CHAPTER XVI. Different Misconceptions Regarding the Forgiveness of Sins
CHAPTER XVI.
Different Misconceptions Regarding the Forgiveness of Sins Our work now is to show who they are that have their sins pardoned ; for there is nothing in all the world so much concerns us, as to know how things stand with us in relation to God and our souls, whether we be pardoned or no; for a mistake in this is a wonderful mistake; and yet how many thousands are there that venture the weight of this great business upon poor, weak, and slight grounds, yea rather on mere suggestions of their own hearts? and therefore we must first labor to convince men of their mistakes about pardon of sin; and then lay down some sound Evidences of pardon, in which there may be true and solid peace. People are exceeding apt to mistake in point of pardon of sin, hoping that God has pardoned them, and that they shall not be laid to their charge, but upon very slight grounds that will deceive them; And therefore I desire this day you would look upon yourselves as arraigned before the great God, as one day you must be: And let your hearts so hear, and attend to what we deliver, as if God should speak to you, and say, Thou sinner, such and such things thou art privy to, and hast been guilty of, What canst thou say why the sentence of everlasting death should not be past upon thee? why God should not declare against thee according to his Law? I suppose, scarce any of you but have some hope that God will never proceed against you according to his Law; for indeed, if he do, you are undone forever. But what are the grounds of your hopes; why you think God will not proceed against you for your sins, but will pass them by, and forgive you? let us a little examine the grounds of it, for it is of very great Consequence; and certainly many people are now sunk down into the bottomless pit of Hell, by resting upon false grounds; I shall labor to discover the weakness of their standing, that rest on false grounds, the
First, Is this many, think that God has pardoned their sin, because it is but little they have been guilty of, and for that they think there is a pardon in course; were I guilty of such horrible wickedness, and notorious sins, as many others are; then I think it would go hard with me; I should be afraid, things between God and me were very grievous, but the sins I have been guilty of, are no such great sins; I hope God will pass them by: God forbid I should think he were so strict as not to pass by such small sins as those that I have been guilty of. For answer to this 1 Know thou dost not understand, what the evil and malignity of sin means ; If thou thinkest the least sin does not make such a breach between God and thee, as all created power in Heaven and Earth, can never make up again: if you do not believe that all those Sermons preached unto you about the evil of sin, are lost unto you. But know, as a little Penknife may stabb you to death; as truly as a gash of the greatest Sword, and a little shot out of a Pistol may kill you as well as a Canon bullet; So a little sin may prove your eternal ruin as well as a great one: and therefore that is no argument that God hath past by your sins, because they are little ones; and for that consider this one thing I am further speaking of:
2. God's pardoning mercy is his own, to do with it what he pleases ; and therefore that God may show his prerogative, he will sometimes to some, pardon their great sins, and others he will damn for little sins; you think your sins are not so great as other men's, and therefore you think that God will forgive you; do not deceive yourselves with this, God will do with his mercy what he pleases.
What if he will pardon the most notorious gross sins in others, and damn thee for thy sins in thoughts? what if he will pardon the most notorious uncleanness and murder in another, and damn thee for a wanton thought? he may do it, for his mercy is his own: For this take the example of David and Saul compared together, David committed many sins, but especially those two of Adultery and Murder, and yet God pardoned him, but Saul committed far less sins then those, and
yet God cast him off forever; the things on which God laid the casting off of Saul were these two sins.
1. He did not stay till Samuel came, when Samuel had appointed a time to come, he defer'd it to the last minute, and Saul was in a great strait, he tarry'd for him long, and he thought he must not go to war except he offered Sacrifice before, and he ventured to offer it himself, and did not stay out the full time; he staid so long till he thought that Samuel would not come, and then that he did was but to offer
Sacrifice to God, and yet God lays this very thing unto his charge as a cause why he would cast him off. 1 Sam. 13.13. Samuel tells him that God had thought to establish the Kingdom forever unto him, But now he will not ; you are gone Saul for this sin: the 2. sin in Scripture on which God lays his casting off upon is this, God sent him against the Amalekites, and bad him destroy all, but he spared the fat of the flock, and the King. Now the sparing of the fat of the flock was done out of a good intention, he professes it was that the People might have of the fattest to offer in Sacrifice to God, a good intention and yet for this God tells him, that he would rend the Kingdom from him, for that thing, 1 Sam. 15.28. True it is, that though Saul was guilty of other sins, yet if you observe the story, you shall find that these were the two sins for which God puts the casting away of Saul upon.
