|
Pardon for the Greatest Sinners
by Jonathan Edwards
Psalm 25:11, "For thy
name's sale, O Lord, pardon my iniquity; for it is great."
IT is evident by some passages in this psalm, that when it was penned,
it was a time of affliction and danger with David. This appears
particularly by the 15th and following verses: "Mine eyes are ever
towards the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net," etc. His
distress makes him think of his sins, and leads him to confess them, and
to cry to God for pardon, as is suitable in a time of affliction. See
ver. 7. "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;" and
verse 18. "Look upon mine affliction, and my pain, and forgive all my
sins."
It is observable in the text, what arguments the psalmist makes use of
in pleading for pardon.
1. He pleads for pardon for God's name's sake. He has no expectation of
pardon for the sake of any righteousness or worthiness of his for any
good deeds he had done, or any compensation he had made for his sins;
though if man's righteousness could be a just plea, David would have had
as much to plead as most. But he begs that God would do it for his own
name's sake, for his own glory, for the glory of his own free grace, and
for the honour of his own covenant-faithfulness.
2. The psalmist pleads the greatness of his sins as an argument for
mercy. He not only cloth not plead his own righteousness, or the
smallness of his sins; he not only cloth not say, Pardon mine iniquity,
for I have done much good to counterbalance it; or, Pardon mine
iniquity, for it is small, and thou hast no great reason to be angry
with me; mine iniquity is not so great, that thou hast any just cause to
remember it against me; mine offence is not such but that thou mayest
well enough overlook i': but on the contrary he says, Pardon mine
iniquity, for it is great; he pleads the greatness of his sin, and not
the smallness of it; the enforces his prayer with this consideration,
that his sins are very heinous.
But how could he make this a plea for pardon? I answer, Because the
greater his iniquity was, the more need he had of pardon. It is as much
as if he had said, Pardon mine iniquity, for it is so great that I
cannot bear the punishment; my sin is so great that I am in necessity of
pardon; my case will be exceedingly miserable, unless thou be pleased to
pardon me. He makes use of the greatness of his sin, to enforce his plea
for pardon, as a man would make use of the greatness of calamity in
begging for relief. When a beggar begs for bread, he will plead the
greatness of his poverty and necessity. When a man in distress cries for
pity, what more suitable plea can be urged than the extremity of his
case?—And God allows such a plea as this: for he is moved to mercy
towards us by nothing in us but the miserableness of our case. He cloth
not pity sinners because they are worthy, but because they need his
pity.
DOCTRINE
If we truly come to God for mercy, the greatness of our sin will be no
impediment to pardon.—If it were an impediment, David would never have
used it as a plea for pardon, as we find he does in the text.—The
following things are needful in order that we truly come to God for
mercy:
I. That we should see our misery, and be sensible of our need of mercy.
They who are not sensible of their misery cannot truly look to God for
mercy; for it is the very notion of divine mercy, that it is the
goodness and grace of God to the miserable. Without misery in the
object, there can be no exercise of mercy. To suppose mercy without
supposing misery, or pity without calamity, is a contradiction:
therefore men cannot look upon themselves as proper objects of mercy,
unless they first know themselves to be miserable; and so, unless this
be the case, it is impossible that they should come to God for mercy.
They must be sensible that they are the children of wrath; that the law
is against them, and that they are exposed to the curse of it: that the
wrath of God abideth on them; and that he is angry' with them every day
while they are under the guilt of sin.—They must be sensible that it is
a very dreadful thing to be the object of the wrath of God; that it is a
very awful thing to have him for their enemy; and that they cannot bear
his wrath. They must he sensible that the guilt of sin makes them
miserable creatures, whatever temporal enjoyments they have; that they
can be no other than miserable, undone creatures, so long as God is
angry with them; that they are without strength, and must perish, and
that eternally, unless God help them. They must see that their case is
utterly desperate, for any thing that any one else can do for them; that
they hang over the pit of eternal misery; and that they must necessarily
drop into it, if God have not mercy on them.
II. They must be sensible that they are not worthy that God should have
mercy on them. They who truly come to God for mercy, come as beggars,
and not as creditors: they come for mere mercy. for sovereign grace, and
not for any thing that is due. Therefore, they must see that the misery
under which they lie is justly brought upon them, and that the wrath to
which they are exposed is justly threatened against them; and that they
have deserved that God should be their enemy, and should continue to be
their enemy. They must be sensible that it would be just with God to do
as he hath threatened in his holy law, viz. make them the objects of his
wrath and curse in hell to all eternity.— They who come to God for mercy
in a right manner are not disposed to find fault with his severity; but
they come in a sense of their own utter unworthiness, as with ropes
about their necks, and lying in the dust at the foot of mercy.
