The last Use of Exhortation, is,1 to be so deeply humbled and tenderly affected within your selves, that all within you may cry out, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin. O that every Auditor which heareth me this day, could with the same spirit, affection, and turning of bowels within him, proclaim this truth, as David did. What is said of Pauls Epistles, is also true of Davids Psalms, Nunquam Davidis mentem intelliges, nisi prius Davidis spiritum imbiberis. You can never fully understand Davids meaning, unless you be possessed with Davids spirit. Now that you may be moved hereunto, consider the motive in the Text, and the means to get it. The motive is blessedness; a man is never an happy man, till his sins be pardoned. What makes hell and damnation, but merely not forgiveness? thy wealth, thy greatness, thy honours, cannot bring that happiness to thee which remission of sins doth. Hence this is the cause of all other blessedness. And observe, here is a great deal of difference between this place, Blessed is the man whose sins are pardoned, and those Texts where he is said to be blessed that feareth always, or he is said to be blessed that walketh not in the ways of the wicked, for in the Text is ⟨p. 222⟩showed the cause or fountain of blessedness, viz. remission of sin; but in other places there is only deciphered, who they are that are blessed. A man that feareth is blessed, but his fear is not the cause of his blessedness. A man that liveth godly is blessed, but his godliness is not the cause of his blessedness, but his pardon of sin makes him blessed in all his graces; Thou art blessed, not because thou prayest, hearest, livest holily, but because God doth forgive all thy sins and imperfections in these duties. If therefore your graces, your holy duties are not the cause of your blessedness, never think your outward mercies can be. The means to obtain this, is in the Text, by having no guile in the heart, that is, by not hiding our sins, but repenting of them, and confessing them to God: For this (saith David) every one shall pray unto thee in an acceptable time; for this, that is, for this remission, and because thou wast so ready to forgive, when I said, I will confess my sin. Therefore shall every one seek to thee; where by the way, let none abuse that place, vers. 5. David said he would confess, and God forgave it:
The last Use of Exhortation, is,1 to be so deeply humbled and tenderly affected within your selves, that all within you may cry out, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne. O that every Auditour which heareth me this day, could with the same spirit, affection, and turning of bowels within him, proclaim this truth, as David did. What is said of Pauls Epistles, is also true of Davids Psalms, Nunquam Davidis mentem intelliges, nisi prius Davidis spiritum imbiberis. You can never fully understand Davids meaning, unlesse you be possessed with Davids spirit. Now that you may be moved hereunto, consider the motive in the Text, and the means to get it. The motive is blessednesse; a man is never an happy man, till his sinnes be pardoned. What makes hell and damnation, but meerly not forgivenesse? thy wealth, thy greatnesse, thy honours, cannot bring that happinesse to thee which remission of sins doth. Hence this is the cause of all other blessednesse. And observe, here is a great deal of difference between this place, Blessed is the man whose sinnes are pardoned, and those Texts where he is said to be blessed that feareth alwaies, or he is said to be blessed that walketh not in the waies of the wicked, for in the Text is ⟨p. 222⟩shewed the cause or fountain of blessednesse, viz. remission of sinne; but in other places there is only deciphered, who they are that are blessed. A man that feareth is blessed, but his fear is not the cause of his blessednesse. A man that liveth godly is blessed, but his godlinesse is not the cause of his blessednesse, but his pardon of sin makes him blessed in all his graces; Thou art blessed, not because thou praiest, hearest, livest holily, but because God doth forgive all thy sins and imperfections in these duties. If therefore your graces, your holy duties are not the cause of your blessednesse, never think your outward mercies can be. The means to obtain this, is in the Text, by having no guile in the heart, that is, by not hiding our sins, but repenting of them, and confessing them to God: For this (saith David) every one shall pray unto thee in an acceptable time; for this, that is, for this remission, and because thou wast so ready to forgive, when I said, I will confesse my sin. Therefore shall every one seek to thee; where by the way, let none abuse that place, vers. 5. David said he would confesse, and God forgave it:
