and thow wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.' This is faith's language ; lie will pardon with an overflowing mercy. Cast a stone into the sea, and it is not barely covered, but buried many fathoms deep. Cod will pardon thy greatest sins, saith faith, as the sea doth a little pebble. A few pins poiu-ed out upon the conscience, like a pail of water spilled on the ground, seems a great flood : but the greatest poured into the sea of God's mercy, are swallowed up, and not seen. Thus when 'the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for,' the Scripture saith, 'there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, they shall not be found ; f(n- I will ])ardon,' Jer. 1. 20.
Section III. — (), but, saith the trembling soul, the con.sideration of God's infinitude, especially in two of his attributes, drives me fastest to despair. When I think how infinitely holy (Jod is, may I not fear what will become of me, an unholy wretch? When again I look upon him as just, yea, infinitely just, how can I think he v/ill remit such great wrongs as I have done to his glorious nanu; ? Faith will, and none but faith's fingers can, untie this knot, and give the soul a satisfactory answer to this question concerning the holiness of God. Faith hath two things to answer : First, that though the infinite holiness of God's na- ture doth make him vehemently hate sin, yet the same doth strongly incline his heart to show mercy to simiers. What is it in the creature that makes him hard- hearted but sin ? 'The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel,' Pro v. xii. 10 : if wicked, then cruel ; and the more holy the more merciful. Hence it is that acts of mercy and forgiveness are with so much difficulty drawn from those that are saints, because there are remains of corruption in them, which cause some to have hardness of heart, and unwillingness to that work. ' Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good,' saith the apostle, Rom. xii. 21 ; imply- ing that it is hard work, which cannot be done till a victory be got over the Christian's own heart, who hath contrary passions, and will strongly oppose such an act. How oft, alas ! do we hear such language as this, from those that are gra - cious ! — My patience is spent, — I can bear no longer, and forgive no more ; but God, who is purity without dross, holiness without the least mixture of sin, hath nothing to sour his heart into any unmercifulness. 'If ye, being evil,' saith Christ, *know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him V Matt. vii. II. Christ's design in this place, is to help them to larger apprehensions concerning the mercifulness of God's heart ; in order to which, he directs them to the thoughts of his holiness, as that which would infallibly demonstrate the «ame. As if Christ had said. Can you persuade your hearts (distempei-ed with sinful passions) to be kind to your children? How miich more easy is it to think, that God, who is holiness itself, will be so to his poor creatures, pros- trate at his feet for mercy ! Secondly, Faith can tell the soul, that the holiness of God is no enemy to ])ardoning mercy ; for it is the holiness of (Jod that obligcth him to be faithful in all his promises ; and this, indeed, is as full a breast of consolation as any I know, to a poor trembling soul. When the doubting soul reads those many precious promises which are made to returning sinners, why doth he not take comfort in them ? Surely, it is because the truth and faithfulness of God to perform them is yet under some dispute in his sou!. Now, the strongest argument that faith hath, to put this question out of doubt, and make the sinner accept the promise as a true and faithful word, is that which is taken from the holiness of God, who is the ])romisc-makcr. Tl,ie promise nuist be true, (saith faith,) because a holy God makes it, therefore God, to gain the more credit to the truth of his jjromise in the thoughts of his people, prefixeth so often this attribute to his promise : ' I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the holy One of Israel;' Isa. xii. 14. Indeed, the mercies of God are founded in holiness, and therefore are sure mercies. Tlie reason of man's imfaithfulness in promises j)roceeds from some unholiness in his heart; the more holy a man is, the more faithful we may expect him to be; a good num will be as good as his word ; and so you may be sure a good God will. How many times did Laban change Jacob's wages, after promise? But God's covenant with him was inviolably kept, though Jacob was not so faithful on his part as he ought to have been : and why, but because he had to do with a holy God in this, but with a sinful man in the other, whose passions altered his thoughts and changed his countenance toward him.
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500 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.