III. They must come to God for mercy in and through Jesus Christ alone.
All their hope of mercy must be from the consideration of what he is,
what he hath done, and what he hath suffered; and that there is no other
name given under heaven, among men, whereby we can be saved, but that of
Christ; that he is the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world; that
his blood cleanses from all sin, and that he is so worthy, that all
sinners who are in him may well be pardoned and accepted.—It is
impossible that any should come to God for mercy, and at the same time
have no hope of mercy. Their coming to God for it, implies that they
have some hope of obtaining, otherwise they would not think it worth the
while to come. But they that come in a right manner have all their hope
through Christ, or from the consideration of his redemption, and the
sufficiency of it.—If persons thus come to God for mercy, the greatness
of their sins will be no impediment to pardon. Let their sins be ever so
many, and great, and aggravated, it will not make God in the least
degree more backward to pardon them. This may be made evident by the
following considerations:
1. The mercy of God is as sufficient for the pardon of the greatest
sins, as for the least; and that because his mercy is infinite. That
which is infinite, is as much above what is great, as it is above what
is small. Thus God being infinitely great, he is as much above kings as
he is above beggars; he is as much above the highest angel, as he is
above the meanest worm. One finite measure cloth not come any nearer to
the extent of what is infinite than another.—So the mercy of God being
infinite, it must be as sufficient for the pardon of all sin, as of one.
If one of the least sins be not beyond the mercy of God, so neither are
the greatest, or ten thousand of them.—However, it must be acknowledged,
that this alone cloth not prove the doctrine. For though the mercy of
God may be as sufficient for the pardon of great sins as others; yet
there may be other obstacles, besides the want of mercy. The mercy of
God may be sufficient, and yet the other attributes may oppose the
dispensation of mercy in these cases.— Therefore I observe,
2. That the satisfaction of Christ is as sufficient for the removal of
the greatest guilt, as the least: 1 John i. 7. " The blood of Christ
cleanseth from all sin." Acts xiii. 39. " By him all that believe are
justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the
law of Moses." All the sins of those who truly come to God for mercy,
let them be what they will, are satisfied for, if God be true who tells
us so; and if they be satisfied for, surely it is not incredible, that
God should be ready to pardon them. So that Christ having fully
satisfied for all sin, or having wrought out a satisfaction that is
sufficient for all, it is now no way inconsistent with the glory of the
divine attributes to pardon the greatest sins of those who in a right
manner come unto him for it. God may now pardon the greatest sinners
without any prejudice to the honour of his holiness. The holiness of God
will not suffer him to give the least countenance to sin, but inclines
him to give proper testimonies of his hatred of it. But Christ having
satisfied for sin, God can now love the sinner, and give no countenance
at all to sin, however great a sinner he may have been. It was a
sufficient testimony of God's abhorrence of sin, that he poured out his
wrath on his own dear Son, when he took the guilt of it upon himself.
Nothing can more show God's abhorrence of sin than this. If all mankind
had been eternally damned, it would not have been so great a testimony
of it.
God may, through Christ, pardon the greatest sinner without any
prejudice to the honour of his majesty. The honour of the divine majesty
indeed requires satisfaction; but the sufferings of Christ fully repair
the injury. Let the contempt be ever so great, yet if so honourable a
person as Christ undertakes to be a Mediator for the offender, and
suffers so much for him, it fully repairs the injury done to the Majesty
of heaven and earth. The sufferings of Christ fully satisfy justice. The
justice of God, as the supreme Govemor and Judge of the world, requires
the punishment of sin. The supreme Judge must judge the world according
to a rule of justice. God cloth not show mercy as a judge, but as a
sovereign; therefore his exercise of mercy as a sovereign, and his
justice as a judge, must be made consistent one with another; and this
is done by the sufferings of Christ, in which sin is punished fully, and
justice answered. Rom. iii. 25, 26. " Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
to declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness; that he might be
just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."—The law is no
impediment in the way of the pardon of the greatest sin, if men do but
truly come to God for mercy: for Christ hath fulfilled the law, he hath
borne the curse of it, in his sufferings; Gal. iii. 13. " Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
3. Christ will no! refuse to save the greatest sinners, who in a right
manner come to God for mercy; for this is his work. It is his business
to be a Saviour of sinners; it is the work upon which he came into the
world; and therefore he will not object to it. He did not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance, Matt. ix. 13. Sin is the very
evil which he came into the world to remedy: therefore he will not
object to any man that he is very sinful. The more sinful he is, the
more need of Christ.—The sinfulness of man was the reason of Christ's
coming into the world; this is the very misery from which he came to
deliver men. The more they have of it, the more need they have of being
delivered; " They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are
sick," Matt. ix. 12. The physician will not make it an objection against
healing a man who applies to him, that he stands in great need of his
help. If a physician of compassion comes among the sick and wounded,
surely he will not refuse to heal those that stand in most need of
healing, if he be able to heal them.
