heavens when they shall be in glory with Christ but of that glory God puts upon the soul in this world 't is not said them he will glorifie but them he hath also glorified there is no justified soul but is a glorified soul this is a certain truth in Divinity That at that instant any soul is justified at that instant he is glorified in Jer. 33.9 there is an expression somewhat like unto that and it follows upon pardon of sin And it shall be to me a Name of joy a praise and an honour before all the Nations upon Earth c. that is I will put glory upon them and so they shall be to me a name of joy a praise and an honour before all the Nations in the world you will say How is that What is the glory of a justified soul certainly the soul that is justified is glorious God puts a glory on it by those glorious graces of his Holy Spirit that he endows the soul withal there is no justified soul but hath the glorious graces of the Holy Spirit put presently upon it and so 't is beautiful and glorious yea the only glorious object that the Lord Jesus Christ delights in in all the world take the poorest soul in the world God putting his Image upon it there is a greater glory and lustre on that soul than is on all the Heavens and the Earth besides take all other creatures in their greatest glory and God sees not so much glory on them as on any one soul whom he hath justified for so it is Holiness and the graces of Gods Spirit are called the glory of God himself Rom. 3.23 24. For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God What is it to be deprived of the glory of God but the loss of that Image of God that man was made in but when a man is justified that glory of God is put upon him a fresh upon his heart his understanding his will and affections and that makes the Lord to delight to dwell with thee converse and have Communion with thee because of that glory that he hath put upon thee so there is a glory also in the life and conversation for on every soul that God justifies there comes presently a new lustre upon their life and conversation All those that have lived in horrible wickedness and base courses now when they are changed and they manifest the graces of the Spirit of God shining in their conversation through the whole course of their lives in meekness patience humility heavenly-mindedness and the like there is a lustre on their conversations to those that are able to judge of it they see it and the world many times is dazled with it they see a glory on them and are convinc't that certainly there is a work of God upon these men and in their good moods they are wishing to die their deaths and that their ends might be like theirs the poorest servant or child in a family that was
thou hopest thy sins are pardoned and that God will justifie thee and wilt not thou justifie him Does not thy sin hinder Gods grace to thee and shall trouble and affliction hinder thy glorifying God O man thou hast too vile a heart and too base a spirit to be one of those that God hath pardoned if thou wert a child of Wisdom and one whom God hath pardoned as God hath justified thee so thou wilt justifie God This note may meet with those that in company hear Ministers and the ways of God cryed out against and yet have not a word to speak to justifie God perhaps Gentlemen and others spake ill of Gods ways and thou standest speaking and hast not a word to say for God and his ways Dost thou think God hath justified thee and dost thou hear God and his People and his Word reproached and thou hast not a heart to justifie God Tenthly and lastly Those whom God pardons and forgives he puts in them a merciful frame of heart to forgive others and that upon Divine grounds there is a kind of natural forgiveness many will forgive but it is as a Heathen forgives another and it is a shame for many that profess themselves Christians that they do not go so far but you must forgive in a spiritual way for that is the way that accompanies padon of sin to forgive because I have had more forgiven such a one hath offended me but how much more have I offended the Lord and if the Lord forgive me ought not I to forgive him you know in the Gospel he that had so many Talents forgiven him and afterwards went and took his Brother by the throat how ill the Lord took it that having forgiven him so much he should exact of his Brother the utmost farthing Hath God forgiven thee thy sin which had he not it would have everlastingly chained thee in torments and wilt not thou forgive for as it is an Evidence so it is a duty and a part of Prayer in that divine Directory called the Lords Prayer Matth. 6. Forgive us as we forgive and in another place it runs thus forgive for we forgive therefore thou can'st have no Evidence that God hath forgiven thy iniquities and pardoned thy trespasses except others be in thy thoughts forgiven too I might have given divers Scriptures but I mention it as a duty that you that have any knowledg of your sin pardoned would make this as a ground to forgive your Brethren say Alas poor wretch hath God forgiven me was there ever such a distance between my brother and me as there was between God and me and hath God forgiven and shall not I forgive my brother It is impossible a soul should be made acquainted with the rich mercy of God in forgiveness of sin and have not a meek spirit to forgive his brother Nothing can take away the rugged sowrness and rigidness of one man towards another but the Oyl of Gods grace in pardoning of sin and that coming once into the soul makes the soul to be of a sweet mild gentle kind and tender frame