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…

Sixthly, They that are quiet upon weak and slight Evidences dishonour God; certainly they have not those high thoughts of the mercy of God in pardoning sin, that content themselves with poor Evidences about it as most do; come to many people, and ask them, What? you hope that God will pardon your sins; yes we do hope, but upon the poorest Evidences imaginable: those Evidences they lay the weight of the pardon of their sins upon, are such broken reeds that it would make a man amazed, that understands what the worth of a poor soul is, that they should venture so great a thing on so slight a reed; What is the reason? because they have but slight thoughts of the forgiveness of sin: that, that a man puts a high valuation of, he will make sure; but that which he slights, he is not so intense in; as to instance, if one give you in payment Silver, Gold, and Farthings, you take the Farthings and do not tell them, but you tell the Silver, and the Gold you not only tell it, but weigh it too; What is the reason? because you little esteem of the Brass, and so will not tell it, you more esteem the Silver, and therefore tell that; but the Gold you not only tell but weigh it, because you have a greater esteem of that than the other; this is an argument, may convince the men of the world, that their esteem of earthly things is more than of Heaven and their souls; because they labour to make earthly things more sure than the things of heaven; a worldly man to make sure his Estate will have Bond upon Bond, and Seal upon Seal, and carry his Evidences to Counsellors, and say, I beseech you Sirs, see whether there be not some flaw in them, I shall lose all my money if there be but a crack in my Evidences; he is mighty careful of this, because he hath such a high esteem of his worldly concerns: But how does it appear that men have but poor low thoughts ⟨p. 97⟩about the pardon of their sins, because they content themselves with such poor mean Evidences; for had they a high esteem of it, they would labour to make pardon of sin surer than any thing in the world. To wind up all, those that know what pardon of sin is; how do they spend their time, and lay out themselves to get assurance?

Sixthly, They that are quiet upon weak and slight Evidences dishonour God; certainly they have not those high thoughts of the mercy of God in pardoning sin, that content themselves with poor Evidences about it as most do; come to many people, and ask them, What? you hope that God will pardon your sins; yes we do hope, but upon the poorest Evidences imaginable: those Evidences they lay the waight of the pardon of their sins upon, are such broken reeds that it would make a man amazed, that understands what the worth of a poor soul is, that they should venture so great a thing on so slight a reed; What is the reason? because they have but slight thoughts of the forgiveness of sin: that, that a man puts a high valuation of, he will make sure; but that which he slights, he is not so intense in; as to instance, if one give you in payment Silver, Gold, and Farthings, you take the Farthings and do not tell them, but you tell the Silver, and the Gold you not only tell it, but weigh it too; What is the reason? because you little esteem of the Brass, and so will not tell it, you more esteem the Silver, and therefore tell that; but the Gold you not only tell but weigh it, because you have a greater esteem of that than the other; this is an argument, may convince the men of the world, that their esteem of earthly things is more than of Heaven and their souls; because they labour to make earthly things more sure than the things of heaven; a worldly man to make sure his Estate will have Bond upon Bond, and Seal upon Seal, and carry his Evidences to Counsellors, and say, I beseech you Sirs, see whether there be not some flaw in them, I shall lose all my money if there be but a crack in my Evidences; he is mighty careful of this, because he hath such a high esteem of his worldly concerns: But how does it appear that men have but poor low thoughts