must eat Death alfo; they must have the Wages of Sin, who have wrought for it. Now, the Gospel hath found a Remedy for loft Man in Jefus Chrift; he comes in the Gofpel with a twofold Bleffing, a twofold Virtue, a pardoning Virtue, and a fanctifying Virtue, Water and Blood, 1 John v. 6. He comes to forgive Sin, and to fubdue Sin; to remove the Guilt of it, and then thyfelf of it. God's Appointment had infeparably joined them; and Chrift came not to diffolve the Law, but to establish it. If he had taken away the Punishment, and left the Sin in its Being, he had weakened the Law and the Prophets. That Conjunction of Sin and Wrath, which is both by divine Appointment, and suitable alfo unto their own Natures, must stand, that divine Juftice may be intire; and there fore, he that comes to redeem us from the Curfe of the Law, hath also this Com miflion, to redeem from Sin and all Tranfgreffions of the Law, Rom. xi. 26. and Ga'. iii. 13. He that turns away the Wrath of God from Men, turns alio Ungodliness from them which provoked his Wrath; and fo he is a complete Redeemer, and a complete Redeemer he had not been otherwife. If he had removed Wrath-only, and left us under the Bondage of Sin, it had not been half Redemption; be that commits Sin, is the Servant of Sin. But this is perfect Freedom and Liberty, to be made free from Sin, for it was Sin that fubjected us to Wrath, and fo was the firft Tyrant and the greatest. The Gospel then comes with a joyful Sound unto you, but many of you mistake it, and apprehends it to be a Doctrine of Liberty and Peace, and that unto Sin; but if it were so, it were no joyful Sound. If there were proclaimed a Liberty to all Men to do as they lift, no Punishment, no Wrath to be feared, I would think that Doctrine no glad News, it were but the perpetuating of the Bondage of a reasonable Soul. But this is glad News, a Delivery and Freedom proclaimed in the Gospel, but what? Not unto Sin, but from Sin, and this is to be free indeed. We owe more to Jefus Chrift for this, than for Redemption from Wrath, because Sin is a greater Evil than Wrath; yea, Wrath were not fo, if Sin were not. Therefore he exhorts to wash, and wash` so, that they may make clean: Take Jesus Chrift for Juftification and Sanctification, imploy both the Water and the Blood that he hath come with. But, because all Men pretend a Willingness to have Chrift their Saviour, and their Sins pardoned through his Blood, who, notwithstanding, hate to be reformed, and would feek no more of Chrift; therefore, he branches out that Part of the Exhortation in feveral Particulars. All Men have a general Liking of Remiffion of Sins, but renouncing of it, is to many a hard Doctrine; they would be glad that God put their Evils out of his Sight, by pas fing them by, and forgetting them: But, they will not be at the Pains of putting away their Evils from his Sight; and therefore, the Gospel which comprehends thefe two united, is not really received by many, who pretend to be Followers of it. This is bis Command, that ye believe. Some pretend to obey this, and yet have no Regard of that other Part of his Will, even their Sanctification; and therefore, their' Faith is dead, it is a Fancy. If ye did indeed believe and receive Chrift for Pardon of Sin, it were not poffible, but your Souls would be engaged and confirained, to endeaYour to walk in all Well-pleafing: But enough: We fee Blafphemers of God's Name, use to join a Prayer for Forgivenefs with their Oath and Curfe, and they never trouble themselves more: Oh what mocking of God is this? Now, as long as it is thus, there is no Employment for the Son of God's Blood, they can do their own Turn: Men will not it is an evident Token of one that is not washed from his Sin, and believes not in Chrift, if he conceive within his Heart, a greater Latitude and Liberty to walk after the Flesh, and be imboldened to continue in Sin, because of his Grace and Mercy; and yet fuch are the moft Part of you. Upon what Ground do ye delay Repentance? Upon what Prefump-come to Chrift, because it is the best tion do ye continue in your Sins, and put over the ferious Study of Holinefs, till a more fit Time? Is it not from an Apprehenfion of the Grace and Mercy of God, that ye think ye may return any Time and be accepted, and fo ye may in the mean Time take as much Pleafure in Sin as ye can, seeing ye may get leave alfo for God's Mercy; I pray you confider, that you have never apprehended God's Mercy aright, ye are yet in your Sins, and certainly as yet, are not not washed from them. Put away the Evil, &c.] When the Spirit convinces a Soul, he convinces a Man, not only of evil Doings, but of the Evil of his Doings; not only of Sin, but of the Sinfulnefs of Sin; and not only of thofe Actions which are in themfelves finful, but also of the Iniquity of holy Things. I think no Man will come to wash in Chrift's Blood, till this be discovered. If he see