A Spiritual Antidote Against Sinful Contagion, Treatise 1 · Duty 2
DUTY II.
A Second thing you should now labour after, is, Assurance a2 Pet. 1. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 1. Assuranceof the Love of God unto your Souls, of Salvation when you die. When you are going to your Prayers, it is uncomfortable not to know, whether he be your God you are going to; but to doubt of this when you are going to your Grave, will be very terrible; to doubt when you are to die, will fill you with amazing fears; and make you much dishonour God at the very closure of your life. Oh, what is Death, though by the Plague, to him that knows he hath Eternal Life, that can look toward Heaven, and say, Yonder is the Place of my everlasting habitation, with yonder God and Christ; in yonder Heaven and Glory must I shortly be. Oh, now make sure of God and Christ, for you can be sure of nothing else.
Especially, get clear Evidence of the Pardon of your sins; oh, get off Guilt before you die; and if you can get cleer discoveries of the removal of your Guilt before Sickness comes upon you, assurance of your Pardon would lighten your afflictions, Isa. 33. 24. The Inhabitant, &c. Would it not be a reviving to your departing Soul, to have the secret whisperings of the Spirit, saying unto you, as Christ to the Sick man, Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good cheer, thy Sins are forgiven thee. You know you have sinned; but do you know that you are pardoned? You may read your Sins; but can you read your Pardon? If not, pray answer these following Questions, which might be as so many Motives to provoke you to look after Pardon.
First, How can you think of God, or any thing in Ten Questions to such as see not the evidence of Pardon.God, if you have not hopes or assurance of your Pardon? How know you, but his Justice might condemn you? and that his Power might break and crush you? his Patience come forth in judgment against you? But if you know your Sins are pardoned, all Gods Attributes would administer certain ground of solid comfort to you, in all Conditions and sorest of Afflictions.
Secondly, How can you read with comfort the Word of God? either his Word of Precept, when you consider how you have transgressed it; or his Word of Promise, when you question your Interest in it; or his Word of Threatning, when you fear it is your Portion? and do not know but you may read your own Sentence: This is not to discourage your studying the Word of God, but to excite you to look out after Pardon.
Thirdly, How can you have any delightful forethoughts of the Joyes of Heaven, when you do not know but unpardoned Sins might Bar the Gates thereof against you?
Fourthly, How can you, without amazement and fear, forethink of the Torments of the Damned, when you cannot see your deliverance from them? Can you seriously think of Eternity, and extremity of Torments, while you doubt of your own escaping of them, and not fear and tremble?
Fifthly, How can you think of the certain near approach of Death, while you do not know your Pardon? Is Death round about you, and every day making nearer and nearer approaches to you, and you not able to say your Sins are pardoned?
Sixthly, How can you think of the Resurrection of the Dead, while you are uncertain of your Pardon? That the Soul of an unpardoned Sinner must be presently dragged to the Bar of God; when it leaves its sinfull body, is dreadfull; but that the Body must also come forth at the sounding of the last Trumpet, addeth to the Horror of such persons; a dark and stinking Grave, will be too good a place for the Bodies of unpardoned Sinners for ever to remain in.
Seventhly, How can you think of the Day of Judgement, and not tremble when you do not know your Pardon? Blessed are they that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their Works do follow them; but cursed are they that die in their sins, for they rest not, (as to their Souls) from their Sorrows, and their sins will follow them, and meet them at the Day of Judgement; and then to see the Books produced and uncrossed, will be terrible; and if they are now blotted out, and you not perceive it, in the mean time it must be uncomfortable.
Eighthly, How can you lay down your self to sleep, when you do not know whether your debts are remitted? Is your Pillow soft, or your heart hard, that you can sleep so quietly, and yet are uncertain of your pardon?
Ninthly, How can you so chearfully prosecute your worldly affairs, and minde your earthly concernments, while you are ignorant of the pardon of your sins? Is the making sure of riches, of greater moment then the making sure of pardon? Can you buy and sell so eagerly, while you cannot evidence the forgiveness of your sins?
Tenthly, How can you with comfort go to God in Prayer, or sit down at his Table, while you do not know but your guilt remains? when you do not know, but you pray to God as a guilty malefactor speaks unto the Judge? And will not this exceedingly prevent your solacing joys at the Lords Table, when you fear you are there in your sins?
But that you may get this Question resolved, Whether your sins be pardoned, you must take this course.
1. Search the Word of God, that you may know what are the qualifications of those persons, whose sins God hath remitted: For though there be no causes of our pardon in our selves, yet there are conditions of our pardon, which are wrought by the Spirit of God in the hearts of pardoned sinners.
