Inference 1. If this be so, that all believers, and none but believers, receive the remission of their sins through the riches of grace, by the blood of Christ ; What a happy condition then are believers in I Those that never felt the load of sin may make light of a pardon ; but so cannot you, that have been in the deeps of trouble and fear about it ; those that have been upon the rack of an accusing and condemning conscience, as David, Heman, and many of the saints have been, can never sufficiently value a pardon. " Blessed is the " man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered ; bles- fe sed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity," Psal. xxxii. 1, 2. or, O the blessedness and felicities of the par- doned man ! as in the Hebrew *. Remission cannot but appear the wonder of mercies, if we consider through what difficulties the grace of God makes way for it to our souls ; what strong bars the love of God breaks asunder, to open our way to this privilege ; for there can be no pardon without a Mediator ; no other Media- tor but the Son of God : the Son of God cannot discharge our debts, but by taking them upon himself as our surety, and making full payment, by bearing the wrath of God for us ; and when all this is done, there can be no actual pardon, except the Spirit of grace open our blind eyes, break our hard hearts, and draw them to Christ in the way of believing. And as the mercy of remission comes to us through wonderful difficulties, so it is in itself a complete and perfect mercy : God would not be at such vast expence of the riches of his grace ; Christ would not lay out the invaluable trea- sures of his precious blood to procure a cheap and common bles- sing for us. Rejoice then, ye pardoned souls, God hath done great things for you, for which you have cause to be glad.
Inf. 2. Hence it follows, That interest in Christ by faith, brings the conscience of a believer into a state of rest and peace, Rom. v. 1. 44 Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." I say not that every believer is presently brought into actual peace and tran- quillity of conscience ; there maybe many fears, and much trouble- even in a pardoned soul; but this is an undoubted truth, that
n^N 0 viri beaiitudines !
SERM. XVI. THE METHOD OF CEACE. 257
faith brings the pardoned soul into that condition and state, where lie may find perfect rest in his conscience, with respect to the guilt and danger of sin. The blood of Christ sprinkles us from an evil (that is, an accusing, condemning) conscience. We are apt to fear, that this or that special sin, which has most terrified and affrighted our conscience, is not forgiven : but if there be riches enough in the grace of God, and efficacy enough in the blood of Christ, then the sins of believers, all their sins, great as well as small, one as well as another, without limitation or exception, are pardoned.
For let us but consider, If Christ remits no sin to any man, but with respect to the blood of Christ, then all sins are pardoned, as well as any one sin ; because the dignity and desert of that blood is infinite, and as much deserves an universal pardon for all sins, as the particular pardon of any, even the least sin : moreover, remis- sion is an act of God's fatherly love in Christ ; and if it be so, then certainly no sin of any believer can be retained or excluded from pardon ; for then the same soul should be in the favour of God, so far as it is pardoned, and out of favour with God, so far as it is unpardoned, and all this at one and the same instant of time : which is a thing both repugnant to itself, and to the whole strain of the gospel.
To conclude : What is the design and end of remission, but the saving of the pardoned soul ? But if any sin be retained or exclu- ded from pardon, the retaining of that sin must needs make void the pardon of all other sins ; and so the acts of God must cross and contradict each other, and the design and end of God miscarry and be lost ; which can never be. So then we conclude, faith brings the believing soul into a state of rest and peace.
Inf. Hence it also follows, That no remission is to be expected by any soul, without an interest by faith in Jesus Christ : no Christ, no pardon ; no faith, no Christ. Yet how apt are many poor deluded souls to expect pardon in that way, where never any soul yet did, or ever can meet it. Some look for pardon from the absolute mercy of God, without any regard to the blood of Christ, or their interest therein : we have sinned, but God is merciful ! Some expect remission of sin by virtue of their own duties, not Christ's merits : I have sinned, but I will repent, restore, reform, and God will pardon ! But little do such men know how they therein diminish the evil of sin, undervalue the justice of God, slight the blood of Christ, and put an undoing cheat upon their own souls for ever. To expect pardon from absolute mercy, or our own duties, is to knock at the wrong door, which God hath shut up to all the world, Rom. iii. 20. Whilst these two principles abide firm, that the price of pardon is only in the blood of Christ, and
?ioS THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XVI,
the benefit of pardon, only by the application of his blood to us ; this must remain a sure conclusion, that no remission is to be ex- pected by any soul, without an interest by faith in Jesus Christ Repentance, restitution, and reformation are excellent duties in their kind, and in their proper places, but they were never meant for saviours, or satisfaction to God for sin.
Inf. 4. If the riches of grace be thus manifested in the pardon of sin, How vile an abuse is it of the grace of God, to take the more liberty to sin, because grace abounds in the pardon of it!
" Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God for- " bid r Rom. vi. 1, 2. Will nothing cheaper than the grace of God serve to make a cloak for sin ? O vile abuse of the most ex- cellent thing in the whole world ? Did Christ shed his blood to expiate our guilt, and dare we make that a plea to extenuate our guilt ? God forbid !
If it be intolerable ingratitude among men, to requite good with evil, sure that sin must want a name bad enough to express it, which puts the greatest dishonour upon God for the greatest mercy that ever was given by God to the world. " There is mercy " with thee, (saith the Psalmist,) that thou mayest be feared,1'' not that thou mayest be the more abused, Psal. cxxx. 4. Nay, let me say, the devils never sinned at this rate ; they cannot abuse the pardoning grace of God, because such grace was never offered unto them. And certainly, if the abuse of the common mercies of God, as meat and drink, by gluttony and drunkenness, be an heinous sin, and highly provoking to God ; then the abuse of the riches of his grace, and the precious blood of his Son, must be out of measure sinful, and the greatest affront we can put upon the God of mercy.