The Fourth Sermon
The Fourth SERMON August the 23d, 1645 I Shall speak to one or two particulars more about this, (and then we come to the last thing propounded in the opening of this point:)
The behaviour of the heart of a Child of God toward this sin.
The sins of the Saints they drive them to Jesus Christ: If there be any truth of grace, though weak, thy sins will drive thee to Jesus Christ, not drive thee from him, but drive thee to him: And make thee prise
Jesus Christ as the Immaculate Lamb of God that is come into the World to take away thy sin: It will make thee set a high price upon Christ, and cause thy heart to follow him with all thy might: Wicked men when they sin, they turn away from God and from Christ; and the things of Christ are less savoury to them: But the Saints when they sin, they are put upon the seeking after Christ, and prising of him so much the more.
Lastly, Their very sin makes them to long for Heaven; O wretched man that I am! saith Paul, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, &c. O! he flies to Christ, and he desires to be present with Christ: & so the Saints they long for Heaven upon this ground above all other grounds and
reasons, namely, because they know they shall never be delivered from the body of sin and death that they carry about with them, till they come to Heaven, and therefore they prise the state of Heaven as a glorious state, because they shall never sin more against God: —— I put it now, in the name of God, to your consciences this day; you say you hope to go to Heaven, what's that for which you prise Heaven most? why, a gracious heart would say, O Lord, though I endure some sorrows and afflictions here, yet thou knowest that the great burden of all, it is the burden of my sin; and when I shall be taken cut of this world, I know I shall never sin more, never sin more against thee. O that day! when shall that day come that my soul shall never sin more against that God that I do love? Thou that knowest all things, knowest, that this is my desire after Heaven upon this ground, above all other grounds whatsoever: Are you able to say so as in the pesence of God? this would be a good argument indeed, that though there be some spots, yet they may be the spots of Gods
Children: And if it be so with thee, then attend to the next point, and that is —— The different dealings of God with his Children in regard of their sin, with his dealings with the wicked and ungodly in regard of their sins
—— As the behaviour of thy soul in respect of thy sin, is different from the wicked; so the behaviour of God towards thee will be very different from that of his towards the wicked and ungodly: They may not think to escape, so as thou mayest escape.
First, As in the first place: If a Child of God sins, yet he hath a pardon laid up for his sin, yea a pardon laid up before the sin is committed; I do not say, the pardon actually applyed, but laid up; for to say the thing is actually pardoned before committed, it's scarce English,
much less Divinity: For whatever it be in Gods account, or what God will do, yet when we say the sinner is pardoned, it notes some work of God upon the Creation actual in being: As when we say the World was created, it was not created from eternity, why, it's a work of God upon the creation, therefore it has a Time: And so, what's a work of God in Himself? that is from eternity, But what's a work of God upon the creature, that's in time; without any change in Gods nature, any more-then the creating of the World did change his nature; there are forgivnesses with thee that thou mayest be feared; they lie up with thee: there are Pardons that lie up with God, there is an Atonement made for the sins of Gods Children, for the sins that they have committed, and sins that they shall commit: I say, an Atonement is made even for them, and a ransom is paid: Jesus Christ did tender up himself to the Father for a ransom for all the sins of the elect, it's laid up there: So saith the Apostle 1 John 2:2. I write unto you, little
Children, that ye sin not, and if any man sin, (that I shall take notice of by and by) we have an Advocate with the Father, and he is the propitiation for our sins: So that when an ungodly man sins, there the sentence of death comes out against him; But the Lord saith concerning his Children, Let their souls be pardoned, for I have found a ransom: Thou sayest, the best have their sin; True, but one man hath a ransom, hath a price paid for his sin, and thou hast none, none for ought thou knowest: In that condition wherein thou art, thou canst not know that thou hast any: Here's the difference between Gods dealing with his Children & others, one sins, and the Lord acknowledges a propitiation presently, a ransom, a price, a pardon that's laid in; but he acknowledges it not for thee.
