2. Nor do thy sins exceed the ability and power of the meritorious cause of remission, namely, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ ; for that blood is the blood of God, Acts xx. 28. He is the Lamb of God, whose blood is sufficient to take away the sins of the world, John i. 29. There is but one sin in the world exempt from remis- sion by this blood, and if thy heart be now wounded with the sense of sin, (as I here suppose it to be) that is none of thy sin, how heinous soever thy other sins be.
3. Nor do thy sins exceed the ability and power of the applying cause of pardon, namel}' , the Spirit of God. For though I should suppose thy mind to be clouded, and overshadowed with grossest ig- norance, thy heart to be as hard as adamant, or nether-millstone, thy will stiff and obstinate, thy affections enchanted and bewitched with the pleasures of sin ; yet this Spirit of God, in a moment, can make a convincing beam of light to dart into thy dark mind, make thy hard lieart relent, thy stubborn will to bow, and all the affections of thy soul to comply, and open obediently to Christ, John xvi. 9, 10. " The Spirit when he cometh, he shall convince the w^orld of sin," &c.
Thus you see, whatever your guilt be, it does not exceed the abi- lities of the causes of remission. O what an encouragement is this ?
II. And there is yet further encouragement in this, that if you will open your bibles, you may find yourselves within the calls and invita- tions of the gospel. And no man can say, that man is without hope, that is within a gospel-invitation. Consider Isa. Iv. 7, 8. " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon ; for my thoughts are not your thoughts," &c. Here you have the nature of conversion descri- bed negatively and positively, by forsaking your ways and thoughts, and turning to the Lord. The way notes the external course of the conversation ; the thoughts denote the internal frame and temper of
S34* THE POSSIBILITY ANl) NECESSITY OF CONVERSION.
the mind ; both these must be forsaken. And turnhig to the Lord^ denotes the sincere dedicating of the whole man to God ; all which is possible, and easy for the Spirit of God to do ; and this being once done, abundant pardon is assured. If you say, you cannot think it ; God tells you in the very next words, that his thoughts are not your thoughts ; but as far above them, as the heavens are higher than the earth. Read to the same purpose, Isa. i. 1 8. Rev. iii. 20. John vii. 27.
III. And to make the possibility of remission yet clearer, know, for your encouragement, that as vile, infamous, and prodi- gious sinners as yourselves, are recorded, and found amongst the instances and examples of forgiven sinners in scripture. Paul was once a fierce and cruel persecutor and blasphemer, yet he obtained mercy, 1 Tim. i. 13, 14. That sinful woman, recorded, Luke vii. 37, 38. was an infamous, and a notorious sinner ; yet her sins which were many, were forgiven her, ver. 47. Manasseh was a monster of wickedness, as you may read, 2 Chron. xxxiii. yet found mercy. And if you view that catalogue of sinners, given in 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. you will seem to find among them the very forlorn hope of desperate sinners, advanced nearest to hell of any men upon earth ; yet see, ver. 11. what is said of some of them : " And such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are justified."
All these things plainly shew^ (I say not the certainty that you shall be, but) the possibility that you may be pardoned ; which is a mercy and encouragement unspeakable.
§ III. The conversion of profane ones highly probable.
JtIlND because Satan labours to discourage them that are gone in sin so far as you are, by cutting off all hopes of mercy from them, and bringing them to this desperate conclusion ; damned we knovr we shall, and must be ; and therefore as good be damned for more, as less. If we had lived sober, and civil lives, we might have had some hope ; but because we have no hope, it is as good for us to take our full swing in sin, as to think of returning by repentance and conversion, so late in the day as this is.
To obviate this deadly snare of Satan, I shall here further add. That there is not only a possibility of your recovery, but, in some respect, a strong possibility, that such as you may be converted and saved, than there is for those who have led a smoother, and more civil life in the world, and wholly trust to their own civility for their salvation, instead of the imputed righteousness of Christ.
This plainly appears, by that convictive expression of Christ to the Scribes and Pharisees, Mat. xxi. 31. " Verily, I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you." Publicans, the most infamous amongst men ; and harlots, the worst of women ; yet these are sooner wrought over to Christ by faith and repentance, than the more civil, and self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees.
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And indeed, it is far easier to come at the consciences of such sin- ners by conviction than at the others ; they having nothing to ward oft' the stroke of conviction, it must fall directly, and immediately upon their consciences. The most smooth and civil part of the world, trust to their own righteousness ; and this self-confidence, like armour of proof, resists all attempts to bring them to Christ for righteousness. Nothing fixes men in a state of evil, more than a strong conceit that their condition is good.
But such as you are, whose whole lives have been polluted with profaneness, and all impiety, your consciences will more easily re- ceive convictions of your present danger, and of the necessity of a speedy, thorough change. You cannot think, as others do, that you need no repentance, or reformation. In this respect, therefore, you lie nearer the door of hope and mercy, than other sinners do.
If therefore it shall please the Lord, (whose grace is rich and free to the vilest of sinners) to pluck out such as you, as brands out of the burning, by thorough conversion to Christ ; you will not only become real Christians, (as all true converts are) but the most ex- cellent, useful, and zealous amongst all Christians. As you will be most eminent instances of his grace, so you will be the most eminent instruments for his glory. As you have gone beyond other sinners in wickedness, so you will strive to exceed them all in your love to Christ. Luke vii. 47. '* She loved much for much was forgiven her." You will never think you can do enough for him, who hath done such great things for you.