Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 16
SERMON XVI.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 4. But there is forgivenneſs with thee—
I Am now entred upon that which is the Applicatory part of this Doctrine, concerning the pardon of ſins, and upon a way to hold out Directions to you, how without abuſing this great Priviledge, or deceiving your ſelves, ye may come to it in the due order, and look like it; I was ſpeaking before noon of ſome things, required antecedent by way of preparation for pardon; I ſpoke ſomewhat to a Caution and carefulneſs to avoid ſin, that the ſins we come to God for pardon of, may not be theſe we have run after impetuouſly, as the horſe runneth into the battel; but ſuch as we are driven in by the power of Temptation. Likewiſe that there muſt be an exact and diſtinct account taken daily of our failings, and of theſe evils, the pardon whereof we expect and ſeek. And 3. When upon Examination we have found out our Debt, there muſt be a deep ſenſe of the ſinfulneſs and deſert of theſe provocations, ſuch as the Pſalmiſt had here, when he crys out pathetically, If thou, Lord, ſhouldeſt mark iniquity, O Lord, who ſhall ſtand?
I left at a fourth Direction, and that was, That we ſhould ſtudy Repentance for theſe ſins, the pardon whereof we expect and ſeek; and as the former Direction tells, that the ſenſe that theſe in the way of pardon have of ſin, muſt not ly floating in the brain, ſo this will preſs further, That the ſenſe of ſin we have, muſt not be a cruſhing and killing ſenſe, but a ſenſe that reſolves in a kindly Repentance for ſin, a ſenſe and hatred of ſin, and a grief and ſorrow for it, in which poſture they that expect pardon muſt reſolve to come to God. This is ſo clear in the Scriptures, that I adduced in the morning, and it is ſo clear an Evidence of the poured out-Spirit, Zech. 12.10. Which is a mourning ſpirit in them that partake of it, that I ſhall not inſiſt further to prove it, neither ſhall I digreſs to make a common place of Repentance here, I ſhall only deſire you to take notice of theſe three concerning Repentance, and I have done. 1. That there is a legal Repentance, and an evangelical Repentance; A legal Repentance is that, which flows meerly from the ſenſe of the terrors of the Law, and the curſe and wrath due to men for ſin: And evangelical Repentance is that, which hath ſomething of Faith, and ſomewhat of the Goſpel in its boſom: And I may again deſire you to conſider, that evangelical Repentance, is either the reſult of a general apprehenſion, that there is pardoning mercy in God, when a ſinner confounded with the ſenſe of guilt, looks in general to this Truth, That there is forgiveneſs with God, or more particularly when the ſinner cloſes with that pardoning mercy for his own behove, and makes application of it to himſelf, and ſo is a pardoned man. Now for the Repentance that is antecedent to pardon, there muſt be ſomewhat both of legal and evangelical Repentance, ſome Too-look to that great Truth and Encouragement. Verſe 4. There is forgivenneſs with thee; for the legal Repentance it may cruſh, but evangelical Repentance makes the ſinner to bow; legal Repentance is like a hammer that breaks the Rock; evangelical Repentance is like the fire that melts the mettal, only that Repentance that reſults upon the Application of Pardon to a ſinners ſelf, is not antecedent to, but conſequential of pardon. 2. Ye would conſider the room that Repentance hath in this bargain of the Pardon of ſin, it comes not in certainly by way of merit, for all the Salvation we get firſt and laſt, is through the merit of Chriſt; but Repentance has place in the obtaining of Pardon, partly as it is an inſeparable companion of ſaving Faith, that apprehends and lays hold on Chriſt for Pardon; a man cannot ſay, he has Faith, if it be not a penitent Faith, partly it comes in as a condition required in order to God's Pardoning: for God (as I ſaid before) though he hath promiſed to pardon no man for his Repentance, yet he hath declared, he will pardon none without Repentance; and partly it comes in as a qualification of the perſon pardoned, who is thereby fitted to ly low at Gods Footſtool for pardon, Repentance makes folk find ſin as bitter, as ever they found it ſweet; Repentance is that which excites them to condemn themſelves, and to juſtifie God; without Repentance it were inconſiſtent with the Juſtice of God to pardon a ſinner, lying impenitent in his filth: nor would it commend the Grace of God, if it were caſt a way to the deſpiſers of Grace, as well as to the penitent, who highly eſteem of Grace. And a 3d. Word I would have you to conſider, is, concerning the degree and meaſure of repentance; I dare not digreſs on that much. There is a Word that might give folk ground of ſad thoughts, Acts 