Mercy Magnified, Sermon 23
SERMON XXIII.
Verſ. 21.
And the Son ſaid unto him, Father I have ſinned againſt heaven, and in thy ſight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.
VVE now come to obſerve the Son's deportment to his Father; or how he carried it under theſe large and liberal expreſſions of his love to him; and that is, with all humble and penitent carriage. The blotting out and pardoning of his ſins, doth not blot them out of his remembrance, or make him ever the leſs apprehenſive of his unworthineſs; no, but it draws out his humble and penitent confeſſion. This acknowledgment, is the ſame for ſubſtance which he had reſolved upon, verſ. 18, 19. He purpoſed, if ever he could meet his father, thus he would ſay; he now not only ſees him, but finds himſelf in his embraces, and here he poures out his ſoul to him. There is only the laſt clauſe omitted, and why omitted is not eſſential to enquire; divers reaſons are given, and that which ſeems moſt probable, is that his father's kind carriage, and abundant expreſſion of his love, had left him no room for it, becauſe he now found himſelf accepted in quality of a ſon. The particular meaning of theſe words, as they expreſs the nature of true repentance hath been ſpoken to from, verſ. 18, 19. That which we have now to conſider, is only his expreſſing of them at this time, viz. after his father had ſhewn himſelf, fully reconciled, and ſo ſignally teſtified it in his carriage to him. Hence,
DOCT. When God manifests his ſpecial love to the ſoul of a ſinner in Converſion, it will draw forth the moſt kindly acts of true Repentance.
God's pardoning and accepting Grace, ſenſibly apprehended, will make a ſoul more to loth his ſins, accuſe himſelf of them, and be aſhamed at them. Though whiles God is kindling theſe reſolves, he comes in with them and …rings his Salvation, yet this ſhall not extinguiſh thoſe reſolutions, but help them. This is the ſeaſon to expreſs and act. Godly ſorrow humiliation and …epentance. We have David in this for an exe…nt example; whom when the Prophet had convinced for his great ſin, he confeſſeth it; but when he had witneſſed from God that his ſin was pardoned, then he breaks forth in a penitential Pſalm, viz. Pſal. 51. wherein he humbleth himſelf into the very duſt.
Reaſ. 1. From the nature of true Repentance, ſound Humiliation, and Godly ſorrow; which is ſuch as, before grace received from God, cannot act kindly, no not at all. All that the man hath before he is converted, is legal: Take the force of the reaſon in theſe particulars.
1. All acts preſume their habits. It is a principle in Logick, that no effect exceeds the vertue of the cauſe. The tree muſt firſt be made good before it can bring forth good fruit; the thorn turned into a fig-tree, if it bear figs. There muſt be an habit before there can be acts correſpondent: there muſt be an eye before there can be any ſight: So there muſt be habitual Repentance, or a principle of it in the ſoul, before there can be exertion of it. Now this principle or habit is not in the ſoul before converſion. Converſion is the turning of a Sinner from Sin to God; this is done by changing his heart and all his faculties; it is by making him a new creature, and he is thus made by the infuſion of the body of ſpiritual graces into him, or laying the foundation of Sanctification in his ſoul. Repentance is a grace, a ſpecial gift of God, and we in the former Doctrine obſerved, that all graces come at once, and then when God taketh a Sinner into favour, then he furniſheth him with his grace; hence, being in Chriſt, and being a new creature are convertible, 2 Cor. 5. 17.
2. The act of Repentance is an actual turning from Sin, and unto God: and it hath both theſe parts in it, as was before hinted at verſe, 18, 19. If it wants one, it wants all; for man, being a dependent creature, muſt have, will have ſome object: Now here the ſoul utterly and everlaſtingly relinquiſheth all its Sinful objects, Hoſ. 14. 8. It freely and willingly parts with them, and it turns to God, cloſeth with him as the only object on whom it can reſt for Salvation; this is the ultimate ſcope of Repentance, Jer. 4. 1. Now ſuch an act of chuſing and cloſing with God, which muſt needs accompany Repentance, neceſſarily ſuppoſeth faith; for a Sinner cannot cloſe with God but by an act of faith, and if there be an act of faith in Repentance, then there was an habit, whence that act flowed.
3. Inaſmuch as Repentance is a change of the affections, which are the feet of the ſoul, carrying it from and to its object; and hence is a fixing them upon ſome other object than they formerly dwelt upon; where alſo the prime affections mainly diſcover themſelves viz. Love and hatred. It neceſſarily prerequires to this act, a gracious diſpoſition infuſed into theſe affections. In Repentance the ſoul is made to hate Sin, which before it loved as its life; and it loves God, whom before it hated; and the one of theſe ſtrengthens the other: He hates Sin, becauſe he loves God, &c. Now the ſetting thoſe affections on work, and moving them to their proper object, implies a ſanctified change in them; and no other reaſon can be given of their ſo acting.
