CASES AND DIRECTIONS ABOUT OUR OBTAINING PARDON FROM GOD.
_Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Obtaining Pardon of Sin from
God._
_Quest._ I. Is there pardon to be had for all sin without
exception, or not?
_Answ._ 1. There is no pardon procured or offered, for the final
non-performance of the conditions of pardon; that is, for final
impenitency, unbelief, and ungodliness. 2. There is no pardon for any
sin, without the conditions of pardon, that is, without true faith and
repentance, which is our conversion from sin to God. 3. And if there
be any sin which certainly excludeth true repentance to the last, it
excludeth pardon also; which is commonly taken to be the case of
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; of which I have written at large in
my "Treatise against Infidelity."
But, 1. All sin, except the final non-performance of the conditions of
pardon, is already conditionally pardoned in the gospel; that is, if
the sinner will repent and believe. No sin is excepted from pardon to
penitent believers.
2. And all sin is actually pardoned to a true penitent believer.
_Quest._ II. What if a man do frequently commit the same heinous
sin; may he be pardoned?
_Answ._ Whilst he frequently committeth it (being a mortal sin)
he doth not truly repent of it; and whilst he is impenitent he is
unpardoned: but if he be truly penitent, his heart being habitually
and actually turned from the sin, it will be forgiven him; but not
till he thus forsake it.
_Quest._ III. Is the day of grace and pardon ever past in this
life?
_Answ._ The day of grace and pardon to the penitent is never past
in this life;[175] there is no day or hour in which a true penitent
person is not pardoned; or in which the impenitent is not
conditionally pardoned, that is, if he will truly repent and believe
in Christ: and as for the day of true penitence, it is not past to the
impenitent; for it never yet came, that is, they never truly repented.
But there is a time, with some provoking, forsaken sinners, when God
who was wont to call them to repentance by outward preaching and
inward motions, will call and move them so no more, but leave them
more quietly in the blindness and hardness of their hearts.
_Quest._ IV. May we be certain of pardon of sin in this life?
_Answ._ Yes, every man that understandeth the covenant of grace,
may be certain of pardon, so far as he is certain of the sincerity of
his faith and repentance, and no further; and if a man could not be
sure of that, the consolatory promises of pardon would be in a sort in
vain; and we could not tell how to believe and repent, if we cannot
tell when we truly do it.
_Quest._ V. Can any man pardon sins against God? and how far?
_Answ._ Pardon is the remitting of a punishment. So far as man is
to punish sinners against God, so far they may pardon, that is, remit
that punishment. (Whether they do well in so doing, is another
question.) Magistrates are to execute corporal penalties upon
subjects for many sins against God, and they may pardon accordingly.
The pastors of the church, who are its guides as to public church
communion, may remove offenders from the said communion, and they may
absolve them when they are penitent, and they may (rightfully or
wrongfully) remit the penalty which they may inflict. 2. The pastors
of the church may, as God's officers, declare the conditional general
pardon, which is contained in the covenant of grace; and that with
particular application to the sinner, for the comforting of his mind:
q. d. Having examined your repentance, I declare to you as the
minister of Christ, that if it be as you express it, without
dissembling or mistake, your repentance is sincere, and your sin is
pardoned. 3. On the same terms a pastor may as the minister or
messenger of Christ, deliver this same conditional pardon contained in
the covenant of grace, as sealed by the sacraments of baptism and the
Lord's supper; which is an act of investiture: q. d. I do as the
minister of Christ, hereby seal and deliver to you in his name, the
pardon of all your sins through his blood; supposing your professed
faith and repentance be sincere; otherwise it is void and of no such
effect. But this is, 1. But a conditional pardon, though with
particular application. 2. And it is but a ministerial act of delivery
or investiture, and not the act of the donor by himself; nor the gift
of the first title: so that it is no whit proper to say, that the
minister pardoneth you; but that the minister bringeth and delivereth
you the pardon, and sealeth it in his Master's name; or that Christ
doth pardon you, and send it you by his minister. As it is utterly
improper to say, that the king's messenger pardoneth a traitor,
because he bringeth him a pardon from the king. And though (if we
agree of this sense) the controversy remaining will be but _de
nomine_, yet it is not of small moment, when abused words do tend to
abuse the people's understandings: he that saith, I forgive your sins,
doth teach the people to take him for a god, whatever he meaneth in
himself; and blasphemous words will not be sufficiently excused, by
saying that you have not a blaspheming sense. So that a pastor may, 1.
