CHAPTER IV: The Foundation and Overflow of Mercies through Pardon of Sin
great mystery of Godliness in forgiveness of Sin; I proceed to another, and it is this:
CHAPTER IV:
The Foundation and Overflow of Mercies through Pardon of Sin Pardon of Sin makes a man blessed; Why? Because it is the Foundation of abundance of other Mercies ; it is an inlet to many other mercies, therefore a great mercy; it is a leading mercy, it is as the Queen of Mercy, that hath a great and glorious train of other mercies attending on her; indeed, it is the very foundation of all the mercies of the Covenant of grace, 'tis the principal mercy, and the very foundation of all the mercies that are in the Covenant, and the inlet and opening to them all; the Covenant of Grace is a rich
Treasury, hath abundant store of mercy in it, and this opens to them all: The current of all God's mercies was stopped by man's sin; though God had an infinite Ocean of mercy, yet the source and vent of all God's mercies was stopped. Now, when God pardons sin, he takes away the stop, and opens the sluice, that his infinite grace and goodness may flow forth plentifully and sweetly to the soul, body and state; yea to all that belongs to a believer: You may conceive God's mercy to be as an infinite stream of goodness, running with a full current towards his creatures; for God delights in the Communication of himself to his creatures: But now man's sin made a dam, and stopped the pipe, that not one drop of mercy could come forth, not a drop of all that mercy that in the eternal purpose of God he hath appointed in time shall come forth to such and such a poor creature; but when he comes to Pardon and Justification, he pulls out the plug, and pulls up the flood-gates and sluices, and then mercies come flowing in amain; when sin is pardoned, then the full streams of all the mercies in the Covenant of grace come flowing into the soul; well then, if it be thus, that pardon of sin is an inlet to other mercies; then he that hath his sin pardoned is a very blessed man. I shall open this, That Pardon of Sin is the foundation to, and opens
the sluice to let in all other mercies, Jer. 31.31. Behold, the days come that I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel, and the house of Judah: here God opens his goodness, and tells them he will make a new Covenant, not like that he made with their fathers, verse.
32. but this shall be the Covenant, verse. 33. and he instances in some particulars, I will put my Law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother; saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me, &c. But what is the foundation of all this? at the end of the 34. For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. I will make a new Covenant with them, and put my law into their inward parts, and they shall all know me ; I will come in with all my mercies and blessings, Illumination and Sanctification; he mentions these instead of the rest, as in a grant of great things some particulars are mentioned; but then he comes in with a general; For I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more: As if it should be said, Why? Lord wilt thou come in thus to thy people in such an abundant way of mercy more than formerly, and let in these graces of thy Covenant; Why? here's the ground of all; for I will forgive their iniquity: so that forgiveness of iniquity is the special inlet of the mercies of the Covenant. Now more particularly I shall show you what are those special mercies, Pardon of sin is an inlet to, and that will further show the blessedness of those souls that have their sins pardoned, because pardon of sin is an inlet to many other mercies. As Of Peace with God, that Pardon of Sin is an inlet to.
