CHAPTER XX: Encouragements to Seek Pardon of Sin
CHAPTER XX:
Encouragements to Seek Pardon of Sin First, The time of your life is given for this very end, to seek the pardon of your sins ; if a man have any great business to do that concerns his life, and another comes to him, and says, Sir, this is the very nick of time that you have taken, or else you had been lost forever, so this is the very nick of time given you to get pardon of your sins and interest in the blood of Christ.
Secondly, This time is not only afforded for this end, but the means the Lord hath brought you under is a great argument that he intends mercy for you, and you may conclude there are more of God's Elect may have pardoning mercy than in former times; the light of the Gospel breaks forth, and certainly there is more to be brought in, the Gospel is the fruit of Christ's death, and given for the Elects sake, Act. 18.9, 10. he bids him go end preach, for he had much people ; he should have opposition, but go, be not afraid, for I have much people in that place; 'tis true, the rain will fall upon the tiles as well as on the tender herbs and grass; but certainly where God sends his Word he hath people to be gathered in; and if you take notice of God's Providence in this point, it may much encourage you to come in, certainly there be many in this 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 cried 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 criest for pardon, Christ will call thee to give pardoning mercy to thee as he did Bartimaeus.
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 God's Spirit within thee; thou couldest 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 mayest hence reason, as Manoa 's wife, Judge. 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 shown 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 shown me all these things, and let that be an encouragement 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 encouragement 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, 'tis 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 encouragement? 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 encouragement may be, He sends his Ambassadors to woe you to come in, and tells them they shall not take a denial at your hands,
2 Cor. 5.20. They entreat 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 denial 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; 'tis 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 blood 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 canst not thou come in and give up thyself and all thou hast and art to him.
Seventhly, Know it is the great office and work of Christ's 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 applied 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 encouragement.
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 sayest thou art a poor sinner; well, though it be so, yet thou mayest 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 God's own heart ; Why? because he was a man that would do his will; so that this is a great encouragement, 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 needest not say thus, I have so sinned against God that I know not, that I cannot tell how to make up his glory; for there is care taken for that already, and therefore that need not discourage thee.
Tenthly, There are as vile sinners now Triumphing in Heaven as any of you that are here, be you never so black and vile, and therefore be not discouraged at the greatness of thy sins; for though they be very
great, yet that may not keep thee out, others as vile as thou art, are now in Heaven.
Eleventhly, Make the utmost of thy sin thou canst, yet this need not hinder thee to come to God for: for ought that either men or Angels know▪ thou hast as much interest in Christ as any Saint in Heaven over had, and if thou comest in and layest hold on Christ, thy very laying hold on Christ will plainly show thou hast a right unto him, and therefore be not discouraged but come in.
Twelfthly, Upon thy closing with Christ, thou wilt find such a change as was never wrought in any creature besides ; for though thou wert vile and filthy, more vile and filthy than a child new born by original and actual sins engendered in thee, yet thou shalt be made cleaner than a child, and more pure in the eyes of God than any child cleansed from his filthiness; would not you do anything to be pure in the eyes of God, make use of what I say, and you shall be clean; when you hear the Ministers utter the threatenings of God you fall out with the man, and say, he preaches nothing but terror; alas 'tis our delight to preach the pardoning grace of God; but we must show the evil of sin, and it is that you might come in and embrace mercy; for know, we delight to preach mercy more than anything else; and know, that if thou desirest that all thy thoughts, ways and actions may be for God's glory, he will not upbraid thee for coming in unto him, Joh.
6.37. He that cometh to Christ, he will in no wise cast out ; though thou hast been never so great a sinner, yet thou mayest come in and close with Christ; for he that comes to him, be he what he will, he will in no wise cast out.
Thirteenthly, Thou wilt fill Heaven with joy, and there will be more melody in Heaven than at the coming in of any Prince to his
Kingdom ; and I may say unto you, even in this place, if you come in, the Angels will rejoice at it; for there are many Angels stand about you; therefore take heed of your carriage, for they come to see your behavior; have a special care your hearts be set upon the work you come about, for they are here to see how you carry yourselves.
Fourteenthly, In obtaining pardon of sin and closing with Christ by faith, thou art made heir of the whole world, Rom. 4.13. How does many of you Mariners, and others venture upon dangerous voyages to get great Estates in this world, and you count them happy that are born to great Estates; Why, by closing with Jesus Christ by faith for remission of sins, you are made heirs of the whole world, I mean not of that to come, but of this present world, though none of you certainly desire more than may carry you to Heaven, yet you are true and proper heirs of the whole world: All is yours, the Scripture is very clear in it; but I cannot now stand to enlarge upon it, 1 Cor. 3. latter end.
Fifteenthly, For anything thou knowest, thou art one of God's Elect, and there is nothing thou art to do, but God hath promised to enable thee to do it ; for there is such a transaction between God and Christ, that he that shall be saved shall not have only savor vouchsafit unto him, but shall be enabled to do whatsoever God requires of him, there shall be grace given to everyone of the Elect of God. And now if thou comest in and givest up thyself, and all that thou art, hast or canst do to Christ: How knowest thou but thou art one of those that art Elect, and so shall be made forever happy? But if after all that has been said, thou goest away with slight thoughts of this rich and transcendent grace of pardoning mercy, and dost not set presently upon the work to obtain it, Be thou forever ashamed and confounded, but let the pardoning mercy of God be forever magnified.
FINIS.
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