Fellowship with God, Sermon 23
SERMON XXIII·
1 Joh. 2.1.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not▪ And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, &c.
IN the Gospel we have the most perfect provision against both these extremities, that souls …re ready to run upon, the rock of desperat distrust, and the quick-sands of presumpt…ous wantonnesse. It may be said to be a well ordered Covenant in all things, that hath caveated and cautioned the whole matter of our salvation, in such a way, that there is neither place for discouragement and down-casting, nor yet room for liberty in sin; there is no exemption from the obligation of Gods holy Law, and yet there is pardon for the breach of it, and exemption from the curse; there is no peace, no capitulation with sin, and yet the…e is peace concluded with the sinner, who is, by that agreement, bound to fall out with sin; there is no dispensation for sin, and from the perfection of holinesse, and yet there is an advocation for the sinner, which aims and studies after it; so that in sum, the whole Gospel is comprised in this, he speaks peace to his saints, but let them not return to folly▪ thou art made whole, sin no more; All that is in th… Gospel saith this, that thou should sin no more ▪ But, because sin is necessarily incident, therefore all that is in the Gospel, speaks this further, though ye be su…prized in sin, yet believe; and this is the round that a believer is to walk into▪ to turn from pardon to purity, and from pollution again to pardon; for these voices and sounds a…e interchanged continually; If ye have sinned, believe in Christ the advocate and sacrifice, and, because ye have believed, sin not; but if ye be overtaken in sin, yet believe; and as this is daily renewed, so the souls study and indeavour in them, should be daily renewed too. If ye have sinned, despair not; if ye be pardoned, yet presume not: after sin there is hope, it is true, because there is forgivenesse with him; but after forgivenesse, there must be fear to offend hi… goodnesse; for there is forgivenesse with him, that he may be feared, Psal. 130.4. And this is the situation I would desire my soul into, to be placed between hope of his mercy, and fear of sin, the saith of his favour, and the hatred of sin, which he will not favour; and how happy were a soul to be confined within these, and kept captive to its true liberty?
I spake a little before, how thes… fundamental truth… that a…e set down before, do all aim at this one mark, that we sin not; Now I proceed. That declaration what God i…, vers. 5. is expresly directed to this purpose, and applyed, vers. 6. God is light, and therefore sin not, for sin is darknesse; he is light, for purity and beauty of holinesse, and perfection of knowledge, that true light in which is no darknesse, that unmixt light, all homogeneous to it …elf, therefore sin not, for that is a work of the night, and of the darknesse, th…t proceeds from the blindnesse and estrangement of your minds, and ignorance of your hearts, and it cannot but prepare and fit you for these everlasting chains of darknesse. Call God what you will, name all his names, stiles, and titles, spell all the characters of it, and still you may find it written at every one of them, sin not; Is he light ▪ then sin not. Is he life? then sin not: for sin will separat you from his light and life, sin will darken your souls, and kill them. Is he love? then sin not; God is love (saith Iohn) O then sin not against love. Hatred of any good thing is deformed, but the hatred of the beautiful image of the original love, that is monstruous: God is love, and in his love is your life and light; then to sin against him, it is not simple disobedience, nor is it only grosser rebellion, but it hath that abominable slain of ingratitude in it. Do you read, that it is written, he is holy, then sin not, for this is most repugnant to his holinesse, his holy eyes cannot see it. Therefore if thou would have him look upon thee with favour, thou must not look upon sin with savour, or intertain it with delight; Is it written that he is great and powerful? then sin not, that were madnesse. Is it written, that he is good and graciou… ? then it is written, that ye sin not; for that were wick…dnesse: it were an unspeakabl… folly and madnesse, to of…end so great a God, that can so easily avenge himself; and it were abominable perversnesse and wickednesse, to sin against so good and gracious a God, who, though he may avenge himself, yet of…ers pardon and peace, and beseecheth us to accept it. Is he just? then sin not; for he will not acquit the wicked, nor hold them guil…lesse, them, who do acquit themselves, and yet hold by their sins. And is he merciful? then, O then, sin not, because he hath acquitted the…, because he is ready to blot out thy guilt; wilt thou sin against mercy, that must save thee? Again, is it written, that the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth from all sin? that is written, that ye sin not. It is true, it is written, because …e have sinned already, that ye may know how it may be pardoned. But moreover it is written, that ye sin no more, that so, more sin may be prevented, at least, deliberat continued walking in sin; so that this blood hath a twofold vertu… and use; To be the greatest incouragement to a soul troubled for sin, and the chiefest arg… ment and inducement for … soul not to sin▪ this medicine, or this plaister, hath two notable vertues, restorative, and preservative, to restore the bones that already are broken, through falling in sin; and to preserve our feet from f…rther falling in sin. It h…th a healing vertue, for these brui…es that are in the soul; and besides, it is an antidot and soveraign preservative against the poyson …nd infection of sin and the world. What motive is like this, the Son of God shed his blood for our sins, they cost a dear price, O, how precious was the ransome? More precious then Gold, and Silver, …nd precious Stones, because the redemption of the soul is so precious, that it would have cease… for ever without it. Now, what soul can deliberatly think of this, …nd receive it with any affection into the heart, but he shall find the most vehement perswasion against sin; he cannot but behold the hainousnesse …nd infinit evil that is in it, which required such an infinit recompence? And can a soul on that view run to the puddle and defile again, when he sees how dearly the fountain for cleansing was purch…sed? Can … believing heart have such treacherous thoughts harboured within