1. Peace with God, Rom. 5.1 being justified, that is, pardoned through faith ; what follows, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ ; the ground of our Justification and Reconciliation, it is not our Humiliation, no nor our Sanctification; Observe it, the very bottom and foundation of our Justification and Reconciliation, it is neither of these, (though we ought to be in the use and exercise of them) but pardon of sin is through the free grace of God applied by
faith; this is the ground of all our Peace and Reconciliation with God:
And thus men and women should seek their peace with God; the main thing they should lay the weight of obtaining peace of God upon, it is the work of faith applying the Righteousness of Christ for pardon, rather than any work of Humiliation or Sanctification by the Spirit of God; yet both these are sweet and comfortable, when we found the bottom and main foundation of all our peace on the free grace of God pardoning our sin, and justifying of us through faith in Christ; Cod does not say, you that are great sinners, stay till you are humbled and are brought to hate sin, and you shall have peace with God: No, you may be much troubled for sin, and may leave it, and reform in many things, and live better lives than before, and yet your peace not made up with God; How then shall it be? thus, being justified by faith, looking up to the free grace of God in Christ for pardon of sin, we come to have peace with God; and this is a great privilege, but if you consider on the other side, a creature not reconciled, cannot look upon the infinite Creator without terror and shakings, and tremblings of spirit; he cannot have any thoughts of God, but he thinks of him as his Enemy; and that all the excellencies of God are working misery and ruin to him, this is a sad thing: But when pardon of sin comes, God is reconciled, and all fears and terrors from the Almighty are gone; those fears whereby the soul was afraid, God was secretly working ruin to it, are dispel'd; and if any judgment of God come close and near, and befall any in the sight and hearing of a guilty soul, he would be thinking God is coming to me next: But a justified soul may say, though the judgments of God be never so terrible in the world, and in 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 dispel'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 dispelled and gone; it is not the work of God's 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 God's 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 showing us our bondage by our sins, and working terrors on the soul for it, these fears are dispel'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 anymore; 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 man's state whose sins are pardoned! Reconciliation with God follows thereupon, and he takes the soul into his bosom-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 stilled; though 'tis true, a man's Conscience may trouble him after Pardon and Justification, but it is through mistake, the ground of all those troubles of Conscience are gone; 'tis with trouble of Conscience after pardon of sin as with the Sea, you that are Mariners may see the wind at Sea raising the boisterous waves on high, yet after the wind is quite down 'tis a great while before they be still and quiet; so in men's souls it is guilt of sin that causes woeful 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 show the excellency of a quiet Conscience and peace with the Creatures. But I must but touch it here: God is Lord of Hosts, and all the creatures stand armed ready to avenge God's 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 Malefactor, 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 stabbed
Absalom, the ten young men that were his Armor-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 God's 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, verse. 10, 11. They shall not teach every man his neighbor, 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 God's 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 show himself in a glorious manner to you, there shall be another manner of light shine into your hearts than ever before; the mysteries of God will be opened to you, and you shall understand more than many of your fathers, who have not had this mercy to be rightly acquainted with the Justification of a sinner; and therefore you young ones, that much desire knowledge, the main thing to be acquainted with, is this great Doctrine of Justification and pardon of sin; as Luther said, Three things, Prayer, Meditation, and Temptations make a Divine ; so I say, the right knowledge of Justification makes a Christian, and they that have not a clear knowledge in this point, do but bungle and are extreme weak in all other points of Religion; but when once the soul comes to be justified, what a glorious light is let
into the soul, as you all know, that have been made partakers of this grace? And you young ones, you may come to have sin pardoned as well as others, and to have the knowledge of the mysteries of God revealed unto you, 1 Joh. 2.12. compared with the 13. I write unto you little Children, because your sins are forgiven for his Name sake ; even little children, I write to you, your sins are forgiven; oh 'tis a happy thing for young children to have faith wrought in them, and to have their sins forgiven them betimes! and then in the 13. verse, I write unto you little Children, because you have known the Father ;
Oh what an admirable light springs up in the souls of little Children when their sins are pardoned! they come to the knowledge of the Father; and this is the reason why many great and learned men, that are men of excellent understanding in the knowledge of natural things, are not acquainted with the mysteries of godliness, and think but meanly of them; marvel not at it, for the knowledge of the mysteries of godliness, comes in by pardon of sin; when God pardons sin and justifies a soul by faith in Christ, then God opens the Covenant, and all the glorious mysteries of it to such a soul: A Prince reveals not the secrets of State to a Traitor that lies under bolts and chains; but if a Prince please to pardon him, and knock off his bolts and chains, and raise him unto favor, bring him into his Privy