And yet David committed murder and adultery, and was not cast off; why? Why if God will show his prerogative, what hath the creature to reason with him for it, if he will damn Saul for his sins that were less, and pardon David's that were greater, what hast thou to do with that? his mercy is his own: Thou thinkest it may be because thou couldst put a man off with this reason, my sins are small, and therefore I may be forgiven them because they are not so great as others: Grant it may be so, yet know that tis not so with God, he may pardon great sins in others, and yet thou mayest perish eternally for the least sins of all, and therefore take this for a Conclusion; If thou hast no other ground for the pardon of thy sin; but because they are little ones; I pronounce in the name of God against thee this day, thy sins are not pardoned; But stand upon the file, and thou shalt
externally perish in them, if thou hast no other ground then that, to show for the pardon of them; and therefore never make that an argument, that they are pardoned, because they are less then others.
Secondly, Others it may be will plead, my sins are not many ; we are all sinners, but I have not multiplied and increased my sins as others have done. I shall answer to that briefly, know that one sin is enough to damn thee, as fully as a Million of transgressions reiterated again, and again ; One chain is enough to hold thee in everlasting darkness, and God may damn thee for one sin, as well as for never so many thousands, as you have heard, he did the Angels for their first, and but one sin; and therefore though thy sins are not many, that is no argument at all. Further, we may observe in the way of God's pardoning mercy; he pardons some that have gone a long time on in their sins, and makes quick work with others that have been but a little time in sin, and that we may see in the example of Manasseh and Amon ; compare those two together, in the example of Manasseh you shall find that he reigned some 55 years; he was a notorious vile sinner against God; and yet he reigned a long time in it, his conversion was but late. 2 Kings 21.1. He was 12. years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned 55. years in Jerusalem; and almost all this time he went on in committing most notorious abominations, and yet God pardoned him. But now mark, his
Son Amon comes after him, and perhaps he might reason thus, my Father lived thus and thus, and for a long time had his lust and desires, and why may not I venture to do as my Father did; and so he went on in his Fathers wickedness; but now mark, God comes presently upon him, and lets him live but two years, and theres an end of him. Manasseh continued 55. years, and his Son comes after him, and he would go on in his Fathers steps, and God presently cut him off; so though some may continue in whoredom, and in other abominations, and perhaps live in Outward prosperity many years,
40 or 50 years, yet God may pass them by, and then if thou sin'st after their example, he may come upon thee for the first or second act, cut the off, and send thee down presently to Hell; and therefore
do not say, my sins are but few, and therefore God will pass them by, that is no argument at all.
Thirdly, The third false ground that others apprehend their sins are pardoned is this, because the guilt of them does not lie upon their
Consciences ; they think they are not guilty of their sins, and say, they were committed a great while ago, and a long time hath past, and they heard not of them; and therefore they think they shall never hear of them more, God hath quite past them over, because they were committed a long time since, and they have not heard of them. Answ. Do not deceive yourselves in this, for the sins that you have committed twenty, forty, or sixty years ago, though thou never heard'st of them since, it is no argument that they are pardoned; for they may be on the file in Heaven, stand there upon Record, and lie as a debt against you all, though they were committed eighty years ago; 'tis no argument a Malefactor is pardoned, because the Assize is not tomorrow, or next day; 'tis true, God will have his Assize for some sooner; but for you he hath reserved it till another time; and therefore 'tis you hear not of you sins, Exod. 32.34. In the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them: God has his day, and perhaps his day is not come to visit; and therefore thou thinkest thou art discharged, because the day of God's Visitation is not come to thee.