Observe this you that have rugged natures you say it is nature and you cannot help it if any thing change it it is the mercy of God in pardoning thy sin is there not so much in the grace of God in pardoning thy sin as to change that rugged nature of thine certainly there is else thou hast little hope that thy sin is pardoned therefore if God have pardoned thee thou must go and do so likewise I am perswaded many of you hope 't and longed for this Sermon and I desired to be the larger because I would lay the Evidences full before you here you have had the blessed man and woman described unto you but there is but few of them few can go away and say as we have heard so it is But I hope divers of you can it was for you that it was preached and sent from Heaven that you should feed upon it and 't is as needful as the bread you eat But there is one thing more that is very meet to annex to all that hath been said for without that I am afraid there are many to whom the consolation of this Text and Point belongs to will go away with little comfort because they know not how to apply them and that is to give some rules how to make use of these signs and be able to apply them and by the same rules you may come to know any other notes of Trial concerning your spiritual Estate and to make use of them in any other particular whatsoever CHAP. XVIII Of the Rules how to apply the Evidences of Pardon of Sin IT is a matter of great concernment to us to try whether our sins are forgiven for in times of danger our hearts are ready to sink but the Evidence of this that our sins are forgiven will hold up our hearts in the midst of the greatest dangers whatsoever if Heaven and Earth should meet together if I have assurance of this for so it follows after David had pronounc't him blessed whose sins were forgiven Vers 6. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him there may be floods of great waters but he that hath his sins forgiven God shall preserve him and compass him about with songs of deliverance but they that have their sins compass them about shall have horrour and terrour to compass them about but says David having assurance his sins were pardoned Thou art my hiding place and thou shalt compass me about therefore if your hearts close with those Evidences given you may have comfort in the great water-floods God will be a hiding place unto you it concerns very much to labour to put this out of doubt and not to put it off to a sick-bed or death-bed time of examination but now to those Evidences there is another thing which is of great concernment in this Point and that is to give some rules how to make use of those or all other Evidences that shall be given at any time for tryal of any Especially for the tryal of our states in point of Justification or Sanctification but they will be helpful to the use of any other Evidences whatsoever First is this that you may be able to apply those rules of Trial and Evidences given though you cannot find them all yet if you find but any one of them you may receive comfort from that though you feel not the rest you may be assured that the rest are there Many a soul many times hears Evidences of the happy condition in point of pardon of sin and it may be there is one two or three that they can catch hold on but there are some others they cannot take hold of them if thou findest but one of them in thy heart though thou can'st not feel or see the other yet God doth see the other to be there within though
you do not rest much upon Evidences but then at that very time think with your selves though now I have comforts I may loose them and God may call me to another condition God never granted these helps unto me for my Saviours that I should rest upon them they are but bladders to help me to swim and God may take away these and call me to live upon the meer actings of faith and not at all on sense that 's certain he may do it for when we bring these Signs and Evidences of grace as they come from faith and are effects and fruits of it they are but as bladders to help young swimmers that cannot swim without them and learn them to swim but those that have got the Art though the bladders be taken away they can swim but take them away from the others and they will sink so that these Evidences are for young and weak Christians that cannot live on primary acts of faith which a strong Christian can do when all other things are taken away and therefore when we feel the comfort of any signs depend not on this the Lord may take them away and because he delights in the meer actings of faith that is the reason why God withdraws himself from the souls of his people that they shall not have the use of Signs and Evidences as they had before because he would teach them to live on the more necessary acts of faith God loves the voice of Job though he kill me yet will I trust in him I will venture my soul upon him whatever becomes of me when there 's nothing else to rest on but God then to live by actings of faith merely on him he delights much in this and therefore take heed you do not rest so much on signs as if all your comforts were lost and you undone when you cannot have such use of them as you have had heretofore Ninthly when you have at any time lost the use of signs do not determine that all is gone and that you shall never have the use of them more this is that that mightily hinders many poor Christians that are in trouble of Conscience because they cannot find the evidence of the pardon of their sins and that God accepts of them in what they do what do they do presently they yeild