4. The affections being hand-maids of the will, hence a change in them implies a change in the will, and evidenceth that that is turned: it ſignifies that the heart is altered from what it was; for the will exerts it ſelf in and by the affections: When therefore we ſee a man truly to hate Sin and love God, we know that his will is ſet, fixed, his choiſe is certainly made: and where the will is changed, there is converſion wrought: where the ſoul hath indeed choſen God, there is ſaving grace. David therefore aſſerts his grace from this evidence, Pſal. 73. 25.
5. Repentance is the exerciſe of the grace of Sanctification: It is practical holineſs, which conſiſts in this, to be going from Sin to God. Sanctification hath two parts in it, Mortification, and Vivification; Repentance comprehends them both, brings them in to uſe, and continues them in practice. Now Sanctification is a benefit of the new Covenant, and a fruit of converſion, one of the things for which Chriſt is given to us, 1 Cor. 1. 30. and is wrought at converſion, as hath been cleared.
Reaſ. 2. Becauſe, as in Converſion the ſoul receives a principle and power of acting repentance, ſo by this effect of God's wonderful love, there are given to the ſoul abundant advantages, for the helping forward the more kindly exerciſes of it. The truth is, all Evangelical motives to it, are hence derived: For,
1. Converting grace makes ſin appear in its own colours. The ſun-light of ſaving grace makes Sin look more ugly than ever: Beauty and deformity are not diſcerned in the dark; the candle-light of common conviction made but obſcure diſcoveries: Now he ſees it Sin, before he did not: he had two diſcoveries of it before; viz. 1. That it was diſpleaſing to God, his Law being againſt it. 2. That it was a procuring cauſe of miſery, by reaſon of the curſe: Theſe two he ſaw in the Glaſs of the Law. But now grace diſcovers Sin to him. 1. As contrary to the nature of God, oppoſite to his holineſs, Hab. 1. 13. 2. Hence to be in it ſelf an odious thing, and that ſeparate from the hell that follows. He now ſees the beauty of grace, and that ſhews him the deformity of Sin.
2. God's love manifeſted in Converſion, diſcovers Sin under divers aggravations, which before were not ſeen. 1. That it was againſt that God who had loved him with an everlaſting love, Jer. 31. 3. 2. Againſt Jeſus Chriſt who had ſhed his blood for his redemption from hell. 3. Againſt the Holy Ghoſt that had ſo often ſtriven with him, had waited ſo long, and left not till he had turned him, and now ſin appears ſinful, which before appeared only ſorrowful.
USE, 1. For information;
1. We have here a note of diſtinction between a legal and a ſaving Repentance. The Scripture makes mention of both; it tells us of Ahab's repentance as well as of David's: It puts one name upon things vaſtly different; and if we would know how to diſtinguiſh them, here is it to be diſcerned: The one is effected by a ſpirit of Bondage, the other by the ſpirit of Adoption; the one is produced by te…ours, the other by love: the one confeſſeth … Sin, vomits up his morſels, takes upon him a profeſſion of holineſs, driven to it by the diſmal reflexions of his own Conſcience, and apprehenſions of the wrath to come: the other is taken into embraces of amity, confirmed with a kiſs of favour; and by this his heart is melted into Godly ſorrow, in his fathers arms he bemoans himſelf. The truly broken heart, is an heart broken with love.
2. Here we ſee when is the genuine ſeaſon of godly ſorrow; and the reaſon why a ſoul that is newly converted is ſo full of bitterneſs, complaints and ſelf accuſations. If a ſoul do not repent and bitterly mourn for Sin now, when ſhall he? before he could not, in heaven there will be no room for it. God the father, the great Husband man of his Vineyard, deals in great skil with the ſoul: For having broken up the fallow ground of the heart, and ſown the ſeed of grace in it, he now ſends ſeaſonable ſhowres upon it, to water the ridges thereof, that it may be made to bring forth a plentiful Harveſt, Pſalm. 126. 5. When ſhould ſhowers more ſeaſonably fall on the ground than when the ſeed is caſt in? Hence,
1. They miſtake themſelves greatly who think that after Converſion the ſoul ſhould do nothing but rejoyce; as if there were now no room …r ſorrow for Sin, and ſelf abaſement, becauſe their Sin is pardoned: Whereas, what doth more break an ingenious heart, than the pardoning of ſo great offence, and receiving him to favour after ſuch grievous provocations? God therefore when he hath made large promiſes of what he will do for his People, tells us what ſhall be the fruit of this love of his, Ezek 36. 31. Then ſhall you remember your evil wayes, and loath your ſelves.
