Sermons preached

1. An Immunity from, or a Removal of the great Evil, and that is Sin.

(1.) The great Cause of Offence between God and us is taken out of the way, Isa. 59. 2. Your Iniquities have separated between you and your God, and have hidden his Face from you. Sin makes the Distance between you and God, that you cannot delight in God, nor God in you. You cannot delight in God, for your Hearts are alienated from him, You are become Enemies in your Mind by wicked Works. Where Sin reigns, Man is an Enemy to God; Partly, through Carnal Prepossession, there is something takes up his Heart, and diverts it from God. 1 John 2. 15. If any Man love the World, how dwelleth the Love of the Father in him? His Heart is taken up with another Love. And partly, through Carnal Liberty, we cannot enjoy our Lusts with that freedom and security by reason of the Restraints of his Law, that would curb us, and cut us short of our Desires; And partly, through Slavish Fear. We hate those whom we ⟨p. 51⟩fear. A condemning God can never be loved by a guilty Creature. We look upon him as one that will call us to an account for our Sins. Now all these Reasons concur to show us, that till Sin be taken away we cannot love nor delight in God, neither can God love us, and delight in us. God will not have Communion with us while we are in our Sins. Christ, when he came to bring us to God, he came not to make any Change in God, to make God less holy, but to make us holy and amiable in his sight. The reasonable Nature cannot digest this Conceit, that the holy God should take Sinners into his Bosom without any change. Would it become the Governor of the World to be indifferent to good and bad, the holy God to be a Friend to Sinners? The new Nature in us showeth the contrary, for that causes an abomination and abhorrence both of Impurity and the Impure. As Lot's righteous Soul was vexed with the Sodomites. And we are told, (