to the horrible sentence of damnation against themselves Gods Spirit say they is now gone and he will return no more he will never come any more unto me take heed you do not fasten on any such kind of thoughts as those are to determine of your own estates or that Gods Spirit will not come again but do you humble your souls before the Lord and wait upon him Tenthly When at any time all Signs and Evidences fail you and you are ready to determine that all is gone yet even then keep up good thoughts of God As the Spouse in the Canticles when her Beloved was gone yet she prized him and said He is the chiefest of ten thousands in Cant. 5. when she was asked What is thy beloved says she he is thus and thus then concludes He is altogether lovely and this was at such a time as he was gone yet she retain'd good thoughts of him so 't is a good sign for any soul that when trouble of conscience is upon them or any other trouble that they retain good thoughts of God and Christ and the wayes of God when the soul says whatever become of me though I perish for ever yet God is good his Word his ways are good his Gospel and the Covenant in his Son is good and whatever troubles are upon me yet God is righteous and though God justifie not me yet I will justifie God if there be any soul that cannot find his Evidences or any of those signs before spoken of you may make use of this if you cannot find any other do what thou can'st to justifie God thou art afraid that God will not justifie thee do thou justifie him sometimes it is with many men as with some wretched servant that has dealt falsly with his Master and may be all the while he can make any advantage of his Master for his own ends he will speak well of him but if his Master turn him out of doors for his wickedness then he rails on him 't is ordinary for bad servants to do so when they are turn'd away for their wickedness and so it is with many when all goes well with them then they like well of the wayes of God but if they come to such a condition as that they think that God will cast them away indeed and that they are like to perish then they begin to have hard thoughts of God and by degrees they speak against God and his ways take heed of this although you want the Evidences of his love and mercy yet retain in your hearts good thoughts of God and of his ways and this will be a special help to bring into your souls the comfort and assurance of your Justification and now I have done with this argument I have shewed you who it is that hath his sins pardoned I have shewed the several mistakes and I have shewed you certain infallible grounds from Scripture Evidences of the pardon of sin and Rules how to make use of those Evidences and now upon what you have heard you have testimony and assurance of the pardon of your sins or you have not if you find your hearts do not answer to these Evidences or that you are afraid that your sins are not pardoned then take a use of Exhortation to put you on to seek after this blessedness CHAP. XIX Of Exhortation to seek after Pardon of Sin with Cautions and Rules how and what we are to do I Am now come to a use of Exhortation and it concerns us all either those that are not pardoned or those that have assurance of the pardon of their sins for there is none that have assurance but may make use of it Christ taught his Disciples to pray daily for the forgiveness of their trespasses as well as for their daily bread and what we are to pray for we are to seek after so that it concerns all blessedness is desirable to all it is as natural for man as a reasonable creature to desire blessedness as it is for the fire to burn only here 's the great mistake in the world all would have it but they look not for it in the right way Now after all that has been said that thou may'st not have slight thoughts of the pardon of sin and say I hope they are pardoned and the like I shall speak to awaken thee suppose thou wer 't now set on the brink of the infinite Ocean of Eternity and the bottomless Gulf were ready to devour thee and the Records of Heaven were opened and there shewed thee that thy sins were not cancelled but remain upon the file What thou would'st then do do
Congregation and in others where the Word is preached that he will pardon Mar. 10.46 The blind man hearing it was Christ that past by he cryed for mercy and many charged him to hold his peace but he cried the more and Christ stood still and called him unto him Now if thou seest thy sin and cryest for pardon Christ will call thee to give pardoning mercy to thee as he did Bartimeus Thirdly It may be thou art not only under the means of grace and the outward call but thou begin'st to feel an inward call there are some stirrings of Gods Spirit within thee thou could'st say before thou wonderedst what the matter was with people to run after Sermons but now thou begin'st to feel the effect of it And the glory of God appears to thee in this place when thou art hearing of his Word thou may'st hence reason as Manoa's wife Judg. 13.23 That certainly if God had intended to have killed us he would not have received a burnt Offering and a meat Offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things so say to thy soul if God had intended to kill me he would not have been so willing to have drawn me after him neither would he have shewed me all these things and let that be an incouragement unto thee Fourthly The end why God continues this world in being is that he might give pardon to his Elect certainly this world had been dissolved long ago if it were not that he might bring pardon