A47542:835
A golden mine opened, or, The glory of God's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers, and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by the author, 1694
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.
Answ. How fain would some Men eclipse the Free Grace of God, and find something in the Creature to oblige God to give the Mercy promised.
1. I deny not but God will be sought unto for all the good Things promised to Believers; But who is it that puts it into our Hearts to seek him, or helps and influences our Spirits to pray unto him? We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the 1Spirit maketh intercession for us with Groanings that cannot be uttered.
2. Yet nevertheless, see what God saith of the People before mentioned; But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast 1been weary of me, O Israel, ver. 22. Thou hast not brought me the small Cattle of thy Burnt-offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy Sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an Offering, nor wearied thee with Incense, ver. 23. Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with Money, neither hast thou filled me with the Fat of thy Sacrifices; but thou hast made me to serve with thy Sins, and wearied me with thine Iniquities, ver. 24. See now what a People these were, they had not so much as done the least things commanded, had not brought the small Cattle for a Sacrifice, nor did they pray, nor seek the Face of God: Yet that God may magnify his Grace, see what he speaks in the next Words, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy Transgression for mine own sake, and will not remember thy Sins. Nothing you see, can take off God's Love from his Covenant-Children; nothing is done by our own Merits, or for the sake or worth of our Duty, but all wholly of his own Mercy and Goodness.
2. Yet nevertheless, see what God saith of the People before mentioned; But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast 1been weary of me, O Israel, ver. 22. Thou hast not brought me the small Cattel of thy Burnt-offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy Sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an Offering, nor wearied thee with Incense, ver. 23. Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with Money, neither hast thou filled me with the Fat of thy Sacrifices; but thou hast made me to serve with thy Sins, and wearied me with thine Iniquities, ver. 24. See now what a People these were, they had not so much as done the least things commanded, had not brought the small Cattel for a Sacrifice, nor did they pray, nor seek the Face of God: Yet that God may magnify his Grace, see what he speaks in the next Words, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy Transgression for mine own sake, and will not remember thy Sins. Nothing you see, can take off God's Love from his Covenant-Children; nothing is done by our own Merits, or for the sake or worth of our Duty, but all wholly of his own Mercy and Goodness.
Secondly, To make it further manifest that the Sins of Believers cannot separate them from the Love of God, is evident; because Jesus Christ hath fully satisfied his Justice for all their Sins, he hath paid all their Debts; Wrath and Divine Vengeance cannot hurt the Elect of God, in whose stead Christ died: Should their Sins work their Ruin, and destroy their Souls, it would follow that Christ made no perfect Compensation for them; if he hath, it would be injustice in God, should he let out his vindictive Wrath against them for their Sins: Surely he hath born our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows, &c. All we like Sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquities 1of us all.
Thirdly, Because they have an Advocate with the Father. Christ pleads the Merits of his own Blood, the Satisfaction he hath made for their Sins. My little Children, these things write I unto you that 1you sin not. O take heed you sin not; do not grieve your Father, offend your God; you know how hateful Sin is to him, as if he 2should so say: But if any Man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Saints should neither presume to sin, nor despair if overtaken thereby.
Fourthly, Because Christ prayed in the Days of his Flesh, that the Father would keep them that he had given him in the World from the Evil thereof, though not from every Evil. I dare not say 1that; because whatever Christ prayed for, it was granted; and yet we see the best of Saints do sin: But he prayed that they might not fall so, sin so, as to perish in their sin, or sin unto Death; therefore their Sins shall never damn them.
Fifthly, Their Sins cannot separate them so from the Love of God; as that he should cast them off for ever; because a broken Heart, and pardon of Sin, is contained in the Covenant of Grace: I will be merciful unto their Unrighteousness; and their Sins and Iniquities I will remember no more. Though they will be sick; 1none can live and sin not; yet they have a Physician that can and will heal them. The Covenant hath a healing Antidote in it for every spiritual Malady of the Soul of a poor dejected Believer: And because God hath promised to give Repentance to his Israel, Sin not being actually forgiven without Repentance, or before Repentance, therefore God will give Repentance to all his Children; he will look upon them as Christ looked upon Peter, and then they shall, and do weep as he did, bitterly. Nay, Brethren, Jesus Christ is exalted on high to this very End: Him hath God exalted with his 2right Hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give Repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of Sins: That is, to cover, to conquer and subdue all their Corruptions, and to supply their Wants, and to protect and defend them from all Enemies, and eternally to save their Souls: For which End he had his Name given him; And thou shalt call his Name Jesus, for he shall save his People from their 3Sins; from the Guilt of them, the Power of them, and the Punishment of them. Also therefore Sin cannot separate them from God's Love, and ruin their precious Souls.
