Of 'Ear:don. and~ Forg,iveneft 'Of_ Sin. Thou haft in /fiVe"· my Soul (fays good Hl!'«kiub, when a Meffage of Death was. brought to hmt by the Pro?het) cafl all mJ fin• behi"J th] back : It is a calling of them into the):~epch of the Sea, from wh~nce they fhall ne\•er more arife, either in this \Vorld, to terrifie our Confciences, or in the World eo come, to condemn our Souls:· So--we havC in Mi~flh I . r9. I wiO cnft a/J thtir JniJuitiu, fitys God, into the depth of the-{ea. It is a fcattering of them as a. thick Cloud; fo it is called, Efar 44· 22.. I will fcatter thejr finr at a cloud, and thtir iniquities ant thick cloud: And in the Text it is called a blotting put, and a forgetting of Sin : I, even I am he, that bfotteth out thy ~ranfgr_dfioni for m1 own [nkt, an4 1vill not rememher thy fins: A blottiUg our, to ihcw, that God will never read his Debt-Book ag3inft us; and a. forgetting it, that we 'may not fear that Gcd will accufe us without-Book. · · Now thcfe, and fuch like Expreffions, with which the Scripture doth abound_, do very much illuftrate the Mercy of God, in pard.oning of Sin. and 1 fltall unfold it in thefe foll9wing Particulars. ' ParJ.on of Firfl, Pardon anti Rtmi./]ion of Sin is no .Afl ofours, hut an A[f of God's only. It Sinan.Aff i_snpthing done by us, or in us, but a'n Act of God's free Grace, meerly with. 6f 1 God's out us; and therefore God afcribes it wholly to himfelf; I, wen I am ht.' And om.J. when our Saviour cured theParalytick, the Scrihts ftorm at him as a Blafphemer. thou blafphtmtft, fay they to him, not knowing him to be God; ForwhCI faY they, eau forgivt fi1'1S but God onlJ ? · ' Bur be it an Ad: of God's only, 2nd not ours, and an Atl: whoily wirhout us, what comfort is there in this~ Yes, much, and that upon thefe Grounds; becau(e God's Acts within us_, are always imperfect in rhis Life, but God'; ACl:s wit:bout us, are always perfect and confummate. Sanctification is a Work of God's Grace within us: Now this, becaufe i~ meets with much oppoficion in e\·e~,-y Faculty_, from inherent Sin, which fpread; it felf over the who!<; ~oul; therefore this Work is always in this Life kept low and weak: BUt Pardon of Sin is an Alt without us, in the Breafl: of God himfelf, where it meets with no Oppofition nor Allay; nordoth it increafe by finall Degrees ~ut is _at once as perfelt and entire as ever it J1t"all be. I do not'n,lean, as forn~ f!ay,e theught and caught_, that God at once pa~dons all the Sins of trueBelie- \;~rs..,as well ~hofe they do,or fhall commit, as thofe;fhat they havealreadycqvt: mict'ed; but only, that what Sins God pudot)s, lie'ldoth notpirdon th~rll gl-'a. d~~lly . . There is nothing left OfGn1lt upon the &oul when God R?rdonsit; .6ut rbef~ is fomething .. left of Filth upon the SeuJ whcri God.f::rnctifies ir: Arld ~ ~l;l.erefore; -as irJ.s the Grief! of God's Childten_, that their inherent flolinefs is fo irnpCrfe& heie, . t~at they are fo affa'ulted with Tempthti6tJs, .fr) 'ifiigg'd·by Co'".uptibn, fo opprefs'd and almofi fiifled to Death·.by a Body <?f Sin•that ·lies ·hea.vy·v upon them .i yet this, dri · the other fide_, 1may _be fot t!\~i.li .tfoll_lf~rt a.o.d 1_-Gnc~mragei?el?-r; ·thac God's pardoning GraCe · is. n9t as fiJS ianChfymg G;·ace ·IS, nor Js ~ tt g-ranted to rhem by rhe f:1me Stmt ap~ ,Meaf". r.·~, , A Sintruly repemed .of., .is not pardoned to us by hah>es,"' HaWthe -quilt r~fQi!ted, 1 and:.half retaim~d, _. as~he Par.Hls fan~y to eftablilli1their Do· &~ine · qf l'~rg_atoJ:J, ;r;but5t is as;ful~y ,p,ardon'd;l a1 .i'1!hall· b~ il) H'eh~cn it 'fqtf, ,.A,nd':h~ce1t tollows ; .·'"'""" . · I· ' ' ' ··: 1 • • • jJ!i'.fl, )'hpugt.th~.Guilt of Sin•be" 1rentOI'd, ')'~t -It is 'not our· )tepen.t~pce th"itfre~oves it-.; for rhen, as no ¥-a~~s~ Rcp.eht_ance'is.abfolnte! '1 · rffilt 1 :f~,#- Mal'\ S1ns Jhou)d be fully pardon:<l; ·liut filii •hefd ' \Voul4 ' 1\d; , Glftlt left uPon the Confcicnce ;. a~ the,re is ~-ill ~ M:.ix'tuPe Bl . eAcy in the Ef?fl g:.hriftians :.. But Pardon:and Remiffiqh' rs 1n(;l_t lilinglC~ 0 ~Uilr~ . .!. ,a!s. Gr~a~e_, is . w!rh Sin ; ;hCCaufe it .is -a~ Ad:.o~· ~~r.9'~VI.t6p,~b~, Jit. . • ~r ~!~~.IT~ b.ttt.~'~Lfl~g m. G,od.'s only, where·lt .rneers \~Hh· .~?t[~mg to ~fa ~- ~~ ab~.tf ~~· }!-!,\9~~ Pf~..mfimtcly more pe~fet_t ·ch~fl. 'ollr R.epe·nt~nee:c.~~.n be_.~.:>.-i 11 .~... >; ~~~~rf .t ~.~5f~Rmlly) .H~~e we may mfotJ. fhat.oUr Far'~~'1i~1 ~fimrely :~}:e {ut1_, fhan pur Jure than ".i!Jljlrf'ffJ1 Ofl lf m Mr own Confo~'";ch _ea? , ~e frd!:f~Elory; .· far ; t~e. S~n~~ ~,f our .A.fftf- )?ardo.!} .~S a· Wor~ o£ God's SpthrwHhln: qs_, •Jtwlt)ch C:om!TirirliJ 1 i5 ffil~sa ranee of it ~-rith fo~e Hefitations, Mifgiyin)SsJ. -:q?u_brs,:• adJ.0~13fS1~ 1 fu11f~h~F~fc:,re, ~~~ urn be. our Comforts be never fo ftrong, "tho ·It be ·S)JJ"Jng-l'tdc Mt'h t Q~, Jc;:tour Gr0llfl4forComfort is frill much' inore. Oh~ \V.hdt'rich afitl3 b4Hda!'J.I: GraCe .H .thls)p. God towards us, that exce-eds both oUT Gracdl'n<fdu! ' ComfA.~J "'"~·:--
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