Fellowship with God, Sermon 24
SERMON XXIV·
1 Joh. 2.1.
—And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, &c.
THere is here a sad supposition, but too certain, that any man may sin, yea, that all men will sin, even those who have most communion with God, and interest in the blood of Christ, yet they are not altogether exempted from this fatal lot of mankind, it is incident even to them to sin, and too frequently incident; but yet we have a happy and sweet provision, for indempnity from the hazard of sin: We have an advocate with the Father. Grant the probability, ye…, the necessity and certainty of that supposal, If any man do sin, yet there is as much certainty of indempnity from sin, as of necessity of falling into sin. It is not more sure, that we shall carry about with us matter of sorrow and mourning; but that it is a… sure, that we have alwayes without us, matter of rejoyceing.
Let me then speak a word to these particulars: First, that sin is incident to the best, even after all perswasions, convictions, resolutions, desires, and design… to avoid sin. Next, that it is usual for sins after me…cy, conviction, and resolution to appear so hainous, that they may seem to over-top the mercy o… God, and th… merit… of Christ; a soul is most apt to be troubled with guilt contracted after pardon, and a desire of purity. But withall, I would in the last place represent to you, that there is no ground of despair, or discouragement for such an one, though there be ground … humiliation and mou…ning; there i… a provision made in the Gospel against these continually incident …e…rs, there is a …ecurity against the hazard of surp…izing sins, and that this comfort belongs only to such souls, as un…eignedly desire not to sin, and are in some measu…e perswaded by the grace of God not to sin; not to them who willingly give up themselves to their own lusts. It is a common doctrine a… any, that sin hath some lodging in every mans hea…t and flesh, and is not totally cast out, but only bound with chains within, that it do not exe…cise its old dominion over a believer. But I fear, the most common t…uths, though t…ey be most substantial in themselves, yet are but circumstantial in our apprehensions, and very r…rely and ext…aordinarily have place in t…e deeper and more serious thoug…ts of our hearts: they are commonly confessed, it is true, but as seldome considered, I am sure; for who did t…uly ponder the inclinablenesse of our nature to sin, the strong propension of the heart to evil, the deceitfulnesse of sin it self, and the many circumstantial helps, and additions it gets to its strength, but he would stand in aw, and watch seriously over himself. I dar say, many sin, …ather because of a misapprehended immunity from it, and a misse-reckoning of their own measure and strength, then because of the strength of sin it sel…. I know no one thing makes sin so strong … this, that we do not apprehend our own weaknesse, and so give over watch…ulnesse, which is the greatest and best part of our armour of defence, when it is done in faith, and this watch kept on the Tower of the Lords Promises; The apprehension of our escaping the pollutions of the world, and of some strength to resist them, this adds no more strength to us, but diminisheth and taketh from our vigilancy, and so exposeth us, as it were, naked and secure, to the cruelty of our adversary. I would wish every Christian to be throughly acquainted, and often conversant in two Books of Sophistry, I may so term them, the deceitfulnesse of his own heart, and the deceivablenesse of sin, Ier. 15. and Heb. 3.13. These are the Volumns he would daily tu…n over, to learn to discern the Sophistications, self-flatteries, blindnesse, darknesse, and self-love of his own heart; to take off the deceiving mask of pretences and appearances of good, and behold sensibly the true and real inclinations of the heart to wickednesse, to passion, pride, uncleannesse, malice, envy, and all these affections of the flesh: to find out the true beating of the pulse of the heart; and indeed this just discerning and discovery of the thief in the soul, is a great part of his arraignment; for if sin ly under the view of an eye that hates it, and loves God, much of its power and vertue, which lay in darknesse, is taken away. I presse this the more, because I verily apprehend it to be the plague of many Christians, who have some general insight into the matter of good and evil, and espy some more gross corruption in themselves, and have some affection to good, yet this estrangednesse to our own hearts, and the vein or strain of them, the not unbowelling of our hidden affection…, and