And Secondly, know further, that though thy sins were committed a great while since, yet in regard of God's Eternity, they are to him as if they were committed this morning before thou camest to the Assembly, although you committed them forty or fifty years ago, yet to God they are but as a sin committed yesterday; it may be you think your Consciences would fly in your faces, if you were drunk yesternight, and should come to the Sacrament this morning; and certainly he must be a desperate wretch, a monstrous notorious villain, that should dare to come to the Sacrament this morning that was drunk the last night, the last week, and never made his peace with God, his Conscience may fly in his face if he were not a Monster: but now, your sins that were committed forty or fifty years ago, know they are to God as if they were committed but this morning; for God's eternity consists not in passing and coming; but in this, that
there is no succession with God, no time past, nor time to come with God; all time to God is as a perpetual now: and therefore all thy sins that thou hast committed in time past, is in the eye of God as if they were committed this very hour; there's a great deal of need to understand this rightly, for the humbling of men and women, by causing them to look back upon their sins, and to lay them to heart; for they are thus presented before God, as if they were committed this very moment, Job 14.16, 17. Dost thou not watch over my sin? my transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sowest up mine iniquity: God watches over your sins, and will come upon you for them; they are sealed up in a bag: sometimes when I have seen the Clerk of the Assizes draw out his Indictments, such a one for murder, and such a one for Felony; it put me in mind of this Text; those
Indictments against men were put up in the Clerk of the Assizes bag, it may be a good while before: and now at the Assizes they are drawn out and read openly in the face of the Court; so are thy sins all put in a bag, and God in the day of Visitation he pulls them out, and reads them openly before Men and Angels. We have an example in Scripture, how God did come on men for sins committed a long while before, as the example of Joseph 's Brethren, who sold him, and after this they went on and never heard of it till a long time after; it appears not that their Consciences were troubled till two and twenty years after they had committed that sin; till they came into Egypt, and were in affliction, and then their Consciences began to fly in their faces; for the sin they committed against their
Brother: Joseph was seventeen years old when he was sold, and when he stood before Pharaoh he was thirty, there's thirteen years; and then seven years of plenty, and two years of famine before they came into Egypt ; there's two and twenty years, before their
Consciences did fly in their faces for their sin against their Brother:
Take heed what you do; for the sins of your youth may be a torment to your old age: it may be you little think of it; but remember, when you are old God may come and reckon with you for the sins of your youth: 'tis and should be a great argument to make people to take heed of sin; for those sins thou committest now may do thee a mischief forty or sixty years hence; as in the natural body, many
young men though they feel no distempers in their bodies for the present, and so care not for their diet, nor how to avoid Surfits: yet after they grow old, then they feel their distempers in their joints and bones, which is no other than their drunkenness and intemperance when they were young; so 'tis in regard of the soul, many in their younger years do greatly follow after wickedness, and because they hear not of it, they go away and never are troubled; but afterwards in their old age, God comes upon them for the sins of their youth: Joab when he was young committed sin, but when his hoary head was on him, God then came to him in wrath for it; and therefore think not all thy sins are pardoned, because 'tis a great while ago since they were committed; but rather reckon up thy former sins and bewail them, and do not rest on this ground, because
'tis long since they were committed, 'tis not to be built upon, you must look for other grounds, or else you are undone forever, for this will certainly fail you.