much Wickedness, many Evil-doings, yet he will labour to wash away thefe by his own Tears and Repentance and Well-doing. As long as he hath any good Actions, as Prayers, Fafting and fuch like, he will cover his Evil-doings by them: He will fpread the Skirts of fuch Righteousness over his Uncleannefs; and when he hath hid it from his own Eyes, he apprehends that he had hid it from God's alfo: He will wash his bloody Hands with many Prayers, and thinks they may be clean Way, if they fee any elfe befide: None will come till he fee it is the only Way: None can wash in Chrift, except they wash all. If ye have any Thing that needs not Washing, his Blood is not for you; his Righteousness is not known, when ye establish all, or a Part of your own. I fear the most Part of you have no Imployment for Chrift; ye have extreme Need of him, but ye know it not; for there are many Things which ye will not number among your Sins, your Prayers, your Hearing, Reading, Singing, publick and private Worship, giving Alms, &c. How many of you were never convinced of any Sin in these? Do ye not conceive God is well pleased with you for them? Your Confcience hath convinced you, it may be, of grofs Sins, as Drunkenness, Filthiness, Swearing, &c. But ye are not convinced for your Well-doing; ye find not a Neceffity of a Mediator for thefe: I think many of you never confeffed any fuch Thing, except in a general Notion. Alas, how ignorant are Men of themselves? We are unclean, how can any Thing we do cleanfe us? Are not we unclean, and do not our Hands touch our own Works? Shall not then our own Uncleanness defile our good Actions, more than they can cleanfe us? Hag. ii. 13. The Ignorance of this, makes Men go about to build up their old ruined Righteousness, and still feek fomething in themselves, Bbbb to make up Wants in themselves. Always, when the Light of God hath dif covered you to yourselves, fo that ye can turn your Eye no where, but Un cleannefs fills it; tho' your Converfation be blameless in the World, so as Men can challenge nothing, yet ye have found within and without, nothing but Matter of Mourning; I fay, this is an Evidence that the Spirit hath fatned and inlightned thy Darkness. Now, when thou 'haft fled unto Jesus Christ for a Covering to thy Righteoufnefs, as well as Unrighteoufnefs, it remains that thou now put away the Evil of thy Doings; put not away thy Doings, but the Evil of them. We challenge your Prayers, Services, and publick Duties, even as the Prophet did; we declare unto you, that God is as evil pleased with them, as your Drunkennefs, Whoreing, In temperance, &c. The moft Part of you, are no more acceptable when ye come to the Church, than when ye go to the Tavern, your praying and curfing is almost all one. What fhall we do then, say ye? Shall we pray no more, and hear no more? No, fay I, put not away your Prayers and Ordinances, but put away the Evil of them from before bis Sight. Rather multiply your Doings, but destroy the Evil and Iniquity of your Doings. And there is one Evil or two above all, that makes them hate ful to him; ye trust too much in them: Here is the Iniquity, the Idol of Jealouly fet up; ye make your Doings your Righteoufness, and in that Notion, they are Abomination. There is nothing makes your Worship of God fo hateful, as this;, ye think fo much of it, and jufti fie yourself by it: And then God knows what it is, that ye fo magnifie, and make the Ground of your Claim to Salvation; it is even an empty Ceremony, a Skadow without Substance; a Body without a Soul; you speak and look and hear, you exercife fome outward Senfes. but no inward Affections: And what fhould that be to him, who is a Spirit?" They did not obferve the Iniquity of their holy Things; and therefore are they marked by him, they are in bis Sight: They did not fee fo many Faults in their Prayers and Services; they won dered why God did chide them so much; but God marks what we mifs, he remembers when we forget: We cover ourselves with a Vail of external Duties, and think to hide all the Rottennefs of our Hearts, but it will not be hid from him, before whom Hell hath no Covering. All Hearts are open and naked before him. Your fecret Sins are in the Sight of his Countenance. Men hear you pray, fee you prefent at Worship, they know no more, at least they fee no more: Nay, but the Formality of thy Worship, the Wanderings of thy Mind are in his Sight. And ! how excellent a Rule of Walking were this, to do all in his Sight and Prefence. Oh that ye were perfwaded in your Hearts of his all-feeing, all-searching Eye, and all-knowing Mind. Would ye not be more follicitous and anxious anent the Frame of your Hearts, than the Liberty of your Speech or external Gefture? Oh how would Men retire within themfelves, to fashion their Spirits before this all-fearching, and all-knowing Spirit. If ye do not obferve the Evils of your Hearts and Ways, they are in his Sight, and this