Fellowship with God, Sermon 18
SERMON XVIII·
1 Joh. 1.9.
If we confesse our sins he is faithfull, and just to forgive our sins, &c.
THE freedom of Gods grace, and the greatness of his wisdom, shine forth most brightly in the dispensation of the Gospel, and both of them beautifie and illustrat one another. That there is first, an expiation of sin by the blood of Iesus Christ, that a way is laid down of reconciling the world, and that by the blood of the Cross, that peace is purchased, and so preached unto sinners, as a thing already procured, and now only to be applyed unto the soul by faith; herein doth the inestimable riches of the grace of God expose it self to the view of Angels and Men. That the great work of Redemption is ended, e…e it come to us; and there remains nothing, but to publish it to the wo…ld, and invite us to come and receive it, and have a part in it; all i… ready, the feast p…epared, and set on the Table, and there wants nothing but Guests to eat of it, and these are daily called by the Gospel to come to this Table which the wi…dom of the Father hath prepared for us, without either our knowledge or concurrence. Besides, the very terms of p…oposing the Gospel, speak forth absolute f…eedom: What can be more free and easie then this? Chr…t is sent to die for sinners, and to redeem them from the …urse, only receive him, …ome to him, and believe in him. He hath undertaken to save, only do you consent too, and give up your name to him: ye have nothing to do to satisfie …ustice, or pu…chase salvation, only be willing that he do it for you, or rather acquiesce to that he hath done already, and rest on it. But how shall our sin… be pardoned, and Justice satisfied? Only confesse your sins to him, and ye are forgiven, not for your confession, but for Christ, only acknowledge thine iniquity and wrongs, and he hath taken another way to repair his Justice, then by thy destruction and condemnation: he i… so far from extending his Justice against thee, that he is rather in…aged upon his faithfulnesse an… justice to fo…give thee, because of his promise.
Yet, ye would not conceive so of this manner of proposal o… forgiveness and salvation, as if the requiring of such a thing as repentance in thee, were any derogation from the absoluteness of his grace; for it is not required, either to the point of satisfaction to Gods Iustice, and expiation of sin; for that is done a…eady upon the Crosse. Christ was not offered to save sinners, he was not sent upon the previous condition of their repentance: Nay, while we were yet enemies, Christ died for the ungodly; so that to the bu…inesse of our redemption, there was no concurrence upon our part, nor influence upon it by our carriage; for he considered us as sinners, and miserable, and so saved us. And now, to the actual application of these preventing mercies, it'… true, it is needful in the wise and reasonable dispensation of God, that sinners be brought to the knowledge, and sensible acknowledgment of their sin and misery, and so be upon rational inducements of misery within, and mercy without, of self-indigency, and Christs sufficiency, be drawn in to Iesus Christ, and so to a partaking of these purchased priviledges of forgiveness of sin, peace with God, &c. I say, all this is so far from diminishing a jot of that absolute freedom of grace, that it rather joyntly proclaims the riches of grace and wisdome both, that repentance should be given to an impenitent sinner, and faith freely bestowed on an unbelieving sinner, and withall, that remission and salvation, together with faith and repentance, should be brought to us by his death, while we were yet enemies; this doth declare the most unparalell'd bounty and grace, that the heart of man can imagine▪ and withal, that remission of sins is joyned to confession, and salvation to faith, herein the wisdom of God triumphs; for, what way is it possible to declare that freedom of grace, to the sensible conviction of a sinner, and so to demonstrat it to all mens consciences, except by making them return within, to see their own absolute unworthinesse, vilenesse, and incorrespondency to such mercies, and so drawing an acknowledgment of his grace, from the mouths and consciences of all? How shall a soul know that rich superabundant grace, if he know not the abundance of his sins? How shall he professe the one, except he withal confesse the other? Let us imagine an impenitent sinner, continuing in …ebellion, pardoned and forgiven: and is there any thing more contrary to c…mmon sense and reason, to be in God… favour, and yet not accepting that favour▪ to be a friend, and yet an enemy▪ to have sins forgiven, and yet not known nor confessed; these, I say, …ound some plain dissonancy and discord to our very fi…st apprehensions. Certainly, this is the way to declare the glory of his grace, in the hiding and covering of sin, even to discover sin to the sinner; else if God should hide sin, and it be hid withal from the conscience, both thy sin …nd Gods grace should be hid and covered, neither the one nor the other would appear. Take it thus then, the confession of sin is not for this end, to have any causal influence upon thy …emission, or to procure any more favour and liking with God; but it is simply this, the confession of sin is the most accommodat way of the profession and publication of the grace of God, in the forgiving of sins; Faith and Repentance are not set down as conditions pre-required on thy part, that may procure salvation o… forgivenesse, but they are inseparably annexed unto salvation and forgivenesse, to the end that they may manifest to our sensible conviction, that grace, and freedom of grace, which shines in forgivenesse and salvation.
