Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 45
SERMON XLV.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 8. And he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities.
I Am now drawing towards a cloſe of this Pſalm, upon which I have inſiſted ſo long, upon the account of the conſtant and univerſal uſefulneſs of the ſubject matter therein contianed.
From the Arguments encouraging Iſrael to hope in God, which is the Exhortation in the 7 verſe, from theſe Arguments, I ſay, to preſs and invite to hope in God, I have been marking ſomewhat that is ſuppoſed, that is the caſe of God's Iſrael, who are invited to hope, and allowed to hope in God, that they are under miſery and bondage, and particularly under the bondage of ſin; And I have ſpoken alſo to what is propoſed for their encouragement, as 1. That there is mercy with God. 2. That with him there is plenteous redemption. And, 3. From the connexion betwixt the ſeventh and eighth Verſes, That what is in God, and with God, for the behove of his people, will undoubtedly be put forth and manifeſted to them, as they ſtand in need of it; for if he have mercy, he ſhall compaſſionat them in their miſery, if plenteous redemption be with him, He ſhall redeem Iſrael from all their iniquities; If he have authority and power to redeem, it ſhall undoubtedly be evinced in actual redeeming of them.
Now there remains a 4th Obſervation to be ſpoken to, That it is the great and peculiar ground of hope and encouragement to God's Iſrael, that he will redeem them from all their iniquities, which is the very words of the Text, He ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities; Therefore let Iſrael hope in the Lord; This Point though it be rich and full in it ſelf, yet I may be the more brief in the handling of it; That on the 4th Verſe I ſpoke at great length to that Doctrine, concerning forgiveneſs of ſins; I ſhall therefore here firſt Explain the Point a little, as it is held out in the Text, and then ſpeak to ſome Inferences and Uſes from it.
What we ſay in Explication of the Point, may be reduced to 4 Heads.
1. More generally ye would conſider, That it is a great encouragement to God's people, that guilt, ſin and iniquity, needs not mar their hope in God; for though Iſrael have ſinned, and though their ſins here be called iniquities, and though there be an all of theſe iniquities, notwithſtanding all that, the Spirit of God makes it here evident, Iſrael may hope in God, for He ſhall redeem them from all their iniquities. By the Covenant of Works, iniquity getting once place, all hope is forefault, that bargain being once broken, it is everlaſtingly, and irrecoverably broken: But here is the Goſpels glad news, and great encouragement, That iniquities, if folks be ſeeking redemption from them, needs not hinder hope in God; That when as it is, Rom. 3.20 By the deeds of the law, there ſhall no fleſh be juſtified in his ſight; For by the law is the knowledge of ſin; That Verſe 21. There is a righteouſneſs of God without the Law manifeſted, being witneſſed by the Law and the Prophets, that affords ground of hope, that when Iſrael hath treſpaſſed againſt God, Yet now there is hope in Iſrael concerning this thing, Ezra 10.2. In a word, theſe are no ſmall part of the glad news of the Goſpel, That there is any tryſting betwixt God and ſinful man, That every ſtep in guilt, is not a ſtep into utter deſpair, That man upon every failing, has not done everlaſtingly with any ground of hope to the ſight of God's face in favour. That's the firſt, and chief part of the glad news of the Goſpel.
2. Conſider what it is that God does in reference to iniquity, which gives ground of hope to Iſrael; He redeems from iniquity. Now as ye heard from Verſe 4. There is in iniquity theſe two, The guilt, or offence done to God, and the obligation to puniſhment reſulting thereon. And there is the dominion power and tyranny of ſin, which it exexciſes over the ſinner, where it once gets acceſs; Now redemption from both theſe is the work of God by Chriſt, He redeems from the guilt of ſin, by the price and merit of his death, by that infinite, compleat and ſufficient ranſom which he hath payed to Juſtice, to appeaſe the wrath of God, and to reſtore the guilty ſinner to favour with him, and he redeems from the dominion, power and tyranny of ſin, by the power and vertue of his death; and to this may be applyed, that of Tit. 2.14. He gave himſelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie to himſelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works; He gave himſelf for us, not only by his death, to expiat the guilt of ſin, but that he might break the bonds of iniquity, and make us a purified and peculiar people to himſelf, zealous of good works. I ſhall not need here to obviat the Socinians cavillations, who from this phraſe of redeeming from iniquity, would obſcure the truth of the ſatisfaction of Chriſt, as if the term Redemption did not import a ſatisfaction, or paying of a price, for, ſay they, We are redeemed from the iniquity and power of Satan, to whom no ſatisfaction is payed. But that is but a miſtake of the import of the phraſe; for as it is ſpoken of in reference to God, it imports conſtantly a ranſom, as Job. 33.24. Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ranſom; and, 1 Joh. 2.2. He is the propitiation for our ſins; but when it is ſpoken in reference to ſin or Sathan, it is improperly taken, and is a redemption by force, as if a perſon arreſted for debt in priſon, when the principal Creditor were ſatisfied, his Cautioner ſhould break the fetters, that is redemption from ſin; and as if he ſhould deliver him from the Jaylor, by giving him a broken Head, that's redemption from Sathan.
