Richard Sibbes – Psalm 130:4

[page 217 of volume 6]

‘But there is forgiveness with thee.’

This verse contains a blessed appeal. God hath a court of justice, and a tribunal of mercy. If God should examine in justice what we have done, we could not stand: ‘but there is mercy or forgiveness with the Lord,’ Therefore it is an appeal from the throne of justice to the mercy-seat; and yet this is not so properly an appeal but it admits of limitations. For, first, appeals are used in aid of those that are innocent. Now we by nature are all unclean. Again, appeals are grounded for the most part upon discovery of insufficiency, or of violent indirect courses in the managing of the cause. This can no ways be attributed to God, who is not rigorous nor insufficient, or swayed by indirect means; for he accepts the person of none. Again, an appeal is from an inferior court to a higher. But here it is not so, for we appeal from God to God; from God armed with justice, examining by law, to God a father armed with love, looking upon us in the comfortable promises of the gospel; from Sinai to Sion, from Moses to Christ. And in this appeal, as in others, the former sentence of the law, whereby we are ‘cursed,’ is utterly disannulled, so as ‘no condemnation is to those that are in Christ,’ Romans 8:1. But this belongs to such (as it is in other appeals) who must see themselves condemned, before they can have the benefit of this appeal. There is no flying to mercy unless we find ourselves in need. But to come to some observations. In the first place, we may see by this example that the sold of a Christian apprehends God according to its estate, to comfort itself, and therefore beholds him as a forgiving God. And therefore the children of God, when they are at the lowest, they recover themselves with something they find in God’s nature and promise, and to that end have a spirit of faith to trust and rely upon God; and those that have it not, sink lower and lower.

Doct. 1. Here we may observe, that the Christian soul, once stung with sin, flies to the free mercy of God for ease. Let a sinner be in Haman’s estate, tell him of all pleasures, whatever they be, he cares not; nothing but pardon delights his soul. David, a king, a prophet, a man after God’s own heart, Acts 13:22, beloved of his people, wonderfully graced, yet being troubled with his sin, could not stand. He respects not his outward privileges, prerogatives, majesty, and the like. No; he is the blessed man to whom God imputes no sin, Psalm 32:1. And this is the reason why so much is attributed still to the blood of Christ, everywhere, in the Scripture; because the soul once pricked, finds no ease nor cure but in it principally, yet not excluding the other merits and obedience of Christ. And David, when he would raise up his soul to praise God, describes him to be a God ‘forgiving sin and healing infirmities,’ Psalm 103:8; and therefore we should, when our consciences are burdened, go as Joab did and catch hold on the horns of the altar, to the mercy of God. There live and there die. And though the conflict be never so groat, we shall at length find that, as Jacob, we shall be children of Israel, and such as shall prevail with God, and that for our depth of misery, he hath a depth also of mercy; and this mercy will appear either in preserving us from sin, before we are fallen into it, or rescuing us from it if once we be fallen into it.

Quest. But how comes it, may some say, that God forgives? Doth he it without satisfactions?

Ans. I answer, No.

Quest. How then is it done, seeing he hath decreed that without blood shall be no remission? Hebrews 9:22.

Ans. I answer, This is done in Christ.

Quest. But why is he not mentioned here, nor in the Old Testament neither?

Ans. I answer, He was laid down to us in the Old Testament, in types and promises; for what other was the paschal lamb but ‘the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world,’ by sprinkling our hearts with his blood? He was the priest that, before he could open an entrance into the holy of holies for us, must first shed blood and offer sacrifice. What signified the ark with the law covered within it, the mercy-seat upon it, and over them two cherubim covering one another, but Christ our ark covering the curses of the law, in whom is the ground of all mercy? ‘which things the angels desire to pry into,’ 1 Peter 1:12, as into the pattern of God’s deep wisdom. And whereas any prayed in the temple they looked towards the mercy-seat, what meaneth it other than that, whenever we do pray to God, we should behold Christ, through whom God appears to be merciful and gracious? What signified the temple, towards which they looked when they prayed, 2 Chronicles 6:38, Daniel 6:10, but that we in our prayers should evermore have reference to our temple Christ Jesus? And being thus assured, we may safely pass the flaming fire of God’s justice. If there were any other to be trusted besides Christ, there would be no peace of conscience. The sinner would argue, I am a creature, my sin is infinite; no creature can satisfy, they are not infinite; angels cannot stand; it must be an infinite majesty that must satisfy, and it must be with blood. Now, Christ by his blood hath obtained eternal redemption for us, and therefore none but Christ, none but Christ! He is God-man, making God and man at one. It is his nature, and it is his office. So as God is just as well as merciful; for as it is Romans 3 24th and 25th verses, ‘God the Father hath proposed or set forth Christ’ in types and figures ‘to be a propitiation,’ alluding to the mercy-seat, ‘to declare his righteousness and justice, that he may be just in punishing-sin,’ that is in Christ; ‘and a justifier of the sinner that believes in Christ Jesus,’ because he accepted of Christ’s satisfaction, so as his mercy devised a remedy to satisfy his justice. Thus much in general; now to come to particulars. First, take it exclusively, and we may observe,

