3. Our proneness to sin : Ps. xl. 12, ' For innumerable evils have compassed me about ; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up ; they are more than the hairs of my head ; therefore my heart faileth me.'
4. The strictness of the last day's account. A long process : 1 Cor. iv. 5, ' Who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart.' Not only the state of the person, but all our actions. Conscience will be extended to the recollecting of all our ways ; a general bill will not serve the turn : else how will the wicked be ashamed, and the righteous applauded ? Idle words will come into account at that day. Mat. xii. 36.
VeR. 38 ] SERMONS UPON ACTS 11. 37, 38. 271
Second, Meditation of Christ's death. He that maketh light of sin is guilty of the contempt of Christ's blood, that either despiseth the causes or effects of it : Heb. x. 29, * Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted tlie blood of the covenant, where- with he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace ? ' It was not shed for a light cause, nor to produce mean effects : it showeth the heinousness of sin as well as the worth of God's image and favour : Zech. xii. 10, ' They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one inourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.' Faith is required to promote repentance.
(3.) After heinous sins we are especially to humble ourselves before God : this is the ready way to obtain pardon : Ps. xxxii. 5, ' I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquities have I not hid : I said, I will acknowledge my transgression unto the Lord ; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin ; ' 1 Kings xx. 32, ' And they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee let me live.' Better come in voluntarily, than be drawn in by force. Heinous sins are wont to rifle all our confidences, therefore after such failings we are more seriously to renew our repentance, and to humble our souls in the sight of God.
SEKMON V.
Repent^ and he hapiized in the name of Christ. — Acts ii. 38.
DocT. That we obtain remission of sins by believing in the name of Christ.
By ' the name of Christ ' is meant Christ himself, as revealed and set forth in the gospel ; the doctrine of his person and office : Acts iv. 12, ' Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved ; ' that is, Christ is the only person by whom we shall be saved ; and Christ, as revealed in the gospel ; for that is the name by which he maketh himself known to us. Now this must be received and applied by faith ; so Peter explaineth it elsewhere : Acts iii. 16, ' And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong.' The name of Christ is Christ himself, and he puts forth his power upon believing.
I shall, for the opening of this point — (1.) Show what Christ doth or hath done for the pardon of sins ; (2.) That no other but Clirist can procure this benefit for us; (3.) The necessity of faith, that we may ap[)ly it to ourselves.
1. What Christ doth or hath done in order to the pardon of sins.
272 SERMONS UPON ACTS II. 37, 33. [SeR. V.
This benefit is cliiefly the fruit of his priestly office. Now in his priestly oflfice there are two parts — liis oblation and intercession. They are spoken of in many places, but both together you have in one place : 1 John ii. 1, 2, 'My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not ; and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins.' Our propitiation and our advocate. Let me insist upon these two notions —
1. He is our propitiation. Christ is not only l\aaTrj<;, our propi- tiator, but l\aafj.b<;, our propitiation ; that is, victima, IXaaTiKr), the propitiatory sacrifice that was offered to Grod to appease his wrath for our sins. He is both the priest and the sacrifice, the propitiator and propitiation. This last is what we now pitch upon ; and the apostle telleth us, Eom. iii. 25, 'Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins.' The justice of God, and the truth of his commination in the former dispensation, permitted not so great a benefit to be bestowed without a satisfaction ; and this Christ hath made : so that God may be just, though he forgive sin. There can be no propitiation for sin without the expiation of it. The expiation of sin is by suffering the punishment due to it, which Christ hath done for us by his death, and so made way for our pardon and discharge.