Chamber, and open his whole heart and all the mysteries of the Kingdom to him, here is a great change; thus does God to poor sinners that he pardons: A soul that lies under the guilt of sin, is just for all the world like unto a Malefactor that lies in a dungeon, that hath bolts and fetters on him; the guilt of sin is like bolts and fetters on thy soul: Well, thou liest there fast bound; but when God comes in with pardoning mercy, God sends to thee in this dungeon, and knocks off thy bolts by pardon, and not only so, but calls thee into his
Privy Chamber, and opens his heart and bosom unto thee, and reveals those things that were kept secret from the beginning of the world: Princes do not always deal so with Malefactors, if they pardon them they think they have done enough for them, they may afterwards go and shift for themselves, they are not called into the Privy Chamber to have the King open his secrets unto them; but it is certainly so to every soul God pardons; he pardons none, but whom
he calls into his Privy Chamber, and reveals unto him the great Councils of his will, and what has been the great thoughts of his heart, for the good of that soul from all eternity; though some souls have more light than others, yet to no soul that is pardoned but God comes in with a great and glorious light; and in respect of the light of Nature, it may be called a glorious light: there's not the weakest and poorest creature in the world that is pardoned, but he understands more of the light of God's grace and Covenant, than the greatest
Doctors or Rabbins in the world; and though he cannot speak or talk so much of these things, yet he dares venture his soul on those thoughts he hath of God's good will made known unto him in the Covenant; no Rabbin in the world, though he can talk much of these things, yet he dares not venture his soul for the eternal welfare of it and his estate upon God, to do with him as he pleases; but a believing soul dares venture his Name, his Estate, his Life, yea his eternal life on God, he dares to put them all into his hands, and to such a soul, God will repeal his Covenant, Psal. 25.14. God will grant this mercy, that he will reveal his Covenant, and all the secrets of it shall be made known unto him; you that complain of dullness of understanding; you say you hear excellent mysteries and do not understand them, there is surely much in them, I see some weight and excellency in them to be found out, and I hope God in time will discover them unto me, but little I know for present; you take a course to get understanding by attendance on the outward
Ordinances, it is good to use all means, as reading and conferring with other Christians, and pray over what you hear; these are excellent: But the great and special means to get saving understanding in the mysteries of the Gospel is this; Cast down your souls at the footstool of God, and cry for pardon of sin; it may be guilt of sin is upon thy heart, let that be thy work to get of the guilt of sin, and cry for God's justifying mercy in Christ; guilt being removed,
God will let out to thy soul the Revelation of his Covenant in a glorious manner, he will reveal his secrets to thee, so that upon this there is a holy boldness a sinner comes to have in the presence of God. Suppose a Malefactor come to Court under his guilt being not pardoned; alas, he dare scarce look in at Court-gate; and when he
comes, he keeps in some outroom, and dares not stir any further than he is called; but take another that is pardoned, he comes in boldly and goes from one room unto another, yea into the very
Presence-Chamber, and there can open his mind fully to the King, and speak out all his heart; and this is a great difference between one under the guilt of sin and another that is pardoned; one under the guilt of sin he dare scarce go to Prayer, and thinks God casts away his person and his services, and that nothing is regarded; but when God comes to pardon, he calls the poor sinner that was under trouble before, to come and draw near to him, and saith, fear not, open thy mind and heart to me, Lam. 3.55, 56, 57. I called upon thy Name, O
Lord, out of the low dungeon. 57. In the day that I called upon thee thou drewest near, and said'st fear not: Every poor soul that is justified, may say, God knows when I was under the guilt of sin, I was cast into the low dungeon, and the chains of guilt were upon me there, but through thy grace thou hast heard my voice, hide not thy ear at my breathing, at my cry; thou canst not cry; yet if thou beest one whom God hath received to mercy, thou mayest have confidence that God will hear the voice of thy breathing: thou comest to Prayer, and canst not tell what to say; mark, canst thou breath, God's ear lies open to the breathings of a soul he hath received to mercy, thou camest to me, I was a great way off shaking & trembling, and thou drew'st near to me, and said'st fear not, v. 57. so a poor soul under the guilt of sin he stands shaking and trembling; but when God comes to pardon, he says to thee fear not, and because thou darest not come to him, he comes to thee, and says, peace be to thee, fear not, Heb. 10.16. the Apostle speaking of the Covenant that God will make, in the 17. verse says, Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more ; and 18. verse, Where remission of sin is, there is no more offering for sin ; in the 19. verse he infers that now therefore, We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ; and verse. 21. Having an High Priest over the House of God, let us (verse
22.) draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith ; God having made a new Covenant, and said, Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more; therefore we have boldness, says the Apostle, to enter into the Holy of Holies: In the time of the Law
under the Jewish Pedagogy none might enter into the Holy of Holies but the High Priest, there was but little access into the Holiest in the time of the Law; but now when the Gospel comes, Christ having offered up himself a Sacrifice there needs no more Sacrifices, he at once having purged away sin by his own blood, has opened a new and a living way that we may come with boldness now into the Holiest ; so that a believing soul need now not stand a far off shaking, but may come in to the Privy-Chamber, and enter into the Holy of Holies, and draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith; and this comes from sin pardoned: Oh blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned, that has such a privilege following thereupon, Ephes.