2.37. compared with verſe 38. where ye will find a people pricked in heart, and put to a peremptor, they have compunction, and cry out, What ſhall we do? Verſe 37. and Peters anſwer, Verſe 38. is Repent. They that are pricked in heart, and put to a peremptor, may have their Repentance to begin, not only they that have legal Repentance may have evangelical to begin; but even thoſe who have made ſome progreſs in evangelical Repentance; their hard and impenitent heart may be ſo habituated with obduration, that when they have a gail of the Spirit of Repentance, they may need to employ God to help them to repent to purpoſe. I ſhall ſay no more on this, but beſeech you to look to your Repentance; it fears me that few be come the length of legal Repentance, or to examine whether they have ſinned or not: But ſuppone that ye had examined and found out ſin & had ſome ſenſe of it. I intreat you make Conſcience of Repentance. Thou that has confidence to believe and ſeek pardon, give this evidence that thou art in earneſt about it, by making Conſcience of Repentance daily. O! how long is it ſince many of you ſat down, and communed with your own heart, and ſmote upon your thigh, ſaying, What have I done? How long is it ſince ye was in Ephraim's poſture, Jer. 31.19. Aſhamed, yea confounded, becauſe ye have born the reproach of your youth. O think on it in earneſt, neglected Repentance daily, will make an ill revel'd Heſp daily to you, if ever ye and your Conſcience meet; (and as I ſaid before) let never folk talk of their Faith, that is not dipped in tenderneſs and repentance daily. Only take what hath been ſaid with this Caution, if ye be convinced of your need of repentance, and yet ye want it, ye know where to get it. That exalted Prince for giving pardon, is alſo exalted to give repentance, Acts 5.31. So much for theſe things required antecedent by way of preparation for pardon.
In the 2d. place, I propoſed to ſpeak ſomewhat to that, whereby a ſoul ſo qualified & prepared, cloſes with Chriſt for pardon, and that is Faith, whereby a ſinner having his ſin diſcovered, the ſenſe of it wakened up within him, and having made conſcience of Repentance, for it grips unto Jeſus Chriſt by Faith, for the pardon of it, and that is the thing which the 2d. word in the Text holds out; after he has ſaid, verſe 3. If thou, Lord, ſhould mark iniquity, who can ſtand? he adds, verſe 4. But there is forgivenneſs with thee; there is his Faith, cloſing with pardoning mercy, to get a good account of that iniquity and ſinfulneſs whereof he is convinced: So we find David, when making his Teſtament, 2 Sam. 23.5. Although my houſe be not ſo with God, there is his abaſing of himſelf in the ſenſe of ſin, and ſhortcoming in duty; Yet he hath made with me an everlaſting covenant, ordered in all things and ſure; he runs to the Remedy, held forth in the everlaſting Covenant; and that is it which Paul ſubjoins to that which I cited in the morning, Philip. 3.3. When a man hath no confidence in the fleſh, when all beſide Chriſt is fleſh to him; and conſequently that which he dare not have any confidence in. Then the next ſtep is, not only to cloſe with, but to rejoice in Jeſus Chriſt; That I may make ſomething of this, I ſhall ſpeak a ſhort word to wicked men, and inſiſt a little longer in ſpeaking to convinced ſinners.
1. For wicked men, that which I am upon may ſerve to diſcover to them a great miſtake, they are afraid to grow acquaint with themſelves. O! how dow they think of caſting up their accounts? Theſe black Libels, and dreadful Dittays that are lying in proceſs againſt them, that were their ruine, and would undo them; if they ſhould look thereaway, they would never have a day to do well, they would turn deſperat, and I would willingly know what it will avail them, not to look over their Accompts; will they reſolve never to repent? or will they get them ſhifted out of the way? will their forgetting of their faults mend them? will not the iniquity of a man's heels, ſoon or ſyne compaſs him about? Will not their ſin find them out? as is ſaid, Num. 32.23. But ſhall I add, thou art in a great miſtake, that thinks the ſearching out of thy ſin will undo thee; I confeſs, if thou do it in earneſt, thou muſt not continue in a courſe of ſin as thou haſt done; but it is thy advantage to ſearch out ſin and repent; if thou can ſay, If thou, Lord, mark iniquity, who can ſtand? Thou ſhall have reaſon to ſay, But forgiveneſs is with thee; Wilt thou conſider what rich advantage is in taking with thy guilt, and being humbled for it; that it is a man's ſafety to be thus loſt, & it is an argument, whereon he may plead for mercy, when he finds himſelf undone without it. It is thy ignorance of the rich advantage that is on the back of Self-judging, that makes thee voluntarly continue a ſtranger to it.
