[3.] Pardoning mercy in Christ is the great argument which breedeth and feedeth this love. How can I love a God which I think will damn me, and may propably do it ? Our turning to God must be by love, and our living to God and for God is carried on by love ; but how can I come to him who seemeth so unlovely to me ? Therefore God, to draw us into this amity and holy friendship, will be represented as willing to pardon and save us, and that in such an astonishing way, that more cannot be done to express his love : Eom. v. 8, ' Herein God commended his love to us, that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.' See at what an high rate he is content to pardon and save us, that he may draw our love and attract our hearts, which, under the terrors of guilt and condemning justice, would never have been brought to love him.
4. The forgiveness of sins is that which is most expressly, directly, and formally eyed in the death of Christ : Eph. i. 7, ' In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins ; ' so Mat. xxvi. 28, ' This is my blood which was shed for the remission of sins ; ' so Heb. ix. 22, 'Without the shedding of blood there is no remis- sion of sins.' Why is not sanctification mentioned ? it was purchased by his blood as well as remission. It was guilt made his blood necessary for our recovery, and the depravation of the heart of man is part of the punishment, spiritual death as well as temporal and eternal. And to be polluted is our punishment as well as our sin, and the guilt of sin stoppeth our mercies, cuts off the intercourse between God and us : Isa. lix 2, ' Your iniquities have separated between you and your God ; ' and Eom. iii. 23, ' For all have sinned, and are come short of the glory
276 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeU. XXXVI.
of God.' And when the obstruction is removed, and the offence given by our sins pardoned, the sanctifying of our nature followeth. If there had been nothing to do but to renew us by repentance and sanctification, that might have been done without the blood of the Son of God, as God at first gave his image freely ; but his governing justice required, that before man was set up with a new stock of grace, there should be so great a price paid. Well then, this is mentioned as the great way of our reconciliation, ' God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.'
5. This was the great difficult}', how, when sin was once entered, it might be remitted. Sin was the great make-bate between God and us ; and it is not so slightly done away as most do imagine. The great mystery and design of grace was, how lapsed man, who was under the guilt of sin and the desert of punishment, should be restored to favour, the honour of God be safe, and the government of the world secured ; or to make the pardon of man's sin, a thing convenient for the righteous and holy God to bestow without any impeachment of the honour of his wisdom, holiness, and justice ; for there being a sentence of the law against us, by which we are condemned, John iii. 18, it would not seem to become the wisdom of God, that he should wholly quit his law, as if it were made in vain. His servant was loath to be found in a double mind, that his word should be yea and nay, 2 Cor. i. 18. Levity is an imputation which he seeketh earnestly to avoid there. Nor the holiness of God to be too favourable to sinners, Hab. i. 13, 'He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.' Nor his justice ; laws must not seem a vain scarecrow. In short, there must not be yea and nay with God ; he must be demonstrated to us in his own divine per- fections, and must not permit his laws and government to be despised or broken by a rebel world, without being executed upon them accord- ing to their true intent and meaning, or some equivalent demonstration of his justice, such as might vindicate both law and lawgiver from contempt. Well then, this was the great mystery and wonder of grace, ' that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them ; ' that his wisdom found out a way to exer- cise pardoning, saving mercy, without any injury to his governing justice and truth, or giving any leave to sinners to flatter and embolden themselves in their sins with the thoughts of impunity, which are so natural to us. Therefore well might the apostle mention this privilege, as a special branch of our reconciliation with God.
6. This is the proper privilege of the new covenant, or covenant of grace, and the difference between it and the law; the law knew no way but saving the innocent, but the gospel discovered a way of saving the penitent. The law was fitted only to our innocency, and required us to continue as God left us, but the offer of pardon of sins suiteth with our lapsed, guilty estate ; there God revealetli himself to the apostate world in that way which was fit for their recovery. The law knew no such thing as the forgiveness of sin ; the fallen creature had thereby no hope, for the tenor there was, Do, and live ; sin, and die ; here a way is found out how our trespasses may not be imputed to us, and the edge of the curse abated, and God represented as pacified-; and so this privilege was fitly mentioned by the apostle.