CHAPTER XIII: Pardon of Sin as the Ultimate Purpose of God's Ordinances
but here of a probability of being pardoned) than there is with you, if your hearts are not stir'd at the hearing of this blessed Doctrine of the Pardon of Sin; that there would be better Auditors in Hell than you are, whose hearts are not stir'd in hearing the glorious mysteries of the Gospel opened, how a sinner may come to get the pardon of his sins; God forbid it should be so.
Chapter XIII:
Pardon of Sin as the Ultimate Purpose of God's Ordinances Further, Blessed is he that hath his Iniquities forgiven, because forgiveness of sin it is the special end of all the Ordinances of God ; the Ordinances of God that he has appointed and set up in his
Church, attain their end in this blessed effect, in the forgiveness of sin; and it is an argument their is much blessedness in pardon of sin, because those precious Ordinances of Christ attain their special ends in it; there are three great Ordinances I shall instance in, the Word,
Sacraments, and Discipline ; and the people of God should count themselves in a happy condition when they see those blessed ends wrought on them, which God hath appointed those Ordinances to effect.
For hearing, 'tis a great Ordinance that Christ hath appointed, When he ascended on high he gave gifts unto men ; upon Christ's Triumphal Ascension to God the Father, he gave this great gift unto his Church, that his Church should have Pastors and Teachers; which by the way, argues the horrible wickedness of those that slight Pastors and Teachers of his Church; because it is part of the glorious gift of Christ when he ascended on high: Well, did Christ ordain Pastors and Teachers for the preaching the Word; surely it is
for some great end and purpose that he hath in it, there is surely some great glory he intends to reap by it. What is the end for which Christ hath set up this great Ordinance? 2 Cor. 5.18. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself, and hath committed to us the Ministry of Reconciliation. Ministers of the Word are
Ministers of Reconciliation that God hath given to his People: what is that? read the next verse, to wit, That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them: Now then, there is a word of Reconciliation, and this is committed unto us, God hath appointed that we should have this
Word of Reconciliation to convey it unto you; What is this? to wit, That God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their sins; so then forgiveness of sin is the end of this
Doctrine of Reconciliation, that there should be forgiveness and pardon of sin to poor souls in and through Christ Jesus; so that this shows the great scope of this Ordinance, and the end of it, to wit, forgiveness of sin: therefore no wonder we stick in this Point, because the great business we have to do, is to declare the Ministry of Reconciliation, when a Minister is about that, he is about the work that God hath appointed him to do; all other Doctrines are but to make way for this, and to teach people how to walk worthy of it; and this is the only taking Doctrine to all those that God hath appointed this mercy too, though we as Ministers of Christ preach against the vanities and profits of this world; but this is not the main thing, not the right method of Preaching to work upon the hearts of People, nor the great end of Christ's Ascension, he did not give gifts principally for these things, but that men should be able to reveal the great
Doctrine of Pardon of sin: Ministers need not keep a stir to get esteem and love, and to make themselves honorable among the People; if they did but apply themselves to Preach this great Doctrine
God hath set them about, That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their sins, they cannot but gain honor in the hearts of those that God hath appointed this mercy too;
(Many complain they want respect and honor, let them take pains in this Doctrine, and they cannot choose but they must get honor, if once this Word of Reconciliation take hold on any man's heart by
Faith and Repentance; let men speak against such a Minister never so much, say what they will of him,) his heart will not be taken off from him, but will be ready to answer as the poor blind man did the Scribes and Pharisees who raised on Christ, Joh. 9.24. Saying, give glory to God; but we know this man is a sinner: He answered whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see, be it was that opened my eyes ; thus he answered their slander: and so when others clamour against a Minister, and speak evil of them, that soul that hath his eyes opened, he will say, I am sure God hath done great things for me by him: he hath showed me the evil of sin, and the sad condition I was in by nature, and he hath revealed to me the exceeding riches of the mercy and grace of God, and my soul hath sound it so, God hath come to my soul in his Preaching: Now such a Ministry as this will certainly engage the hearts of people to them; 'tis not the man so much as Christ in the man, and this is the end of our Ministry, not to tell this or that conceit or story, but to show you the riches of the grace of God in the pardon of sin, and the Justification of your Souls through Christ Jesus, your Acceptation and Reconciliation through him, this is the first Ordinance.