But 2. For theſe who are convinced of ſin, and ſenſible of it, who can ſay. They have no confidence in the fleſh, and yet dare not ſay, They rejoyce in Chriſt Jeſus; I would have ſuch looking upon it as their great miſtake that keeps them from reſting on Chriſt, and rejoycing in him, and it makes all their other exerciſe to be but wind; though ye had ſo much ſorrow for ſin as to ſink you in the pit, if ye add not, There is forgiveneſs with thee; if Chriſt be not the end of all your Exerciſes, they will miſcarry, and leave you ſinking in ſin and miſery. And had I many to ſpeak to that are making conſcience of Repentance of ſin and yet come not up to cloſe with the Remedy of pardoning mercy in Chriſt, I would point out ſeveral things that would be adverted to by ſuch as are in ſuch a frame; and I ſhall pitch on five or ſix of them.
1. Thou that art under convictions of ſin, and does not cloſe with pardoning mercy, thou evidence a miſtake of that mercy, thou conſiders not that thy neceſſity, and impoſſibility to ſtand without it, is a claim unto it; thou conſiders not that it is the deſign of the Goſpel to reſcue the loſt, whoſe feet are ſinking; thou conſiders not that then thou begins to be beautiful, when thou becomes loathſom in thine own eyes, and that thou begins to be ſaved, when thou art put to cry, Save, Maſter, I periſh; and ſo in ſtanding a-loof from pardoning mercy, thou miſtakes the deſign of the Goſpel.
2. In this ſtanding a loof thou diſcovers thy ignorance of Gods Deſign in giving, thee the ſenſe of thy condition, what a poſture art thou in? Thou art one that ſees thy ſelf abominable, monſt…ouſly vile, the chief of ſinners; But, may I ſay, who told thee? who ſhewed thee that thou was ſo, and made it out to thee? Has there not been a day when thy condition and frame was as bad, and thou ſaw no ſuch thing, which ſays, that it hath been Chriſt, who by his ſpirit convinceth the world of ſin, that has opened thine eye…, diſcovered to thee thy vileneſs through ſin. But thou may think, though he hath done it, yet it is to be the Narrative of a ſad ſentence againſt thee, and to ſend thee to the gate: But if thou abuſe not Mercy, there is another thing in it, if he hath opened thy mouth wide, he will not fill it with an empty ſpoon, but with good things; if he hath made his Law to have a work upon thee, it is not to drive thee from him, but that the Law may be a ſchool-maſter to bring to Chriſt: So then it is the ignorance of God's deſign in giving thee the ſenſe of ſin, that makes thee under convictions ſtand a loof from Mercy.
3. In this averſion and unwillingneſs to come unto pardoning Mercy, I would have you to conſider a great reflection upon the Truth and Faithfulneſs of God, 1 Joh. 5.10. He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, becauſe be believeth not the record that God gave of his Son (I wiſh that I had many to ſpeak unto, that have to do with theſe things, but I cannot paſs it, being the Applicatory part of the Doctrine. Haſt thou any ſenſe of ſin? art thou afraid of wrath becauſe of it? what makes thee afraid? is it not the Authority and Veracity of God, ſpeaking in his Law? when thy Conſcience is wakened, and thou ſees how faulty thou art, and the Law leaves thee under the curſe, it afrights thee, and there is good cauſe; but how comes it, that when thou haſt believed God ſpeaking in his Law unto thee, thou does not believe him ſpeaking in the Promiſe, ſeing it is the ſame God that ſpeaks in both? is not this to make God a liar? and haſt thou not a witneſs againſt thy ſelf, while the Faith of his threatnings troubles thee? and yet the Faith of his Promiſes doth not encourage and comfort thee.
But 4. In this unwillingneſs to cloſe with pardoning Mercy, read corrupt and ill principles, man by nature is ignorant of a Goſpel-righteouſneſs, he knows nothing of Pardoning Mercy through a Mediator; but if the Covenant of Works be once broken, it is everlaſtingly broken; and hence the ſenſible ſinner being ignorant of the New Covenant of Grace he chooſes rather to ly mourning under the ruines of that firſt Covenant, than to look up to a better; and this ignorance of Gods righteouſneſs, is a thing which the Saints ought rather to mourn for than to foſter.
But 5. In this ſtanding a-back of ſenſible ſinners from pardoning Mercy, and in not cloſing therewith; ye would look upon pride of Heart, as having a main hand in it, Rom. 10.3. The reaſon why the Jews did not ſubmit unto the righteouſneſs of God, they went about to eſtabliſh their own. A doubting Soul in its exerciſe, may ſeem to be very humble and crucified, it may be, but it is not humbled; but while it ſtands a-loof from pardoning Mercy, proclaims its Pride, for it proclaims it would have a price to bring in its hand to God, and God is angry at that pride, he will have thee coming to him as a Dyvour, when thou haſt tryed all thou can do to the yondmoſt.