Fourthly, Others reason that God has pardoned their sins, not only because they have been committed a great while ago; but they have had prosperity, it hath been well with them, and God has done them good; and certainly if God had not pardoned their sins, God would never have let them thrive; I shall speak but little to this, for these reasonings are very vain, (there are others I shall more insist upon; know this, thou makest it an argument of God's pardoning mercy, it may rather be an argument of God's eternal curse, for God to suffer a man to prosper much after great sins committed, it is a sign that God hath given that man over to hardness of heart, which is the most dreadful curse in the world; after God had rejected Saul, 1 Sam. 14,
15. Chapters you may read Saul had a great deal of success in his way immediately after God had cast him off ; so though God have cast off a man or a woman, yet that man or woman may have much success in their way; you that are Mariners, you cannot draw an argument, that because you have had a good Voyage, and have past such dangers, (though you have committed many sins,) that God is at peace with you, and that all your faults are past over; no, you may have many good successes in in your Voyages, and yet perish at
length for the sins you have committed in your Voyages; and so you may have good success, as Saul had good success in war, and yet was cast off for all that.
Fifthly, Others say, we are not so vain to make outward prosperity an argument or ground that our sins are pardoned: but we sorrow for sin, repent of them, and turn from them, and rely on God's mercy through Christ that our sins are pardoned, these are arguments of a higher nature than the former; and if there be true sorrow, unfeigned repentance, reformation, and a trusting in God's mercy through Jesus Christ, they will be good arguments indeed: but now I shall show you there may be all these, and yet sin not pardoned; yea a relying on Christ at least, so as people may think they rely upon Christ, and yet not sin pardoned.
1. Though these things we mentioned last may seem to be hard, yet the trial of them is a very safe and wholesome thing, because if you mistake in this, you are undone; you will examine Evidences for your
Houses and Lands; do so in the great matters between God and your souls: And for sorrow for sin, I shall make it plain, there may be a great deal of sorrow for sin, and yet sin not pardoned; you know the example of Ahab, 1 King. 21.27, to 29. verses, And it came to pass when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and went softly ; when God did but send the Prophet to tell him of his sin, presently upon the Prophets words he rent his clothes, which was a sign of extreme sorrow in those times, and then he put on Sackcloath: he put off his Princely Robes, his brave Apparrel, and put on Sackcloath, and that not for an outward garment, but upon his flesh, and then fasted and lay in Sackcloath, and went softly as a dejected man: the pride and stoutness of his heart seemed to be so much abated, that God takes notice of it in the 29. verse, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me ; and because he did so, the judgment was deferred for a while; yet certainly Ahab 's sin was not, or ever should be pardoned, though he put on Sackcloath and humbled himself before the Lord: I appeal unto you this morning,
Are not many of you hoping for pardon of sin, and yet come far short of Ahab? all you do in your repentance, is to say, God be merciful unto me, I am sorry, Lord forgive me, and there's an end, all's done presently; but Ahab went a great deal further, and yet his sin was not pardoned: Take the example of Esau, you know what the Scripture says of him, He sought the blessing with tears, and yet found no place for repentance ; and in being rejected of the blessing, it was a type of his rejection of Heaven; some carry it thus, to prove there may be tears, and yet no true 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 recall it anymore, though he shed many tears, yet he went without it; so that there may be much sorrow, and thou mayest seek the blessing with many tears, and yet God may be so turned 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 'tis said when he saw Christ was condemned, that he repented ; 'tis 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 sayest 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 mayest 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 expressed, he repented, and he brought the 30 pieces again; he was not only sorrowful, but made satisfaction; he brought the money 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
'tis 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 didst 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 merely natural, and flows from nature itself, 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 hardened? 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 show afterwards what is true and false sorrow; but for the present I shall show where the mistake lies: Whosoever therefore that builds their believing of the pardon of their sin merely 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 satisfy God's Justice; and that that must be a ground of hope for the pardon of my sin, must be something that must satisfy the justice of God; for though there be never so much sorrow, yet it will not satisfy God's 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 God's pardoning love and Reconciliation; for though God may give outward favors 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: 'tis a fruit of his pardoning grace and favor, 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 inquire 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 mayest see thyself an undone wretch for sin, and lost forever, and nothing in the world can quiet thee; all this may be by the work of the Law: but then God comes and shows 