or tho use of the catechise, all enforce a particular faith. If wc have not particular faith, we lose the virtue of all. So it is for the commandments. Put case, no man in particular, vet every one ought to ply in particular, that they ought to abstain from such a sin, and perform such a duty. If they do so, they shall be glorified ; if not, they shall bo punished. And there is the same reason in faith as in obedience. A man is condemned in law, though not named in law ; because the general is set down here, and every man ought particularly to apply it; I ought not to have done so and so. So that it overturncth the end of all, if a man labour not for a parti- cular faith. To go farther. Now if I disable this interest of particular faith of God's love, and Christ's love, I lose the comfort of weak faith where it is true. What condition were they in now, when Christ biddeth Mary go ? Had not some of them denied Christ, and had they not all forsaken him ? And yet notwithstanding, ' Go tell Peter,' and tell them all, ' I go to their Father and their God.' So that the interest that a soul hath in Christ, who hath true faith, though a weak faith joined with many infirmities, the interest he hath in Christ is not broke ofi", as you see by the example of the apostles. And therefore I beseech you, let us comfort ourselves in this, labouring for a particular faith, and then labour to maintain our interest, notwithstanding our infirmities and faults, notwithstanding our sins past. Let not Satan rob us of our claim, that God is our God and Father in Christ. Let us learn of Christ ; we cannot have a better pattern. What doth Christ on the cross, when he had the sins of all the believing world upon him, and had there been ten thousand times more, it had been all one to so infinite a person, God-man ; he had made full satisfaction to God's justice. But having so much upon him, did it take away his claim of God, as his God ? It did not, but still he said, ' My God, my God.' Was it a claim that did him any good ? Was it a useful claim ? Yes. For it was made good by his resurrection and ascension ; and therefore he might well say, 'I go to my God and your God.' I have overcome the wrath of God due for sin ; and therefore when I, that had all the sins of the world upon me, acknowledged God to be my God, and underwent the burden of God's wrath, and satisfied for all sin, you may well say, ' My God ;' not only from the pattern of Christ, because he did so, but as a cause. I may say so now, because Christ said so then. For he hath fully satisfied his Father, who had laid that burden on him. You, therefore, that have particular burdens of your sins, and have not that other, but have a conscience troubling you, it is for good ; because if you believe, that is taken away. But put case you had the guilt of your own sins, and man}' sins beside, what is that to this of Christ, who had the guilt of all sin ? And therefore let no guile hinder you from a spirit of faith, to say, ' My Father, and my God.' Is Christ ascended to heaven, to be a mediator of intercession to appear before God ? For whom ? Is it not for sinners ? What work is there in heaven for a media- tor, if we were not daily sinners ? Christ that hath satisfied for sin, bid- deth us, after satisfaction, to think of God as a Father, and think of his ascension ; even for this end to appear before God for us as our high priest, to make daily peace for us. His blood is of everlasting cflicacy. And if Abel's blood cried for vengeance, the blood of Christ crieth for mercy, Heb. xii. 24. As the appearing of the blood of Abel spake for vengeance, so the very appearing of Christ speaks enough for mercy to the sinner.
It is a comfortable clause that in Hosea ii. 19, where God saith, ' He
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will marry them in everlasting mercy.' So tliat mercy is a part of the join- ture of the church. God will marry them in mercy ; in what mercy ? In pardoning mercy ; as the husband is to bear with the wife, the weaker vessel, not to put her away for infirmities. Shall we attribute mercy to men, and not to God ? Can a friend bear the infirmities of a friend, and a husband of a wife ? And cannot Christ bear the infirmities of his spouse ? And therefore never think that our infirmities may hinder our claim. You see it did not here. But ' go to my Father, and your Father.' This comfort we shall be driven to make use of some time or other, and therefore make use of it now.
But you will say. This is not comfort for common sort of Christians. It is not, and I intend it not for them. It is children's bread, and it must not be cast to dogs. Therefore they that have not God for their God, and live in any sin, they can lay no claim to him, for they serve another god in their hearts. Their vile courses are instead of their god, and in their affections above their God, and therefore let them not think any promise belongeth to them in that course. Let them think of God as ' a consuming fire,' as * everlasting burnmgs,' while they be such, and that their peace is as the peace that the soul hath when the strong man holdeth all in possession ; when the conscience is speechless, and God hath given them up to hardness of heart, which is a desperate peace. This belongeth to them that are resolved not to live in any sin, that have given themselves up to God ; and yet by reason of the remainder of corruption are driven to make use of that petition which Christ bids them to pray, ' Forgive us our daily sins.'