3.12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him, Christ being our High Priest we have boldness, liberty of speech, so the Original; a great many know not how to pray, and they think all the Prayers of the Saints have nothing in them but a great deal of Non-sense, because they understand not what the work of God is in the hearts of his people; the Saints have by faith in him liberty of speech, there is a blessed freedom a gracious heart hath, being once justified by Christ, to open his soul unto God, which cannot be done by any other way in the world, to have liberty to pour out our whole souls into his bosom, is from faith, and comes in as a fruit of Justification, David pardoned Absalom, but would not let him see his face: but God never pardons any soul, but he gives free liberty for that soul, to come into his presence and open itself fully unto him; this is a second privilege, Pardon of sin is an inlet to many other mercies.
Of Pardon of Sin making all other Mercies to be Mercies.
3. Pardon of sin is not only an inlet to many other mercies, but it is such a mercy as makes all other mercies to be mercies, and without which no other mercies would be mercies; by this all other mercies are mercies: when once a soul comes to be pardoned, it may look upon all it hath in a far more sweeter way than ever it could before; by this he may look upon House and Land, Wife and Children, Estate
and Friends, he may look upon these as mercies indeed; Why? for he has a pardon, his sins are pardoned; as a man supposing he is charged, found guilty, and condemned, having a fair house, rich furniture, sweet yoke-fellow and children, and all things he could desire; but says he, What are all these to me seeing I am a condemned man? Well, he goes and gets a pardon unexpectedly, and now he returns to his House, Wife and Relations again, and all are sweet unto him, when he enjoys them with a pardon, he looks upon them with another manner of eye than he did before; thus there is this difference between the enjoyment of outward comforts in this world when sin is pardoned, and before it was pardoned; thou hast
Houses and Land, sweet Yoak-fellow, and Children, trading at Sea and Land, and all things thou canst desire; but what is all this to thee, while guilt of sin lies grating on thy Conscience? Well, God comes into thee with pardoning mercy, and takes away thy sin, the guilt of which lay corroding on thy Conscience, then thou mayest look upon thy Estate, Wife, Children, and all thy comings in to thee, as coming from the same eternal Fountain of God's eternal love, that Jesus Christ himself came from; this is a mighty Argument to persuade men to seek after the pardon of their sin, that you may have your comforts and enjoyments in this world in outward things sweet unto you; and if there were no other reason to persuade you to seek after forgiveness, this might be enough, that you may have all your outward mercies in mercy to you; you may have an Estate, a sweet
Yoak-fellow, and sweet Children, and all thou canst desire, and these are mercies, but they are but such mercies as God may give to those that are Enemies unto him; they are but outward mercies at the best, coming not to thee as fruits of the Covenant, and so are not the sure mercies of David ; nay, not worthy to be accounted mercies. Consider but two things; First, The guilt of sin upon thy soul, is so great an evil, that take all these things at the best, they are but as a grain of Sugar put into a tun of Gall ; a tun filled up with bitter Gall, and one grain of Sugar put into it, would not all the sweetness of it be swallowed up in the tun of Gall? so were the Monarchy of the whole World made over to thee,
yet if thy sin be unpardoned, there is so much evil in it, as all that thou canst enjoy is but as one grain of Sugar put into a tun of Gall, the evil of sin would swallow it all up.
Secondly, Thou knowest not what thou hast, whether it be out of God's love or hatred ; Nay, thou hast rather cause to conclude, it is out of God's anger and hatred, than out of God's love: How canst thou then account it a mercy, when all the comforts thou hast, may come out of God's infinite anger and hatred to thee, rather than out of love? therefore till thou art assured of pardon, thou hast no mercy, thou canst be assured of, is in mercy to thee: This shows,
1. The great vanity of men and women that look after pardon of sin, but 'tis only at such times as God takes away all other comforts from them ; as thus, they think to satisfy themselves with the creatures while they can enjoy them, while they can go up and down amongst friends, eat good cheer, 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 didst not cry for mercy before! thou thinkest it now a fit time to cry for mercy; why? thou hadst no mercy that thou couldest 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 thinkest 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 sweetened 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 thinkest 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 easy to be born.
