Gospel Remission, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the Bleſſedneſs of the Pardon of Sin, which appears 1. Negatively in the Evil it frees us from.
1. THat, that hath been lately delivered of the Evil of Sin, may be of great concernment to diſcover wherein the bleſſedneſs of pardon of ſin lyes, the deliverance from ſo great an evil, as you heard, the evil of ſin was; ſurely, Bleſſed is the man whoſe ſins are forgiven. If ſin be ſo dreadful an evil as you heard, ſurely, Bleſſed is the man that is delivered from all that evil: if it remain freſh upon your minds, what the evil of ſin againſt God was, and what it brought upon your ſelves; you cannot but ſay, this is one principal thing wherein it appears, that man or woman is bleſſed that hath his ſin pardoned: If any man or woman be in any great danger, or under any great evil or miſery; and if he be delivered from it, we ſay, that man is a bleſſed man, or a bleſſed woman that is quit from ſuch a woful evil that was upon them; you account your ſelves happy to be delivered firm any dangerous ſtorms, and to have a calm; Are not they then happy that are delivered from the evil of ſin? Let me ſpeak a little to a poor ſinner that underſtands what the meaning of ſin is, and that underſtands ſomewhat of the dreadful evil of it: I would ask of thee oh poor ſinner; What ſeeſt thou? the anſwer will be, What ſee I? Oh I ſee the angry Countenance of an Infinite God againſt me, whoſe eyes are as a flaming fire looking with indignation upon me! I ſee a black diſmal cloud of the diſpleaſure of the Almighty hanging over me! I ſee a moſt hideous and dreadful ſentence of wrath ready to fall upon me! I ſee woe, miſery, and deſtruction purſuing of me! I ſee blackneſs of darkneſs and deſolation even ſurrounding me! I both ſee and feel the woful accuſations of a guilty Conſcience within me, condemning me; continually grating upon my ſoul, and terrifying me with dreadful Viſions of eternal miſeries to betide me! I ſee the chain of black guilt and horrour on my ſoul, that I carry with me whereſoever I go! I ſee the bottomleſs gulf of eternal horrour and diſpair with the mouth of it wide open ready to ſwallow me up! Now then, this ſight being preſented before an enlightned and awakened Conſcience; Now comes in the pardon and forgiveneſs of ſin whereby this dreadful cloud is diſpel'd, the tempeſt is gone; the darkneſs and miſery vaniſh't away, and all evil whatſoever the ſoul is ſet free from, ſin, and from all the dreadful conſequences of it. Is not this a bleſſed man, comparing his former condition with his preſent ſtate, looking on him as even now, having the ſenſe of the dreadful evil of ſin upon his Conſcience, and the heavy burden of it on his back, ready to ſink under it, into the gulph of miſery, and now pardon of ſin comes; O what a bleſſed change is this! O bleſſed is the man whoſe ſin is pardoned. Now what God had laid unto his charge, or his own Conſcience, the Law, the Devil, or the World, 'tis all done away, all is diſcharg'd and gone, bleſſed is the man that is thus delivered; Old things are paſt away, and all things are become new, 2 Cor. 5.17. it is meant not only of Sanctification, but of Juſtification alſo, he is a new creature; Old things are paſt away, and all become new. Brethren, by reaſon of the ſin of man, there is a curſe upon the whole Creation, and this old Creation muſt come to confuſion: therefore it is an evil thing for any man to ſeek his happineſs in any thing here in the old Creation, for there is a curſe upon it, and it will come to confuſion. But there is a new Creation of all in Chriſt, of all ſpiritual things in Chriſt: Now a ſinner when he comes to have his ſin pardoned and be juſtified, he come's into a new ſtate, that comes in by the new Creation; the happineſs of the Children comes by, and conſiſts in the new Creation; old things are done away, and he comes to be ſeated in the new creation in Chriſt; this is the firſt thing wherein a man or woman is bleſſed, Negatively, in being delivered from ſo great an evil.
2. Of the Poſitive Bleſſedneſs of the Pardon of Sin.
Secondly, Poſitively, he's a bleſſed man whoſe ſins are forgiven, if we conſider, the excellency of that mercy God makes that ſoul partaker of, whoſe ſins are forgiven, Dan. 9.9. To thee Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveneſſes, forgiveneſs is the fruit of glorious mercies, Exod. 34.6. The Lord is merciful and gracious, long ſuffering and abundant in goodneſs and truth, keeping mercy for thouſands, forgiving inquity. Now I ſhall open this poſitively, and ſhew the riches of mercy in forgiveneſs of ſin. When the Scripture applys mercy to forgiveneſs of ſin, it hath divers expreſſions, ſometimes calls it riches of mercy, Epheſ. 1.7. ſometimes, plenteous mercy, Pſal. 86.8. ſometimes, Gods fulneſs of compaſſion, Pſal. 78.38. ſometimes, multitude of mercies, Pſal. 51.1. I might give divers other places, but thoſe may ſuffice; it is rich, plenteous, fulneſs of compaſſions, and multitude of mercies; When God forgives ſin, he ſhews mercies in all theſe expreſſions. For the opening of it unto you, I ſhall ſhew you what abundance of mercy God ſhows in the forgiveneſs of ſin, conſider mery 1. in the Efficient. 2. in the final cauſe of it.