will fpoil all Acceptance of the Good of them: If ye obferve the Evils of your Well-doing, and bring these allo to the Fountain to wash them, and be about about this earneft Endeavour of perfecting Holiness, of perfecting Well-doings in the Power and Fear of God; then certainly he will not fet your Sins in the Light of his Countenance, the Good of your Way fhall come before him, and the Evil of it Chrift fhall take away. thiness, &c. Now, I fay, neither of Ceafe to do Evil, &c.] Thefe are the two Legs a Chriftian walks on; if he want any of them, he is lame and cannot go equally, ceafing from Evil, and doing Good: Nay, they are fo united, that the one cannot fubfift without the other. If a Man do not ceafe from Evil and his former Lufts, he cannot do well, or perfect Holiness. There are many different Difpofitions and Conditions of Men; there are generally one of two. Some have a Kind of Ab-out as the Heat comes in: Many Men Atinence from many grofs Sins, and are called civil honeft Men, they can abide an Inquest and Cenfure of all their Neighbours, they can say no Ill of them; but alas, there is as little Good to be faid: He drinks not, fwears not, whores not, teals not. Nay, but what doth he well? Alas, the World cannot tell what he doth, for he prays not in fecret, nor in his Family, he is void of fome Offences towards Men; but there are many Duties called to, towards both God and Men, he is a Stranger to. He oppreffes not the Poor, nay, but he is not chari-thefe Terms, he will have all the Man table either to give to them; he de- or nothing, for he is the righteous Own. frauds no Man, but whom helps he by er. True Godliness cannot mix fo, but his Means? Again, there are others, falfe and counterfeit may do it well. they will boast of fome Things done; Other Men again, poffibly uncloath they pray, they keep the Church well, themselves of fome Practices, but they they do many good Turns, and yet for put on new Cloathing; they reform fome all that, they do not ceafe to do Evil; Paffages for fear of Cenfure, or Shame, they were Drunkards, fo they are; they or fuch like; they are found, it may be, can fwear for all their Prayers, are blameless, either because fo educated, or given to Contention, to Lying, to Fil- their Difpofition is against particular grofs Bbbb 2 do not change their Garments, but mends them, puts fome new Pieces into them; they retain their old Lufts, their Heart Idols, and they will add unto thefe a Patch of fome external Obedience; but alas, is this Godliness? Hypocrify will be content of a Mixture, Sin is the Harlot, whofe Heart could endure to see the Child parted. It can give God a Part,. to get leave to brook the most Part;, Sin will give God Liberty to take fome of the outward Man, if it keep the Heart and Soul: But God will not reckon on Sins :: Sins: But they are not cloathed upon with Holiness and Well-doing, and fo they are but naked and bare in God's Sight, not beautiful: They have fweept their House, and fome Devil put out or kept out; but because the good Spirit enters not, ordinarily feven worse enter again into fuch Men. bid. I pray you confider, if you be Chriftians indeed, give a Proof of it. What hath Jefus Chrift done for you? He hath given himself, his own precious Blood a Raniom for us, will ye not give up yourselves to him? Will not ye give him your Sins and Lufts, which are not yourself, but Enemies to yourself? Will not ye put away thefe Ills, that he came in this World to deftroy? Art thou There is a great Moment of Perfwafion in this Order of the Exhortation, Wab you, and then, put away the Ea Chriftian, and are there yet so many vil of your Doings, and cease to do Evil. Do not continue in your former Customs. It is ftrange, how contrary our Hearts are to God; we use to turn Grace unto Wantonnefs; we ufe to take more Liberty to fin, when we conceive we are pardoned: But I do not know any more strong and conftraining Per fwafion to forfake Sin, than the Confideration of the forgiving of it might yield. Oh what an Inducement and grand Argument, to renouncing of Evils, is the Confideration of the Remiffion of them. This is even that ye are pow called unto, who have fled to Jefus to efcape Wrath: What fhould ye be taken up with, in all the World but this, to live to him henceforth, who died for us? To forfake our own old Way, and that from the constraining Principle of Love to him, Cor. v. 14, 15. Oh, that ye Oh, that ye would enforce your own Hearts with fuch a Thought, when there are any Solicitations to Sin, to former Lufts, Should I that am dead to Sin, live any longer therein? Rom. vi. Should I who am washed from fuch Pollutions, return again to the Pollutions of the World? Should I again defile myfelf, who am cleanfed by to precious Blood, and for get him that washed me? Should I return with the Dog to the Vomit, and with the Sow to the Puddle? God for 2 Sins, and Works of the Devil reigning to |