Ans. We must not be our own judges in this case, Prov. xxviii. 26., " He that trust- cth in his own heart is a fool." " The heart is deceitful," Jer. xvii. 9. And it is folly to trust a deceiver. The Lord only by his word must be judge in this case, whether we are pardoned, or not. As it was under the law, no leper might judge himself to be clean ; but the priest was to pronounce him clean, Lev. xiii. 37. : so, we are not to judge of ourselves to be clean from the guilt of sin, till we are such as the word of God hath pronounced to be clean.
Ql'f.st. How then shall we know by the word whether our guilt is done away and our sins pardoned ?
Alls, 1. The pardoned sinner is a great weeper. The sense of God's love melts his heart ; that free grace should ever look upon me, — that such crimson sins should be washed away in Christ's blood, — this makes the heart melt, and the eyes drop with tears ; never did any man read his pardon with dry eyes, Luke vii. 38., " She stood at his feet weeping," — her heart was a spi- ritual limbec, out of which those tears were distilled. Mary's tears were more precious to Christ than her ointment; her eyes, which before did sparkle with lust, whose amorous glances had set on fire her lovers, now she makes them a fountain, and wash- eth Christ's feet with her tears. She was a true penitent, and had her pardon ; v. 47., " Wjierefore, I say, her sins which were many, are forgiven." A pardon will make the hardest heart relent, and cause the stony heart to bleed: and, is it thus with us? Have we been dissolved into tears for sin ? God seals his pardons upon melting hearts.
A. 2. We may know our sins are forgiven, by having the grace of faith infused, Acts X. 43., " To him give all the prophets wit- ness, that whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." In saving faith there are two things, — renunciation, and
recumbency. 1. Renunciation: a man re- nounceth all opinion of himself; digged out of his own burrow, he is quite taken off himself, Phil. iii. 9. He sees all his duties are but broken reeds ; though he could weep a sea of tears, — though he had all the grace of men and angels, — it could not pur- chase his pardon. 2. Recumbency. Faith is an assent with affiance ; the soul doth get hold of Christ, as Adonijah did of the horns of the altar, 1 Kings i. 5L Faitii casts it- self upon the stream of Christ's blood, and saith, " If I perish, I perish." If we liave but tlie minimum quod sic, — (he least drachm of this precious faith, — we have something to shew for pardon. " To him give all the prophets witness, that whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Ist^ This faith is acceptable to God, — it pleaseth God more than offering up ten thousand rivers of oil, — than working miracles, than martyrdom, or the highest acts of obedi- ence. 2d, Faith is profitable to us; it is our best certificate to shew for pardon : no sooner doth faith roach fortli its hand to re- ceive Christ, but Christ sets his hand to our pardon.
A. 3. The pardoned soul is a God-ad- mirer, Micah vii. 18., " Who is a God like thee, that pardoncth iniquity?" O that God should ever look upon me ! I was a sinner, and nothing but a sinner, yet I ob- tained mercy ! Who is a God like thee ! Mercy hath been despised, yet that mercy should save nie ! Christ hath been crucified by me, yet his cross crowns me ! God hath disj)layed the ensigns of frre grace, — he hath set up his mercy above my sin, nay, in sj)ite of it, — tjiis causeth admiration : " W^lio is a God like ihee !" A man ti)at goes over a narrow bridge in the night, and the next morning comes and sees the dan- ger he was in, and how miraculously he escaped, he is stricken with admiration: so, when God shews a soul how near he was a-falling into hell, and how tiiat this gulf is shut, all his sins are pardoned, he is amazed, and cries out, " Who is a God like thee, that pardonest iniquity !' That God should pardon one, and pass by ano- ther,— one taken, another left, — this fills the soul with wonder and astonishment.
A. 4. Wherever God pardons sin, lie
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OF THE FIFTH PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.