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 needest not be troubled, if God make thy humiliations greater for sin after the knowledge of thy pardon; for the revelation of God's grace in the pardon of thy sin, is the most excellent means to humble the soul in the world: the sorrows of God's Children after pardon, as they work on their own hearts so on God's 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 God's heart; there is a great deal of difference between the sorrow of God's Children, and the sorrow of others; they make sorrow the ground of pardon, this God accepts not: 'tis 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 God's 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 merely 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 merely 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 merely 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, 'tis said, He heard John the 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 anything be reformed, 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, 'tis worth our labor to restrain sin, that God may not be so much dishonored, 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 the 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 everyone 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 anything 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 ourselves: For 1. Know, that all Reformation in the world will not satisfy 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 restlessness: Know, all
Reformations for time to come, will not satisfy 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 satisfy for all the arrearages you have run into for time past: you do not understand God's 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 anymore, yet all this would not satisfy for time past, this looks but at time to come, and does not at all take off anything 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 satisfy 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 God's 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; 'tis 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 God's grace in the Covenant of the Gospel, shown 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 God's 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; 'tis 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, 'tis 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 grossly 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 joined together, and so Christ never have come? for though Christ had never come, I might have been sorrowful, and I might have reformed and said God is merciful, though Christ had never come: those that never knew Christ, nor heard of him yet, they may be sorrowful, reform, and say God is merciful. I beseech you consider this note, I can never be pardoned and saved, in such a way, as it might be done, though Christ had never come ; I can then never be pardoned and saved by all the means I take for pardon and Salvation, if those things might be done though Christ had never come; and if you have nothing else but them to rest upon, then you can never be saved; put this to your hearts, what have I wrought in my heart, that I might not have had, if Christ had not come into the world; certainly the most things that most people have to rest upon, for pardon and salvation; they might have had though Christ had never come into the world. Further, Thou sayest God is merciful, True, the mercy of God is sweet and a blessed argument, and our souls much delight to open the grace and mercy of God; and I have endeavored to open to you what is revealed in the Gospel; yet God's mercy is free, though he delight to glorify his mercy: and he hath thousand thousands of Subjects, to glorify his mercy in, though thou perish eternally. Though thou perish eternally, yet God may be glorious in the blessedness of his mercy: God hath others to magnify his mercy unto besides thee: a beggar comes and
asks an alms of a man, and he gives him none, that is not an argument the man is not merciful, for he hath other objects, that are more suitable and fit; though he give not to everyone, tis no dishonor to his compassion; so it is with God, he hath thousands of objects to bestow his mercy on; though thou perish. Further, Thou sayest God is merciful, and thererefore thou hop'st for pardon: Why? God is and hath been merciful to thee beyond all that thou canst conceive, God hath showed his mercy to thee already: thou sayest God is merciful, true, or else thou hadst not been alive at this present: that thou shouldst hear and see, and have all thy members whole, and the use of all thy senses, and that thou shouldst stand here this day under the means of grace, and that thou shouldst hear God call on thee to repent, and believe in his Son, while thou walk'st on in thy sin, and art dead in sins and trespasses: he sends his son and spirit to thee, to tell thee that he would rescue thee, and give life unto thee; again, is not here rich mercy, perhaps thou hast had thy portion of mercy already, that God intends for thee, yea so much mercy, that all the Angels and saints will give acclamations to God, for that mercy thou hast had, though thou perish; God hath many ways showed mercy to thee, in so much as that the very devils themselves will acknowledge that God was very good to his poor creatures.
Further, Thou speakest of mercy; hast not thou abused and turned mercy into wantonness? perhaps the mercy thou speakest of, now is at this very present pleading to God against thee; saying, how have I been abused by this wretched man? the more my beauty & excellency hath been displayed, the more wicked he hath grown; what if mercy be now pleading against thee? even those mercies that thou hast abused; and therefore thou hadst need to look for somewhat else to settle thy soul upon then this, to say that God is merciful; this is to the first sort, those that are grossly Ignorant.