Doct. 1. That only God can release a guilty conscience; only he can speak peace to a soul in distress. Ministers indeed have keys to open and shut heaven; but they use them only ministerially, as they find persons disposed, but Christ independently. Now, then, whereas man assumes this prerogative to himself, as the popes were wont to do, giving indulgences, it is no other than to set them in the place of God. ‘I, even I, forgive sin,’ saith God, Jeremiah 31:34. None can quiet the conscience but one that is above the conscience, which is God, who is only the party offended; though there be also an offence against men. This ought to comfort us, that we have to do with a forgiving God, Nehemiah 9:31. There is none like to him, to whom it is natural to remit and forgive sin. It is his name: Exodus 34:6, ‘Forgiving iniquities, transgressions, and sins,’ all manner of sins; sins against knowledge and against conscience; with him is plentiful forgiveness.

Doct. 2. Secondly, Observe that as God only forgives sin, so he ever forgives sin. It is always his nature, as the fire always burns; as he is Jehovah, he is merciful. John 1:29, Christ he is ‘the Lamb of God,’ that doth take away the sins of the world. It is a perpetual act; as we say the sun doth shine, the spring doth run. He is, Zechariah 13:1, that ‘fountain that is opened for sin and uncleanness.’ Mercy is his nature, and forgiveness is an effect of his mercy.

Obj. Therefore it is no satisfying objection that the distressed soul will be ready to make, that God was merciful to David and Peter, but how can he be to me, miserable sinner? For God, as he forgave Peter, Paul, David, so he forgives now. He is a fountain of mercy never drawn dry. He is unchangeable; and therefore we are not consumed, Malachi 3:6; and Christ is the same ‘yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.’ The consideration of this should be as a perpetual picture in our hearts.

Doct. 3. Thirdly, Hence we may gather, that God’s mercy is free, and from himself. Though in us is sin and iniquity, yet in thee is mercy; and therefore God saith, I do not this for your sakes, but for mine own sake, Ezekiel 36:22. Yet must not this be understood so as if it were freely and only from God the Father, excluding Christ. But therefore it is, in that we shall stand in need of no satisfactory merits of our own. Away therefore with popish doctrines of satisfactions by our own works. The holy man saith not, with thee is justice to take my works as satisfaction for my sin. No; though this holy man were a gracious man, yet mercy is all his plea. And if the question be, how the sinner stands free from punishment and entitled to all good, it is from forgiveness, which is from God’s mercy, grounded on Christ’s satisfaction. All is laid upon him, Isaiah 53:5. He was wounded for our transgressions; he bore our sorrows; he was made sin for us, that knew no sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21. The nature of man will hardly stoop to this divine truth. But the Spirit teacheth us to rely on the free forgiveness of God in Christ; and therefore Christ and his apostles bid such ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’, We may think this an easy lesson. But hereafter, when God shall open our sins and lay them upon our consciences, they will then tell us fearful things. There is no hope! thou must be damned! Against such times lay up grounds of comfort; and let this text be a haven to resort to. It is true, ‘if thou markest what is done amiss, who can stand? but there is mercy with thee that thou be feared.’

