Among the saints themselves I could produce instances to mani- fest that they have found it to be thus. The cases of Job, David, Heman are known. I shall only consider it in Christ himself From himself he had no occasion of any discouraging thought, being holy, harmless, undefiled. He fulfilled all righteousness, did his Father's will in all things, and abode in his love. This must needs be attend- ed with the highest peace and most blessed joy. In the very en- trance of his trials, he had a full persuasion of a comfortable issue and success; as we may see, Isa. 1. 7-9. But yet when his soul was exercised with thoughts of God's marking our iniquities upon him, it was " sorrowful unto death." He was " sore amazed, and very heavy," Mark xiv. 33, 3i. His agony; his blood-sweat; his strong cries and
Ver.3.] GOD MAEKTNG SIN, 865
supplications ; liis reiterated prayers, " If it be possible let this cup pass from me;" his last and dreadful cry, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" — all manifest what apprehensions he had of what it was for God to mark iniquities. Well may poor sinners cry out, " Lord, who shall stand?" when the Son of God himself so trembled under the weight of it.
In serious thoughts of God's marking sin, he is represented unto the soul under all those glorious, terrible attributes and excellencies which are apt to beget a dread and terror in the hearts of sinners, when they have no relief from any covenant engagements in Christ. The soul looks upon him as the great lawgiver, James iv. 12, — able to revenge the breach of it, by destroying body and soul in hell fire; as one terrible in holiness, of purer eyes than to behold iniquity ; so also in greatness and in power; the living God. into whose hands it is a fearful thing to fall; as attended with vindictive justice, saying, " Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense," Heb. x. 30. Now, for a soul to consider God, clothed with all these dreadful and terrible excellencies, coming to deal with sinners according to the tenor of his fiery law, it cannot but make him cry out, with Moses, " I exceedingly fear and quake."
These things work on their minds the conclusion mentioned before, as asserted in these words, — namely, that God's marking of sin ac- cording to the tenor of the law, and mans salvation, are titterly inconsistent; a conclusion that must needs shake a soul when pressed under a sense of its own guilt.
When a person who is really guilty, and knows himself to be guilty, is brought unto his trial, he hath but these four grounds of hope that his safety and his trial may be consistent. He may think that either, — 1. The judge will not be able to find out or discover his crimes; or, 2. That some one will powerfully intercede for him with the judge; or, 3. That the rule of the laiu is not so strict as to take notice of his miscarriages ; or, 4. That the penalty of it is not so se- vere but that there may be a way of escape. Cut him short of his expectations from some, one, or all of these, and all his hopes must of necessity perish. And how is it in this case ?
1. Of the Judge we have spoken somewhat already. The present inquiry is. Whether any thing may he hid from him or ?io,and so a door of escape be opened to a sinner? The apostle tells us that " all things are naked and open unto him," Heb. iv. 13; and the psalmist, that " there is not a thought in our hearts, nor a word in our tongue, but he understandeth it afar off, and knoweth it altogether," Ps. cxxxix. 2-4. What the sinner knows of himself that may cause him to fear, that God knows; and what he knows not of himself that deserves his fear, that God knows also : " He is greater than our hearts, and
oGQ AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALiI cxxx. [Ver.S.
kuoweth all things/' 1 John iii. 20. When God shall not only set in order before the sinner the secret sins which he retains some re- membrance of, but also brings to mind and represents unto him that world of filth and folly which either he never took any real notice of or hath utterly forgotten, it will trouble him, yea, confound him.
2. But may not this Judge be entreated to pass by what he knows, and to deal favourably Avith the sinner? May not an intercessor be obtained to plead in the behalf of the guilty soul? Eli deteraiines this matter, 1 Sam. ii. 25, " If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin against the LoRD, who shall intreat for him?" " There is not," saith Job, " between us D''?i^, one that might argue the case, in jDleading for me, and so make up the matter, ' laying his hand upon us both,'" chap. ix. 33. We now con- sider a sinner purely under the administration of the law, Avhich knows nothing of a mediator. In that case, who sliall take upon him to intercede for the sinner? Besides that all creatures in heaven and earth are engaged in the quarrel of God against sinners, and besides the greatness and terror of his majesty, that will certainl}' deter all or any of them from undertaking any such work, what is the request that in this case must be put up unto God? Is it not that he would cease to be holy, leave off from being righteous, relinquish his throne, deny himself and his sovereignty, that a rebel, a traitor, his cursed enemy, may live and escape his justice? Is tins request reasonable? Is ho fit to intercede for sinners that make it? Would he not by so doing- prove himself to be the greatest of them? The sinner cannot, then, expect any door of escape to be opened unto him; all the world is against him ; and the case must be tried out nakedly between God and him. But, —