Direct. 3. But if thou say (as it is often the speech of poor souls lying under a sense of sin, and the apprehensions of wrath due to it) I cannot apply the promises to mine own soul; and the reason is, because my SINS are so great, and so many. Consider, and know it for a truth, that the more and greater thou seest thy sins to be, the more cause hast thou to believe; yea, thou must therefore believe because thy sins are great: David made it an encouragement to himself, or rather the Spirit of the Lord made it his encouragement, to crave, yea to hope for pardon, because he had greatly transgressed (Psa 25:11). 'For thy name's sake, O Lord, [saith he] pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.' As if he had said, O Lord, thy name will be more glorified, the riches of thy grace will be more advanced, thy mercy and goodness will more shine, and be magnified in pardoning me who am guilty of great iniquity, than if thou pardonest many others who have not committed such heinous offences. And I dare say, the reason why thou believest not, is not because thy sins are great, but because thou dost reason too much with that wicked enemy of man's salvation, and givest way too much to the fleshly reasoning of thine own heart. For Christ hath said, 'He that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out' (John 6:37). And again, 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow' (Isa 1:18). And Christ calleth those that labour, and are heavy laden, to come to him, with promise to give them rest (Matt 11:28). Wherefore thou must not say, my sins are too big; but thou must say, because I am a great sinner; yea, because I have sinned above many of my companions, and am nearer to hell, and eternal damnation than they, because of my sins, therefore will I cry unto the Lord, and say, O Lord, pardon my sins, for they are great.
Now that thou mayest not be deceived in a matter of so great concernment, have a special care of these three things.
Caution 1. First, Have a care of putting off thy trouble of spirit the wrong way, which thou mayest do three ways; (1.) When thy conscience flieth in thy face, and tells thee of thy sins, thou dost put off convictions the wrong way, if thou dost stop thy conscience by promising to reform thyself, and lead a new life, and gettest off thy guilt by so doing: for though thou mayest by this means still and quiet thy conscience for a time, yet thou canst not hereby satisfy and appease the wrath of God: yea, saith God to such, 'Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me' (Jer 2:22).
(2.) If when thou art under the guilt of thy sins, thou puttest off convictions by thy performance of DUTIES, and so satisfiest thy conscience, then also thou dost put off thy convictions the wrong way: for God will not be satisfied with anything less than the blood, righteousness, resurrection, and intercession of his own Son (Acts 4:12). And thou shouldest not satisfy thyself with any less than God would have thee to satisfy thyself withal, and that is the water of life (Isa 55:1,2) which water of life thy duties, and all thy righteousness, is not; for they are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6).
(3.) Have a care that when thou art under conviction, thou dost not satisfy thyself with a notion of the free grace of the gospel; my meaning is, do not content thyself with any measure of knowledge that thou canst attain unto, or bottom thy peace upon it, thinking thou art now well enough, because thou canst speak much of the grace of God, and his love in Christ to poor sinners. For this thou mayest have, and do; and yet be but a companion for Demas, yea, for Judas and the rest of the damned multitude: As the Apostle saith, For all this thou mayest be but as sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal; that is, nothing but a sound (1 Cor 13:1-3).
Caution 2. But Secondly, If thou wouldest not be deceived, then have a care to avoid false doctrines, which are according to the spirit of the devil, and not after Christ. As,
(1.) If any doctrine doth come unto thee, that tells thee, except thou art circumcised after the manner of Moses, thou canst not be saved: that is, if any man come unto thee, and tell thee, thou must do such and such works of the law, to the end thou mayest present thyself the better before God, do not receive him: For 'to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness' (Rom 4:5).
(2.) If any come unto thee, and bring such a doctrine as this; That thou mayest be saved by grace, though thou walk in the imaginations of thy own wicked heart: His doctrine also is devilish, do not receive him (Deut 29:19-23).
(3.) But if any come unto thee, and doth in truth advance the blood, righteousness, resurrection, intercession, and second coming of that very Man in the clouds of heaven, that was born of the virgin Mary; and doth press thee to believe on what he hath done (shewing thee thy lost condition without him) and to own it as done for thee in particular, and withal doth admonish thee, not to trust in a bare notion of it, but to receive it into thy heart, so really, that thy very heart and soul may burn in love to the Lord Jesus Christ again: and doth also teach thee, that the love of Christ should and must constrain thee, not to live to thyself: But to him that loved thee, and gave himself for thee (2 Cor 5:14,15; Eph 4:21-24; 1 Cor 7:23). 'Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.' If his conversation be also agreeable to his doctrine, a believing, honest, loving self-denying, courteous conversation, (he also is a true Christian). Receive that doctrine and receive it really; for it is the doctrine of God, and of Christ (Gal 4:4, 1:4; Eph 1:7; Rev 1:5; Acts 13:38; John 1:29; Acts 4:12, 10:40-42; 1 Thess 1:10; Mark 13; 2 Peter 1:5-10). Considering the end of their conversation Jesus Christ, yesterday, and to-day, and the same for ever (Heb 13:7,8).
Caution 3. Again, If thou wouldest not be deceived, then beware of slighting any known truth that thou findest revealed, or made known to thee in the gospel; but honour and obey it in its place, be it (as thou thinkest) never so low (John 14:15).