Chapter III
That the sense of heinous sins is another great hindrance of faith, which dis heartens men from endeavouring to believe. Tkese discouragements answered and removed.
Though God commands and encourageth us to believe, yet there are certain discouragements lie in men s way. As, therefore, when the children of Israel were to return from the captivity, God bids his ministers take away the stu#nbling-blocks, Isa. Ivii. 14, Cast up, cast up, take away the
stumbling-blocks out of the way of rny people, that they might not be hindered in their journey, saith the Lord, so when we do exhort you to be reconciled to God, there are certain stumbling-blocks to be removed, there are certain discouragements which we must therefore remove, the chiefest whereof is the boundlessness and heinousness of men s sins ; and when their eyes are opened to behold them, they are apt to be discouraged with the sight of them, and to think that reconciliation belongs not unto them. Now then, I shall display the riches of God s mercies in pardoning the
greatest sins, to take away this discouragement, as it hinders you from coming in to Christ. And if sin be the greatest of them, that ought not to
discourage you from coming in for mercy
: for do but consider the sins of Manasseh, as they are set down 2 Kings xxi., 2 Chron. xxxiii. It is said, verse 6, that
* he did much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, and
provoked him to anger.
1. His sinning was much for continuance, for it is said he was king over
Israel fifty-five years, being twelve years old when he began to reign, and
it was towards the latter end of his days when he humbled himself.
2. His guilt was much in regard of the sins themselves, for he made a covenant with the devil, gave away his soul to him ; verse 6, he dealt with
familiar spirits. Add to this, murder, and that of the innocent ; for it is
said, he filled the streets of Jerusalem with blood, from one end to the
other, 2 Kings xxi. 16. So to this, idolatry, a sin greater than all the
other, and it was the worst sort of idolatry: 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9, He made them to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before them. Add to this, that it was a relapse, though not of himself, yet of the whole
kingdom ; for though his father had destroyed the images, broken down the altars, yet he did build them up again, and set up idolatry in the house of God, and he there set up a carved image, the idol which he had made all this he was guilty of, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3-10. And those sins were not confined only to his own person, but he made Israel also to sin ; and for these sins were the children of Israel carried into captivity, Jer. xv. 14. He would not pardon them in regard of a temporal punish ment. And Manasseh did all this against admonition, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 10. He sinned also against education, for he had a good father, and he lived twelve years under his government, in which time, no doubt but he
instructed him ; and he sinned also against the greatest mercy that could
be, for he was made king of God s own people. Thus, you see, his sins were very great, and yet, for all this, the Lord had mercy on him: 2 Chron.
xxxiii. 12, 13, And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto
564 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART III. BOOK IY.
him, and he was entreated of him, and God heard his supplication, and
brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. He humbled himself
greatly because he had sinned greatly ; for when one hath sinned greatly, without great humiliation the Lord will not give mercy ; but when he did
so, the Lord did hear him, and brought him to his own kingdom. A
greater sinner than he could not be, and yet see how gracious and merciful
the Lord was to him.
Obj. But this was but the example of one man, it is not like the Lord
will deal thus with me or any other,
Ans. Look but to that nation which was co-partner with him, the people of the Jews ; see how they combined with him in the same sin : Jer. ii. 2
(for Jeremiah lived in those days, and he made his prophecy to this people),
Go and cry in the streets, I remember the espousals, and the kindness of
thy youth, &c. There he shews how they sinned against their education, when they were brought up in the wilderness under the hands of Moses and Aaron, for then Israel was holiness unto the Lord : verse 21, Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, holy and righteous seed ; how then art thou turned a degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me ? They sinned also
* Of old
against deliverances, against promises of amendment: verse 20,
time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bonds, and thou saidst, I will
not transgress, &c. They sinned also against much mercy: verse 5,
* What iniquity have your fathers found in me ? Have I been a barren
wilderness unto you ? The Lord was not a wilderness, but a paradise, abounding in infinite mercies towards them. They sinned also against many prayers
: Jer. iii. 4, Didst thou not cry unto me, Thou art my
father, and the guide of my youth ? God doth, as it were, by way of
mockery, lay open their hypocrisy, and reproacheth them, that when they had sinned, then they cried out,
* Thou art my God, and the guide of my
youth. They sinned also against example ; yet now, what doth God say unto them ? Jer. iii. 6, 7, 8,
* Behold what Israel hath done ! She is gone up to every high mountain, and hath played the harlot. And I said, after all
this, Turn you to me : but yet she turned not, &c. Yet see what the Lord
saith, verse 12, Go and proclaim those words in the north, Return,
backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause my anger to fall on you. And whereas they had a proverb amongst them,
* If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and becomes another man s wife, shall he return unto her ? No ; yet says God,
* Though thou hast played the
harlot with many lovers, return unto me ; only acknowledge thy fault, that thou hast transgressed against me, and I will graciously receive thee.