him, to crucifie afresh the Lor… of glory, and, as it were, to trample under foot his blood? No certainly, he that believes in this blood, cannot use it so dishonourably and basely; As it is written, that he sin not, so he read… it, and believes it, that he may not sin, as well … becaus… he hath sinned. Many speak of this blood, and think they …pply it to th… cleansing of thei… sin past, but it is rather that they may sin with more liberty; …s if the end of vomiting up a surfeit of sin, were to surfeit more; and the end of washing, were nothing else but to defile again. Ce…tainly, this blood i… not for such souls, not one wo…d of comfort in the Word, not one drop of hope in the blood, to them who pretend to believe in Christs blood, and continue in sin, as fresh and lively as eve… they did, nothing abated of their desires, or customs. But if we confesse our sins, God will forgive (say you) and this we may do at any time, and this we do daily. Nay, but (saith Iohn) this is written that you sin not; not to incourage you to sin. It is not recorded for this end, that you may live after your own imaginations and former customs, with …ecurity and peace, upon this presumption, that pardon is easily procurable, if … say, God have mercy upon me, ere I die. Do not deceive your selves, for it is written for the just contrary, that you sin no more, and return no more to folly. If he had said, if we sin, though we confesse, yet he …s just to punish us, you would then be driven to desperation, and from that, to … desperat conclusion, since we must be punished however, let …s not punish our selves here, in mortifying our flesh; Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die: Di… we must, let us deserve it; for where there is no hope, there is no help for reformation. But now, when there is such an unexpected proposal of grace, when God who is fre… to punish us, becomes indebted by his promise to …orgive our debts, we humbly submitting to him, and conf…ssing our guil…inesse, this su…p…is…l of clemency and moderation, should, yea, certainly will overcome any heart that truly believes it, and conquer it to his love and obedience. The more easily he forgive sin, the more h…rdly will a believing heart be d…awn to sin. You know any ingenuou… spi…it will more easily be conquered by kindnesse and conde…cendency, then severity and violence; these cords of love, are the cord… of a ma…, …uited to the nature of man in whom the…e is any spa…kle of ingenuity remaining; how often have men been ingaged and overcome by clemency and goodness, who could not be conquered by force of arms? Enemies have been made frien…s by thi… means, …uch power is in it, to knit hearts together. Augustus, when he was acquainted with the conspi…acy of one of his chief Minions Cinna, whom he had made a f…iend of an enemy, by kindnesse and courtesie, takes the s…me way, to make of a traitor a constant friend; he doth not punish him, as he had done others, but calls for him, …nd declare… unto him his vile ingratitude, that when he had given him life and liberty, he should conspire to take away his Princes life; well, when he is confounded and astonished, and cannot open his mouth, saith Augustus, I give thee thy life …gain, first an open enemy, and now a traitor; yet from this day, let an inviol…ble f…iendship be bound up between us, and so it proved: for this way of dealing did totally ove…come his heart, and blot out all …editious though…. But O, how incomparably greater is his condescendency and clemency, whose Person is …o high and sacred, whose Laws are so just …nd holy, and we so ba…e …nd wretched, to pardon …uch infinit guilt, rebellion, and treachery, against such an i…finit M…jesty, and that, when a soul doth but begin to blush, and be ashamed with it self, and cannot open its mouth; I say, this rare and unparallel'd goodnesse and me…cy being considered, cannot but tame and daunt the wildest …nd most savage nature; wilde be…sts a…e not brought in subjection and tamed, but by gentle usage; it is not fiercenesse and violence can cure their fierceness, but meekness, and condescendency, to follow their humours, and soft dealing with them; as … rod is not bowed by great strength, but broken, even so, these things, of the promise of pardon for sin, of the grace and re…dinesse of God to pardon upon the easiest terms, are written for this end, that our wilde and undaunted natures may be tamed, and may bow and submit willingly to the yoke of his obedience, and may henceforth knit such a sacred bond of friendship …nd fellowship with God, as may never be broken.
But, say ye, who is he that sins not? Who can s…y, my heart is pure, and my way is clean? Who can say, I h…ve no sin? And therefore that cannot be expected which you crave. Nay, but saith the Apostle, These things I write unto you, that ye sin not. Because …in is in all, there…ore you excuse your self in your sins, and takes liberty to sin; but the very contrary, is the intent of the declaring unto us that we have …in▪ he shews that none want it, not that ye may be the more indulgent towa…ds it, but the more watchful against it. It is not to make you secure, but rather to give you alarm; even the best and holiest, it is an ala…m to them, to tell them that sin is in confintis, in their very borders, th…t the enemy is even in their quarters, ye…, in their bosome; Ce…tainly, this should so much the mo…e excite us against it, and a…m us for it every moment, lest either by fraud, or fo…ce, by sec…et undermining, or open violence, it draw us away from God. This word, If we say we have no sin, we lie: It is a watch-word given to men, a warning to enter in consideration of themselves, for the enemy being within, there is no flying from him, we carry him about with us, and being within, he is lesse di…ce…ned; and therefore we ought to awake, and so walk circumspectly, with eyes in our head, lest we be su…prized at unawars, either in that time we know not of, or at that place we least su…pect. And to others of you, who have never attained any victory over your sin…, and scarce have a discerning of them; I would only say this, that the unive…sality of sins inhabitation, or beeing in all men, even the godly, will not excuse sins domination and reign in you. It i… strange, that since the holiest have need of continual watching against this bosome enemy, that ye who have both little knowledge and strength, should think ye may live securely, and not trouble your selves. I… they have need to take heed, how much more have ye, since it is but in them, but it reigns in you.