Doct. 4. Fourthly, We may from hence observe, that the best Christian and most gracious man alive needs forgiveness of his sins; for where the conscience is enlightened it will discover what corruption it finds, and so the necessity of being delivered. So 1 John 2:1, ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate;’ that is, such as I am, have need of an advocate; and one reason may be, because indeed such see in their sins much more ingratitude than others, for they sin against the knowledge of God’s love to their souls in forgiving former sins; and then to fall into sin again, it is as broken bones, Psalm 51:8. And the apostle, 2 Corinthians 5:20, speaking to the believing Corinthians, ‘I beseech you to be reconciled to God;’ for Christ was made sin for us; for you, and for me. Even we sin daily, and stand in need of reconciliation. We must daily pray, ‘Forgive us our sins,’ yea, the best of the disciples must do it. If we come not with this petition, ‘our sins are written with a pen of iron, and with the claw of an adamant,’ Job 19:24.

Doct. 5. Fifthly, This mercy and forgiveness is general to all that cast themselves on his free mercy. It is Satan’s subtilty to persuade us at the first, that sin is nothing; but when it is committed and cannot be recalled, then he tells us it is greater than can be pardoned. No. The gospel is the power of God to salvation to all that do believe. Let none despair. It is a greater sin than the former. Dens non est desperantium pater, sed judex. God’s pardon is general, to all persons, that repent of all sin, whereby he frees them from all evil. He pardons all persons: Manasses the sorcerer, Cornelius, Zaccheus, persecuting Paul. The parable of the lost sheep, the lost groat, the prodigal son, testifies it. God offers it freely, ‘Why wall you die, O house of Israel’? Jeremiah 27:13. He complains when it is neglected: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered you together’! Matthew 23:37. ‘He threatens’ because men will not hear, and ‘he pardons all sins.’ There is no disease above the skill of this Physician. He healeth all thy sins and all thy infirmities, Psalm 103:1-3. Yea, if it were possible that the sinner against the Holy Ghost could repent, there were hope in Israel concerning this! He hath pardon for sin long lived in. ‘At what time soever a sinner repenteth, he will blot out his wickedness,’ 2 Chronicles 20:9. What though they be never so enormous? God’s thoughts are not as ours, Isaiah 55:8. Conscience may be overcharged with sin. We may play the harlot with many lovers; yet return to me, saith the Lord, Jeremiah 3:1. He that bids Peter forgive seventy-seven times, shall not he have plenteous redemption? What proportion is there between the sin of a creature, and the mercy of an infinite Majesty? He frees from all ill, from all punishment. His forgiveness is perfect. Though we be as red as crimson with sin, he wall make us white as snow, Isaiah 1:18. He removes our sins from his presence as ‘far as the east is from the west,’ Psalm 103:12.

Quest. But some will say, Why corrects he then his children?

Ans. I answer, not from revenging justice, for he is our Father; and what he does, it comes from love, and is mingled with love and moderated with love to our strength, and are turned by love to our good. When he follows us with prosperity, he is our alluring Father; and when he corrects us, he is our correcting, not punishing, Father, Hebrews 12 from 3d to the 12th. Yet let not this be sinisterly taken. It is spoken only to the humble heart, that is broken with sin, which is the sixth general observation; there must he first sight of sin, then sense of misery, then confession of sin and begging pardon, or else none is granted. For God bestows pardon so as may be most for his glory and our comfort. What glory can he reap by pardoning those that will sin, ‘because grace may abound,’ Romans 6:1, and so ‘will turn the grace of God into wantonness’? Jude 4. And what comfort can we have of the pardon of our sins till we see our sins, and feel what it is to want pardon? Sight of sin and mercy are inseparable. Sometimes the sense of pardon is delayed, to make us hunger after it; sometimes it follows suddenly after sight of sin, as it did to Matthew and Zaccheus, Matthew 11:28. But one must go before the other: first, must the wind of the sight of God’s anger come breaking and rending the rocky hard hearts that are within us; then comes the soft still voice speaking peace to the humble soul. The reasons may be, first, to set an edge on our prayers for forgiveness, else who would care for it. Secondly, to make us highly to esteem forgiveness of sin. The promises are sweet to the dejected soul, as a pardon is to the condemned person. Thirdly, that God might have the more glory and thanks. When we find the bitterness of sin, as it is Jeremiah 2:19, to be sweetened by God’s mercy, then ‘My soul, praise thou the Lord; and all that is within me, praise his holy name.’ He forgives all my sin, and heals all my infirmities, Psalm 103:1, 2, 3. And, lastly, because our sins unrepented keep good from us, and us from the fountain of all good, and must be removed before there can be any way for mercy.