Jer. iii. 1, 19, the Lord makes an objection (in that verse 19), saying, How shall I put thee amongst the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly host of the heritage of nations ? They were such a polluted
people, that he could not tell how to take them to himself; yet if they would but come and say,
* Thou art my father, and submit themselves, the Lord would receive them. Thus, we see, the Lord was not merciful to one man only, but to a whole nation. See this instance farther : Ezek. xx. 7, Cast je away every one your evil works, but they rebelled against me. But saith God, verse 9, I wrought for my name s sake, &c. After he had brought them out of Egypt, and gave them his judgments and Sab
baths, yet there also they rebelled as much as in Egypt: verse 13, But
the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness, &c. What doth
follow? verse 14, Yet I wrought again for my name s sake, that it should not be polluted, &c. And again, verse 15, I also lifted up my hand that
I should not bring them into the land that I promised them, &c., yet,
CHAP. III.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 565
says God, verse 17, nevertheless, I spared them, &c. Notwithstanding, for all this (verse 21), the children of Israel rebelled yet again, they walked
not in God s statutes, but provoked his fury against them ; and yet (says God, verse 22), I withdrew my hand, and wrought for my name s sake,
&c. But (verse 28) when they came into the land which God had given them, when they saw every green tree, and every high hill, they committed
* Yet, saith
worse abominations there, they offered their sacrifices, &c.
God, verse 41, I will sanctify you, and accept you, when I bring you out
from the people, and I will be sanctified in you before them. Thus, also,
in Neh. ix., there are, brought in I know not how many yets of sinnings, and yets of mercies, one after another, as striving which should overcome.
Mercy enters first, and begins, verses 8, 9, 10, and then comes in their
rebellion, ver. 16, 17, and an aggravation of that their sinfulness, ver. 16; but a yet of mercy follows, verse 19, Yet in thy manifold mercies thou
forsookest them not. Though he had spent manifold mercies, yet he
goes on, nevertheless, in acts of mercy, and though they persisted in acts
of sinnings six or seven times, yet God hath the last word in mercy, verse 31. And this God hath not done to one man, but to a whole nation,
therefore sin should not be a bar to hinder you from coming in to believe
on Christ, and to be reconciled to God.
1st, Because God is merciful. If men were not sinners, God would not
have had an opportunity to shew mercy, for mercy is a helping of those
that are in misery. And if we were not enemies, there was no need of
reconciliation. All the saints in heaven had not had need of reconciliation,
if they had not been enemies.
2dly, He delights in mercy. If he had not delighted in it, would he
have bruised his only Son for it, and have made him an offering, Isa. liii.,
that so a way might be opened for a display of mercy by satisfaction made
unto justice ? And if he had not had pleasure in mercy, he would not have
delighted to have put his son to grief.
3dly, There is very abundant mercy in God: 1 Pet. i. 3, Who accord
ing to his abundant mercy, &c. And Ephes. ii. 7, it is called the exceed
ing riches of his mercy, not only riches, but exceeding riches, that will
never be drawn dry.