3. Ye would conſider the univerſality of this Redemption, and this is alſo in the Text, He ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities, holding forth the univerſal extent of their Redemption, which for your better underſtanding ye ſhall ſhortly take up under theſe three, 1. He redeems his people from the guilt of all their ſins; for as on the one hand, there is no ſin ſo little that God will paſs over without a ſatisfaction; There is no venial ſin that needs not a ſatisfaction to Juſtice, and that merits not condemnation, for Rom. 6.23. The wages of ſin is death. even eternal death, which is oppoſed there to eternal life, the gift of God; So on the other hand, no ſins of his people are ſo hainous, though they be iniquities, as in the Text, though they be ſcarlet and crimſon coloured ſins, as Iſai. 1.18. But if God in Chriſt be made uſe of, they ſhall be redeemed from them, He will blot out as a thick cloud their tranſgreſſions, and as a cloud their ſins, when they return to him, for he hath redeemed them, Iſai. 44.22. So he will redeem them from the guilt of all their iniquities. 2. This univerſal all may be underſtood in relation to the power of iniquity, that where he falls in on the ſinner, he redeems from the bondage and ſlavery of all ſin, and when that work is rightly undertaken in his ſtrength, the ſinner is a ſlave to no iniquity, he balks none, he ſpares no Zoar, no Delila, no darling ſin, when he comes to redeem and ſubdue the iniquities of his people, all that is iniquity, he puts them to take it to task, to have a reſpect to all his commands, Pſal. 119.6. And to eſteem all his precepts concerning all things to be right, and to hate every falſe way; verſe 128. A ſtudy of univerſal Mortification is that which he puts them on to, when he will redeem from iniquity. And 3. The univerſal all may be extended yet further, even to all the degrees of iniquity, that not only doth he redeem his people from the guilt, and from the power and dominion of all ſin, but he ſets them on work to purge out all ſin, and in due time he will redeem them from the reliques and remainders of ſin; every thing that hath the relique or remainder of iniquity in it, he will redeem them from it in due time.
And 4. Ye would conſider the object of this mercy, who they are that he will redeem from all iniquity, they are his people Iſrael, the object of God's power and mercy in redeeming, in his being a propitiation for ſin, in redeeming from the power and guilt of ſin, are Iſrael, and they only; That as Adam when he fell, drew all his ſeed along into perdition with himſelf: So Chriſt the ſecond Adam, will redeem all his ſeed, which is the true import of that compariſon, inſtitute betwixt the firſt Adam and the ſecond, Rom. 5. and not to prove an univerſal redemption, for then as all fell in Adam, ſo all ſhould be actually redeemed and liberat by Chriſt; but the meaning is, That as in Adam, all his ſeed fell with him, ſo by Chriſt all his ſeed are redeemed; and as in Adam all fell not, Chriſt was excepted, ſo by Chriſt all are not redeemed, his ſeed only are recovered. This is a Point I need not enter to debate. It is too evident, many are not redeemed by Chriſt, for many have not the outward means, that make offer of redemption by Chriſt, many never heard tell of Chriſt, and if Chriſt had payed a price for all, it were not agreeable to Juſtice, that ſo many ſhould be put to ſuffer puniſhment in hell. It is clear alſo from that, that Chriſt would not pray for the world, Joh. 17.9. And he did not die for them for whom he would not pray; and he doth not ſanctifie himſelf for all, therefore he redeems not all; and yet this needs be no impediment to them to look to him for Redemption, who find their need of him, their fleeing to him for refuge, and gripping to him for ſatiſfaction, opens up the council of God, that they are among the given ones to be redeemed by Chriſt; only remember, that as none of God's Iſrael are ſecluded from this redemption, how worthleſs ſoever they be, Though they may be ſecluded from theſe gifts and meaſures of graces afforded to others, yet not from this redemption, from all iniquity; That is the common-good of all, that's the nail faſtned in the ſure place, on which all the veſſels of greater and ſmaller quantity are hung; ſo on the other hand, it is to Iſrael alone, and to none other that this redemption is enſured.