This therefore justifies those ministers that in these days of the gospel do enforce the law; and people must not be offended thereat, but suffer their consciences to be laid open, that the word may come close and home to them; and secondly, they must use the means, to come to a sense and feeling of their sin. To which end let us make sin as odious and dangerous in our eyes as we can. It is odious to God. To us it is poison and leprosy though we cherish it, and hate ministers and friends for touching it. It is abomination to God. It thrusts him out of our hearts, and puts in the devil, God’s arch enemy. It causes us to prefer base pleasure, fading profits, before the favour and mercy and love of God. Must not this needs be hateful to God? But then how much more intolerable are those sins that bring neither profit nor pleasure, but causes us to thrust out God, even because we will? But this is not all, for as it is abominable to God, so it is dangerous to us; for whence comes judgments? Whence is it that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven? Romans 1:18. Whence is sickness, disgrace, troubles? All these are the fruits of sin. Nothing makes us miserable but sin. Take a man when he lies a-dying. Ask him what troubles him? Oh! he cries out of sin, of the wrath of God. He feels not sickness, even as the gout is not felt by one that hath a fit of the stone upon him. Let us think of this in time; let us shame the devil, shame ourselves. But is this all? No. Judas saw his sin and confessed, yet was he never the better. He wanted that which should make his repentance perfect. He wanted faith to lay hold on pardon. A poor man is fit for treasure, but unless he lay hold on treasure, he shall never be rich.

Therefore faith and repentance are ever joined in the gospel. Repent and believe the gospel, as was said to the jailor. So Christ saith, ‘Come to me,’ Matthew 11:28. Christ came to satisfy for all sin, to cure all diseases, but they must first come to him, and say, ‘Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean,’ Matthew 8:2; and to such as these I may say, as they said to the blind man, ‘Be of comfort, for Christ calls thee,’ Mark 10:49.

‘That thou mayest be feared.’

Fear in this place is taken for the spiritual worship of God, arising from a reverential fear mingled with love. ‘Fear God and keep his commandments,’ Ecclesiastes 12:13, is the whole duty of man. So that these words being considered with the former, brings this observation to our consideration.

Doct. That God’s goodness, forgiveness, grace, and mercy, is a means to stir up his children to all duties; and therefore we are commanded to do all things in fear: to ‘work out our salvation with fear,’ Philippians 2:12, eat and drink with fear; and in Jude 12, the wicked are branded with this, ‘that they eat without fear.’ So as whatever we do, we must do it in fear, showing the reverence of God continually, and jealousy over ourselves, lest we should stop the light of God’s countenance from us.

Quest. But it will be said, How is it then said ‘that we should serve him without fear,’ 1 Corinthians 16:10, being redeemed from our enemies?

Ans. I answer, There is a twofold fear: one a slavish fear, whereof that place is meant. We should serve him without fear of damnation, of punishment, and of judgment. But the fear that we speak of here is a fear of reverence and love, that stirs us up to worship him.

Quest. But how doth it stir to duty? may some say.

Ans. I answer, first, it stirs up faith in our hearts. Hope of forgiveness will cause us to cast ourselves into their arms whom we have offended. Where no hope of mercy is, there follows nothing but fear, causing us to fly away; even as we see proclamation of pardon to rebels causes them to come in, but the contrary makes them run away. Again, sense of forgiveness works more love. David’s murder, Paul’s persecution, Peter’s denial, caused abundance of love. Where many sins are forgiven, there will be much love, Luke 7:47; and where much love is, there will be obedience to all God’s commandments, for ‘love is the fulfilling of the law,’ Romans 13:10. Contrarily, desperation is the ground of all sin. This is the ground of all hate. The devils they hate God. Because they know there is no remedy left for them, therefore they cannot endure the remembrance of him. Contrariwise, as it is Psalm 65:2, ‘Unto thee shall all flesh come.’ Why? ‘For thou hearest prayer.’ Again, fear and forgiveness are joined in the new covenant. ‘I will put my fear in thy heart, and thou shalt not depart from me,’ Jeremiah 32:40; and Christ, to all his, is both king, priest, and prophet. He comes to all by water as well as blood. He is become righteousness, wisdom, and holiness, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Again, a Christian he will, by reason, enforce this on himself, as Paul did, 2 Corinthians 5:15. Christ died for us; therefore must we live to him, and not to ourselves.