to his Elect and to those that see their sins this must needs be a great incouragement to a soul viz. to those that see their sins to come in when this pardoning work is done Christ will deliver up his Kingdom to his Father if a malefactor should come to sue out his pardon and one should say unto him 't is well Sir you are come for the King would not have kept his Court so long here but that you should come in were not this a great incouragement so say I were it not that men should come to get the pardon of their sins the Court of the world would have been broken up long before this time Fifthly The principal scope of the Scriptures is for this very end to reveal the pardoning grace of God you have here the heart of God laid open Christ wept and mourned that sinners would not come in that they might be pardoned and saved I have read a story that in Athens there was a Temple and in that there was a woman weeping and in one hand she had a bleeding Heart and with the other she was writing Pardons so Christ he stands weeping over you that you will not come in and he hath a bleeding heart bleeding for you in the one hand and with the other hand he is ready to write you a pardon Luk. 19.41 42. nay he does not only weep But the Sixth incouragement may be He sends his Ambassadors to woe you to come in and tells them they shall not take a denyal at your hands 2 Cor. 5.20 They intreat and beg as in his Name nay it is the beseechings and intreatings of God himself as if a King should send one of the Attendants on him to a poor condemned Prisoner and say go tell such a one that he must come for his pardon and tell him I beseech him and take no denyal of him I beseech him to come in would not this manifest the great willingness of the King to pardon God does so he sends his Ministers and beseeches you to come in and take a pardon 't is as certain God speaks thus by his Ministers as if you heard God speaking by himself this should move you to come in Christ begs and intreats you to be reconciled that his bloud might not be shed in vain seeing it is so that God begs of thee to come in why shouldest not thou come in and take pardon of thy sin Why can'st not thou come in and give up thy self and all thou hast and art to him Seventhly Know it is the great office and work of Christs mediatorship to bind up the broken hearts of wounded sinners Isai 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me he hath sent me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath seat me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound this in the New Testament is applyed to Christ Now this being the great work for which Christ came into the world to bind up the broken-hearted see whether thou canst not rely on Christ by an act of faith this should be a great incouragement Eighthly Consider that that God thou hast to deal withal his nature is mercy in the abstract and if so he is free in his mercy as the Sun shines because it 's the nature of it to shine so the mercy of God must needs work freely because it is his nature as the fire burns naturally Exod. 34. Mic. 7.18 God pardons because he delights in mercy thou say'st thou art a poor sinner well though it be so yet thou may'st say though God can see nothing in me yet seeing that he is a God that delights in mercy this may move me to come in For 1. He hath more delight in pardoning any sinner than in all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God delights in all the works of his hands but in this he delights in more than in all he delights in them all but not so much as in magnifying his grace in Jesus Christ for in this he magnifies his Son and therefore he hath more pleasure and takes more delight in pardoning a poor humbled sinner than in all the works of his hands besides 2. No one can take so much pleasure in the salvation of his own soul as God doth in pardoning of thy sin and the reason is because this is the greatest design that God hath which is the setting out of his glory in his pardoning mercy in Christ and therefore this may be a great encouragement 3. God is more delighted in the work of thy heart closing with free grace than in all the legal works of humiliation what says Christ this is the good will and pleasure of God and David was called a man after Gods own heart Why because he was a man that would do his will so that this is a great incouragement though many abuse this and pervert it to their own destruction yet God will have it taught that thou mightest have the comfort of it and therefore thou shouldest close with God and come in and take hold of his pardoning mercy Ninthly Though God hath taken such a way in mercy to pardon sin yet he loseth nothing in his justice Christ hath taken such order that his glory shall no way be diminished his justice shall be satisfied and therefore thou need'st not say thus I have so sinned