Having thus explained the Point, it remains, That we ſhould draw ſome Uſes from it, and put a cloſe to the Pſalm, and there are four or five words of inference that I would give you from what hath been ſaid. 1. See here what is the great concerning buſineſs, the chief Intereſt and exerciſe of the true Iſrael of God, It is the matter of iniquity, what to do with it, how to be rid of it, and delivered from it; therefore after all the former encouragements to hope in God, That with him is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, this comes in as the reſerve, that he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his Iniquities; To tell, that the great exerciſe of a true Iſraelite, will be about iniquity; the conſcience of ſin and guilt, what to do with that, how to get the conſcience pacified, in reference to it; this exerciſe is a great ſtranger in the viſible Church, there may be much trouble of mind, where the conſcience is dormient and ſleeping. There may be much vexation and faſh…ie about trouble and croſs diſpenſations of providence, when guilt is little minded, but ye would look to it: I ſhall not ſay they are not Iſraelites that fall into this error; but ſurely it looks not like a true Iſraelite, where ſin is not made the main exerciſe; where daily ſearching out of ſin, and endeavours to have the conſcience purified and purged from guilt, is not folks great taſk. And I ſhall add, that exerciſe about ſin and guilt, would give a more comfortable account about trouble. If we were ſtudying to have this Text made out to us, He ſhall redeem Iſrael out of all his iniquities, we ſhould find that of Pſal. 25. Redeem Iſrael, O God, out of all his troubles, alſo made out to us; redemption from iniquity would bod well, were a good prognoſtick of redemption from trouble; for as ye heard from Iſai. 10.12. Trouble hath a work on Mount Zion; and if ye would know what that is, ſee 27.9. By this therefore ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit, to take away his ſin, when he maketh all the ſtones of the Altar as chalk ſtones, &c. Were trouble getting its work, it ſhould have the leſs ado when it had gotten its errand; and therefore ye that are faſht and vexed folks with the Croſs, toſt with many troubles, ſhall I ſay to you, that ye run long on little ground, and to little purpoſe; if ye had more ado about ſin, ye ſhould have leſs ado about trouble, or your exerciſe about it ſhould ſoon be diſcuſt: Therefore look on it as a mark of a true Iſraelite, that whatever exerciſe he have, ſin is the greateſt exerciſe.