4. Herein cloth the glory of grace by the redemption of Christ much
consist, viz. in its sufficiency for the pardon of the greatest sinners.
The whole contrivance of the way of salvation is for this end, to
glorify the free grace of God. God had it on his heart from all eternity
to glorify this attribute; and therefore it is, that the device of
saving sinners by Christ was conceived. The greatness of divine grace
appears very much in this, that God by Christ saves the greatest
offenders. The greater the guilt of any sinner is, the more glorious and
wonderful is the grace manifested in his pardon: Rom. v. 20. " Where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound." The apostle, when telling how
great a sinner he had been, takes notice of the abounding of grace in
his pardon, of which his great guilt was the occasion: 1 Tim. i. 13. "
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious. But I
obtained mercy; and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with
faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." The Redeemer is glorified, in
that he proves sufficient to redeem those who are exceeding sinful, in
that his blood proves sufficient to wash away the greatest guilt, in
that he is able to save men to the uttermost, and in that he redeems
even from the greatest misery. It is the honour of Christ to save the
greatest sinners, when they come to him, as it is the honour of a
physician that he cures the most desperate diseases or wounds.
Therefore, no doubt, Christ will be willing to save the greatest
sinners, if they come to him; for he will not be backward to glorify
himself, and to commend the value and virtue of his own blood. Seeing he
hath so laid out himself to redeem sinners, he will not be unwilling to
show, that he is able to redeem to the uttermost.
5. Pardon is as much offered and promised to the greatest sinners as
any, if they will come aright to God for mercy. The invitations of the
gospel are always in universal terms: as, Ho, every one that thirsteth;
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden; and, Whosoever
will, let him come. And the voice of Wisdom is to men in general: Prov.
viii. 4. " Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men."
Not to moral men, or religious men, but to you, O men. So Christ
promises, John vi. 37. " Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast
out." This is the direction of Christ to his apostles, after his
resurrection, Mark xvi. 15, 16. " Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature: he that believeth, and is baptized, shall
be saved." Which is agreeable to what the apostle saith, that "the
gospel was preached to every creature which is under heaven," Col. i.
23.
APPLICATION
The proper use of this subject is, to encourage sinners whose
consciences are burdened with a sense of guilt, immediately to go to God
through Christ for mercy. If you go in the manner we have described, the
arms of mercy are open to embrace you. You need not be at all the more
fearful of coming because of your sins, let them be ever so black. If
you had as much guilt lying on each of your souls as all the wicked men
in the world, and all the damned souls in hell; yet if you come to God
for mercy, sensible of your own vileness, and seeking pardon only
through the free mercy of God in Christ, you would not need to be
afraid; the greatness of your sins would be no impediment to your
pardon. Therefore, if your souls be burdened, and you are distressed for
fear of hell, you need not bear that burden and distress any longer. If
you are but willing, you may freely come and unload yourselves, and cast
all your burdens on Christ, and rest in him.
But here I shall speak to some OBJECTIONS which some awakened sinners
may be ready to make against what I now exhort them to.
I. Some may be ready to object, I have spent my youth and all the best
of my life in sin, and I am afraid God will not accept of me, when I
offer him only mine old age.—To this I would answer, 1. Hath God said
any where, that he will not accept of old sinners who come to him? God
hath often made offers and promises in universal terms; and is there any
such exception put in? Doth Christ say, All that thirst, let them come
to me and drink, except old sinners? Come to me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, except old sinners, and I will give you rest? Him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out, if he be not an old sinner?
Did you ever read any such exception any where in the Bible? and why
should you give way to exceptions which you make out of your own heads,
or rather which the devil puts into your heads, and which have no
foundation in the word of God?—Indeed it is more rare that old sinners
are willing to come, than others; but if they do come, they are as
readily accepted as any whatever.
2. When God accepts of young persons, it is not for the sake of the
service which they are like to do him afterwards, or because youth is
better worth accepting than old age. You seem entirely to mistake the
matter, in thinking that God will not accept of you because you are old;
as though he readily accepted of persons in their youth, because their
youth is better worth his acceptance; whereas it is only for the sake of
Jesus Christ, that God is willing to accept of any.
You say, your life is almost spent, and you are afraid that the best
time for serving God is past; and that therefore God will not now accept
of you; as if it were for the sake of the service which persons are like
to do him, after they are converted, that he accepts of them. But a
self-righteous spirit is at the bottom of such objections. Men cannot
get off from the notion, that it is for some goodness or service of
their own, either done or expected to be done, that God accepts of
persons, and receives them into favour.—Indeed they who deny God their
youth, the best part of their lives, and spend it in the service of
Satan, dreadfully sin and provoke God; and he very often leaves them to
hardness of heart when they are grown old. But if they are willing to
accept of Christ when old, he is as ready to receive them as any others;
for in that matter God hath respect only to Christ and his worthiness.
