merciful, gracious, long-fuffering, abundant in goodness. Were he not fo, infinite in all these, it were vain to look for forgiveness from him. Having made this known to be his name, and thereby declared his nature, he,in many places, propofeth it as a relief, a refuge for finners, an encouragement to come unto him, and to wait for mercy from him, Pfal. ix. 10. They that know thy name, will put their trust in thee. It will encourage them fo to do; others have no foundation for their confidence. But, if this name of God be indeed made known unto us by the Holy Ghoft, what can hinder why we should not repair unto him, and rest upon him? So Ifa. 1. 10. Who is among you, that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness, and bath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Not only finners, but finners in great diftrefs, are here ípoken unto. Darkness of state or condition, in the fcripture, denotes every thing of disconfolation and trouble. To be then in darkness, where yet there is fome light, fome relief, though darkness be predominant, is fad and difconfolate; but now, not only to be, but also to walk, that is, to continue a courfe in darkness, and that with no light, no difcovery of help or relief; this seems an overwhelming condition, yet finners, in this eftate, are called to trust in the name of the Lord. I have fhewed before, that nothing but forgiveness, or that which influenceth it, and encourageth to an expectation of it, is of any ufe unto a finner, much more one in fo great distress upon the account of fin; yet is fuch an one here fent only to the name of the Lord, wherein his gracious heart and nature is revealed. That then the very fountain and fpring of forgiveness: And this is that which John would work a fenfe of upon our fouls, where he tells us, that God is love, 1 Epift. chap. iv. 8. or one of an infinitely gracious, tender, good, compaffionate, loving nature. Infinite goodnefs and grace is the foul wherein forgivenefs grows. It is impoffible this flower should spring from any other root. Unless this be revealed to the foul, forgiveness is not revealed. To confider pardon merely as it is terminated in ourselves,

not

not as it flows from God, will bring neither profit to us, nor glory to God.

And this alfo, which is our defign in hand, will make it appear, that this discovery of forgiveness, whereof we fpeak, is indeed no common thing, is a great difcovery. Let men come, with a fenfe of the guilt of fin, to have deep and terious thoughts of God, they will find it no fuch easy and light matter, to have their hearts truly and thoroughly apprehenfive of this loving and gracious nature of God, in reference unto pardon. It is an eafy matter to say fo in common, but the foul will not find it so easy to believe it for itself. What hath been spoken before concerning the ingrafted notions that are in the minds of men about the justice, holiness, and feverity of God, will here take place. Though men profess that God is gracious, yet that averfation which they have unto him, and communion with him, doth abundantly manifeft that they do not believe what they fay and profefs. If they did, they could but delight and truft in him, which they do not; for they that know his name, will put their trust in him. So faid the flothful fervant in the gospel, I knew that thou wast austere, and not for me to deal withal; it may be he profeffed otherwise before, but that lay in his heart when it came to the trial. But this, I fay, is neceffary to them, unto whom this discovery is to be made, even a fpiritual apprehenfion of the gracious, loving heart and nature of God. This is the fpring of all that follows, and the fountain muft needs be infinitely fweet from whence fuch ftreams do flow. He that confiders the glorious fabrick of heaven and earth, with the things in them contained, must needs conclude that they were the product of infinite wisdom and power; nothing lefs or under them could have brought forth fuch an effect. And he that really confidereth forgiveness, and looks on it with a fpiritual eye, must conclude that it comes from infinite goodness and grace. And this is that which the hearts of finners are exercised about, when they come to deal for pardon, Pfal. lxxxvi. 5. Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forN 2