Fifthly, Their Sins cannot separate them so from the Love of God; as that he should cast them off for ever; because a broken Heart, and pardon of Sin, is contained in the Covenant of Grace: I will be merciful unto their Vnrighteousness; and their Sins and Iniquities I will remember no more. Though they will be sick; 1none can live and sin not; yet they have a Physician that can and will heal them. The Covenant hath a healing Antidote in it for every spiritual Malady of the Soul of a poor dejected Believer: And because God hath promised to give Repentance to his Israel, Sin not being actually forgiven without Repentance, or before Repentance, therefore God will give Repentance to all his Children; he will look upon them as Christ look'd upon Peter, and then they shall, and do weep as he did, bitterly. Nay, Brethren, Jesus Christ is exalted on high to this very End: Him hath God exalted with his
Sixthly. No Sin can destroy the Soul, nor separate it from God, but such Sins only that have dominion, that rule and reign in Men and Women, such that the Sinner loves and allows in himself: Nay, all unrenewed Persons are Servants of Sin; but no Sin reigns in a true Believer, he loves no Sin, allows of no Sin, therefore cannot commit Sin: Sin shall not, cannot reign in them; for Sin shall 1not have Dominion over you; for you are not under the Law, but under Grace. Grace will prevent it, the Covenant of Grace, and the Influences of Grace, and the Promises of Grace. The Law commands, but gives no Power to obey; but Power to subdue Sin goes along with the Gospel: the Law is the Strength of Sin, but the Gospel is the Death of it.
Object. But for all this, good Men may be overcome, and backslide from God, and God may leave them and love them no more.
Answ. 1. I answer, They may be overcome for a Time, or worsted in the Conflict, but they shall not finally be overcome; though they fall, they shall rise again: And as it is said, A Troop 1shall overcome Gad, but Gad shall overcome at last; so it may be said of every Believer. Hence the Apostle says, We are more than Conquerors, through him that loveth us. Rejoice not over me, O mine Enemy; when I fall, I shall rise.
2. Though they backslide from God for a time, yet he will recover them again: I will heal their Back-slidings, and will love them freely. See here, that God's People by their Backslidings, do not 1lose his choice Love and Affections: No, no, he will love them still, and that freely too; and will not rest till he heals them of that Sickness, which is the worst they can relapse into.
3. The Elect are another sort, they are not of them that backslide so, that God's Soul takes no pleasure in them: But we are not of them who draw back unto Perdition, but of them that believe to the 1Salvation of the Soul. There are some that so draw back, after they have made a high Profession of the Gospel; but Christ's Sheep are not Sons of Perdition, but Sons of Faith, or true and sincere Believers, they cannot so sin, so apostatize: because the Seed remains in them, they cannot commit Sin; they cannot sin as others 2do, not so as to lose God's Love, or not sin unto Death; therefore cannot perish: They went out from us, but they were not of us; 3for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us, &c. They were not such that had real Union with Christ, the ⟨p. 191⟩true Anointing was not in them, they were not of Christ's Sheep, not sincere Believers, not Elect Ones. From hence let me draw this Argument;
Arg. 2. All those that sin, cannot separate from the Love of God in Christ, nor eternally destroy, nothing can, but they shall be certainly saved: but Sin cannot separate true Believers, or the Sheep of Christ, from the Love of God in Christ, nor eternally destroy them: therefore nothing can, but they shall certainly be saved.
Object. But doth not this give encouragement to Believers to sin, and so a Licentious Doctrine?
Answ. 1. The Apostle answers this very Objection, to anticipate such a sort of Men that were in his Days, which we meet with in these of ours: What shall we say then? shall we continue in Sin that 1Grace may abound? God forbid. He having largely, in the foregoing Chapters, proved the Doctrine I am upon, viz. That Salvation is alone by Christ, by the Free Grace of God in him, that our Justification is by the Righteousness of Christ imputed, and no other way: And that Everlasting Life is sure and certain to all the Seed, to all in Christ, or to all who do believe in him; and he shows, that where Sin abounded, Grace hath much more abounded: Particularly in the precedent Verse, he asserts, That as Sin hath 2reigned unto Death, even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. From hence he raises this Objection, to anticipate carnal and blind Mortals, who see no further, and answers it with, God forbid; how shall we that are dead to Sin, live any longer therein?
Answ. 1. The Apostle answers this very Objection, to anticipate such a sort of Men that were in his Days, which we meet with in these of ours: What shall we say then? shall we continue in Sin that 1Grace may abound? God forbid. He having largely, in the foregoing Chapters, proved the Doctrine I am upon, viz. That Salvation is alone by Christ, by the Free Grace of God in him, that our Justification is by the Righteousness of Christ imputed, and no other way: And that Everlasting Life is sure and certain to all the Seed, to all in Christ, or to all who do believe in him; and he shews, that where Sin abounded, Grace hath much more abounded: Particularly in the precedent Verse, he asserts, That as Sin hath 2reigned unto Death, even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. From hence he raises this Objection, to anticipate carnal and blind Mortals, who see no further, and answers it with, God forbid; how shall we that are dead to Sin, live any longer therein?
2. Let me tell you, that they who leave Sin, refrain from Sin, upon no higher, better, or more noble Principles, than the fear of Wrath, or eternal perishing, or only act from slavish Fear, have doubtless not one Dram of true Grace in them.