[ 4] Where-ever sin is pardoned, there follows this, that anything that befalls that man or woman is very easy to be born ; an easy 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 easy to be born ; for pardon of sin delivers us from abundance of afflictions that otherwise might befall 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 been 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 easy 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 condemned to some grievous 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 befall 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 man's 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 thyself, (having any assurance of pardon of sin) that thou shouldest 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 easy▪ 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 befall 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 befall us as long as we live in this world, but that, which if we knew all, we ourselves would choose 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 testify 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 mayest say as David there, Return unto thy rest O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee ; God has pardoned thy sin, and delivered thee from death; and now my soul return unto thy rest: the word
translated rest in the Original is plural, return unto thy rests ; there are rests enough for a soul whom God hath delivered and pardoned, all afflictions to him are but as the Viper on Paul 's hand that he may shake off, they will do him no hurt; the sting of death is sin, and the sting of afflictions is that they are the beginners of death: but to one that has his sin taken away, the property of affliction is altered; they come not as acts of revenging Justice, but as effects of Love and Mercy; the Principle from whence they come, and the end to which they tend is differenced from what it was before; when Trespasses are forgiven, Deliverance from Evil will follow after, as it is in the Lord's Prayer; true as you heard before in the former point, If once we come to have afflictions as the fruits of sin, then they are heavy and grievous indeed; in this case when affliction comes for sin, and sin comes to prey upon a man in time of affliction, it is just as a Bailiff set on by a cruel Creditor, that comes to a poor man in debt, and he lies sick; the Bailiff takes away his Stools, Table, Bed and Pillow, and all he hath to help and comfort him, leaves him not a Pillow to rest his weary head upon: so when a sinner lies sick, and under affliction, guilt of sin comes and takes away all thy comforts; if thou hast any Promise, as a Pillow to rest thy head upon, guilt of sin will take it away; guilt of sin pulls and tears away every comfort, and every good that sinners should have to refresh themselves withal in affliction: But when the guilt of sin is gone, thou mayest lay thy head down in quiet, and rest upon a Promise, and it will make affliction very easy, that thou shalt have no cause to make complaint as formerly thou hadst, Isai. 33. ult. The Inhabitant shall not say, I am sick ; mark the ground of it, for the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity ; when God comes to bestow this great mercy of pardon, the Inhabitants shall not make such dolorous complaints of affliction and trouble upon them: says Luther, strike Lord, strike, for I am absolved from my sin ; if once God has absolved thee, or any poor creature from their sin, it is not in the power of any affliction to disturb them, Job 34.29. When he gives quietness, who can give trouble? and when he hides his face, who then can behold him? when
God gives quietness, as he doth in forgiveness of sin, then who can make trouble? let there be never so many rumors in the world of war,
blood, and miseries, as if Heaven and Earth met together; yet if God give quietness to the heart, in assurance of forgiveness of sin, who can bring trouble? it is not in the power of all the world to disturb his soul whose sins are forgiven; Pardon of sin is that peace the world cannot take away; therefore blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned.
Of Healing, the fruit of Pardoning Mercy.
5. Where God pardons sin, he heals that soul and sanctifies it by the immediate fruits of the Spirit, wheresoever it is, and this is a great blessedness; who is there that understands the evil of sin that sees not this a great blessedness, not only to be delivered from the guilt of sin, but also from the uncleanness of sin too; and that Sanctification or freedom from the power and slavery that there is under the bondage of sin is a fruit of forgiveness of sin will appear by divers
Texts of Scripture. I shall not speak to all, but only some that make this blessing to be the consequence or immediate fruits that slow in upon forgiveness, Jer. 31.33, 34 there God promises to put his law into our inward parts: But what's the ground of it? in the 34. verse, I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more ; the writing of God's Law in our inward parts, delivering us from the power of sin, and sanctifying our hearts comes in as a fruit of God's forgiving us our iniquities, Rom. 6.14. Sin shall not have dominion over you ; why? because you are not under the Law, but under Grace: Now this is the great grace of the Gospel, forgiveness of sin, you are under that, and therefore it is that sin cannot have dominion over you; as if the Apostle had said, you may resolve against sin, and do what you can to oppose it, and strive as much as possible you are able to subdue it; yet so long as you remain under the law, sin will certainly have dominion over you, and you will be under the slavery of it, until you come under the grace of the Gospel, and partake of that, Col. 2.13. ult. And you hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses ; so that quickening and Sanctification is a fruit of forgiving of all their trespasses, 1 Cor.
