Gospel Remission, Treatise · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Of Encouragements to ſeek after Pardon of Sin.
FIrſt, The time of your life is given for this very end, to ſeek the pardon of your ſins; if a man have any great buſineſs to do that concerns his life, and another comes to him, and ſays, Sir, this is the very nick of time that you have taken, or elſe you had been loſt for ever, ſo this is the very nick of time given you to get pardon of your ſins and intereſt in the blood of Chriſt.
Secondly, This time is not only afforded for this end, but the means the Lord hath brought you under is a great argument that he intends mercy for you, and you may conclude there are more of Gods Elect may have pardoning mercy than in former times; the light of the Goſpel breaks forth, and certainly there is more to be brought in, the Goſpel is the fruit of Chriſt's death, and given for the Elects ſake, Act. 18.9, 10. he bids him go end preach, for he had much people; he ſhould have oppoſition, but go, be not afraid, for I have much people in that place; 'tis true, the rain will fall upon the tiles as well as on the tender hearbs and graſs; but certainly where God ſends his Word he hath people to be gathered in; and if you take notice of Gods Providence in this point, it may much incourage you to come in, certainly there be many in this Congregation, and in others, where the Word is preached, that he will pardon, Mar. 10.46. The blind man hearing it was Chriſt that paſt by, he cryed for mercy, and many charged him to hold his peace, but he cried the more, and Chriſt ſtood ſtill and called him unto him: Now if thou ſeeſt thy ſin, and cryeſt for pardon, Chriſt will call thee to give pardoning mercy to thee as he did Bartimeus.
Thirdly, It may be thou art not only under the means of grace and the outward call, but thou begin'ſt to feel an inward call, there are ſome ſtirrings of Gods Spirit within thee; thou could'ſt ſay before, thou wonderedſt what the matter was with people to run after Sermons, but now thou begin'ſt to feel the effect of it, And the glory of God appears to thee in this place, when thou art hearing of his Word; thou may'ſt hence reaſon, as Manoa's wife, Judg. 13.23. That certainly if God had intended to have killed us, he would not have received a burnt Offering and a meat Offering at our hands; neither would he have ſhewed us all theſe things; ſo ſay to thy ſoul, if God had intended to kill me, he would not have been ſo willing to have drawn me after him, neither would he have ſhewed me all theſe things, and let that be an incouragement unto thee.
Fourthly, The end why God continues this world in being, is that he might give pardon to his Elect; certainly this world had been diſſolved long ago, if it were not that he might bring pardon to his Elect, and to thoſe that ſee their ſins; this muſt needs be a great incouragement to a ſoul, viz. to thoſe that ſee their ſins, to come in; when this pardoning work is done, Chriſt will deliver up his Kingdom to his Father; if a malefactor ſhould come to ſue out his pardon, and one ſhould ſay unto him, 'tis well Sir you are come, for the King would not have kept his Court ſo long here, but that you ſhould come in; were not this a great incouragement? ſo ſay I, were it not that men ſhould come to get the pardon of their ſins, the Court of the world would have been broken up long before this time,
Fifthly, The principal ſcope of the Scriptures is for this very end, to reveal the pardoning grace of God; you have here the heart of God laid open; Chriſt wept and mourned that ſinners would not come in, that they might be pardoned and ſaved.Simile. I have read a ſtory, that in Athens there was a Temple, and in that there was a woman weeping, and in one hand ſhe had a bleeding Heart, and with the other ſhe was writing Pardons; ſo Chriſt he ſtands weeping over you, that you will not come in, and he hath a bleeding heart, bleeding for you in the one hand, and with the other hand he is ready to write you a pardon, Luk. 19.41, 42. nay, he does not only weep: But the
Sixth incouragement may be, He ſends his Ambaſſadors to woe you to come in, and tells them they ſhall not take a denyal at your hands, 2 Cor. 5.20. They intreat and beg as in his Name, nay it is the beſeechings and intreatings of God himſelf; as if a King ſhould ſend one of the Attendants on him to a poor condemned Priſoner, and ſay, go tell ſuch a one that he muſt come for his pardon, and tell him, I beſeech him, and take no denyal of him, I beſeech him to come in; would not this manifeſt the great willingneſs of the King to pardon; God does ſo, he ſends his Miniſters and beſeeches you to come in and take a pardon; 'tis as certain God ſpeaks thus by his Miniſters, as if you heard God ſpeaking by himſelf, this ſhould move you to come in, Chriſt begs and intreats you to be reconciled, that his bloud might not be ſhed in vain: ſeeing it is ſo, that God begs of thee to come in, why ſhouldeſt not thou come in, and take pardon of thy ſin, Why can'ſt not thou come in and give up thy ſelf and all thou haſt and art to him.
Seventhly, Know it is the great office and work of Chriſts mediatorſhip to bind up the broken hearts of wounded ſinners, Iſai. 61.1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he hath anointed me, he hath ſent me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath ſeat me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Priſon to them that are bound; this in the New Teſtament is applyed to Chriſt. Now this being the great work for which Chriſt came into the world, to bind up the broken-hearted, ſee whether thou canſt not rely on Chriſt by an act of faith, this ſhould be a great incouragement.