2. Whereas folk may ſeem to have ſome exerciſe about ſin, but all that it amounts to, is, to take with ſin, and grip to pardoning mercy; and this is very common in the viſible Church, to name ſin, and to name pardon; and upon the naming of ſin, to make a preſent Plaiſter of pardon, and there is an end. To obviat this miſtake, take this word, That the pardon of ſin, and purging out of ſin, muſt go together hand in hand: But in this miſtake me not, I would hurt none, nor have I commiſſion to hurt any. Ye may remember, that when I was on the 4th Verſe, I told you, that the filthineſs of ſin remains after the pardon of ſin; but remember alſo, that I then told you, God ſtrikes at the guilt and power of ſin both at once, that where Chriſt comes with the merit of his death, he comes alſo with the power of his death, he lays the Axe to the root of the Tree; but I would not be miſtaken in this either, the pardoned ſinner gets not the power of ſin preſently ſubdued; yea, when he is pardoned, the power of ſin may faſh him more than before, and when ſin is in the dead-throws, it may vex him moſt with ſtrugling. Many a ſad bout may pardoned ſinners have alongſt their life, with their predominants; but where-ever God pardons ſin, he ſets folks to be in necks with ſin, and to have the dominion and power of ſin ſubdued, that ſin reign not in their mortal bodies, they and ſin will not dwell in peace in one houſe, they will not be taken alive captive without a ſcart; they oppoſe it, and proteſt againſt the prevailing of it, they ſin not with full conſent: And O! but this is needful, to have the renovation of the Diſpoſition, to be a Seal of the pardon of ſin; that when thou haſt gripped pardon, thou may know by this that thou art not delivered, becauſe it ſends thee back to get ſin ſubdued and mortified, with greater eagerneſs and benſil of ſpirit, that if the pardon of ſin take not away the filthineſs of ſin, yet it ſets thee in a ſtated war with it, and oppoſition unto it, that thou and it ſhall never be friends, and God then evidences the pardoning of thy ſin, when he helps thee to ſubdue ſin: And it is no wonder that folk have a cold Coal to blow at, when they are under a temptation, that they are not pardoned, and have nothing to witneſs, that they have any thing like the renovation of their diſpoſition; though in that caſe God forbid that I ſhould forbid ſuch to run to Chriſt for pardon, but in running to him for pardon of ſin, through the merit of his death, and in gripping to pardon, carry alongſt the vertue of his death, for the ſubduing of ſin.
3. This leads me to a 3d word of Inference; many of you may ſay ye are put to a hard taſk, when ye are put ſeek redemption from iniquity, from the power of ſin, as well as from the guilt of ſin: And I grant, it is a hard taſk indeed, and they that eſſay it in earneſt, will find it an inſuperable taſk. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots? Then may they alſo do good that are accuſtomed to do evil; Twin them of their life, as ſoon as twin them of their Delilah; or take their darling-ſin out of their boſome, What ſhall they then do with it? This point tells, that God can and will redeem Iſrael from all their iniquities. I would in order to this, have you looking two ways on Gods interpoſing to ſubdue iniquity; one is, that ye would never look on the ſubjugation or ſubduing of ſin as leill come, wherein ye are not put to employ God. There be many evils that ye are not tempted to, or if tempted to them, ye get them eaſily under foot, ye are never ſent to God to ſubdue them. Ye have reaſon to ſuſpect ye have never been tryed enough with theſe evils; if in earneſt ye be tried with evils, ye will be ſent to God for the mortification of them, otherwiſe any mortification ye get of ills without him, it will fail you when ye have moſt ado with it, and ye will find that Satan is not caſt out, but gone out, and will return and ſurpriſe you, for ye muſt be put to God, for a right redemption from iniquity. And 2. on the other hand, I would have you looking on no iniquity, even that which moſt enſlaves you, as on an iniquity that he cannot ſubdue, or were not willing to ſubdue, if he were ſeriouſly employed; ye have his word for it, Mic. 7. where when he hath ſaid, v. 18. He is a God that pardons iniquity, and paſſes by tranſgreſſion. He adds, v. 19. that he will have compaſſion, and ſubdue our iniquities. He can break in pieces the Gates of Braſs, and cut in ſunder the bars of Iron: (To allude to that, Pſal. 107.16. and Iſai. 45.29.) He can burſt all theſe bonds under which a ſinner is ſhut up in ſlavery and ſervitude, and deliver him from thoſe baſe luſts that carried him captive, and held him in bondage. How deeply was Paul engaged in perſecution? How mad was he in purſuance of that woful Trade? Yet when God interpoſed, he made him ſtand unholden. What Monſters were theſe, 1 Cor. 6.8, 9. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterous, thieves, covetous, drunkards, effeminat, &c. Yet v. 11. he tells them, Such were ſome of you, but ye are waſhed, but ye are ſanctified, but ye are justified, in the Name of the Lord Jeſus, and by the spirit of our God. As upon the one hand, I would not only have theſe that are puddled with their corruptions, that all their purpoſes and reſolutions to reform miſgive them, looking upon it as a cauſe of their ill ſucceſs, that Chriſt is little employed, but alſo I would have them looking on no prevailing predominant evil, as impoſſible to his power to ſubdue it; So on the other hand, O that this might ſpeak a word to profligat profane perſons, that cannot ſleep except they do ill, that cannot go to bed unleſs they be full as beaſts, that rake the life from them rather than twin them and their luſts; they are ſo habituat to exceſs and riot, they cannot forbear it; Thinks thou that an excuſe, that thou cannot help it? What an excuſe would it be for a Thief arraigned at the Bar to ſay, he muſt be forgiven, for he cannot hold up his hands? No more will it excuſe thee for drunkenneſs, laſciviouſneſs, &c. To ſay, Thou cannot help it, it's an aggravation of thy crime, and no excuſe. But here I would leave it at the door of all profligat wretches, as a witneſs againſt them, that God is able to redeem from all theſe iniquities, if they will come to him, God is able to caſt out all theſe Devils that enſlave thee: That deaf Devil, that will not let thee hear what God ſpeaks to thee; That dumb Devil, that will not ſuffer thee to pray to him; That filthy ſwiniſh Devil, that will never ſuffer thee to be out of the mire of ſome abomination. I here leave it, I ſay, at the door of ſuch Monſters, that there is power in God, if they will employ him, to redeem them from all their iniquities: But here it ſticks, the power of God is little employed to redeem from the power of ſin, becauſe the Conſcience is little touched with the guilt of ſin. O! pray to God, that your Conſeiences may be awak'd, that ye may cry, What ſhall we do to be ſaved? That ſin may be a burden to you, as it will be when the Conſcience is touched; and if ye will not pray, know that God can do that when you little dream of it, as ye may ſee in Cain, Judas, Achitophel, who could not keep their Conſciences aſleep; to tell, that folk have not Conſciences at their command; but if the Conſcience be touch'd with guilt, know there is power in God to redeem from iniquities.
4. A fourth word of Inference is, That if God (as ye heard in the Explication) do redeem from all iniquities, then not only muſt ye endeavour the pardon of ſin, and the mortification of ſin, but that the mortification of ſin be univerſal, ye muſt ſpare a Zoar, a Delilah, a boſom ſin or idol, but ſeek that all ſin may be ſubdued, the man that is rightly engaged againſt ſin, it will not ſatisfie him that he hath got the wings of ſin clipped, and made it to couch, that it break not out, but he muſt be at war with it, ſo long as there is a tapoun of ſin (as ye uſe to ſpeak) under ground: it muſt be his exerciſe to be about the mortification of ſin, till he be quit of ſin altogether; Redemption from all iniquity imports, That the remainder of ſin will be a burden, as was it to Paul, Rom. 7. And made him cry out, O miſerable man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from this body of death! and here is the task and touchſtone of the truly godly, it will not content them, though ſin do not reign, but the remainder of ſin, the bird-lime of ſin, the clog of corruption will be a burden to them; and theſe who in their ſecurity do ſatisfie themſelves, to get ſin kept under the hatches, they provock God to write what is in their boſom, in their practice, and when any thing breaks out in a perſon that hath the name of Religion, it is an evidence they have not been buſie within doors, elſe he needed not to have that Bell rung to him, to give him warning of it.
And hence 5. If the very remainders and ſeeds of ſin be a burden to the Iſrael of God, till they get home, ye may gather how much thoſe who are true Iſraelites, exerciſed with the guilt and power of ſin, will be taken up with the thoughts of a compleat liberation from ſin, with that which the Apoſtle ſpeaks of. Rom. 8.23. Waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies. And Chriſt, Luke 21.28. Bids look up, and lift up our heads, for the day of our redemption draws near; This is it an Iſraelite indeed is taken up with. There are many folk who when they are vext in the world, would be gone, wherein they look rather to the ills they would flee from, than the good they look for. But here is the exerciſe of a true Iſraelite, they long to be home, that they may be compleatly Redeemed from all iniquity; that they may ſin no more, that as it is, Eph. 5.27. They may be preſented a glorious bride unto Chriſt not having ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing, but may be holy and without blemiſh; and they that are vext here with the ſtirring, and foul-ſticking ſlime of their corruptions, would be taking a Piſgah look of that day that is coming, when they ſhall be Redeemed from all Iniquity, from the leaſt degree and grain of it, and ſhall be made perfectly holy. We ſhall ſay no more, but Lord bleſs what ye have heard.
FINIS.