give,

give, Neh. ix. 17. Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, flow, to anger, and of great kindness. And Micah vii. 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity;--because he delighteth in mercy. And God encourageth them hereunto, wherever he fays, that he forgives fins, and blots out iniquities, for his own fake, or his name's fake; that is, he will deal with finners according to the goodness of his own gracious nature. So Hof. xi. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God, and not man. Were there no more mercy, grace, compaffion, to be fhewed in this cafe, than it is poffible fhould be treafured in the heart of a man, it would be impoffible that Ephraim fhould be fpared; but, faith he, I am God, and not man; confider the infinite largenefs, bounty, and goodness of the heart of God, and there is yet hope. When a finner is in good earnest seeking after forgiveness, there is nothing he is more follicitous about than the heart of God towards him, nothing that he more labours to have a difcovery of, there is nothing that fin and Satan labour more to hide from him; this he rolls in his mind, and exercises his thoughts about, and if ever that voice of God, Ifa. xxvii. 4. Fury is not in me, found in his heart, he is relieved from his great diftreffes. And the fear of our hearts in this matter, our Saviour seems to intend the prevention, or a removal of, John xvi. 26, 27. I fay not that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you. They had good thoughts of the tender heart and care of Chrift himself, the Mediator, towards them; but what is the heart of the Father, what acceptance fhall they find with him? Will Chrift pray that they may find favour with him? Why, faith he, as to the love of his heart, there is no need of it, for the Father himself loveth you. If this then bélongeth to forgivenefs, as who ever hath fought for it, knoweth that it doth, it is certainly no common difcovery to have it revealed unto us.

To have all the clouds and darknefs that are raised

by

by fin, between us and the throne of God, difpelled; to have the fire and storms, the tempeft that are kindled and stirred up about him by the law removed; to have his glorious face unvailed, and his holy heart laid open, and a view given of thofe infinite treafures and ftores of goodnefs, mercy, love, and kindnefs, which have had an unchangeable habitation therein from all eternity; to have a discovery of thefe eternal fprings of forbearance and forgiveness, is that which none but Chrift can accomplish and bring about, John xvii. 6.

SECONDLY, This is not all. This eternal ocean, that is infinitely fatisfied with its own fulness and perfection, doth not naturally yield forth ftreams for our refreshment. Mercy and pardon do not come forth from God, as light doth from the fun, or water from the fea, by a neceffary confequence of their natures, whether they will or no. It doth not neceffarily follow, that any one must be made partaker of forgiveness, because God is infinitely gracious: For, may not he do what he will with his own? Who hath given firft unto him, that it fhould be recompenfed unto him again? Rom. xi. 35. All the fruits of God's goodness, and grace, are in the fole keeping of his own fovereign will and pleasure. This is his great glory, Exod. xxxiii. 18, 19. Shew me thy glory, faith Mofes. And he faid, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. Upon that proclamation of the name of God, that he is merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness, fome might conclude that it could not be otherwife with any but well; he is such a one, that men need fcarce be beholden to him for mercy; nay, faith he, but this is my great glory, that I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. There must be an interpofition of a free act of the will of God, to deal with us according to his abundant goodness, or we can have no intereft therein. This I call the purpose of his grace, or the good pleasure that he hath purposed in himself,

himfelf, Eph. i. 9. or as it is termed, ver: 5, 6. The good pleasure of his will, that he hath purposed, to the praise of his glorious grace. This free and gracious pleasure of God, or purpose of his will, to act towards finners according to his own abundant goodness, is another thing that influences the forgiveness of which we treat. Pardon flows immediately from a fovereign act of free grace. This free purpose of God's will and grace, for the pardoning of finners, is indeed that which is principally intended, when we fay, There is forgiveness with him. That is, he is pleafed to forgive; and fo to do is agree-> able unto his nature. Now, the mystery of this grace is deep, it is eternal, and therefore incomprehenfible. Few there are whofe hearts are raised to a contemplation of it. Men reft and content themselves in a general notion of mercy, which will not be advantageous to their fouls; freed they would be from punishment, but what it is to be forgiven they enquire not. So what they know of it they come eafily by, but will find in the iffue, it will ftand them in little ftead. But these fountains of God's actings are revealed, that they may be the fountains of our comforts.

Now, of this purpose of God's grace, there are feveral acts, all of them relating unto gofpel-forgiveness.

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First, There is his purpose of fending his Son to be. the great means of procuring, of purchafing forgiveness. Though God be infinitely and incomprehenfibly graci ous, though he purpose to exert his grace and goodness towards finners, yet he will fo do it, do it in fuch a way, as fhall not be prejudicial to his own holiness and righteoufaefs. His juftice must be fatisfied, and his holy indignation against fin made known; wherefore he purpofeth to fend his Son, and hath fent him, to make way for the exercife of mercy, fo as no way to eclipse the glory of his juftice, holiness, and hatred of fin. Better we should all eternally come fhort of forgiveness, than that God should lofe any thing of his glory. This we have, Rom. iii. 25. God fet him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for

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