2d Mistake. That pardon is easy to be had ; it is but a sigh, or. Lord have mercy. But, how dearly hath pardon cost them who have obtained it? How long was it ere David's broken bones were set ? Happy are we, if we have the pardon of sin sealed, though at the very last hour ; but why do men think pardon of sin so easy to be ob- tained? Their sins are but small, therefore venial. The devil holds the small end of the perspective glass before their eyes. But, l.s^, There is no sin small, being a- gainst a Deity. Why is he punished with death that clips the king's coin, or defaceth liis statue, but because it is an abuse offer- ed to the person of the king ? 2rNf/, Little sins, when multipled become great ; a little sum, when multiplied, comes to millions. What is less than a grain of sand ? hut, when the sand is multiplied, what heavier ? Sdfi/, Thy sins cost no small price. View thy sins in the glass of Christ's sufferings ; Christ did vail his glorj', lose his joy, and pour out his soul an offering for the least sin. 'Ithli/, Little sins um-epented of will damn thee, as well as greater. Not only great rivers fall into the sea, but little brooks; not only greater sins carry men to hell, but lesser ; therefore do not think par- don easy, because sin is small ; beware of mistakes.
The Second means for pardon of sin, is, see yourselves guilty, — come to God as con- demned men, 1 Kings xx. 32., " They put ropes upon their heads, and came to the king of Israel." Let us come to God in profound humility. Say not thus, " Lord, my heart is good, and my life blameless ;" God hates this. Lie in the dust, be cover- ed with sackcloth ; say as the centurion,
me." Would we have God cover our sins, we must discover them, 1 John i. 9., " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." One would have thought it should have run thus, if we con- fess our sins, he is merciful to forgive them : nay, but he is just to forgive them. Why just? Because he hath bound himself by a promise to forgive an humble confessor of sin. Cum accusal, excusat, Tertullian. When we accuse ourselves, God absolves us. We are apt to hide our sins. Job xxxi. 33. Wliich is as great a folly as for one to hide his disease from the physician ; but when we open our sins to God by confess- ing, he opens his mercy to us by forgiving.
The Fourth means for pardon is sound repentance : repentance and remission are put together, Luke xxiv. 47. There is a promise of a fountain opened for the wash- ing away the guilt of sin, Zech. xiii. 1. But see what goes before, Zech. xii. 10., " They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for him," Isa. i. 1(5., " Wash you, make you clean ;" that is, wash in the waters of repentance ; and then follows a promise of forgiveness, " though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." It is easy to turn white into scarlet, but not so easy to turn scarlet into white : yet, upon repentance, God hath j)romised to make the scarlet sinner of a milk-like whiteness.
Caution. Not that repentance merits par- don, but it prepares for it. We set our seal on the wax when it melts : God seals his pardons on melting hearts.
The Fifth means, faith in the blood of Christ. It is Christ's blood washeth away sin, Rev. i. 5. But this blood will not wash away sin, unless it be applied by faith. The apostle speaks of the " sprinkling of the blood of Christ," 1 Pet. i. 2. Many are not pardoned, though Christ's blood be shed, because it is not sprinkled : now it is faith that sprinkles Christ's blood on the
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•boul, for the remission of sin. As Thomas put his hands into Christ's sides, Jolin xx. 27. So faith puts its hand into Christ's wounds, and takes of the blood and sprin- kles it upon the conscience for the washing away of guilt. Hence in scripture, we are said to obtain pardon through faith, Acts xiii. 39., " By him all that believe are jus- tified," Luke vii. 48., " Thy sins are for- given." Whence was this, v. 50., " Thy faith has saved thee." O let us labour for faith ! Christ is a propitiation or atonement to take away sin ; but how ? " Through faith in his blood," Rom. iii. 25.