2. The Sacraments, for what purpose hath Christ ordained them? the main end for which they were ordained is for Sealing, in the Supper is sealed up God's mercy in the pardon of sin, Matth. 26 28. Christ tells his Disciples, The Cup is the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sin ; as if Christ had said, this is the great Ordinance to seal unto People the pardon of their sins:
Brethren, the King does not use to set his Broad Seal to trifles and toys, and fancies, but unto things of great concernment and consequence, they must be such that shall have the Broad Seal: so here, because pardon of sin is such a blessed thing, the Broad Seal of Heaven is ordained to seal it; and when the Sacrament is administered rightly, it is no other but the Broad Seal of Heaven to Seal up the pardon of thy sin ; and so should men and women come to receive the Sacrament, they should think this day is a sealing-day; as in Courts of Justice they have their Sealing-days, and 'tis usually
said, such a day is a Sealing-day, so a Sacrament day is a sealing-day, sealing up to you the the great blessedness of forgiveness of sin; a Soul thinks thus, I am a poor wretched vile sinner before the Lord, woe unto me; thus and thus have I done, woe is me. But I have heard of the riches of God's grace in pardoning my sin; and this day God calls me to come in, and have the pardon of my sin sealed with the Broad Seal of Heaven, that my soul may be assured, and I may go away in peace, and be comforted and quieted in the great business that lies upon me, those sins of mine that have so grated on my
Conscience, and for which I have had dreadful apprehensions of the Clouds of God's displeasure hanging over my head; this day I am to go to have the sealing of a pardon of them all: Thus should men and women come to the Sacrament with such thoughts upon their hearts, as an Ordinance appointed and ordained by Christ for the sealing up the pardon of their sins.
3. The third Ordinance is the Ordinance of Discipline, whose sins soever you remit they are remitted, Joh. 20.22. and those who are cast out of the Church, and then received in again, find it to be an Ordinance of Christ, to assure them of remission of their sins. It casts out those that are scandalous, and when they repent it receives them in again, and thereby assures them of the pardon of their sins.
A Transition to the Application. Having done with the Explication, if you would run over and make some recollection of what has been delivered of the glorious blessedness of this mercy of forgiveness of sins, you might see the effects following thereupon. I have showed you the abundant grace of God that is declared in the forgiveness of sin. I have showed you the many mysteries that there are in it, and that it is an inlet to many other mercies; I have shown you the great difficulties it passes through, and how much the heart of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, was in this mercy; I shown you, it was a perfect and an irrevocable mercy, a mercy denied to Angels, and shown but to a few of mankind, compared to those that are past by; I have shown, it is a mercy, the very possibility of it would make the damned to rejoice, and it is a mercy, that is the end of
all Ordinances: And now having come to some period of the Explication, methinks that Scripture comes presently into my mind, that notable place in Rom. 8.31. If these things be so, if God thus gloriously appear, in the riches of his grace for the pardon of sin; What shall we then say to these things? the Apostle after he had spent some time in opening the Doctrine of free Justification, for the working it upon the heart of the Romans, and his own heart too, says, What shall we say to these things? the holy Apostle stood as a man amazed at the wonderful richness of the grace of God in pardoning of sin; in the verse before, having said, Moreover, whom he did predestinate them he called, and whom he called, them he justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified: And having spoken much to the point of Justification in this Chapter, he concludes at verse. 31. Now what shall we say to those things? as if he had said, Lord, how does thy glory appear in the Justification of a sinner, and pardoning his sin through Jesus Christ? that we cannot but stand amazed at the greatness of thy glory appearing herein! that we know not what to say, there is so much of thy glorious grace appears, that our mouths are stopped; What shall we say to these things? So now, after we have heard of these glorious things, of the glorious Revelation of the grace of God in and through his Son, working in such a glorious and mysterious way of godliness for the justifying of a sinner, and pardoning of his sin; if we could now sit down as men and women amazed and astonished, as having our hearts so filled with the glory of these things, as being not able to express ourselves, but even sit down amazed at the brightness of the glory of them; it would be an excellent fruit of our attendance in hearing those things, we should sanctify the Name of God in it; and towould be very happy for us; but if not while we are here together, yet, get into your Closets, and look into this mystery of godliness, and recollect what you can of that which you have heard; and let this consideration lie warm upon your hearts and thoughts: O Lord! what shall we say to these things? that God should have such thoughts of such mercy and grace in the pardon of sin, as we have heard; What shall we say to it? and though for the present your hearts be not able to express more, yet by meditation; sure the fire will kindle, and