Gospel Remission, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of Pardon of Sin, being the ſpecial end of all Gods Ordinances.
13. Argument.FUrther, Bleſſed is he that hath his Iniquities forgiven, becauſe forgiveneſs of ſin it is the ſpecial end of all the Ordinances of God; the Ordinances of God that he has appointed and ſet up in his Church, attain their end in this bleſſed effect, in the forgiveneſs of ſin; and it is an argument their is much bleſſedneſs in pardon of ſin, becauſe thoſe precious Ordinances of Chriſt attain their ſpecial ends in it; there are three great Ordinances I ſhall inſtance in, the Word, Sacraments, and Diſcipline; and the people of God ſhould count themſelves in a happy condition when they ſee thoſe bleſſed ends wrought on them, which God hath appointed thoſe Ordinances to effect.
1. For hearing, 'tis a great Ordinance that Chriſt hath appointed, When he aſcended on high he gave gifts unto men; upon Chriſts Triumphal Aſcenſion to God the Father, he gave this great gift unto his Church, that his Church ſhould have Paſtors and Teachers; which by the way, argues the horrible wickedneſs of thoſe that ſlight Paſtors and Teachers of his Church; becauſe it is part of the glorious gift of Chriſt when he aſcended on high: Well, did Chriſt ordain Paſtors and Teachers for the preaching the Word; ſurely it is for ſome great end and purpoſe that he hath in it, there is ſurely ſome great glory he intends to reap by it. What is the end for which Chriſt hath ſet up this great Ordinance? 2 Cor. 5.18. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himſelf, and hath committed to us the Miniſtry of Reconciliation. Miniſters of the Word are Miniſters of Reconciliation that God hath given to his People: what is that? read the next verſe, to wit, That God was in Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelf, not imputing their treſp…ſſes unto them: Now then, there is a word of Reconciliation, and this is committed unto us, God hath appointed that we ſhould have this Word of Reconciliation to convey it unto you; What is this? to wit, That God was in Chriſt reconciling the World unto himſelf, not imputing their ſins; ſo then forgiveneſs of ſin is the end of this Doctrine of Reconciliation, that there ſhould be forgiveneſs and pardon of ſin to poor ſouls in and through Chriſt Jeſus; ſo that this ſhews the great ſcope of this Ordinance, and the end of it, to wit, forgiveneſs of ſin: therefore no wonder we ſtick in this Point, becauſe the great buſineſs we have to do, is to declare the Miniſtry of Reconciliation, when a Miniſter is about that, he is about the work that God hath appointed him to do; all other Doctrines are but to make way for this, and to teach people how to walk worthy of it; and this is the only taking Doctrine to all thoſe that God hath appointed this mercy too, though we as Miniſters of Chriſt preach againſt the vanities and profits of this world; but this is not the main thing, not the right method of Preaching to work upon the hearts of People, nor the great end of Chriſts Aſcention, he did not give gifts principally for theſe things, but that men ſhould be able to reveal the great Doctrine of Pardon of ſin: Miniſters need not keep a ſtir to get eſteem and love, and to make themſelves honourable among the People; if they did but apply themſelves to Preach this great Doctrine God hath ſet them about, That God was in Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelf not imputing their ſins, they cannot but gain honour in the hearts of thoſe that God hath appointed this mercy too; (Many complain they want reſpect and honour, let them take pains in this Doctrine, and they cannot chooſe but they muſt get honour, if once this Word of Reconciliation take hold on any mans heart by Faith and Repentance; let men ſpeak againſt ſuch a Miniſter never ſo much, ſay what they will of him,) his heart will not be taken off from him, but will be ready to anſwer as the poor blind man did the Scribes and Phariſees who raiſed on Chriſt, Joh. 9.24. Saying, give glory to God; but we know this man is a ſinner: He anſwered whether he be a ſinner or no, I know not; One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I ſee, be it was that opened my eyes; thus he anſwered their ſlander: and ſo when others clamour againſt a Miniſter, and ſpeak evil of them, that ſoul that hath his eyes opened, he will ſay, I am ſure God hath done great things for me by him: he hath ſhew'd me the evil of ſin, and the ſad condition I was in by nature, and he hath revealed to me the exceeding riches of the mercy and grace of God, and my ſoul hath ſound it ſo, God hath come to my ſoul in his Preaching: Now ſuch a Miniſtry as this will certainly ingage the hearts of people to them; 'tis not the man ſo much as Chriſt in the man, and this is the end of our Miniſtry, not to tell this or that conceit or ſtory, but to ſhew you the riches of the grace of God in the pardon of ſin, and the Juſtification of your Souls through Chriſt Jeſus, your Acceptation and Reconciliation through him, this is the firſt Ordinance.
2. The Sacraments, for what purpoſe hath Chriſt ordained them? the main end for which they were ordained is for Sealing, in the Supper is ſealed up Gods mercy in the pardon of ſin, Matth. 26 28. Chriſt tells his Diſciples, The Cup is the blood of the New Teſtament which is ſhed for many for the Remiſſion of Sin; as if Chriſt had ſaid, this is the great Ordinance to ſeal unto People the pardon of their ſins: Brethren, the King does not uſe to ſet his Broad Seal to trifles and toys, and fancies, but unto things of great concernment and conſequence, they muſt be ſuch that ſhall have the Broad Seal: ſo here, becauſe pardon of ſin is ſuch a bleſſed thing, the Broad Seal of Heaven is ordained to ſeal it; and when the Sacrament is adminiſtred rightly, it is no other but the Broad Seal of Heaven to Seal up the pardon of thy ſin; and ſo ſhould men and women come to receive the Sacrament, they ſhould think this day is a ſealing-day; as in Courts of Juſtice they have their Sealing-days, and 'tis uſually ſaid, ſuch a day is a Sealing-day, ſo a Sacrament day is a ſealing-day, ſealing up to you the the great bleſſedneſs of forgiveneſs of ſin; a Soul thinks thus, I am a poor wretched vile ſinner before the Lord, woe unto me; thus and thus have I done, woe is me. But I have heard of the riches of Gods grace in pardoning my ſin; and this day God calls me to come in, and have the pardon of my ſin ſealed with the Broad Seal of Heaven, that my ſoul may be aſſured, and I may go away in peace, and be comforted and quieted in the great buſineſs that lies upon me, thoſe ſins of mine that have ſo grated on my Conſcience, and for which I have had dreadful apprehenſions of the Clouds of Gods diſpleaſure hanging over my head; this day I am to go to have the ſealing of a pardon of them all: Thus ſhould men and women come to the Sacrament with ſuch thoughts upon their hearts, as an Ordinance appointed and ordained by Chriſt for the ſealing up the pardon of their ſins.
