Golden Sands, Chapter 4
The ſeverall wayes by which the Riches of Grace are participated by, and divided among the Saints.
FIrſt, conſider the loſſes which Free Grace ſuſtein's from the Saints. Had Adam ſtood, and his poſterity after him, what a revenue of love, obedience and honour ſhould God have had, for almoſt 6000. yeares? Millions of millions had come in unto him, treaſuries of glory, which by means of that unhappy fall, he hath totally & irrecoverably loſt. For though the wicked rout of men, which ſhall certainly periſh and goe down to hell at laſt, muſt thereby undergoe eternall torments for the making of ſome kind of payment to Divine Juſtice: yet the Elect goe free, altogether free, as touching their own individuall perſons; ſo that Grace is an abſolute loſer by them, hath no payments at all from their hands, no not one ſingle farthing for all the rents that have beene ſo long behind.
Secondly, conſider the debts which Grace freely forgiv's to the Saints. Their ſinnes are their debts, witneſſe our Saviour's owne words, Mat 6.12. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Now 1. How innumerable are theſe debts? what multitudes of tranſgreſſions of all ſorts are the Saints guilty of? David was a man after God's owne heart, yet heare what he ſaith, Pſal. 19.12. Who can underſtand his errors? and more fully, Pſal. 40.12. Innumerable evils have compaſſed me about. A man would ſoone loſe himſelfe in the obſervation of the very actuall aberrations which are multiplyed by him continually; but what are theſe to the ſwarmes of ſearet corruptions within him, that lye out of ſight?
2. How great and vaſt are the ſummes, which theſe debts amount unto? thinke on that alſo. The Saints cannot ſinne at ſo cheap a rate as others. Chriſt is a King to them, and God is Their Father. Now ſuppoſe a Child that hath had coſtly breeding, yea and more love then ordinary from his carefull and tender Father, ſhould breake out in ſome act of violence and indignity againſt his Father, that hath deſerv'd better at his hands: or ſuppoſe a profeſſed ſubject, who by all the lawes of nature & nations, is obliged to loyalty under his gratious Soveraign, ſhould become guilty of Rebellion; Nay, to riſe yet a great deale higher, ſuppoſe a favorite at court, one that is familiar with the King, that know's his ſecrets, liv's in his very heart, that ever ſtand's before, and even next his chaire of State; and which is yet more, one whoſe life hath beene ſav'd, and that many times over by the mercy and clemency of this his Lord the King: And beſides all this hath been advanced to eminent places of Honour, with all the marks of Royall love upon him. I ſay, ſuppoſe ſuch a favorite as this ſhould aſperſe the Name, deface the picture, rend the Arms, clip the coyn, contemne the Lawes, vilifie the government of the King. Suppoſe he ſhould ſuggeſt plots unto, or any way ſtrengthen the hands of thoſe that ſeek his life; or would make an Aſſault upon his Crown and Dignity: Would not this man's crimes be more then ordinarily treaſonable? For a ſtranger that liv's under another Prince, or a ſworne enemy to doe this, would be the leſſe wonder; but for one ſo many wayes, and ſo ſtrongly ty'd by all the bands of Humanity, ingenuity, gratitude, obedience, yea, and of friendſhip it ſelfe (which is ever wont to bind with ſilken cords) I ſay for ſuch an one to fall into ſo foule a fault, what puniſhment can be a ſufficient expiation for it? And yet all the ſinnes of the Saints even every one of them are more or leſſe of this horrid nature: For God is a Father to them, though not to others; and Chriſt is a King to them, even a King acknowledged and owned by them, though not by others: Therefore for them to Crucifie him afreſh, or be any way in the leaſt, acceſſary to ſuch mutinies and rebellions againſt him, as are found in the hearts even of the very beſt of them; how great a wrong is it? ſurely the ſinnes of the Saints then are debts of no petty or ſmall values.
And it were well if this were all, for over and above there are other debts of another kind, and theſe as great and as innumerable as the former, which the Saints perpetually run into: And if this rich grace did not ſuffer them to doe ſo, they muſt all famiſh and ſtarve quickly, even (as the proverb is) for cold and hunger: not one of them being able to put bread into their mouthes, or get a rag for their backs, without a ſupply from the hand of grace. They all live on credit, and take up on truſt: ſo that ſhould they ceaſe from borrowing, they would ſoon ceaſe to be. And 'tis not a little that Grace furniſheth them withall; not ſuch trifling ſummes as ſhillings or pounds, but with hundreds, with thouſands, with millions. And it is not but for now and then onelyonly, or very ſeldome, but which add's abundantly to all the reſt, 'tis conſtantly. They not only never wipe out old ſcores, but on the quite contrary, ſtill are beginning new ones, multiplying ſcores without number. Oh the piles of debt-bookes that lye heaped up in Free-grace her Counting-houſe! All which as Grace ſuffer's with riches of patience, ſo ſhe forgiv's at laſt with riches of mercy.
Now that Grace is able to doe this, & that without feeling it or being impaired at all by it, how convincing an argument is it of the riches of it? Should any man alive, even the richeſt of the whole race of Adam doe ſo; ſhould he loſe mighty revenues, forgive multitudes of vaſt debts, ſupply the wants of thouſands, ſuffer old ſcores and new to increaſe upon him, from a numberleſſe number of bankrupt and bad debtors, and that continually, would it not break him over and over? could he be able to hold up his head, or keep his trade going? yet Grace doth this, and break's not. As there are multitudes of ſinnes and debts which the Saints can never take off, ſo Grace hath multitudes of mercies to croſſe them out: and as thoſe debts are vaſt and exceeding great, ſo Grace hath as tender and great mercies, even bowels, rowling bowels of pitty to forgive. It abundantly pardons, Eſay 55.7. and where ſinne abound's, there to a Beleever this Grace ſuperabounds. Rom. 5.20.foreign.
One would think, the very back of Grace ſhould crack under it, that it ſhould be totally impoveriſhed and undone. But behold, it is ſo far from ſinking, or giving out, that as if it had ſuffered no loſſe at all, or met with no bad debtors, but had received its due unto the utmoſt, it liv's and maintain's its port with as much magnificence as ever. Grace reigneth, ſaith the Apoſtle,foreign. Rom. 5.21. keep's Court in Heaven like an Empreſſe notwithſtanding.