o. The grace and love of God, that in this matter the Scripture re- veals to be exercised in order unto the forgiveness of sinners, con- sists principally in two things: — (1.) In his holy eternal purpose of providing a relief for lost sinners. He hath done it, " to the praise of the glory of his gi-ace," Eph. i. 6. (2.) In the sending his Son in the pursuit and for the accomplishment of the holy purpose of his will and grace. Herein most eminently doth the Scripture celebrate the
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love, goodness, and kindness of God, as that whereby, in infinite and for ever to be adored wisdom and gi-ace, he made way for the forgiveness of our sins. John iii. 16, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son/' Rom. iii. 25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.'' Rom. v. 8, " God commeudeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Tit. iii. 4; 1 John iv. 9, 10. Herein consists that ever to be adored love, goodness, grace, mercy, and con- descension of God. Add hereunto, that, in the act of causing our iniquities to meet on Christ, wherein he immediately intended the declaration of his justice, Rom iii. 25, — " not sparing him, in deliver- ing him up to death for us all," Rom. viii. 32, — there was a blessed harmony in the highest justice and most excellent grace and mercy. This grace, this goodness, this love of God towards mankind, towards sinners, our adversaries in this matter neither know nor understand ; and so, indeed, what lies in them, remove the foundation of the whole gospel, and of all that faith and obedience which God requires at our hands.
4. Forgiveness, or the actual condonation of sinners, the pardon and forgiveness of sins, is free; but yet so as it is everyivhere re- strained unto a respect unto Christ, unto his death and blood-shed- ding. Eph. i. 7, " We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." Chap. iv. 32, "God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Rom. iii. 25, 26, " God hath set him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins." It is absolutely free in respect of all immediate transactions between God and sinners.
(1.) Free on the part of God.
[1.] In the eternal purpose of it, when he might justly have suf- fered all men to have perished under the guilt of their sins. [2.] Free in the means that he used to effect it, unto his glory. Is^. In the sending of his Son; and, 2dly. In laying the punishment of our sin upon him. ^dly. In his covenant with him, that it should be accepted on our behalf itthly. In his tender and proposal of it by the gospel unto sinners, to be received without money or without price. Stilly. In the actual condonation and pardon of them that do believe.
(2.) It is free on the part of the persons that are forgiven ; in that, [1.] It is given and granted to them, without any satisfaction made by them for their former transgressions. [2.] Without any merit to purchase or procure it. [3.] Without any penal, satisfactory suffering here, or in a purgatory hereafter. [4.] Without any expectation of a future recompense ; or that, being pardoned, they should then make or give any satisfaction for what they had done before. And as any
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of these things would, so nothing else can, impeach the freedom of pardon and forgiveness. Whether, then, we respect the pardoner or the pardoned, pardon is every way free, — namely, on the part of God who forgives, and on the part of sinners that are forgiven. If God now hath, besides all this, provided himself a lamb for a sacrifice; if he hath, in infinite wisdom and grace, found out a way thus freely to forgive us our sins, to the praise and glory of his own holiness, righteousness, and severity against sin, as well as unto the unspeak- able advancement of that grace, goodness, and bounty which he im- mediately exerciseth in the pardon of sin ; are these men's eyes evil, because he is good ? Will they not be contented to be pardoned, unless they may have it at the rate of despoiling God of his holiness, truth, righteousness, and faithfulness? And as this is certainly done by that way of pardon which these men propose, no reserve in the least being made for the glory of God in those holy properties of his nature which are immediately injured and opposed by sin; so that pardon itself, which they pretend so to magnify, having nothing to influence it but a mere arbitrary act of God's will, is utterly de- based from its own proper worth and excellency. And I shall will- ingly undertake to manifest that they derogate no less from gTace and mercy in pardon, than they do from the righteousness and holi- ness of God, by the forgiveness which they have feigned ; and that in it both of them are perverted and despoiled of all their glor}'.