1. Of the Efficient Cauſe of Mercy in forgiveneſs of Sin.
Firſt for the Efficient Cauſe: there is abundance of mercy God manifeſts in the forgiveneſs of ſin, he abounds in his mercy, there is a Sea, an infinite vaſt Ocean of mercy, in which, the ſins of the Elect come to be ſwallowed up, though their ſins be many, and great, and committed with many grievous aggravations: yet when they come to an act of Juſtification, to God, to be forgiven; I ſay, God comes to the ſoul as an infinite Ocean of mercy, that ſwallows up all the evil in ſin, attend unto it, Look as in the mighty Ocean, whether you caſt in a load or a ſhovel full of earth, the vaſt Ocean makes little difference of either; ſo when a ſoul comes to God in Chriſt, when it comes to Pardon and Juſtification, whether ſins be little or great, 'tis all one, the mercy of God makes no difference at all; take heed to what I ſay, while I am ſpeaking of forgiveneſs of ſin, I ſhall make known ſo much grace, that if you abuſe it, it will be one of the moſt dreadful things that ever you did, and therefore while I go along, take heed of abuſing it, eſpecially you that deſire to hear of the pardoning mercy of God; whether your ſins be little or great, when you come to pardoning mercy, it is an infinite Ocean that ſwallows up all; thoſe that have not their ſins pardoned, whether their ſins be little or great, it makes no difference, they are truly damn'd for little as well as great ſins, both ſinks down into Hell, and the infinite Ocean of wrath and horrour ſwallows up all; ſo in point of Juſtification, whether your ſins be little or great, it matters not, pardoning mercy ſwallows up all.
2. Of the Final Cauſe of Mercy in forgiveneſs of Sin.
Secondly, but further, as Mercy is an infinite Ocean that ſwallows up Sin, ſo Mercy is the Final Cauſe. It is to this end that God might manifeſt the riches of his grace; when God forgives any one ſin, this forgiveneſs comes from Gods mercy, and it is to this end, That God may declare before Men and Angels, to all eternity, what the greatneſs and infinite riches of his grace is, what the grace of God is able to do when God comes to pardon ſin; 'tis for this end as if he ſhould ſay, Well, I am about now to pardon thy ſin, and this work I am about to do, it is for this very end, that it may be known to Men and Angels to all eternity, what the infinite riches of the infinite grace of God is able to do for poor ſinners. Now certainly, that man is a bleſſed man, if the man whoſe ſins are pardoned hath ſuch mercy ſhewed to him, and ſuch a bleſſed work upon him, as is to that end, that God may declare to all eternity what the glorious riches of grace of an infinite God is; ſurely this is a great bleſſedneſs, when God ſhall ſeperate a man or woman for this end, it muſt be very glorious; certainly therefore pardon of ſin is no light and mean thing, but it muſt be a moſt glorious work of God whereſoever it is: And this Conſideration is a mighty Argument to uphold a poor ſoul under trouble of ſin, and a great incouragement for him to come in for pardon: Doſt thou ſee O troubled ſoul Gods wrath againſt thee, and doſt thou ſtand quaking at the apprehenſion of the evil of ſin? let not thy heart ſink, come in, and caſt thy ſelf on the free grace of God, there is a poſſibility for the pardon of thy ſin; for when God comes to pardon ſin, the mercy God ſhews in pardoning of any one ſin, he does it to the end that he might magnifie the riches of his grace to all eternity, and ſuch mercy that ſerves to that end muſt needs be glorious; And will not ſuch mercy ſerve thy turn, as muſt ſet out the infinite rich grace of God? God is pleaſed to manifeſt thus much mercy for the forgiveneſs of thy ſin; and where a ſinner is forgiven, it is this mercy that is manifeſted: when men judge of God by themſelves, they think ſlightly of him, when they judge of Gods thoughts by their own: What is the reaſon that makes ſinners have ſuch ſlight thoughts of ſin, but becauſe they judge of God by themſelves, that he abhors ſin no otherwiſe than man does, and ſo hope they may do well enough, meaſuring the infinite hatred that God hath to ſin by their own: ſo on the other ſide, the ſinner that is convinc't of the dreadful evil of ſin, is ready to diſpair; Why? becauſe he judges of God by himſelf; as if the mercy of God were no other than the mercy of man; not conſidering the mercy of God in pardoning ſin, is ſuch mercy as is to ſhew his grace in the riches of it to all eternity. Well then, that man to whom ſuch mercy is ſhewn muſt needs be very bleſſed.