Secondly, Yea, in the Second place, the Children of God when they sin, their condition is far different from the sin of the wicked; they
have not only a price paid, and a pardon laid up; But you will say, how in case they do not sue out their pardon? I confess if they sue it not out, they have not the comfort of it: But yet the Scripture tells us, they have an Advocate with the Fathe —— If they through ignorance do not know their sin, how can they sue out their pardon? yet they have an advocate with the Father continually, and it's the work of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father, to be an Advocate to plead for believers, with the Father; when ever they sin against the Father, there stands Christ their Advocate pleading, he watches if there come in any accusations against them; if the Law, or the Devil, or conscience shal send up an accusation, Christ stands as an Advocate to plead their cause: you know I suppose what an Advocate in Law doth mean; he stands to plead the cause of his Client; & whatsoever comes in against him, he is made acquainted withall, that he may stand to plead: This is the case of the Children of God; notwithstanding their sin, they have an Advocate with the Father: In 1 John 2:1. My little Children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not; ye ought not to sin, take heed of sinning; But if ye do, you have an advocate with he Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ——
These things that I am speaking, I confess may prove dangerous to wicked carnal hearts, that are ready to turn the Grace of God into wantonness; but by that they may know, what I say belongs not to them, that their spots are not the spots of Gods Children: Those that shall hear of this, and be hardened, or emboldned in sin the more, there need no other Argument to prove that their spots are none of the spots of Gods Children, than that: And therefore that what I say doth not at all belong to such: but how ever, it doth belong to many of the Children of God, and therefore they must have their portion, though such as it belongs not to, will be ready to snatch at it: And
that's the second thing, in the different way of Gods dealing with his Children when they sin, and with the ungodly: Thou sinnest as others do: Thy sin for the Act may be the same; but when thou hast sinned, who stands before the Father to plead thy cause? what hath Christ to do with thee? or thee to do with him? but rather thy Conscience, and Law, and Devil stands pleading against thee, and none to answer for thee.
But, Thirdly, When a godly Man sins, God deals with him not according to the Law of Justice, but according to the Law of Grace;
We are not under the Law (saith the Apostle concerning believers) but under grace; when another sins, the Law passes presently upon him; but saith the Apostle in Rom. 8:1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. The Law cannot pass upon them to condemn them: They are not to be dealt withall according to the Law, but according to Grace: Now the ungodly when they sin, they are dealt withal according to the Law, God will do them no wrong, but the Law must pass upon them.
Yea, not onely so, but they are delivered from the Law, and from all the curse or the Law; I, the Lord hath promised that he will spare them as a Man doth his onely Son that serves him: In Mal. 3. last. If thou be'st a Child, this is thy portion; And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my Jewels, and I will spare them as a Man spareth his onely Son that serves him: This is a Text that hath a treasury of comfort in it to those that are Gods
Children, that can by those former notes of the difference of sin, and their different behaviours towards their sin, approve themselves that they belong to God, here's the promise, That the Lord will spare them as a Father spareth his own Son that serves him: A Father will not
cast cut his Son from his House, and disinherit him for every offence that he doth commit; neither will God deal so with his Children, though they have spots, though they have infimities: And hence we find that God takes advantage against some for a little sin, and spares another though he be guilty of a greater sin: Gods mercy is his own, he may deal with his mercy as he pleases; he will do justly with all, but he will be merciful to whom he pleases; and hence it is the Scripture holds forth this, that some men the Lord hath taken advantage against for some smaller sin, and other men the Lord hath spared when they have been guilty of some greater sin; As that notable example of Saul, comparing that with David: David was one of Gods Children, and had spots, I, foul ones; Saul he was none of Gods Child, and he had his spots, and some of them was not so foul in regard of the nature of them, as Davids were, and yet see the different dealing of God with Saul and David; for Saul, you shall find that God rejects him utterly, and what for? In 1 Sam. 13:13. You may see wherefore God would reject Saul: And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly, thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee; for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever; But now thy kingdom shall not continue: —— As if Samuel should have said, Well, this is the thing for which God will cut thee off, and cut off thy kingdom: —— Why, what was it? if you examine the thing what it was, it was nothing but this, That there was an agreement between Saul and Samuel, that Samuel should come to him at such a time:
Well, Samuel did not come just at the time, or staid, as Saul thought, somewhat too long: Saul was brought into great straits, the Philistines came upon him (his enemies:) Now upon this, being in such great straits, Saul had not sought to God for Gods presence with
him in the battel; now thought Saul, I have staid for Samuel all this time, and he comes not, and rather then I will go out to battel without making supplication to God, and offering sacrifice, I will for this once venture upon it my self, for so he saith in the 12 vers. It was a burnt offering: It was to the Lord, it was in the time of my straits, and I forc't my self to it too: I was not so ready and forward to do it, it was in an absolute necessity, as I thought; and yet this is the sin for which Saul must be cut off and rejected, and his kingdom not to continue —— You will say now, what was this to the sin of David, of Murder, and Adulterry? Those were sins of another nature; well, what if they were, yet David was a Child, and Saul was not, and therefore he will pardon one, and condemn the other; and who can say to God, what dost thou?