4thly, He may pardon the greatest sins, because his mercy is free ; and
as he doth not look to any good in the creature to move him to shew mercy,
so he doth not look at any sin to dissuade him, and therefore sin cannot
hinder thee from reconciliation ; and thus herein consists the freeness of
grace. Now this is the difference between love, mercy, and grace, that a man may love one that never offended him, and mercy is towards those
that are in misery, but grace doth what it doth freely, and doth not look
at anything in the creature. In Ezek. xxxvi. 22, it is said, God wrought
for his name s sake, and therefore because God works for his own name s
sake, no evil can hinder him from shewing mercy. See then how easy a thing
it is for God to shew mercy. A stomachful man will say that he can do
anything but pardon. But God is the father of mercies, and so he doth
beget mercies. And as it is natural for the ear to hear, the eye to see, so
it is natural to God to shew mercy.
5thly, God will pardon the greatest sins, because of the end he aimed
at in setting up this way of grace and mercy. It was for the praise and
glory of his grace, Ephes. i. 6, that sin should not hinder ; nay, the more
sin there is, the more is his grace glorified. As it is with a physician that
professeth to come merely to shew his skill, the greater the disease is the
gladder he is, for he shall shew the greater skill if he cure it. When to
566 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART III. BOOK IV.
shew mercy is the plot of grace, sinfulness and misery is the subject of that
plot for it to be shewn in. What contrivances will mercy have to shew
itself in this case ? Where sin doth abound, there doth grace abound much more ; and therefore it is that God doth let his people many times run on so far in sin, because grace may abound so much the more.
To help you in this, do but lay to heart the examples of such whom God hath pardoned. He hath shewn mercy to me first, saith Paul, 1 Tim.
i. 16 ; and do you think that he did begin and end with him? No; he shewed mercy to me first, says the apostle, that I might be a pattern to them that should believe to eternal life. Think of that which Christ says, Mat. xii. 31, All blasphemies shall be forgiven but that against the Holy Ghost. Here you see all manner of blasphemy, which is the highest kind of sin, and that against the Son of man, and the means of grace, which is a higher degree, pardoned. Christ, who hath been at the sealing of so many pardons, saith that he hath seen all sin pardoned, except the sin
against the Holy Ghost.
Obj. Well, but you will object, that your sins have been of long con tinuance.
Am. I answer, The mercies of God have been from everlasting. God hath laid up thoughts of peace from the beginning ; and therefore, though thy sin hath been for many years, yet it hath been but as yesterday with God ; and as long as thou hast not been sinning longer than he hath been
thinking of mercy, cast not off all hope of mercy. God s mercy is like a mighty river that hath run from everlasting. Do but think how* long men did lie in their sins before the flood, and yet he forgave them.
Obj. But you will argue the reiteration of your sins. Am. I answer, That God doth reiterate his mercy, Isa. Iv. 7. He mul
tiplies mercies to pardon, and heaps up mercy, &c. And we do not only read of the greatness of his mercy, but also of the multitude of his lovingkindnesses ; and it is said that he doth heal backslidings (and what is a
backsliding but the falling into the same sin again ?), and what is the reason of this ? Because he loves freely ; and therefore, though he fall into the same sin again, yet do but remember the sure covenant of mercy and grace that he hath made.
01j. But you will say, I have sinned stubbornly. Am. I answer, God doth pardon that also, Isa! Ivii. 17, 18, He did go on stubbornly, but yet, saith God, I have seen his ways, and I will heal him ; I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to them that are afar off. The Lord can help though we be never so far off from him.
Use. The use of all this is, not to encourage any to sin against God, though the world be ready to practise it, and to say, Because grace abounds, therefore sin may abound much more. But it should not embolden any to sin against him, for his anger shall smoke against such an one. But if any soul is cast down in the sight of his sins, let him look upon the infinite riches of mercy and grace in God, and they will take away that bar that hinders him from reconciliation ; and though his sins be never so great, yet if they be not against the Holy Ghost they may be pardoned ; yea, all blasphemy else. Christ, under whose hands all pardon goes, doth
"
say it. Therefore believe against the time of distress, take hold of the mercy of God in Christ : but cursed be that heart that doth make himself by this pre sumptuous. You may trust in God as much as you will, only your hearts must be conformable ; and if you walk worthy of reconciliation, you cannot trust too much.
CHAP. IV. 1 OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 56