The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Christ died not to blot out the sense of sin, but rather to quicken a Godly sense thereof.
THe more of Christ and his sufferings be apprehended, the more Godly sense of sin, so far is Christs death from bloting out all sense of sin:Christ by his death removes not sense of sin. For if sense of sin be all one with a simple reflecting knowledge, that we once sinned, then the Godly in this life from grace, not from the stirring of the Law, do both know and acknowledge what they were. 1 Tim. 1.13. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, &c. I was before a blasphemer, and a persecuter, and injurious▪ but I obtained mercy. Tit. 3.3. We our selves were also sometimes foolish, disobedient, &c. Yea the glorified cannot before the Throne sing the glory of the Lamb slain and the price of Redemption payed, Rev. 5▪12. to redeem them from sin, but there must be even in glory, this sense of their debt, though without heart break or sorrow. Then it cannot be a Doctrine of the Gospel that paying of our debt, and the ransome, doth score out of a gracious memory the counts of a payed debt: The more I know what Christ hath done, the more I should kisse and imbrace the gracious surety, and these kisses of Glory, and that song, worthy is the Lamb, &c. say that grace and the faith of the price payed do inlarge rather the holy memory and sense of sin, then obli…erate it. Hence the translated out of sense of grace, cast back their eye to the pit, the drudgerie of bondage they were once in, Ep…. 2.3, 4, 5. Tit. 3.3, 4, 5. 1 Tim. 1.13, 14. with loving and praising the riches of grace. And must it not be good to read old counts, and weep for joy, and cast and dart up praises to him who is at the right hand of the Father, and sorrow for old debts, and love much him who freely pardons?
2. If sense of sin be taken for the unbelieving feeling of, and judging my self cast out of his sight and condemned, whereas yet I am in Christ, and it is God who justifies me, who is he shall condemn, Rom. 8.33, 34. We shall agree with Antinomians, this is indeed the hastie sense of unbeleef, Psal. 31.22. Jo…. 2.4. Hence let them be rebuked who say not that Christ in the Gospel, hath taken away this sense of sin. Yea many redeemed of the Lord, are weary and laden, but they render themselves weary▪ and then sinfully complain that Christ will not ease them. In which unconverted ones in the dead-throw are more to be justified then they, the one being under a reall burden, and the spirit of the Law acting upon them, the other act the Law at their own hand, and will receive the spirit of bondage to fear again, whether it be reason or not. He is the less to be pittied, who casts himself with his own hand in prison.
3. There is a Gospel-sense of in-dwelling of sin bringing forth the mourning of the dove, and tears that are so innocent as they wrong not Christ, or his work of redeeming and justifying: Of this, Rom. 7.24. Christ, sure, takes not this away. Beleevers lodge a body of sin in them, as sighing patients and as captives half against their will, at least their renewed will,CHRIST died not to remove Gospel sense or any sense of sin flowing from a naturall conscience does contradict this guest, Rom. 7.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, &c. 23, 24. It is sinfull doctrine to say that CHRIST takes away this sense of sin. For 1. this is the very true tendernesse and gracious smitings of heart under any guiltinesse: As 1 Sam. 24.5. 2 Sam. 24.10. Davids heart smote him after he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment, and numbred the people. 1 Joh. 3.20. Job 27.6. And in some it is the naturall conscience accusing and challenging after sin is committed; now CHRIST came not to extirpate conscience, nor the power of feeling and discerning the obligation to wrath, that the conscience apprehendeth after sin is committed, nor the legall evill deserving of sin, nor the contrariety between it and the Law. 2. Christ by his death gives repentance and mourning for sin, Acts 5.31. Eze. 12.10, 11. (3.) Christ commends this, Jer. 31.18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. 2 King. 22.19. Because thine heart was tender — and thou hast weept before me, I have also heard thee, saith the Lord. Luk. 7.44. She hath washed my feet with tears. (4.) If Christ by his death should remove this, hee should bring on, by his death, a heart passed feeling, and burnt with a hot iron, which is condemned, Eph. 4.19. 1 Tim. 4.2. (5.) It speaks a gracelesse rockinesse of heart to sin, and not care for it, Act. 18.17, 18. Pro. 30.20.
Far lesse would the Lord have us to dream that a Christan is annihilated and melted into God, where they leave off to know, will, desire, feel, act, or do any thing but God is all and all in this life, and that, to the eye of faith, though not to the eye of reason, all sense of sin is destroyed; this is a destroying and overturning of all, of Law, Gospel, of all humble walking with God, and removes all necessity of fearing, hoping, believing, praying, hearing, and changes us over into blocks.