A30582:198
Gospel remission, or, A treatise showing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin…Gospel remission, or, A treatise shewing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin…
Gospel remission, or, A treatise showing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin wherein is discovered the many Gospel mysteries therein contained, the glorious effects proceeding from it, the great mistakes made about it, the true signs and symptoms of it, the way and means to obtain it / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being several sermons preached immediately after those of The evil of sin by the same author, and now published by Philip Nye ... [et al.]Gospel remission, or, A treatise shewing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin wherein is discovered the many Gospel mysteries therein contained, the glorious effects proceeding from it, the great mistakes made about it, the true signs and symptomes of it, the way and means to obtain it / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being several sermons preached immediately after those of The evil of sin by the same author, and now published by Philip Nye ... [et al.]
London: printed for Dor. Newman, 1668
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
O the anguish of spirit it hath cost them! and dost thou still go on to heap up more and more sin, as if the pardon of thy sin was nothing? there is a great deal of reason in this, to cry to sinners to stop in the course of sin; for thou hast gone on enough already, go no further, that's a second abuse of the mercy of God in pardoning sin.
Thirdly, They abuse the mercy of God that have extreme slight thoughts of pardon of sin, that think to have it at any time, when they will, 'tis but repenting; as it was said of Lewis the xith, King of France, That he wore a Crucifix in his Hat, and when he had committed a sin, it was but taking it down and kissing of it, and all was well again, so many Idolatrous Papists, they have as slight thoughts of pardon of sin as can be, if they commit a sin, they make no more of it, but go to a Priest to shrive them, or kneel before a Crucifix and knock their breast, which is a thing soon done, and all's well again; certainly 'tis a great dishonour to God, for any man to have slight thoughts of the pardon of sin: It is such a work as if ever any thing put God to it (as I may say) to pardon sin, and yet to salve his Justice, it was this work; and certainly, if ever God have love to thee, thou wilt change thy thoughts about this; and certainly, the slight thoughts men have about this, is the cause many times why they are held so long under the spirit of bondage; when God begins to work ⟨p. 88⟩upon them, and stirs the Conscience, and lays the guilt of sin home upon it: how long are they before they can have any assurance of pardon? and in just judgment it is so, because they had slight thoughts before of the pardon of sin. I remember it is storied of Pompey, when one of his Captains came to him, and told him he wanted men; says he, I can but stamp my foot upon the ground and bring forth so many men presently; but when the Enemy came, this Captain came to him again, and said, where's your men now; but then he could not get them when he was in distress and had great need of them; as many think they can do great things with a word speaking, as if all must be at their beck presently, but when they come to it, they fail and find it otherwise; so many make it a small matter to get pardon of sin, they think to do it with a Lord have mercy upon us, at their death-bed, or the like; but when they come to it indeed, God makes them to know, It is the greatest business that ever they had to do in, in all their lives; there is nothing that God is so jealous of as his honour, and specially about this great work, and certainly, were it not that God is very jealous of his honour, and would cure the slight thoughts that men have of this great work;