And again, another sin of Saul you shall find in 1 Sam. 15. God required of Saul to go against Amalek, & utterly to destroy him. Well,
Saul did do according to Gods command, and made a great slaughter, but he kept onely some of the Cattel and the fat ones; but he profest he kept them not for his own advantage, it was that he might offer for sacrifice to God: Now Samuel comes to him, though
Saul had thought he had done nothing but that which God was pleased withal, for he stands to justifie himself in the 20 v. And Saul said unto Samuel, yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the King of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalakites: I have done what God sent me about. Now Samuel he comes and convinces him, that he had not done what God had sent him to do; why? because he had spar'd some of the Cattel —— Now Saul excuses himself afterwards to Samuel in v. 12. The people took of the spoyle,
Sheep and Oxen, the chief of the things which should have been
utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God is Gilgal: But mark what Samuel saith in the 22 v. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? behold, to obey is better then sacrifice; and to hearken, then the fat of Rams; for Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry; because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being King: —— These
Scriptures might make any mans heart to tremble, and not to dare to venture upon sins that he thinks to be smaller sins; one would think that upon the consideration of these Scriptures, that no man ever living should be heard to plead this, and say, Why, godly people commit as great sins as they do: Why, David committed as great sins as I, and so others. But what if they did? They may be pardoned for their greater, and thou mayest be damn'd eternally for thy less: God will deal as a Father with his Children, to spare those that are his:
And that's another particular in the different way of Gods dealings with his people.
Fourthly, The Children of God when they sin, yet they have the robes of the righteousness of the Son of God to cover them, even from God himself; not to cover them so but God knows them; for that's either simplicity or blasphemy, one of the two, to say that God sees them not: But to cover, that is, that they shall be taken so far from the eye of God, that he shall never look upon them to charge them with them, but that they shall appear before him through the Robes of the righteousness of Christ as spotless, being justified through him. So in Psal. 32. Blessed is the Man whose sin is forgiven, and whose iniquity is covered; all their spots are covered and the Lord looks upon them as amiable and lovely in his eye: But now thou hast nothing to cover thy spots, but thy excuses. See the different condition of a believer,
and another man. One man sins against God, and what hath he to cover his sins? Excuses, deny als, or lies, and there's all. I, but now the of ther he sins against God, and by Faith applye the precious robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and so covers himself before God Which do you think is the better covering Her's the difference between a Child of God and you.
Fifthly, And then fastly: Gods Children though they sin, yet still they are in covenant with God; God hath taken them in to an everlasting covenant with himself, that shall never be broken: Though they do offend, yet God will not charge it upon them as the breach of that great covenant of grace that God hath made with them in his Son, that's an everlasting covenant; God hath made a covenant to unite their hearts to fear his name, that he will never depart from them; and that he will put his fear into their hearts, and they shall never depart from him, notwithstanding all their infirmities: This must be made good, this covenant that God hath made with them, must stand. Now, O what a different condition is one in, from the other
—— Now though there may be thoughts in wicked hearts to abuse these things, yet I name them to this end, that you may see the exceeding difference between the state of one, and the state of the other; and that so by this you may be restless in your own spirits, till you come to know that you are in the state of these men that are so happy, that is, that you are of the Number of Gods Children —— I shall not need to stand to give further notes and evidences; for the very opening of the point about the different behaviour of one in respect of their sin, from the other, will be enough to shew who are in this condition; and who not, whom God will deal with all in this gracious manner in respect of their sin, and whom not: ——
However, men of the World will deal so much the more harshly with
those that do offend; if they can take any one that makes profession of Religion tripping in any thing, they will be more severe against them, than against others, because of their profession. Well, God doth not do so, if there be uprightness in the heart —— No, you will say, it's not because of that, but because of cloaking wickedness with their profession: Well, if you be sure your hearts be right in that, that profession your souls do love, and therefore it is the great grief of your souls that any one that makes profession of Religion should dishonour it by wicked courses; then (I say) can you approve your hearts before God, that your hearts are griev'd and troubled, and not rejoyce at it, that you can sind any advantage against profession, as some do? —— Then I confess, if the thing be vile and foul, and such a thing as you cannot in charity see that it may stand with truth of grace, to be a meer infirmity, but a wickedness; then you may follow it to the very foot and bottom; and those that shall trouble the people of God with gross and vile sins, and think to colour them over with profession of Religion, it's just with God they should be troubled: But if we have time, we shall speak somewhat to that in the close of all.
We come now to the Application of the point, onely this caution about this thing.
Cau. Take heed that you deceive not your hearts about this thing: If a Man have two Children, one is godly, and the other is profeen; if they can have an advantage over one that is the more godly, they will be more bitter to him than the other; and if they have two Servants, one godly the other profane, why, the profane one shall fare better then the godly, if they can have but the least advantage against them:
Well, howsoever thou deal'st with Children or Servants when thou hast taken them in a fault, that the wicked find more favour from thee, yet God deals otherwise, his Children shall find favour from