not discerning of the poyson of pride, self-love, love of the world, and such like lusts, which are intermingled in all that we do, and spread, as it were, universally through the whole man; this, I say, makes most of us be subject to so many surprisals by sin; we are often routed before we draw up, and often conquered ere we consider: this makes us such unproficients in mortif…ation, so that scarce any sin is killed, while the roots of all sin lyes hid under the ground from u…. Then withal, I desire you to study how deceivable a thing sin is, how many deceitful fair pretences it is covered with, it hath the voi…e of Iacob, but the hands of Esau; look what it is that is pleasant or …uitable to our natural spi…its, it insinuat… it self alwayes under the shadow of that, and if there be not much heedfulness and attention, and much expe…ience o… the wiles of that subtill one, it is a great hazard to be catched with it un…dvisedly, while we clasp about another thing, which is presented as a bait and allurement. Now, is it any wonder that a poor soul be drawn to sin often, when our enemy doth not …or the most part pro…esse hostility, but friendship, and under that colour pleads admission, within our Ports; and besides, we have … treacherous friend in our bosome, that betrayes us into his hands, that is, our own deceitful hearts: These things I mention, to put you i… remembrance of what condition you are in, in this world, and what posture you should be into; watch, (I say) and when ye have done all, stand with your loins girt; and though you cannot possibly escape all sin, yet certainly it is not in vain thus to set against it, and keep a watch over it, for by this means you shall escape more sin, and sin lesse; as he that aims at the mark, though he do not hit it, yet he shall ordinarily come nearer it, then he that shoot… only at randome; & as the Army that is most vigil…nt and watchful, though they cannot prevent all l…sses and hazards, yet commonly they are not found at such a losse, as those who are proud, …onfident, and secure.
Now, as it is suppo…ed, that sin is ordinarily incident to the child o… God, so it is especially to be caveated, that he despair not in his sins, for it is imported in this provision, that the believer is in great haza…d upon new lapses into sin, either of daily incursion, or of a grosser nature, to be discouraged; As there is so much corruption in any mans heart, as will turn the grace of God into w…ntonnesse, and incline him upon the propo…al of free grace, to presume to take liberty to the flesh, so, that same corruption upon another occasion, works another way, upon the supposal of new sins, aggravated with preceeding mercy and grace in God, and convictions and resolution… in him, to drive him into despondency, and dejection of spirit, as if there were no pardon for such sins. And indeed, it is no wonder if the soul be thus set upon, if we set …side the consideration of the infinit grace of God, that far surpasseth the ill deserts of men. To speak of the very nature of the thing it self, there is no sin in its own nature more unpardonable, then sin after pardon; nothing so hainous, aggravated with so many high circumstances, which mingleth it with the wo…st ingredients, as this sin, after so much grace revealed in the Gospel, to the end that we may not sin. Sins washed so freely, in so precious a sountain, and yet to defile again; sins forgiven so readily, and easily, the debt whereof, in Justice the whole creation wa… not …ble to pay, and yet, to offend so gracious a Father; a soul being throughly convinced of the vanity, folly, and madnesse of sin, of the deceitfulnesse and basenesse of its pleasures, and set in a posture against it, as the most deadly enemy, and yet after all this, to be foiled, deceived, and insnared; Here, I say, are very piercing considerations, which cannot but set the challenge ve…y deep into the heart of a Christian, and wound him sore; how will he be filled with shame …nd con…usion of face, if he look upon God? every look or beam of whose countenance, represents into the soul the vilest and most abominable visage of sin; or if he look into himself▪ there is nothing but self-condemning there, he finds his own conscience staring him, as a thousand witnesses; thus the soul of a believer being environed, he is ready to app…ehend, that though God should have pardoned the sins of his ignorance, yet that there is more difficulty in this, to pardon his returnings to solly, and therefore are some put to harder exercise, and greater terrours after conversion, then in the time of it; the sins of ignorance being, as it were, removed as a