3. The third Ordinance is the Ordinance of Diſcipline, whoſe ſins ſoever you remit they are remitted, Joh. 20.22. and thoſe who are caſt out of the Church, and then received in again, find it to be an Ordinance of Chriſt, to aſſure them of remiſſion of their ſins. It caſts out thoſe that are ſcandalous, and when they repent it receives them in again, and thereby aſſures them of the pardon of their ſins.
A Tranſition to the Application. Having done with the Explication, if you would run over and make ſome recollection of what has bin delivered of the glorious bleſſedneſs of this mercy of forgiveneſs of ſins, you might ſee the effects following thereupon. I have ſhew'd you the abundant grace of God that is declared in the forgiveneſs of ſin. I have ſhew'd you the many myſteries that there are in it, and that it is an inlet to many other mercies; I have ſhewed you the great difficulties it paſſes through, and how much the heart of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, was in this mercy; I ſhewed you, it was a perfect and an irrevocable mercy, a mercy denyed to Angels, and ſhewed but to a few of mankind, compared to thoſe that are paſt by; I have ſhewed, it is a mercy, the very poſſibility of it would make the damned to rejoyce, and it is a mercy, that is the end of all Ordinances: And now having come to ſome period of the Explication, methinks that Scripture comes preſently into my mind, that notable place in Rom. 8.31. If theſe things be ſo, if God thus gloriouſly appear, in the riches of his grace for the pardon of ſin; What ſhall we then ſay to theſe things? the Apoſtle after he had ſpent ſome time in opening the Doctrine of free Juſtification, for the working it upon the heart of the Romans, and his own heart too, ſays, What ſhall we ſay to theſe things? the holy Apoſtle ſtood as a man amazed at the wonderful richneſs of the grace of God in pardoning of ſin; in the verſe before, having ſaid, Moreover, whom he did predeſtinate them he called, and whom he called, them he justified; and whom he juſtified, them he alſo glorified: And having ſpoken much to the point of Juſtification in this Chapter, he concludes at verſ. 31. Now what ſhall we ſay to thoſe things? as if he had ſaid, Lord, how does thy glory appear in the Juſtification of a ſinner, and pardoning his ſin through Jeſus Chriſt? that we cannot but ſtand amazed at the greatneſs of thy glory appearing herein! that we know not what to ſay, there is ſo much of thy glorious grace appears, that our mouths are ſtopped; What ſhall we ſay to theſe things? So now, after we have heard of theſe glorious things, of the glorious Revelation of the grace of God in and through his Son, working in ſuch a glorious and myſterious way of godlineſs for the juſtifying of a ſinner, and pardoning of his ſin; if we could now ſit down as men and women amazed and aſtoniſhed, as having our hearts ſo fill'd with the glory of theſe things, as being not able to expreſs our ſelves, but even ſit down amazed at the brightneſs of the glory of them; it would be an excellent fruit of our attendance in hearing thoſe things, we ſhould ſanctifie the Name of God in it; and t'would be very happy for us; but if not while we are here together, yet, get into your Cloſets, and look into this myſtery of godlineſs, and recollect what you can of that which you have heard; and let this conſideration lie warm upon your hearts and thoughts: O Lord! what ſhall we ſay to theſe things? that God ſhould have ſuch thoughts of ſuch mercy and grace in the pardon of ſin, as we have heard; What ſhall we ſay to it? and though for the preſent your hearts be not able to expreſs more, yet by meditation; ſure the fire will kindle, and bring forth ſome admirable expreſſions in glorifying the Name of God, or in ſinging ſome Pſalm to his praiſe, or in doubbling and trebbling that bleſſed acclamation with the heavenly Hoſt, Luk. 2.14. Glory to God in the Higheſt, on Earth peace, good will towards men; O here is the good will of God towards poor wretched vile men; Glory be to God in the Higheſt; Lord, What is man that thou ſhould'ſt be ſo mindful of him? thou haſt made him a little lower than the Angels; nay, as you have heard this day, God has ſet him above thoſe Angels that ſinned againſt him; Chriſt would not ſhew mercy to them, they could not be pardoned; this is for poor ſinners in the world, a generation of thoſe that ſeek him, that have this great mercy of pardon and forgiveneſs of ſin revealed to them; What ſhall we ſay to theſe things? the Apoſtles expreſſion may help us to make way to the Application, and as I have told you we ſhould ſanctifie the Name of God, in ſtanding amazed at the wonderful grace of God that gloriouſly appears in the Juſtification of a ſinner, as we have opened in many Particulars. And now we have many things to ſay in the Application of theſe things, for the anſwer to that queſtion, What ſhall we ſay to theſe things? attend in the fear of God, and you ſhall hear in the Application what ſhall be ſaid to thoſe things, you have heard in the former Doctrine.