The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Stumbling block 5
V.
Object. But ſaith the poor ſtaggering ſoul, you have removed four ſtumbling blocks that lay in my way, as ſo many iron gates, barr'd againſt me; but behold a fift block, I know not how to apply the promiſes, therefore ſhew me how I may apply them, and make a ſpirituall uſe of them.
Anſw. You are to apply them underſtandingly, and that you may ſo doe, conſider in what condition or ſtate you are in; if a ſinner, then you muſt apply thoſe promiſes that are made to ſinners, viz.
1. As that Chriſt dyed for the ungodly and for ſinners; and that he came into the world, to ſave ſinners.
2. The promiſes are to be applyed orderly; that is according; to the intent of the promiſer; ſeek and beg pardon and forgiveneſſe, before you beg aſſurance, apply the promiſe of grace, before the promiſe of glory.
3. Apply the promiſes particularly; He loved me, ſaith Paul, and gave himſelf for me: and again, My Lord and my God, ſee Pſal. 18. 2. The Lord is my rock and my fortreſſe, and my deliverance: my God, my ſtrength, in whom I truſt, my buckler and the horn of my ſalvation, and my high tower, &c.
4. Apply the promiſes ſtrongly; for a man can never be eſtabliſhed unleſſe he beleeve confidently, Iſai. 7. 9. Againe, Chriſt doth often check his Diſciples for doubting and ſtaggering. And that we may beleeve ſtrongly, conſider
1. His power that hath made theſe promiſes; he can and will perform them, Heb. 11. 19. Rom. 4 21.
2. Conſider his faithfulneſſe that he will perform them, Heb. 10. 23. & 11. 11.
3. Conſider he is ever mindfull of his promiſe, Pſal. 111. 5. & Iſai. 49. 15.
4. Conſider his goodneſſe, he will make good his words in every part, 2 Tim. 2. 13. & Mic. 7 20.
Object. But for the full removing of this fift ſtumbling block, I deſire ſatisfaction, ſaith a poor ſtaggering ſinner, in this; many or moſt of the promiſes are made conditionally, and I finde not the conditions in me, how then ſhall I apply them, nay how dare I to apply them?
Anſw. It is true, many of the promiſes, are made conditionally.
1. If thou doeſt confeſſe and forſake ſin, thou ſhalt finde mercy, Prov. 28. 13.
2. If thou doeſt forgive all thoſe that doe treſpaſſe againſt thee.
3. If thou art weary and heavy laden with ſin, thou ſhalt finde mercy, if thou doeſt come to Chriſt▪ Mat 11. 28.
4. Chriſt doth call all thoſe that are a thirſt to come to him, as in Iſai. 55. 12. & Rev. 22. 17.
Theſe and many more are made conditionally: but conſider,
1. That the Lord hath promiſed to work thoſe conditions in thee that he doth require of thee.
2. When we read the conditions of the promiſes in the Goſpell, they be not like the promiſes of the Law, made to the perfect fulfillers of them: theſe promiſes are Evangelically made to thoſe that endevour to keep them.
3. Conſider whatſoever promiſes are made in generall to all thoſe that hunger and thirſt, &c. every one may particularly apply it to themſelves; as to inſtance, the Meſſiah, Gen. 3. 14. is promiſed to all, which every one ought to apply to themſelves particularly; ſee Joſh. 1. 5. compared with Heb. 13. 5.
4. Conſider in our weak endevours to keep the promiſes, we ſhould beleeve the performance to us, in, and through, and by Chriſt, in whom all the promiſes are Yea, and Amen, 2 Cor. 1. 20. When we can ſee nothing in us, why they ſhould be performed to us, even then we are to claim them for Chriſts ſake, to whom the promiſe was made, and in whom we have the condition.
Again, ſometimes generall promiſes are applyed particularly, as you may ſee 1 King. 8. from the 37. 39. and ſometimes the ſame promiſe, that is particularly in one place, is made generall in another place, viz. 2 Sam. 7. 14. If he commit iniquity, I will chaſten him with the rods of men: Pſal. 89. 29, 32. If his children forſake my Law, and walk not in my Judgements, then will I viſit their tranſgreſſions with a rod.
Again, ſometimes one and the ſame promiſe, is applyed in ſeverall caſes, as Joſh. 1. 5. compared with Heb. 13. 5. that promiſe which was made to Joſhua againſt fear, is applyed to the Hebrews againſt Covetouſneſſe, &c.