And 6. and laſtly in this averſion, read another miſtake, folk think it preſumption when they are convinced of their vileneſs, to cloſe with pardoning Mercy; but it is ſo far from being preſumption, that it is the greateſt evidence of humility to take mercy freely, when thou comes to the Mercat of Free-grace with no price in thy hand, and not only ſo, but it is a high honouring of God. The man that being ſenſible of his ſinfulneſs, cloſeth with pardoning Mercy, doth with Abraham, Rom. 4.20. Give glory to God, and by his receiving his teſtimony, put to his ſeal that God is true; Joh. 3.33. and therefore any that are ſenſible of ſin, and have any thing of the conviction of the dreadful deſert of ſin, and are in any meaſure in the exerciſe of repentance for ſin, they would take notice of theſe things that I have named, as ſtumbling blocks in their way of cloſing with pardoning Mercy, and labour to take them out of it, that they may come up to cloſe with it, and ſay, But there is forgiveneſs with thee,
3. But now becauſe folk may readily ſay, all that I ſpoke to in the Morning for preparation to cloſing with pardoning Mercy, is good, and when they hear it holden out as the will of God, that a ſenſible ſinner ſhould lay hold on Chriſt for pardon; who are they that will not ſay, they have ſenſe of ſin, and may take a pardon; therefore to prevent the ſtumbling of ſuch, I ſhall in the 3d. place, as I propoſed in the entry, ſpeak to ſome things required conſequentially as a fruit of pardon, whereby a man comes to know, and evidence that he is pardoned, and to improve his pardon, anſwerable to that ſubjoyned to forgiveneſs in the Text; and here, in ſpeaking to the evidences of pardon a poſteriori, as we uſe to ſpeak, or which are conſequential to pardon, I might touch upon many things; but in general, as thoſe that would ſee the riſing of the Sun in the Eaſt, they would look to the Weſt, where they will ſee by the ſhade of his Beams when he riſes; ſo theſe that would make their pardon ſure, would mind well the conſequences of pardon, as the ſureſt evidences of their pardon, and that they are not deluded in that matter.
And the 1st. that I would recommend to you… is, Love to the Pardoner; There is none hath gotten pardon, but it will kyth in this, and for proof of it, take notice of that, Luk. 7.47. Where Chriſt ſpeaking of the woman that waſht his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, he ſays, her ſins which are many, are forgiven, for ſhe loved much; The meaning is not, that her great love to Chriſt did merit a pardon, for if ye read the Parable before, from verſe 40. It will clear, that that is not the meaning, Chriſt ſays to Simon, Which of the Debitors will love the Creditor moſt? Simon anſwers, I ſuppoſe be to whom he forgave moſt. There Love is the reſult of pardon, and the conſequent of pardon, not the cauſe; and it is in that caſe, that Chriſt applys it to the woman, ſuch love to me is an infallible evidence that much is forgiven her; I would have imbittered folk, and ſuch as are reflecters upon, and carps at Providential Diſpenſations, noticing this, That it is no good evidence of pardon; and thou that has love to him, whatever be his Diſpenſations towards thee, it ſpeaks good news of pardon, though thou cannot diſcern it.
2. I recommend much Heart-melting and Evangelical Repentance, whereof I ſpoke before, as it is required antecedently to pardon; now I preſs that which is conſequential to pardon, when a ſinner hath cloſed with pardoning Mercy, and by a reflex act, looks back upon what hath been forgiven him: O what melting of heart hath it, as in that woman, Luke 7.47 Much is forgiven her, therefore ſhe loveth much, and that melted her heart, and made her weep much; ſhe is a tender melting woman; and certainly if thou be a Child, the too look to pardon, and much more the application of pardon will melt the heart, and work more than many Rods.
And 3. I recommend to you as a Conſequence of Pardon, a deep ſenſe of the hainouſneſs of the ſin pardoned, and much compaſſion toward them who are yet lying in the ſame pollution and guilt; a pardoned ſinner looking on his ſin through the Glaſs of pardoning Mercy, it grows much more hainous than it was; and a pardoned man cannot but with compaſſion look on others lying in the puddle of Nature, Titus 3, 2, 7 Speak evil of no man, ſays he, but be gentle, ſhewing all meekneſs to all men, for we our ſelves were ſometime fooliſh, diſobedient, &c. till the loving kindneſs of God was manifeſted; O what compaſſion will the pardoned man have towards others wallowing in that pollution, from which he is delivered.
There are other two Evidences conſequential to pardon, one is, Our forgiving of others, Mat. 6.12. which is no meritorious antecedent cauſe of pardon; for it is the ſenſe of Chriſt, pardoning Mercy to us, that ſhould and doth looſe our hearts to pardon others; we are bidden ſay, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: Another Evidence in the Text, is holy filial fear; but becauſe the one of theſe is a Point in the Text, and the other concerns the pardoning of one another, as an evidence we are pardoned, which will require more time to deduce, than now we have. I ſhall fiſt here for this time. The Lord bleſs his Word to you.