Use 1. This therefore should cause us to take heed of all thoughts of despair. Let it be enough that we have broken the law; let us not pull a greater sin on us by denying the gospel, the mercies and truths of God. Let us by any means take heed, for Satan will join with guilty consciences, speaking with cursed Cain, ‘My sin is greater than can be pardoned,’ Genesis 4:13. No article of our creed is so much opposed by him, as that of the forgiveness of sin by Christ’s merits, which is the very life and soul of a church. All the former articles of the creed are perfected in this, and all the following articles are effects hereof.

Use 2. Secondly, This doctrine furnishes an answer to the papists, who lay scandals on the doctrine of free justification by the merits of Christ, without our own works; saying that we nourish thereby carelessness in a Christian life, whenas the Scripture, and the Spirit of God in the hearts of those that are truly regenerate, do reason quite contrary. ‘There is mercy with thee, that thou mayest be feared not that we may live as we list, for whom God forgives, he first truly humbles; whom he washes, he gives hearts to keep themselves clean; so as with the burnt child, they dread the fire ever after. No; it is themselves that overthrow good works, while they ground them on false grounds. For either they do them to satisfy God’s wrath, which is slavish, or to merit by them, which is a token of a hireling; and most of their works are such, as if God should ask them, ‘Who required them at their hands?’ Isaiah 1:12, they could never be able to answer. They, while they talk of good works, in the mean time overthrow faith and love, which should be the ground of a good work. What can they do more than a Cain or a Judas, or the wickedest man alive.

Secondly, We may hence gather a ground of discerning our estate, whereby we shall know whether God’s mercy and forgiveness belong to us or not; for it is impossible, where there is no inward worship of God in the heart, where there is no fear and jealousy of sin, where there is no conscience of swearing, blaspheming, and such abominations, that ever such yet had any true taste of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Let them not take comfort by the example of the thief on the cross, that cried for mercy and had it; for there is a time of grace, and there are some sinners, as those that flatter themselves in a course of sin, thinking to repent when they will, against which the wrath of God will smoke, Deuteronomy 29: 20. Therefore let not such soothe up themselves. Those that have their sins forgiven do fear God. Such fear not God, and therefore their sins are not forgiven. Many shall say in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ to whom Christ will profess, ‘he never knew them,’ Matthew 7:23; and therefore let us never assure ourselves of forgiveness, farther than we find in us a hatred of sin. For a man to live in a course of known sin, it stops the current of God’s mercy; who will wound the ‘hairy scalp of such as despise the patience and long-suffering of God,’ Romans 2:4. While we have time, therefore, and are young, before lusts settle themselves in us, serve the Lord with fear; deny him not the service due to him. If we do, it is just with God to take us away suddenly, or to deliver us over to an impenetrable hard heart; and when we die, that God should take away from us our senses, or to give over our consciences to such a horror and trembling fear, as shall not suffer us to come so near as to have any hope of mercy, but die in despair. Let us pray, therefore, against a careless heart, and say to him, Lord, thou earnest to redeem and set me free from the works of the devil! Lord, deliver me from the power of sin and of my own corruption. For we may assure ourselves, he that never discerned this hatred of sin in him, never asked pardon from his heart; and he that never asks it shall never have it.

Use. Let us in the next place learn thereby to go the right way, to work assurance of forgiveness: first, learn to see our misery; then, get persuasion that there is a remedy; then, get knowledge thereof; and then beg it. It is a preposterous course that many men take. They will change their ill courses, but without confession or acknowledgment of sin; and therefore they turn indeed, but it is from one sin to another: from being dissolute they will become covetous, and so change to the worse; for they change not from right grounds; not from love to God and hatred of sin, but ever from the love of one reigning sin to another. For all such, and all other, that either find their sin, or think not of it, this Scripture is of excellent use; and we may speak of it as St Paul, 2 Timothy 3:10, speaks of all the Scripture, ‘It is profitable for doctrine,’ teaching us what we are by nature since the fall; wherein we may have remedy of our misery; how and in what manner to attain the remedy. It is profitable for ‘reproof’ of the doctrine of justification by works; and it is profitable for ‘correction’ of our lives, teaching us to avoid despair, and yet withal to avoid security. It is profitable for ‘comfort’ to all those that are dejected by sin, by considering the mercy of God in Christ, which is more and greater than sin in us, if we have faith to lay hold on it; so that we may say with St Augustine, Ego ad mini, unde to damnare poles me, sed non amisisti wide til salrare potes me.