The truly blessed man

3. Hence, if you live and die in your sins, this forgiveness will be none of yours. God can exalt his forgiving mercy on such as shall be everlasting monuments of it, though you perish; and he will do it on such as shall make a better improvement of it than you do: and though all sin may be forgiven now, yet there is a time coming, when there will be no forgiveness; and there is no readier a way for you to bring your selves into that dismal condition, than to offer such an affront to the Grace of God which is now tendered you. Remember, this Grace now waits upon you; but when once time ends with you, you shall hear of it no more; and if you die under the dominion of sin, you will certainly die under the guilt of it: and there is no readier way to provoke God to cut you off with a swift destruction, than thus to offer indignity to the proclamation of pardon, that he hath made unto you.

3. Hence, if you live and dy in your sins, this forgiveness will be none of yours. God can exalt his forgiving mercy on such as shall be everlasting monuments of it, though you perish; and he will do it on such as shall make a better improvement of it than you do: and though all sin may be forgiven now, yet there is a time coming, when there will be no forgiveness; and there is no readier a way for you to bring your selves into that dismal condition, than to offer such an affront to the Grace of God which is now tendred you. Remember, this Grace now waits upon you; but when once time ends with you, you shall hear of it no more; and if you dy under the dominion of sin, you will certainly dy under the guilt of it: and there is no readier way to provoke God to cut you off with a swift destruction, than thus to offer indignity to the proclamation of pardon, that he hath made unto you.

USE II. Let this serve to encourage drooping Souls, that are under despondency by reason of the greatness of their sins. When the Spirit of God comes in with his Convictions, and sets mens sins in order before them, to make them know their misery, and need of pardon: Satan usually sets in, and a misgiving heart entertains him, and now, he that made light of sin before, begins to fall into the other extreme, and looks upon it with those considerations that put him upon despairing of ever obtaining mercy. Every sin now looks formidably great, and all the aggravating circumstances come in, and he looks upon them through the magnifying glass of an accusing conscience, and tempting Devil; and now there is no hope for him; there never was such a Sinner as he; he hath committed such and such enormous sins, that there are none like them; he hath multiplied transgressions beyond count; he hath sinned against so much light, so many warnings, counsels, reproofs; he hath been a contemner of the means, a scorner of the offers of Grace; he hath sinned against uncountable mercies, that should have led him to repentance, against powerful convictions of Conscience, and many resolutions made to the contrary; he hath broken Covenant with God, and hath lived a long while in sin, and sent the Spirit away grieved many a time, so that now he hath sinned him quite away, and he will come no more: he hath sinned out his day of grace, and there now remains