it is a great taking the Name of God in vain for any man or woman to have slight thoughts of sin ibid. 2 Men should be content to endure much difficulty in seeking of Pardon ibid. 3 The difficulties pardon of sin passes through should make us willing to undergo any hard services God puts us to 52 CHAP. VI. Of Pardoning Mercy coming from the Fountain of Gods Everlasting Love 52 CHAP. VII Of Pardoning Mercy being a work that all the three Persons in the Trinity are ingaged in 54 1 God the Father's heart was in it ibid. 2 Christ the Son's heart was in it 55 3 The Holy Ghost was much in it 56 CHAP. VIII Of Pardoning Mercy being a perfect mercy 60 Hence 1 Flows out abundance of comfort 61 2 Great ingagement unto duty ibid. CHAP. IX Of Pardoning Mercy being an Irrevocable Mercy 62 This appears 1 In Gods blotting out of sin 64 2 Casting it behind his back 65 3 Removing it as far as the East is from the West ibid. 4 Casts them in the bottom of the Sea ibid. 5 He will remember them no more ibid. 6 They shall never be mentioned ibid. 7 They shall never be found 67 CHAP. X. Of Pardon of Sin being a mercy denyed to fal'n Angels 69 CHAP. XI Of Pardoning Mercy being such that it is given but to a few 71 1 Because God would have a proportion between his Justice and Mercy 72 2 To manifest his Mercy the more to those that are saved ibid. CHAP. XII Of the possibility of Pardoning Mercy how it would be prized by poor Souls now under wrath 74 CHAP. XIII Of Pardon of Sin being the special end of all God's Ordinances 76 1. Hearing of the Word ibid. 2. The Sacraments 78 3 Discipline 79 A Transition to the Application of what is to be said to these things ibid. CHAP. XIV Of the Dishonour done by Men to the Pardoning Grace of God 81 1 By careless ones 82 2 By sinful ones who labour to increase guilt 84 3 Those that have slight thoughts of Pardon 87 4 Such as seek Pardon but are insensible of the greatness of the work 89 5 Those that dally with God and 92 1 That cry for pardon and yet continue in love to their sin ibid. 2 That seek the pardon of some sins yet still keep the love of others 94 3 That look not after their Prayers 95 4 That follow not their Prayers with answerable endeavours ibid. 5 Those that pray for pardon and yet are satisfied with other things ibid. 6 Those that are quiet upon weak and slight Evidences dishonour God 96 1 The Word 97 2 The Word put in writing ibid. 3 Witnesses and they are six 3 in Heaven and 3 on Earth ibid. 4 An Oath ibid. 5 Seals 98 1 The Broad Seal of the Image of God ibid. 2 The Privy Seal of the Spirit of God ibid. 3 Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. ibid. 7 Those dishonour Gods Mercy that defer the seeking of it to the worst times as Sick-bed or Death-bed time 99 1 Because they leave not sin till sin is leaving them 100 2 That time is usually the time of Gods wrath ibid. 3 A man is then unfit for the greatness of this work 101 4 God will loose a great part of his end in pardoning mercy 102 5 It argues a base spirit to put it off till then that all the tag-rag and rabble-rout will come in ibid. 8 They dishonour the pardoning grace of God that seek it any other way then in and through the Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ ibid. 9 Those that venture on any one sin in hopes they may be pardoned 107 1 It argues an abominable heart 111 2 An ingenious gracious spirit would never do it ibid. 3 Gods Children reason to the contrary 112 4 In some respect thou art worse than the damned in Hell 113 5 This will be an intollerable burden to thee that will indanger the sinking of thy soul in the bottomless gulf of dispair 114 10 They dishonour the Pardoning Grace of God that sin after pardon as 115 1 That return to the same sin 116 2 That are negligent in the ways of God 117 1 They remember not the days of old 118 2 Are in danger of losing their Evidences 120 3 This may provoke God to deal with you as a slave and not as a son 122 4 Hereby thy sin is aggravated above the sins of the wicked ibid. CHAP. XV. Of the dishonour done to the Grace of God by not resting on it 125 1 It argues low thoughts of the pardoning Grace of God 126 2 Thou hereby judgest of God according to thy own thoughts 127 3 'T is contrary to the main scope of the Scriptures which is to magnifie the pardoning grace of God 128 1 Against the greatness of sin ibid. 2 The way thou takest 't is the ready way to perish 129 Object Would you have us go on to believe and doubt no more 130 Answ No. But 1 Turn your fears of Presuming into fears of Dishonouring the Grace of God 131 2 Set the greatness of the Pardoning Grace of God before the eye of your souls ibid. 3 Keep your spirits in an active frame 132 4 Renew your Resolutions of Honouring God whatever God does with you ibid. 5 Keep thy heart in a waiting frame ibid. 6 Catch hold of any beginnings 133 Of the evil of this sin of dishonouring the pardoning Grace of God ibid. 1 It is a sinning against mercy which God accounts his glory ibid. 2 It aggravates the sin of such men 134. 1 Above the sin of the Heathen ibid. 2 Above the sin of the Devils 135 3 The Scripture speaks dreadfully of it ibid. CHAP. XVI Of the several Mistakes of Men about the Pardon of their Sins 1 Many think their sins are pardoned because it is but little they are guilty of Answ 140 1 Such understand not the evil that is in the least sin ibid. 2 Gods mercy is his own to do with it as he pleases ibid. 2 Others think they are pardoned because they have not multiplied and increast them 142 Answ One sin is enough to damn thee as well as a million of transgressions ibid. 3 Others think they are pardoned because the guilt of them does not lie upon their Consciences Answered 143 4 Others think they are pardoned because they have had prosperity Answ 145 5 Others hope they are pardoned because 1 They are sorry for them Answ 146 2 Leave them Answ 151 1 All Reformation satisfies not for sin 153 2 God accepts of duties not for themselves but because of the person that performs them 154 3 Others say we trust in the mercy of God and they are 1 Such as are most grosly ignorant Answ 155 2 Others more knowing Answ 157 4 Others say We rely upon Christ Answ 161 CHAP. XVII Of the true Evidences of Forgiveness of Sin 162 1 They are such as are Called Ones 163 2 They are received into the Covenant