2. Search narrowly your own heart, whether there be a Transcript of those things in your Soul.
3. Beg the Testimony of the Spirit, to evidence to you, what he hath wrought within you. If therefore you ask, how you may know whether your sins are pardoned, I answer,
First, A pardoned sinner, is a self-loathing sinner. Seven signs of the Pardon of Sin.He is truly ashamed of the sins he hath committed: As he is pardoned, he can rejoyce; but as he hath sinned, he abhors himself. Mary that was pardoned, stood behinde Jesus, as one ashamed of her former courses, Luk. 7. 38. And the Justified Publican, through self-abhorence, stood afar off, and through shame could not lift up his eyes, Luk. 18. 13, 14.
Secondly, A pardoned sinner, is a weeping sinner. He cannot read his pardon with dry eyes, nor without a sorrowful heart. Luk. 7. 38. Mary when she was pardoned, stood behinde Jesus weeping; and these tears do proceed from joy and sorrow. From sorrow, that he sinned; from joy, that he is pardoned. But, no contrition, no remission, Acts 2. 38. & 5. 31. I have reckoned eleven places in the Scripture where Repentance and Remission are annexed. Whence I do infer the necessity of Repentance, if you will be pardoned; and the certainty of your pardon, if you do repent.
Thirdly, A pardoned sinner, is a Christ-loving sinner. Maries eyes were broached with tears, and her heart did burn with love, Luk. 7. 47. Much was forgiven her, for (i. e. therefore) she loved much. And to whom little is forgiven, they love little; but more or less they truly love. And if our love were proportionable to our pardoned sins, Oh, how great would our love then be! Oh, can you think you are pardoned, and forbear to love your Lord?
Fourthly, A pardoned sinner, is a believing sinner. No faith, no pardon, Luk. 7. 50. Acts 10. 48. He that hath obtained a pardon, hath received Christ into his heart. If you do believe your sins are certainly forgiven, then see to the truth of your Faith. If you are mistaken about the nature of your Faith, you will come short, and be disappointed of the Pardon.
Fifthly, A pardoned sinner, is a reformed, changed sinner, both in heart and life. Mary that was pardoned, was wont to lay out her hair to entice her lovers; but afterwards, with them she wiped the Feet of Christ. Whatsoever was a Mans sinful course before pardon, he walks directly contrary after pardon, Acts 26. 18.
Sixthly, A pardoned sinner, is a sin-mortifying sinner. Wheresoever God takes away the guilt of any sin, he taketh down the reigning power of it. You might know an unpardoned sinner by his death in sin; a pardoned man by his death to sin. Do you cry to God for strength against your sin? Do you long for the ruine of your Iusts? Could not you be content with a pardon, without you also have the death of your sins?
Seventhly, A pardoned sinner, is a sin-fearing sinner. Psal. 130. 3, 4. With thee there is forgiveness, that thou maist be feared. Such an one is afraid to sin after pardon; he is afraid of a temptation to sin; he is afraid of an occasion unto sin, and maketh conscience of abstaining from the appearance of evil; and when tempted, saith with Joseph, Gen. 39. 9. How can I do this thing, and sin against God? If you search these Scriptures, upon which these evidences of a pardon are bottomed, you will see sufficient reason, why you should be satisfied concerning this grand and necessary question: And if you finde it so with you, you have the Word of God to prove your pardon.
Though you must understand that a poor sinner might be pardoned, and yet he might not have the sense and coamfort of his pardon; so that his condition is safe, though it might not be so sweet. A poor distressed Soul may pray for pardon oftentimes, and may have it, but not see it; yet let not that discourage you; for,
1. David did so as well as you, after he was A Sinner may be pardoned, and not see it.pardoned; he did want the comfort of his pardom. 2 Sam. 12. 13. Psal. 51.
2. Was it not long, before God did bring you on your knees, seriously to ask for a pardon? And will you think much, if God doth defer to tell you, that you are pardoned?
3. God might do this to make you prize a pardon; when you have got it, then you must say, This pardon is a fruit of many tears, and sighs, and groans. You will set an higher valuation upon pardoning mercies, and God will have his pardons to be prized.
4. God might deny you long the sight of your pardon; that when you have it, you might take heed that you sin no more willingly after pardon. Did you pray so long, and weep so much, and fast so often, before you could see your pardon? and will you not after this be more careful, and more watchful, that you run not in arrears with God again?
5. It might be, you have not prayed earnestly for a pardon: It may be you pray for pardon of your sin with dry eyes; and do you think you shall obtain that without tears, which Christ purchased by his Blood? Christ did bleed, and will not you weep, that you may be pardoned.
Thus I have given you my thoughts in this Second Direction, That you would now get the assurance of the Love of God, and particularly in the pardon of your sins; because I have often found by standing by the Bedsides of dying men, That the doubting of their pardon, hath filled them full of tears, to consider they must into Eternity; but whether pardoned or unpardoned, they could not tell.