2. Let it be for caution to ſuch as are newly converted; though now they are and ought to be in bitterneſs for Sin, and to mourn for it before God, yet have a care of giving Satan advantage thereby to weaken your faith, and undermine the conſolation ariſing from your intereſt in this grace. Godly ſorrow, humility, repentance, are ſo to be exerciſed, as to be helpful to the ſtrengthening, and not become impediments to the exerciſe of and activity of faith: Hence make that the great incentive to Godly ſorrow, viz. the conſideration that is againſt that God that loved you; let Divine love be ſet againſt Sin, and that will help both Faith and Repentance.
3. Let others beware of irregular applications to ſuch as are mourning for Sin, and full of ſorrow by reaſon of it: Do not take pains to dry up thoſe tears; be not troubled at them, but rejoyce: It is a very pleaſant ſight, an heart-comforting fight, to ſee any truly mourning for Sin. to give wiſe relief againſt deſpair, is prudence, but rather help and encourage godly ſorrow. Though fair weather be pleaſant, yet ſhowers may be more ſuitable, and make the earth more fertile: Paul repents not to have been inſtrumental to ſo good a work, 2 Cor. 7. 9, 10.
3. Here we ſee a reaſon why thoſe that have taſted moſt of the love of God, and manifeſtations of his grace to their ſouls, are moſt low and vile in their eyes: The reaſon is, becauſe the more a ſoul hath had experience of the wonderful undeſerved love of God, it feels the more ſenſible convictions of its own unworthineſs and vileneſs. God's large expreſſions to David, made him reflect upon himſelf, and lay himſelf very low, 2 Sam. 7. 18, 19. If you are indeed truly converted, and have received the grace of God, you ſhall find this effect upon your own hearts; it will put the meaneſt and moſt abaſing thoughts of your ſelves into you; it will draw out humble confeſſions, ſelfaccuſations, and acknowledgments of your own unworthineſs: This muſt needs put you in mind of your low eſtate, ſinful and miſerable condition, and the unſpeakably free grace of God thereon appearing.
USE, 2. For Exhortation: This may ſerve to excite all true Believers to live in the conſtant exerciſe of Humility and Repentance: You here ſee it is the proper work of a Convert: Faith and Repentance are graces for exerciſe, and ſhould take up our whole lives. And to help to this duty, often ponder.
1. Who it was that converted thee; not thy ſelf but God, he came to thee and ſaved thee.
2. What an one thou wert before converſion, a poor Prodigal, that had waſted all away, and flagitiouſly provoked, and diſhonoured the Name of God.
3. What it coſt to make way for thy Converſion, the curſed death of the Son of God.
4. How obſtinately thou didſt oppoſe thine own Converſion: Thou wert horribly averſe to it, and didſt long withſtand the ſtrivings of the holy ſpirit.
5. What love God hath expreſſed to thee in thy Converſion: Words fall ſhort, and ſimilitudes are too ſtrait to demonſtrate or give colour to it. Set the love of God before thee as a glaſs in which to ſee and hate thy Sin, and love thy God: Let this make thee worthleſs in thine own eyes and account. What expreſſions doth this love draw out from Paul? 1 Tim. 1. 13, 14. Act therefore theſe thoughts upon thy heart, and get thy ſoul warmed with this ſenſe: And more eſpecially,
1. Art thou a young Convert, newly of a Prodigal made, and entertained as a Son? This great change now requires an humble heart, now thou art in the arms of mercy, pour out thy confeſſions, and bemoan thy ſelf.
2. Haſt thou at any time more than ordinary diſcoveries of God's love to thee? Now be improving this as an argument to abaſe thee: Ask thy heart, who hath done this? and then, who am I that he ſhould do thus for me?
3. Eſpecially if theſe applications are after ſome fall or relapſe into ſuch Sins as have wounded thy peace, and hidden his face for a ſeaſon from thee. Doth he after this notwithſtanding come again? Wonder, and be aſhamed of thy ſelf, when thou feeleſt his kiſſes and embraces again, empty thy ſoul in confeſſions, and ſelf-judging acknowledgments into his boſom; ſo ſhalt thou be led on to more and more experiences of his wonderful loveing kindneſs.