II. But, says one, I fear I have committed sins that are peculiar to
reprobates. I have sinned against light, and strong convictions of
conscience; I have sinned presumptuously; and have so resisted the
strivings of the Spirit of God, that I am afraid I have committed such
sins as none of God's elect ever commit. I cannot think that God will
ever leave one whom he intends to save, to go on and commit sins against
so much light and conviction, and with such horrid presumption.—Others
may say, I have had risings of heart against God; blasphemous thoughts,
a spiteful and malicious spirit; and have abused mercy and the strivings
of the Spirit, trampled upon the Saviour, and my sins are such as are
peculiar to those who are reprobated to eternal damnation. To all this I
would answer,
1. There is no sin peculiar to reprobates but the sin against the Holy
Ghost. Do you read of any other in the word of God? And if you do not
read of any there, what ground have you to think any such thing? What
other rule have we, by which to judge of such matters, but the divine
word? If we venture to go beyond that, we shall be miserably in the
dark. When we pretend to go further in our determinations than the word
of God, Satan takes us up, and leads us. It seems to you that such sins
are peculiar to the reprobate, and such as God never forgives. But what
reason can you give for it, if you have no word of God to reveal it? Is
it because you cannot see how the mercy of God is sufficient to pardon,
or the blood of Christ to cleanse from such presumptuous sins? If so, it
is because you never yet saw how great the mercy of God is; you never
saw the sufficiency of the blood of Christ, and you know not how far the
virtue of it extends. Some elect persons have been guilty of all manner
of sins, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; and unless you have been
guilty of this, you have not been guilty of any that are peculiar to
reprobates.
2. Men may be less likely to believe, for sins which they have
committed, and not the less readily pardoned when they do believe. It
must be acknowledged that some sinners are in more danger of hell than
others. Though all are in great danger, some are less likely to be
saved. Some are less likely ever to be converted and to come to Christ:
but all who do come to him are alike readily accepted; and there is as
much encouragement for one man to come to Christ as another.—Such sins
as you mention are indeed exceeding heinous and provoking to God, and do
in an especial manner bring the soul into danger of damnation, and into
danger of being given to final hardness of heart; and God more commonly
gives men up to the judgment of final hardness for such sins, than for
others. Yet they are not peculiar to reprobates; there is but one sin
that is so, viz. that against the Holy Ghost. And notwithstanding the
sins which you have committed, if you can find it in your hearts to come
to Christ, and close with him, you will be accepted not at all the less
readily because you have committed such sins.—Though God cloth more
rarely cause some sorts of sinners to come to Christ than others, it is
not because his mercy or the redemption of Christ is not as sufficient
for them as others, but because in wisdom he sees fit so to dispense his
grace, for a restraint upon the wickedness of men; and because it is his
will to give converting grace in the use of means, among which this is
one, viz. to lead a moral and religious life, and agreeable to our
light, and the convictions of our consciences. But when once any sinner
is willing to come to Christ, mercy is as ready for him as for any.
There is no consideration at all had of his sins; let him have been ever
so sinful, his sins are not remembered; God cloth not upbraid him with
them.
III. But had I not better stay till I shall have made myself better,
before I presume to come to Christ. I have been, and see myself to be
very wicked now; but am in hopes of mending myself, and rendering myself
at least not so wicked: then I shall have more courage to come to God
for mercy.—In answer to this,
1. Consider how unreasonably you act. You are striving to set up
yourselves for your own saviours; you are striving to get something of
your own, on the account of which you may the more readily be accepted.
So that by this it appears that you do not seek to be accepted only on
Christ's account. And is not this to rob Christ of the glory of being
your only Saviour? Yet this is the way in which you are hoping to make
Christ willing to save you.
2. You can never come to Christ at all, unless you first see that he
will not accept of you the more readily for any thing that you can do.
You must first see, that it is utterly in vain for you to try to make
yourselves better on any such account. You must see that you can never
make yourselves any more worthy, or less unworthy, by any thing which
you can perform.
3. If ever you truly come to Christ, you must see that there is enough
in him for your pardon, though you be no better than you are. If you see
not the sufficiency of Christ to pardon you, without any righteousness
of your own to recommend you, you never will come so as to be accepted
of him. The way to be accepted is to come—not on any such encouragement,
that now you have made yourselves better, and more worthy, or not so
unworthy, but—on the mere encouragement of Christ's worthiness, and
God's mercy.
4. If ever you truly come to Christ, you must come to him to make you
better. You must come as a patient comes to his physician, with his
diseases or wounds to be cured. Spread all your wickedness before him,
and do not plead your goodness; but plead your badness, and your
necessity on that account: and say, as the psalmist in the text, not
Pardon mine iniquity, for it is not so great as it was, but, " Pardon
mine iniquity, for it is Great."
|
