[3.] It is a debt that binds the soul to everlasting punishment ; and if it be not pardoned, the judge will give us over to the jailer, and the jailer cast us into ])rison, ' till we have paid the uttermost farthing,' Luke xii. 59. To have so vast a debt lying upon us, what a misery is that ! Augustus bought that man's bed who could sleep soundly when he was in debt so many hundred of sesterces. Certainly it is a strange security that possesseth the hearts of men, when we are obliged to suffer the vengeance of the wrath of the eternal God by our many sins, and yet can sleep quietly. Body and soul will be taken away in execution ; the day of payment is set, and may come much sooner than you think for ; you must get a discharge, or else you are undone for ever. Our debt comes to millions of millions ; well, if the Lord will forgive so great a debt, oh, the blessedness of that man, &c. Put altogether now ; certainly if you have ever been in bondage, if you have felt the sting of death and curse of the law, or been scorched by the wrath of God, or knew the horror of those upon whom God hath exacted this debt in hell, certainly you would be more and more affected with this wonderful grace. ' Oh, the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth not his transgressions ! '
Thirdly, The consequent benefits. I will name three : — [1.] It restores the creature to God, and puts us in joint again, in a capacity to serve, and please, and glorify God : Ps. cxxx. 4, ' There is
1S6 THE FIRST SERMON. [Ps. XXXII. 1, 2,
fovgiveucss ^Yitll tlioe, tliat thou inayest be feared.' Forgiveness in- vites us to return to God, obliges us to return to God, and take it as God dispenseth it; it inclines us to return to God, and encourages us to live in a state of amity and holy friendship with God, pleasing and serving hira in righteousness and holiness all our days. Certainly it invites us to return to God. Man stands aloof from a condemning God, but may be induced to submit to a pardoning God. And it obligcth us to return to God, to serve, and love, and j)lease him who will forgive so great a debt, and discharge us from all our sins ; for she loved much to whom much was forgiven. It inclines us to serve and please God ; for where God pardons he renews, he puts a new life into us that inclines us to God : Col. ii. 13, ' He hath quickened you together with Christ, having forgiven all your trcs]iasses.' And it encourages us to serve and please God : Heb. ix. 14, ' How much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your consciences from dead works, that ye may serve the living God?' and that in a suitable manner, that you may serve God in a lively, cheerful manner. A poor creature bound to his law, and conscious of his own disobedience, and obnoxious to wrath and punishment, is mightily clogged, and drives on heavily ; but when the conscience is purged from dead works, we serve the living God in a lively manner ; and this begets a holy cheerfulness in the soul, and we are freed from that bondage that otherwise would clog us in our duty to God.
[2.] It lays the foundation for solid comfort and peace in our own souls, for till sin be pardoned you have no true comfort ; because the justice of the supreme governor of the world will still be dreadful to us, whose laws we have broken, whose wrath we have justly deserved, and whom we still apprehend as offended with us, and i)rovoked by us. We may lull the soul asleep with carnal delights, but the virtue of that opium will be soon spent. All those joys are but stolen waters, and bread eaten in secret, a poor, sorry peace, that dares not come to the light and endure the trial, — a sorry peace, that is soon dis- turbed by a few serious and sober thoughts of God and the world to come ; but wlien once sin is pardoned, then you have true joy indeed. ' Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee/ Mat. ix. 2. Then misery is plucked up by the roots : ' Comfoi-t ye, comfoit ye, my peoj)le.' Why ? ' Her iniquity is forgiven,' Isa. xl. 1, 2 ; ' And we joy in God as those that have received the atonement,' Rom. v. 11. The Lord Jesus hath made the atonement ; but when we have received the atonement, then we joy in God, then there is matter for abundant deliglit, when 'the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Gliost given unto us.'
[3.] When we are pardoned, then we are capable of eternal happi- ness. Pardon of sin is fjratia removals iwoliibens, that grace that removes the impediment, that takes the make-hate out of the way, removes that that hinders our entrance into heaven. Sanctificalion is the beginning ; but till we are pardoned, there can be no entrance into heaven : now this removes the incapacity. I observe remission cf sins is put for all the privilege part, as repentance for the duties: Acts v. 31, ' Him hath God exalted to give rejjentance and remission of sins.' There are two initial benefits — lepentance, as the foundation