15.56, 57. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God that giveth us the Victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ, the strength of sin is the law. God's Justice in the Law giving men up unto sin, there lies the strength of sin. But now God through Christ coming to men in the grace of the Gospel, there comes deliverance from the strength of sin: perhaps some of you have lain under the burden and power of sin, and you have thought the only way to get victory, hath been to resolve and strive against it, and you have done so, and yet you cannot get power over your sins: I remember one writing to Luther, tells him that he had vowed and covenanted against his sin, and yet his sin prevailed against him, until he understood the grace of the Gospel; and so may be have you done, and yet your sin prevails because you take not this course: try the work of faith in point of Justification; renew your faith in God, for the forgiveness of your sin through Jesus Christ, that's the ready way, try that course; you that have been tired in laboring against corruption, you have resolved and prayed, and shed tears, and yet that will not do; try this way, renew your faith daily in point of Justification, by laying hold of the infinite riches of the grace of Christ in the Gospel for pardon, for healing power to come in to help you against that which holds you, and this will not hinder your duties; you may pray, resolve, and fast as much as before, but be sure your great care be to renew your faith in point of Justification, and there will come more healing power by that in your souls than by anything else; if once you can touch Christ, the bloody issues of your sins that run before come to be dried up, which you could not dry up, though you spent your time and pains, and did all you could do; here's a great difference between God's forgiveness and man's: a King may forgive, but he cannot change and heal: but when God forgives, he heals and takes away that evil disposition from thee that did so weaken thee for all good; Christ when he comes, he comes with healing in his wings ; now blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven, for that there follows deliverance from the power of sin, and a healing of the soul.
Of comfort against Death following on Pardoning Mercy.
6. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven, because such a man may look in the face of Death and Judgment with comfort ; Death when he comes to a Natural Man, he comes as a Messenger of God to arrest the Soul at God's suit; but where sin is forgiven, Death is made a means to bring thee to rest; that, that would have arrested thee is a means to bring thee to thy rest, Heb. 2.14, 15. Christ came to die: Now what was the great business he came to die for, it was to purchase a pardon for sin, and by his death to take away the power of the Devil, and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage ; through the fear of death, and nothing in all the world can deliver from the fear of death but forgiveness of sin, and then this makes a man look on the day of Judgment with comfort ; for one special end of that day is, that there may be a Declaration of the Infinite Mercy of God in forgiving of sin, Act.
3.19. Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ; when he shall send Jesus again which before was preached to you: Certainly as soon as ever a man comes to believe, his sins are blotted out; I but when the times of refreshing shall come, they shall appear to your own selves, and to all the World, Men and Angels more fully than ever before, some Interpreters think; and I dare not deny it, but that there will be a time of refreshing in this world, before the great and terrible day, that Christ will make it appear that the sins of the Elect Believers are blotted out in another manner than now it doth; but however it will fully appear at that day, and then that day that will be so terrible to the ungodly, will be refreshing to the Saints; Why? because they shall find their sins blotted out then, and that will make that day a refreshing day unto them; Although the Heavens be all on fire, and shrivelled up like a Scrowl, and there be dreadful shriekings of ungodly men; yet it shall be a day of refreshing to the Saints, because their sins are blotted out: Oh blessed is the man that hath his sins pardoned now! for he shall have that day to be a day of refreshing to him; but woe be to thee O soul, whoever thou
art, that hast not thy sin pardoned; if but one sin stand upon the score not blotted out, woe, woe will betide the forever more; but they that find their sin pardoned, shall find that day to be a day of such refreshing as ever they beheld; and therefore blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven.
Of Security against the worlds Reproaches, the fruit of Pardoning Mercy.
