Thirdly, Be not d scouraged though your sins are great when you come to a•k the pardon of them. As the greatness of sin puts a very great damp upon the spirit of man in asking pardon, so the greatness of God should take off that damp. My thoughts are not your thoughts (saith the Lord Isa. 55.7, 8, 9.) in this matter. There is nothing wherein God doth more exceed man than in pardoning sin (Mic. 7.18.) If sin be great, the mercy of God is great too, infinitely greater than the sin of man; if sin be great, remember we have a great high Priest (Heb. 4.14.) not only a Priest, but a high Priest, and a great high Priest; therefore fear not to ask the pardon, even of the greatest sin, in his name and for his sake. And this is true it we respect either national or personal sins; it may encourage us in asking pardon for nations, how great soever their sins are. Moses, when the People had greatly sinned against God, had recourse to this (Numb. 14.18, 19.) The Lord is of great mercy; pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. Do thus also with respect to personal sins. David made the greatness of his personal sin an argument to go to God for mercy (Psal. 25.11.) Pardon my sin, O Lord, for it is great. He was so far from being disheartened by the greatness of his sin, to a•k the pardon of it, that (according to our reading) he had great hope of pardon, as well as s•w he had great need of pardon; and all because he knew God was great in mercy. Or, if we read that text thus, Pardon my sin, O Lord, though it be great, the sense is much the same; for as the former makes the greatness of his sin a reason provoking him to hasten unto God for pardon (as great diseases hasten us in seeking remedies) so the latter shows that the greatness of sin is no stop to the mercy and free grace of God in Christ, for the pardon of it. Christ in that Parable (Mat. 18.24.) gives instance of the greatest debt; he tells us of one that owed his Lord ten thousand talents, a vast sum, a very vast sum; a talent being, according to the lowest computation, three hundred pounds of money; ⟨p. 373⟩ten thousand times three hundred pounds is a huge sum; so that here was a great debt, now (saith the text) When the debtor had nothing to pay, he came to his Lord, or Creditor, and he forgave him all.
Thirdly, Be not d scouraged though your sins are great when you come to a•k the pardon of them. As the greatness of sin puts a very great damp upon the spirit of man in asking pardon, so the greatness of God should take off that damp. My thoughts are not your thoughts (saith the Lord Isa. 55.7, 8, 9.) in this matter. There is nothing wherein God doth more exceed man than in pardoning sin (Mic. 7.18.) If sin be great, the mercy of God is great too, infinitely greater than the sin of man; if sin be great, remember we have a great high Priest (Heb. 4.14.) not only a Priest, but a high Priest, and a great high Priest; therefore fear not to ask the pardon, even of the greatest sin, in his name and for his sake. And this is true it we respect either national or personall sins; it may encourage us in asking pardon for nations, how great soever their sins are. Moses, when the People had greatly sinned against God, had recourse to this (Numb. 14.18, 19.) The Lord is of great mercy; pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. Do thus also with respect to personal sins. David made the greatness of his personal sin an argument to go to God for mercy (Psal. 25.11.) Pardon my sin, O Lord, for it is great. He was so far from being disheartened by the greatness of his sin, to a•k the pardon of it, that (according to our reading) he had great hope of pardon, as well as s•w he had great need of pardon; and all because he knew God was great in mercy. Or, if we read that text thus, Pardon my sin, O Lord, though it be great, the sense is much the same; for as the former makes the greatness of his sin a reason provoking him to hasten unto God for pardon (as great diseases hasten us in seeking remedies) so the latter shews that the greatness of sin is no stop to the mercy and free grace of God in Christ, for the pardon of it. Christ in that Parable (Mat. 18.24.) gives instance of the greatest debt; he tells us of one that owed his Lord ten thousand talents, a vast sum, a very vast sum; a talent being, according to the lowest computation, three hundred pounds of money; ⟨p. 373⟩