Declare Christ's pardon. 2. And seal and deliver it conditionally in
Christ's name. But he cannot pardon the internal punishments in this
life, nor the eternal punishments of the next. 3. But the punishments
of excommunication he may pardon, who must execute them.
_Quest._ VI. Doth God forgive sin before it be committed (or
justify the sinner from it)?
_Answ._ No, no: for it is a contradiction to forgive that which
is not, or to remit a penalty which is not due; but he will indeed
justify the person, not by Christ's righteousness, but by his own
innocency _in tantum_, so far as he is no sinner. He that hath
not committed a sin, needeth no pardon of it, nor any righteousness
but his innocency, to justify him against the false accusation of
doing that which he never did. God doth prepare the sacrifice and
remedy before upon the foresight of the sin: and he hath made a
universal act of pardon beforehand, which shall become an actual
pardon to him who penitently accepteth it; and he is purposed in
himself to pardon all whom he will pardon; so that he hath the
decretive _nolle punire_ before. But none of this is proper
pardon, or the justification of a sinner, in the gospel sense, as
shall be further showed.
_Quest._ VII. Is an elect person pardoned and justified, before
faith and repentance?
_Answ._ (Laying aside the case of infants, which dependeth on the
faith of others) the former answer will serve for this question.
_Quest._ VIII. Is pardon or justification perfect before death?
_Answ._ 1. _De re_: 1. The pardon which you have this year
extendeth not to the sins which you commit the next year, or hour; but
there must be a renewed act of pardon for renewed sins; though not a
new gospel, or covenant, or act of oblivion to do it; but the same
gospel covenant doth morally perform a new act of pardon, according to
the Redeemer's mind and will. 2. The pardon which we have now, is but
constitutive and _in jure_, and but virtual as to sentential
justification; but the sentence of the judge is a more perfective act:
or if any think that God doth now sentence us just before the angels
in any celestial court, yet that at judgment will be a more full
perfective act. 3. The executive pardon which we have now, which is
opposite to actual punishing, is not perfect till the day of judgment;
because all the punishment is not removed till the last enemy, death,
be overcome, and the body be raised from the earth. 2. And now the
controversy _de nomine_, whether it be proper to call our present
justification or pardon perfect, is easily decided from what is said
_de re_.
_Quest._ IX. Is our pardon perfect as to all the sins that are
past?
_Answ._ 1. As to the number of sins pardoned, it is; for all are
pardoned. 2. As to the species of the act, and the plenary effect, it
is not. For, 1. All the punishment is not removed. 2. The final
absolving sentence is to come. 3. The pardon which we have is, as to
its continuance, but conditional; and the tenor of the covenant would
cease the pardon even of all sins past, if the sinner's faith and
repentance should cease; I speak not _de eventu_, whether ever
any do fall away, but of the tenor of the covenant; which may prevent
falling away. Now a pardon which hath much yet to be done, as the
condition of its continuance, is not so perfect, as it will be when
all those things are performed.
_Quest._ X. May pardon or justification be reversed or lost?
_Answ._ Whether God will eventually permit his true servants, to
fall so far as to be unjustified, is a controversy which I have
written of in a fitter place. 2. But _quoad robur peccatoris_, it
is, alas, too easy to fall away, and be unjustified. 3. And as to the
tenor of the covenant, it continueth the promise and threatening
conditionally, and supposing the sinner defectible, doth threaten
damnation to them that are now justified, if they should not
persevere, but apostatize, Col. i. 33; Rom. xi. 22; John xv. 9.
_Quest._ XI. Is the pardon of my own sins to be believed _fide
divina_? And is it the meaning of that article of the creed, I
believe the pardon of my sins?
_Answ._ 1. I am to believe _fide divina_, that Christ hath
purchased and enacted a conditional pardon, which is universal, and
therefore extendeth to my sins as well as to other men's; and that he
commandeth his ministers to offer me this, and therein to offer me the
actual pardon of all my sins, to be mine if I truly repent and
believe: and that if I do so, my sins are actually pardoned. And I am
obliged accordingly to believe in Christ, and take him for my Saviour,
for the pardon of my sins. But this is all the meaning of the creed,
and Scripture, and all that is of divine belief. 2. But that I am
actually pardoned, is not of divine faith, but only on supposition
that I first believe; which Scripture telleth not, whether I do or
not. In strict sense, I must first believe in Christ for pardon: and
next, in a larger sense, I must believe that I am pardoned; that is,
I must so conclude by an act of reason, one of the premises being _de
fide_, and the other of internal self-knowledge.