Secondly, There are others that mourn, pray and reform, and then have some kind of reliance on God to pardon them, for his mercies sake ; and therefore to them I shall say thus much: Know, the mercy of God must be received after God's own way ; he hath appointed the
communications of it, and so it must be received; otherwise it can never attain to such an effect as the pardon of thy sin; note this, that all the mercy in God considered, as he is creator of Heaven and Earth, and not let out through the Mediator Christ Jesus God-man it never wrought to the pardon of any one sin, and therefore if you look upon the mercy of God, and do not look to the right way of the conveyance of it, you may most dangerously mistake: The ground and bottom of faith, that justifies is not merely to cast ones self on the mercy of God, (for there is none, but in a natural way know that God is a merciful God) but the main ground of Justification, or of justifying faith, is the free grace of God through Jesus Christ; That God is merciful through a Mediator : Otherwise the ground of your faith is but on a mere confused notion of the mercy of God, which will certainly fail you; a heathen may have as much to be the ground of his faith, that the great creator of Heaven and Earth, pities those that are in misery, and I am a poor creature in misery; I will cry to him, and ile reform my life, and ile rely on him; thus far a heathen may go: but the ground and bottom of faith is not the mercy of God in general, but the mercy of God in and through a Mediator; observe a little further, the ground of justifying faith is not thus, that God for Christ's sake will forgive me for what Christ hath done to purchase my pardon, but there is another work of faith in the souls of believers, though the soul apprehend it not; tis not the work of faith in justification, to believe that Christ hath paid so much as my debt comes to; but thus, the work of faith is to bring the soul unto Christ, and to pitch it upon the person of Christ, to be made mine first, and then the righteousness of Christ to be mine : It is not thus, I believe this is my debt, and there is so much money to pay it; but this is the work of faith, to bring thee to be married to such a person; and so the debt is transacted on him to whom thou art married, and he will discharge the debt, because thou art married to him; so that the ground of faith is not to look unto God merely through his son that so I may have pardon; but thus, I must come to have Christ to be mine; I must be married with Christ, and so through my union with the person of Christ, I come to have all that Christ hath done and suffered to be made over to me; and therefore when I come to look
upon the riches of the grace of God in the mediation of his son; I must come with an eye of faith, to be married unto Christ, and Christ with me, the riches of God's grace in Christ was opened before; we now make use of it as a trial to show the danger of false grounds in relying upon God for pardon.
Further, Though it be through the mercy of God to 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 terms, or else you must perish, but I through my mercy will remit something of the rigor and strictness of the Law: And most people confess, that by the strictness of the Law they are condemned, 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 rigor, 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 will 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 God's mercy to lie in this, to remit something of the strictness and severity of the Law: No but the work of God's mercy lies in this, to find out a surety for you, and to transact the debt upon him.
Further, Consider the work of God's mercy in justification of a sinner, when faith lays hold upon it faith, must not lay hold upon it as a mere single Act; but look at all the concomitants of the work of God's grace, in making way for the justification of a sinner : The mercy of God works many ways, and faith must exercise itself on God's 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 tis 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 God's mercy, is to set his wisdom on work to find 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 man's 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 God's mercy in passing by others, and giving thee to his Son: And further, It is a work of God's mercy in the powerful Ministry of the Gospel to reveal this: And then further, It is a work of God's 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 God's mercy to assure thee of the pardon and justification of thy soul ; 'tis 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 God's 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 God's 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 God's mercy work not so powerfully here in this world as to bestow spiritual good things on thee, thou mayest 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 hanged, 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 show 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 sayest thou hopest in God's mercy that he will pardon thee; let me ask, What hath he done for thee? if thou thinkest that God's mercy will work so strongly hereafter to save thy soul, certainly it will be as strong for thee here to sanctify thee; if it work not so strong on thee now as to sanctify 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 God's mercy, but we rely upon God's 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 persuade 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 itself, and carries it through and above all difficulties: when it brings the soul to rely 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 ; 'tis 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 strengthened by it; so does faith to the soul: therefore faith is 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