judgjvient's reason. 95
Lord, 0 my soul, that forgives all thy sins, and heals all thine infirmities.' So these must go together, judging and censuring of ourselves ; then plead- ing for mercy, and renewing of our covenants, with rcforaiation thereupon. A Christian looks as well to the time to come as to the time past : for tho time past he repents ; for the time to come he resolves against all sin. A wicked carnal man could be content to be freed from the guilt of sins past, that his conscience might not twitch* him and torment him. But for the time to come he makes no conscience to entertain any vows, and purposes, or desire, that God would assist him against all sin. Butf a Christian is as careful of the sin that he is in danger to commit for the time to come, I as a wicked man is to have the sin past off' his conscience. §
As therefore we would have an evidence of our certainty, [] let us look that we renew our covenants and purposes for the time to come ; an excel- lent pattern for this you have, Ps. xix. 12, where David prays, ' Lord, cleanse me from my secret sins' (for the sins that hung upon him, and his sins past^), and what for the time to come ? ' Lord, keep me that presump- tuous sins have not the dominion over mc,' So we should pray to God, ' Lord, cleanse me from my former sins, and keep me by thy Holy Spirit, that presumptuous sins for the time to come have not the dominion over me ;'** and as it is in the Lord's Prayer, to join both together, ' Forgive us our debts,' and ' lead us not into temptation' for the time to come. Those that feel in their souls' assurance of pardon, theyf-j- will entertain purposes against all sin for the time to come ; they will as heartily say. Lord, lead me not into temptation, as they will say. Lord, forgive my sins.
Use 1. Well,JJ I beseech you, let us lay these things to heart, to practise the))!. Our peace depends upon them. Oh ! how sweet is peace and rest, after we have made our peace with God, when we have dealt thoroughly and soundly with our own souls, and have not daubed with them !§§ There may be dangerous times a-coming ; there is a cloud hangs over our heads ; we know not how it may fall ; we see all the woi'Id is in combustion. Who, when troubles come, will be the happy man ? [Even]!|!| he that hath judged himself, accused himself, that hath mortified his corruptions, and, accord- ing to the grace that God hath given him, renewed his covenant and laboured to reform his life, and keeps it in his purpose of heart so to do (as David prays, that he may not offend God for the time to comell^ll), he is fit for all times ; whatsoever times come they shall find him in good purposes. What a fearful thing were it if death, if some terrible judgment should light on us in an evil course of life ; what would become of us then ? Happy man is he that is in the good way, in good purposes, in good resolutions, that tho bent of his soul is to God and to heavenward ; and therefore, as we would evidence to ourselves, that our state is good, that we are wise, and not fools, I beseech you let us practise this dntj, and make it more familiar to
* ' Toncli ' in B, C— G. t ' -For the future ' in B, C— G.
t ' But ' not in B, C. — G. ^ ' Of his conscience pardoned ' in B, C G.
11 ' In bliss' added in B, C.— G.
^ ' The present sins that hung upon him, and his sins past ' in B, G. — G. ** ' Have no power over me ' in B, C ; and the ' and ' following omitted, together •with ' to join both together.' — G. tt ' They ' not in B, C ; neither ' for the time to come ' following. — G. Xt ' Well • not in B, C— G.
§i5 Tliat is = ' have not dealt superficially.' Cf. Ezek xiii. 10, 11, 12 i'' -rxu.28. — G.
nil 'Even' added in B, C.— G. f 1[ ' As David ... to come ' omitted in B, C. — G.
9G judgment's eeason.
us than wc Lave done ; and then undoubted!}' we shall find somewhat in us better than nature. Nature cannot judge itself. Corruption cannot pass a censure upon itself. It is grace, a principle above nature, that censures corruption ; and therefore when we judge ourselves, it is an undoubted evi- dence that we are in the state of grace. Who would want such an evidence ? Use 2. Again, when we find want of grace, {/o out of anrsehcs, rjo* to God and to Christ. Naturally we stick in ourselves. Judas and Saul, they could not go to G od for mercy, when their conscience was awaked with the sense of their sin. To go to God for pardon, it is an argument that there is somewhat wrought above nature in the heart; and therefore, as we would have an evidence to our souls, that there is somewhat in us above common men, let us ji(d«/e oiirsehrs ; let us sjjcire no sin, that God maij sjicire all, Bo severe to ourselves, that God may be merciful to us ; and when we have done this, look to the abundant mercy of God in Christ. ' Where sin hath abounded, grace hath more abounded,' Rom. v. IB. Oh ! mercy is sweet after we have searched into our corruptions. There is a height, and breadth, and depth- of mercy, when we have felt the height, and breadth, and depth of corruption first. The Lord give a blessing to that which hath been delivered.