Eighthly, Conſider that, that God thou haſt to deal withal, his nature is mercy in the abſtract; and if ſo, he is free in his mercy; as the Sun ſhines, becauſe it's the nature of it to ſhine; ſo the mercy of God muſt needs work freely, becauſe it is his nature; as the fire burns naturally, Exod. 34. & Mic. 7.18. God pardons becauſe he delights in mercy; thou ſay'ſt thou art a poor ſinner; well, though it be ſo, yet thou may'ſt ſay, though God can ſee nothing in me, yet ſeeing that he is a God that delights in mercy, this may move me to come in: For
1. He hath more delight in pardoning any ſinner than in all the creatures of Heaven and Earth; God delights in all the works of his hands; but in this he delights in more than in all; he delights in them all, but not ſo much as in magnifying his grace in Jeſus Chriſt; for in this he magnifies his Son, and therefore he hath more pleaſure, and takes more delight in pardoning a poor humbled ſinner, than in all the works of his hands beſides.
2. No one can take ſo much pleaſure in the ſalvation of his own ſoul, as God doth in pardoning of thy ſin; and the reaſon is, becauſe this is the greateſt deſign that God hath, which is the ſetting out of his glory in his pardoning mercy in Chriſt, and therefore this may be a great encouragement.
3. God is more delighted in the work of thy heart cloſing with free grace, than in all the legal works of humiliation; what ſays Chriſt? this is the good will and pleaſure of God; and David was called a man after Gods own heart; Why? becauſe he was a man that would do his will; ſo that this is a great incouragement, though many abuſe this and pervert it to their own deſtruction, yet God will have it taught, that thou mighteſt have the comfort of it, and therefore thou ſhouldeſt cloſe with God and come in, and take hold of his pardoning mercy.
Ninthly, Though God hath taken ſuch a way in mercy to pardon ſin, yet he loſeth nothing in his juſtice; Chriſt hath taken ſuch order that his glory ſhall no way be diminiſhed, his juſtice ſhall be ſatisfied; and therefore thou need'ſt not ſay thus, I have ſo ſinned againſt God that I know not, that I cannot tell how to make up his glory; for there is care taken for that already, and therefore that need not diſcourage thee.
Tenthly, There are as vile ſinners now Triumphing in Heaven as any of you that are here, be you never ſo black and vile, and therefore be not diſcouraged at the greatneſs of thy ſins; for though they be very great, yet that may not keep thee out, others as vile as thou art, are now in Heaven.
Eleventhly, Make the utmoſt of thy ſin thou can'ſt, yet this need not hinder thee to come to God for: for ought that either men or Angels know▪ thou haſt as much intereſt in Chriſt as any Saint in Heaven over had, and if thou comeſt in and layeſt hold on Chriſt, thy very laying hold on Chriſt will plainly ſhew thou haſt a right unto him, and therefore be not diſcouraged but come in.
Twelfthly, Ʋpon thy cloſing with Chriſt, thou wilt find ſuch a change as was never wrought in any creature beſides; for though thou wer't vile and filthy, more vile and filthy than a child new born by original and actual ſins ingendred in thee, yet thou ſhalt be made cleaner than a child, and more pure in the eyes of God than any child cleanſed from his filthineſs; would not you do any thing to be pure in the eyes of God, make uſe of what I ſay, and you ſhall be clean; when you hear the Miniſters utter the threatnings of God you fall out with the man, and ſay, he preaches nothing but terror; alas 'tis our delight to preach the pardoning grace of God; but we muſt ſhew the evil of ſin, and it is that you might come in and imbrace mercy; for know, we delight to preach mercy more than any thing elſe; and know, that if thou deſireſt that all thy thoughts, ways and actions may be for Gods glory, he will not upbraid thee for coming in unto him, Joh. 6.37. He that cometh to Chriſt, he will in no wiſe caſt out; though thou haſt been never ſo great a ſinner, yet thou may'ſt come in and cloſe with Chriſt; for he that comes to him, be he what he will, he will in no wiſe caſt out.
Thirteenthly, Thou wilt fill Heaven with joy, and there will be more melody in Heaven than at the coming in of any Prince to his Kingdom; and I may ſay unto you, even in this place, if you come in, the Angels will rejoyce at it; for there are many Angels ſtand about you; therefore take heed of your carriage, for they come to ſee your behaviour; have a ſpecial care your hearts be ſet upon the work you come about, for they are here to ſee how you carry your ſelves.
Fourteenthly, In obtaining pardon of ſin and cloſing with Chriſt by faith, thou art made heir of the whole world, Rom. 4.13. How does many of you Marriners, and others venture upon dangerous voyages to get great Eſtates in this world, and you count them happy that are born to great Eſtates; Why, by cloſing with Jeſus Chriſt by faith for remiſſion of ſins, you are made heirs of the whole world, I mean not of that to come, but of this preſent world, though none of you certainly deſire more than may carry you to Heaven, yet you are true and proper heirs of the whole world: All is yours, the Scripture is very clear in it; but I cannot now ſtand to inlarge upon it, 1 Cor. 3. latter end.
Fifteenthly, For any thing thou knoweſt, thou art one of Gods Elect, and there is nothing thou art to do, but God hath promiſed to inable thee to do it; for there is ſuch a tranſaction between God and Chriſt, that he that ſhall be ſaved ſhall not have only ſavour vouchſaf't unto him, but ſhall be inabled to do whatſoever God requires of him, there ſhall be grace given to every one of the Elect of God. And now if thou comeſt in and giveſt up thy ſelf, and all that thou art, haſt or can'ſt do to Chriſt: How knoweſt thou but thou art one of thoſe that art Elect, and ſo ſhall be made for ever happy? But if after all that has been ſaid, thou goeſt away with ſlight thoughts of this rich and tranſcendent grace of pardoning mercy, and doſt not ſet preſently upon the work to obtain it, Be thou for ever aſhamed and confounded, but let the pardoning mercy of God be for ever magnified.
FINIS.