He is just and faithful, &c. Herein is the wonder of the grace of God increased, that when we are under an obligation to infinit punishment for sin, and bound guilty before his Justice, that the most great and potent Lord, who can easily rid himself of all his enemies, and do all his pleasure in Heaven and Earth, should come under an obligation to man to forgive him his sins. A strange exchange, man is standing bound by the cords of his own sins over to the Justice of God, he is under that insoluble tye of guiltinesse; God in the mean time is free and loosed from the obligation of the first Covenant, that is, his promise of giving life to man; we have loosed him from that voluntary ingagement, and are bound under a curse; and yet, behold the permutation of grace, man is loosed from sin to which he was bound, and God is bound to forgive sin, to which he was not bound. He enters in a new and voluntary ingagement by his promise, and give… right to poor creatures to sue and seek forgivenesse of him, according to his faithfulnesse: Yet in this plea, as it becomes us to u…e confidence, because he gives us ground by his promises, so we should …eason it with humility, knowing how infinitly f…ee and voluntary his cond…cension is, being alwayes mindful, that he may in righteousnesse exact punishment of us for sin, …ather then we seek forgivenesse from him; and yet seek it we ought, because he hath ingaged his faithful promise; which opportunity to neglect, and not to improve, either through fear or security, were as high contempt and disobedience to him, as these sins by which we offend him.
Ce…tainly, the very N…me of God revealed to us, or known by natures light, those general characters of his Name, Mercy and Goodness, Power and Gre…tness, might s…ffice to so much, as to make us in the apprehensions of our own guiltinesse and provocations of his Holinesse, to look no other way, then to his own merciful and gracious nature: suppose we had nothing of a promise from him, by which he is bound; yet, as the very apprehension of the general goodness, and unlimited bounty, and original happiness that is in God, ought naturally to draw the creature towards him in all its wants, to supplicat his fulnesse, that can supply all necessities, without lessening his own abundance; e…en …o, if we did only apprehend that God i… the fountain of mercy, and that he is infinitly above us and ou… injuries, and that all our being and well-being eternally, consists in his sole favour; this, I say, alone considered, might draw us to a pouring out our hea…s befo…e him, in the acknowledgment of our guiltinesse, and casting our selves upon his mercy, (as the term is used in War) when there is no quarte… promised, and no capitulation made; it is the last refuge of a desperat sinner, to render unto God upon mercy, to resign himself to his free disposal; Since I cannot but perish (may a soul say) without him, there is no way of escaping from his wrath, I will rather venture, and go in to the King, and if I perish I perish; there is more hope in this way to come to him, then to flie from him, perhaps he may shew an act of absolute soveraign goodnesse, and be as glorious in passing by an offence, as just in punishing it. Do I not see in man, (in whom the Divine Majesty hath imprinted some characters of conscience and honesty) that it is more generous and noble to forgive, then to revenge? And do I not see generally among men, clemency and compassion is commended above severity, and …igour, though just, especially towards these who are inferiour, weak, unable to resist, and have yeelded themselves to mercy. Now, shall I not much more apprehend that of God, which I admire in a sinful man? Shall not that be most perfect in him, which is but a maimed and broken piece of his image in lost man? Certainly, it is the glo…y of God to conceal an offence, as well as to publish it; and he can shew as much Greatnesse and Majesty, in Mercy, as in Justice: therefore I will wholly commit my self to him. I think a man ought to reason so, from the very natural knowledge he hath o… God. But when ye hav… not only his Name and Nature published, but his Word and Promise so often proclaimed, himself come under some …ye to receive and accept graciously all sinners that flie in under the shadow of his wings of mercy; then O, with how much perswasion and boldnesse should we come to him, and lay open our sins before him, who not only m…y pardon them, and not only is likely to do it, seing he hath a gracious n…ture, but ce…tainly will pardon them, cannot but do it, because his faithfulnesse requireth it. Certainly, he hath superadded his Word to his Name, his Promise to his Nature, to confirm our faith, and give us ample ground of strong consolation.
There is another more suitable notion about the justice of God, in forgiving sin; it hath some truth in the thing it self, but whether it be imported here, I dare not certainly a…firm. Some take his faithfulnesse in relation to his word of promise, and his justice in relation to the price and ransome payed by Christ, importing as much as thi…, what ever sinner comes to God in Christ, confessing their own guiltinesse in sincerity, and supplicating for pardon, he cannot in justice refuse to give it out unto them, since he hath taken compleat satisfaction of Christ. When a sinner seeks a discharge of all sin, by vertue of that blood, the Lord is bound by his own …ustice to give it out, and to write a free remission to them; since he is fully payed, he cannot but discharge us, and cancell our bonds. So then a poor sinner that desires mercy, and would forsake sin, hath a two…old ground to suit this forgivenesse, upon Christs blood, and Gods own word, Christs purchase and payment, and the Fathers promise, he is just and righteous, and therefore he cannot deny the one, nor yet take two satisfactions, two payments for one debt; and he is faithful, so he cannot but stand to the other, that is his promise; and thus is forgivenesse ascertained and assured unto the confessing sinner. If any would take this in relation to confession, as if it reflected upon that which preceeded, and the meaning should be, if any man confesse his sin, he is just to …equi…e confession with remission, he cannot in righteousnesse deny one that deserves it so well, he is just to return some suitable recompence, to such a humble confession; this sense were a perverting of the whole Gospel, and would overturn the …oundations of grace, for, there is no connexion between our confession, and his remission, but that which the absolute good pleasure of his will hath made; besides, that repentance is …s free grace given from the exalted Prince, as remission of sins is.