cloud, and scored out in a heap, but the sins of knowledge after mercy, lying more distinctly and clearly in the view of the soul; it is more difficult to blot them out of the conscience, and sprinkle the heart from an evil conscience: These thing… I spe…k to you for this reason, that you may be affraid to sin. I suppose that there is no h…z…rd of eternal damnation by sin, grant that you know before-hand, that if you sin, there i… yet forgivenesse with him, and there is no hazard of pe…ishing by it, yet, su…e I am, it is the most foolish adventure in the world, to t…ke liberty on that account, for though there be in…empnity that way, as to thy eternal estate, yet I am perswaded, that there is more damnage another way, in thy spiritual estate in this wo…ld, then all the gains o… sin can countervail: There is a necessary losse of peace, and joy, and communion of the Holy Ghost; it is inevitable in the ve…y o…dinary and natural cou…se and connexion of thing…, but that sin, that way indulged, will eclipse thy soul, and bring some darknesse of sorrow, and horrour over it; to speak after the manne… of man, and in the way of reason it self, the inte…tainment of that which God hates, will dep…ive thee of mo…e solid joy and sweetnesse in him, then all the pleasures of sin could affo…d. Therefore I dare not sa… to you (as one too unadvisedly expresseth it) Fear not, th…ugh you do sin, of any hurt that can come by these sins, for if y…u sin, it shall do you no hurt at all: I say, this were indeed but to make you too bold with sin. I had rather represent unto you, that though ye be secured in your eternal estate, and there can come no condemnation that way, yet there is much hurt comes by sin, even in this world, and sure, I think it a ve…y rational and Christian inducement, to prevail w…th a Christian not to sin, to tell him that he shall make a foolish bargain by it, for he shall lo…e much more then he can gain. Is there no hurt or losse incident to men, but eternal perdit…on? Nay, my beloved, there is a losse Christians may sustain by sinning freely, which all the combined advantages of sin cannot compense; Is not one hours communion with God, is not the peace of your own consciences, and the joy of the Spirit, such inestimable Jewels, that it were more suitable for a man to sell the world, and buy them, then to sell them, and buy … poor momentany trifling contentment, which hath a sting in th… tail of It, and leaves nothing but vexation after it? O these bruises in Davids bones, these breaches in his spirit, that losse of the joy of his salvation! Let these teach you who are escaped the great hurt of sin, to fear at least to be hurt by it this way, more then ever you can expect to be helped by it.
But then, I desire to add this in the third place, that there is provision made against th… discouragement of these souls that desire not to sin, and yet sin against their desire. If the challenge I spoke of, be written in thy conscience, as it were with the point of a Diamo…d, deeply ingr…ven; yet my beloved, consider, that if any man sin, we have an advocate, &c. There is an expresse caution against thy discouragement▪ certainly our Saviour hath provided for it, since the case is so incident, and the supposition so ordinary, it is not conceivable that he hath not caveated and …ecured thy salvation in such cases: for he knew certainly be…ore he pardoned thee, and visited thee at fi…st, that thou was to be subject unto this necess…ry burden o… sin, and that it would often times molest and trouble you, and sometimes prevail over you; all this he knew, that when ye should order your forces, and draw out against sin, with the greatest desire and resolution, that yet you might be soiled unexpectedly; and this was not unknown to him, when he shewed mercy at first; there…or…, since his love is unchangeable, and his wisdom (being infinit,) …aith it should be so, he would never have cast his love on …uch persons, if these thing… which were then before him, could make him change. Now, I grant there is more wonder in the pardon of following sins, then in the fi…st pardon; and therefore you should still love more, and praise more; but what is this wonder, to the wonder of hi… grace? it is swallowed up in that higher wonder, For his thoughts and wayes are not like ours, hi… voice is, Return thou back-sl…ding sinner to thy first Husband, tho…gh thou hast played the harlot. Therefore, I desire that whatsoever be presented in that kind, to aggravat your sins, let it humble you more indeed, and make you hate sin, but let it not hinder you to think as highly of his mercy and grace, and to set that in the Heaven… above it.