Object. Well, ſaith the weakned ſinner, or rather young Saint, I have conſidered all this, and yet I remain unſatisfied: the Lord Jeſus doth affirm to me, Mat. 6. 15. that, If I forgive not all men their treſpaſſ…s againſt me, then his Father will not forgive me: Nay the Lord Chriſt tels me further in Mat. 18. 35. So likewiſe will my heavenly Father doe alſo unto you, if ye from your hearts, forgive not every one his brother their treſpaſſes. So again in Luk. 6. 37. forgive, and you ſhall be forgiven: and in Mar. 11. 25, 26. this is more fully confirmed, viz. And when ye ſtand praying, forgive if ye have ought againſt any, that your Father alſo which is in heaven may forgive you your treſpaſſes. Verſ. 26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father which is in heaven forgive your treſpaſſes. By all which I ſee, that I muſt forgive, not only ſome, but every one; not ſome offences, but all injuries and wrongs of what kinde, degree, nature or quality ſoever, and that from my heart too, or elſe, the Lord doth aſſure me by theſe Scriptures he will never forgive me; but this I cannot doe, how then can I beleeve that God will pardon me? or how can I preſume to apply any promiſe, ſeeing I have not the conditions of the promiſe in me?
Anſw. It is true, mercy in us is but a drop of his Ocean, and but a beam to the fulneſſe that is in him, yet we ought to forgive all wrongs and injuries done to us, even before they acknowledge it, and that from our hearts; Mat. 18. 35. though the manifeſtation of that forgiveneſſe may be ſometimes concealed till the party wronging confeſſe his fault. Again conſider, that although the Lord tels us in all the fore-alleadged Scriptu…es, that we muſt forgive every one before he will forgive us: here is a myſtery in theſe words, for he doth forgive us, before we can forgive others; yea, and in ſome meaſure manifeſt the pardon of our ſin to us; but the full confirmation of that manifeſtation, is given to us, after we have forgiven from the heart every one every thing; but before all this, the Lord lets into the heart a little light of his love to us in Chriſt, and that makes us more like unto Chriſt, Luk. 23. 34. Oh ſaith Chriſt, Father forgive them, they know not what they doe: Chriſt did not ſtay for an acknowledgement, a poor and a low thing for a Chriſtian, enough for a Heathen to ſay ſo. Mat. 18. from the 23. to the end of the Chapter, In this Parable we read of a certaine King, that would take an account of his ſervants, and one was brought unto him which owed him ten thouſand talents (now a talent containeth three thouſand ſhekels, Exod. 38. 25, 26. and every ſhekel is two ſhillings ſix pence, ſo that every talent maketh three hundred ſeventy and five pounds) well this man, thus deeply in debt, intreateth his Lord to have patience with him, and he would pay him all: in the 27. ver. we read that the Lord forgave him all the debt, being ten thouſand talents; he deſired but dayes of payment, and the King remitted the whole debt: Luke 7. 42. and when he had nothing to pay, we read, he frankly forgave him all. Now put put all the wrongs together, that ever any of us have received from others, and it amounts (in compariſon) but to an hundred pence, how can we expect to have ten thouſand talents forgiven us, ſeeing we are unwilling ſo as this man was, to forgive his brother an hundred pence? ſhall the Lord forgive thee and I a thouſand talents a piece, and we deny our fellow ſervant time to pay an hundred pence? Surely if we gather up a Catalogue of all our ſinnes againſt the Almighty God, originall and actuall, of omiſſion and commiſſion, ſecret and open, and lay them in one ballance, and then gather up all the injuries don… to thy ſelfe, from all thy fellow ſervants, and lay them in the other ballance; thou wilt finde at leaſt ten thouſand talents …hat thou oweſt, and ſcarce an hundred …ence owing thee; and if thou art not freely forgiven all thy debt by the God of mercy, thou muſt periſh for ever; and wilt thou not forgive thy fellow ſervant his hundred pence?
And but by the way, conſider that this hath relation to perſonall injuries, not to nationall; ſuch as doe oppoſe Chriſt and his Kingdome, for the Scripture ſaith, Curſed is that man that keepeth back his Sword from ſhedding their bloud, Jer. 48. 10. and John tels us in the Revelation, that we ſhould give her to drink double of the cup that ſhe hath given us.