_Quest._ XII. May a man trust in his own faith or repentance for
his pardon and justification, in any kind?
_Answ._ Words must be used with respect to the understanding of
the hearers; and perilous expressions must be avoided lest they
deceive men. But _de re_, 1. You must not trust to your faith or
repentance, to do that which is proper to God, or to Christ, or to the
gospel, or for any more than their own part, which Christ hath
assigned them. 2. You must trust to your faith and repentance for that
which is truly their own part. And should you not trust them at all,
you must needs despair, or trust presumptuously to you know not what:
for Christ will not be instead of faith or repentance to you.
_Quest._ XIII. What are the several causes and conditions of
pardon?
_Answ._ 1. God the Father is the principal efficient, giving us
Christ, and pardon with and through him. 2. Christ's person by his
sacrifice and merits is the meritorious cause. 3. The gospel covenant
or promise is the instrumental cause, or God's pardoning act or grant.
4. Repentance is the condition _sine qua non_, directly _gratia
finis_, in respect to God, to whom we must turn. 5. Faith in Christ
is the condition _sine qua non_, directly _gratia medii
principalis_, in respect to the Mediator, who is thereby received.
6. The Holy Ghost worketh us to these conditions.
_Tit. 2. Directions for Obtaining Pardon from God._
_Direct._ I. Understand well the office of Jesus Christ as our
Redeemer, and what it is that he hath done for sinners, and what he
undertaketh further to do. For if you know not Christ's office and
undertaking, you will either be ignorant of your true remedy, or will
deceive yourselves by a presumptuous trust, that he will do that which
is contrary to his office and will.
_Direct._ II. Understand well the tenor of the covenant of grace;
for there it is that you must know what Christ will give, and to whom,
and on what terms.
_Direct._ III. Understand well the nature of true faith and
repentance; or else you can neither tell how to obtain pardon, nor to
judge of it.
_Direct._ IV. Absolutely give up yourselves to Christ, in all the
offices of a Mediator, Priest, Prophet, and King. And think not to be
justified by one act or part of christianity, by alone believing in
Christ as a sacrifice for sin. To be a true believer and to be a true
christian is all one; and is the faith in Christ which is the
condition of justification and salvation. Study the baptismal
covenant; for the believing in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
there meant, is the true faith, which is the condition of our pardon.
_Direct._ V. Be sure that your repentance contain in it a desire
to be perfectly holy and free from all sin, and a resolution against
all known and wilful sinning, and particularly that you would not
commit the same sins if you had again the same temptations (supposing
that we speak not of such infirmities as good men live in; which yet
you must heartily desire to forsake).
_Direct._ VI. Pray earnestly and believingly for pardon through
Christ; even for the continuance of your former pardon, and for
renewed pardon for renewed sins; for prayer is God's appointed means,
and included in faith and repentance, which are the summary
conditions.
_Direct._ VII. Set all right between you and your neighbours, by
forgiving others, and being reconciled to them, and confessing your
injuries against them, and making them restitution and satisfaction;
for this also is included in your repentance, and expressly made the
condition of your pardon.
_Direct._ VIII. Despise not the sacramental delivery of pardon,
by the ministers of Christ; for this belongeth to the full investiture
and possession of the benefit: nor yet the spiritual consolation of a
skilful, faithful pastor, nor public absolution upon public
repentance, if you should fall under the need of such a remedy.
_Direct._ IX. Sin no more. I mean, resolvedly break off all that
wilful sin of which you do repent: for repentings, and purposes, and
promises of a new and holy life, which are uneffectual, will never
prove the pardon of your sins; but show your repentance to be
deceitful.
_Direct._ X. Set yourselves faithfully to the use of all those
holy means, which God hath appointed for the overcoming of your sins;
and to that life of holiness, righteousness, love, and sobriety, which
is contrary to them. Otherwise your repentance is fraudulent and
insufficient: these means, and no less than all these, must be used by
him, that will make sure of the pardon of his sins from God: and he
that thinketh all these too much, must look for pardon some other way,
than from the mercy of God, or the grace of Christ; for God's pardon
is not to be had upon any other terms, than those of God's
appointment. He that will make new conditions of his own, must pardon
himself if he can, on those conditions; for God will not be tied to
the laws of sinners.
[175] Some speak too ignorantly and dangerously about the day of grace
being past in this life.