7. Where God hath forgiven sin, such a one need not care for the censures of all the world, and the reproaches they cast upon him ; the men of the world cast many reproaches on the Saints, and say, they are hypocrites, that though they will not swear, yet they will lie; that they are false, proud, and the like; Why? now the soul that finds itself acquitted before the Lord, need not care for all the censures and condemnations that can be cast upon him from the men of the world, Rom. 8.33. Having spoken before of the great grace of God in Justification, in verse. 33. he speaks as if he had made a challenge to all the world, let them all come in, let me see Who can lay anything to the charge of God's Elect? Why? because it is God that justifies: many will charge them of grievous things; I but it is God that justifies: What will a man care if the Prince have given him a pardon, though some kitchen boy, some shakeril about the Court should rail against him, so long as the King hath pardoned him; Bernard hath a notable speech concerning David when Shimei railed, David was not troubled says he, he did not feel the injury heaped upon him, because he had felt before the grace of God towards him ; the feeling of God's grace towards him in pardoning, made him not feel the railings of Shimei ; so Christ himself, Isai. 50. ver. 7. he said before, I gave my back to the smiters, and hid not my face from shame and spitting ; they spit upon him: this is apparently spoken of Christ; but what upheld him, verse. 7. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded for all this; therefore have I set my face like a flint against all scorns, railings, and accusations in the world; but
what was the bottom of all this? mark, verse. 8. He is near that justifies me, who will contend with me? let us stand together: Who is my Adversary? let him come near to me ; let my Adversary come and do his worst, he is near that justifies me: true, Christ had no sin personally to be pardoned; but he had the sins of all the Elect charged upon him, and upon that he suffered death. Now we are to know, Christ is justified as well as Believer; and the very ground why a Believer is justified, it is because Christ is justified himself; Christ being justified, a Believer comes to be justified; this might have been opened in the mysteries of Pardon of Sin: There is a justifying first in Christ as in a common public person, and then by faith in our own persons. Now though in the Fathers Justification of Christ he justifies us, yet not as particular persons, but in him as a common person in the Name of all the Elect; and faith, that comes in that we might be justified in our own particular persons, as before we were in Christ as a common person: Now Christ is justified first, and acquitted from all our sins, and this acquittance is made the ground of his challenge to all his Adversaries in the world, though the Prince of Devils come with all his power; yet says Christ, he is near that justifies me, and he will make my face as a flint, it is God that acquits me, who is my Adversary? let him come near: Oh its a blessed thing when thou hast got the pardon of thy sin! thou needest not care for all the reproaches the world can cast upon thee; thou mayest go up and down, and challenge any in the world to come in against thee, 1
Cor. 4.3. I pass not for man's judgment, he that judgeth me is the Lord ; the world translated judgment, in the Greek it is man's day: Man has his day here, and he thinks to weary out the People of God; why says Paul, I pass not for man's day, he that hath the supreme judgment in his hands, he hath acquitted me, and I am well enough.
Of the Foundation of Eternal Life laid in Pardoning Mercy.
8. Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven; for this is the foundation of eternal life ; whoever hath this mercy, hath a certain
pledge put into his hands of eternal life, Rom. 8.30. Whom he predestinated, them he called: whom he called, them he justified: and whom he justified, them he glorified: thou who art justified, and hast thy sin pardoned, thou shalt certainly be glorified: A Prince may pardon a man, but he cannot assure him of eternal life, though he give him his natural life: But God if he pardon, he makes it known to that soul that he shall live eternally with him in glory: Oh blessed is he then that hath his iniquities forgiven, for this is a pledge unto him of eternal life.
Of Pardon of Sin being the bottom of all true Comfort.
9. Blessed is he that hath his sin pardoned; for pardon of sin is the very bottom of all true comfort: Be of good comfort your sins are forgiven ; if Christ speak but this word to a soul, though he be never so much dejected, it is enough to raise any drooping soul from the gates of Hell itself. Be of good comfort oh soul, thy sins are forgiven thee, Isai. 40.2. Speak you comfortable to her, for her iniquities are pardoned: God calls to comfort her when her iniquities are pardoned, this is the foundation of all true comfort: if you lay any other foundation to build your comforts on, certainly that building will totter and come to nothing, if this be not the foundation: You would fain have comfort, and you are everyone looking out for comfort; and indeed it is as natural for the soul of man to seek for comfort, as it is for the fire to burn: there's no man but would fain have comfort; now look to the foundation if you would not have the building totter, lay a good foundation: Many lay the foundation of their comforts in their sins, and others in the creatures; but thou must lay it in the pardon of thy sin, in the free grace of God justifying thy soul, and that building will hold; lay it there and thou shalt be comforted here and forever hereafter. And thus we have done with that Particular, That Pardon of Sin is a great mercy, because it is a foundation and inlet to many other mercies: Blessed is the man that hath his iniquities forgiven, that hath such a grand mercy, upon which many other mercies follow.