VOL. VL 26
402 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM cxxx. [Ver.4.
2. This is not alL This eternal ocean, that is infinitely satisfied with its own fulness and perfection, doth not naturally yield forth streams for our refreshment. Mercy and pardon do not come forth from God as light doth from the sun or water from the sea, by a ne- cessary consequence of their natures, whether they will or no. It doth not necessarily follow that any one must be made partaker of forgiveness because God is infinitely gracious ; for may he not do what he will with his own? " Who hath first given unto him, that it should be recompensed unto him again?" Rom. xi. So. All the fruits of God's goodness and grace are in the sole keeping of his own sovereign will and pleasure. This is his great glory : Exod. xxxiiL 18, 19, " Show me thy glory," saith Moses. " And he said, 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-suftering, abundant in goodness, some might conclude that it could not be otherwise with any but well; — he is such a one as that men need scarce be beholding to him for mercy. " Nay," saith he ; " but this is my great glory, that ' I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious."" There must be an interposition of a free act of the will of God to deal with us according to this his abun- dant goodness, or we can have no interest therein. This I call the purpose of his grace, or " The good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself," Eph. i. 9 ; or, as it is termed, verses 5, G, " The good plea- sure of his will," that he hath purposed " to the praise of his glorious grace." This free and gixicious pleasure of God, or i^urpose of his will to act towards sinners according to his oivn abundant goodness, is another thing that influences the forgiveness of which Ave treat. Pardon flows immediately from a sovereign act of free grace. This free purpose of God's will and grace for the pardoning of sinners is indeed that which is principally intended when we say," " There is forgiveness Avith him ; " that is, he is pleased to forgive, and so to do is agreeable unto his nature. Now, the mystery of this grace is deep; it is eternal, and therefore incomprehensible. Few there ai'e whose hearts are raised to a contemplation of it. Men rest and con- tent themselves in a general notion of mercy, which will not be ad- vantageous to their souls. Freed they Avould be from punishment, but what it is to be forgiven they inquire not. So what they know of it they come easily by, but wall find in the issue it will stand them in little stead. But these fountains of God's actuigs are revealed, that tlioy may be the fountains of our comforts.
Now, of this purpose of God's grace there ai'e several acts, all of them relating unto gospel forgiveness: —
(1.) There, is his imrpose of sending his Son to he the great means
Ver. 4.] FORGIVENESS IN RELATION TO SOVEREIGN GRACE. 403
of procuring, of purchasing forgiveness. Though God be mfinitely and incomiDrehensibly gracious, though he purpose to exert his grace and goodness toward sinners, yet he will so do it, do it in such a way, as shall not be prejudicial to his own holiness and righteousness. His justice must be satisfied, and his holy indignation against sin made known. Wherefore he purposeth to send his Son, and hath sent him, to make way for the exercise of mercy; so as no way to eclipse the glory of his justice, holiness, and hatred of sin. Better we should all eternally come short of forgiveness than that God should lose any thing of his glory. This we have, Rom. iii. 25, " God set him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to de- clare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past." The remission of sins is the thing aimed at; but this must be so brought about as that therein not only the mercy but the righteousness of God may be declared, and therefore must it be brought forth by a propitiation, or making of an atonement in the blood of Christ: so John iii. 16; 1 John iv. 9; Rom. v. 8. This, I say, also lies in the mystery of that forgiveness that is administered in the gospel, — it comes forth from this eternal purpose of making way by the blood of Christ to the dispensation of pardon. And this greatly heightens the excellency of this discovery. Men who have slight thoughts of God, whose hearts were never awed with his dread or greatness, who never seriously considered his purity and holiness, may think it no great matter that God should pardon sin. But do they consider the way whereby it is to be brought about ? — even by the sending of his only Son, and that to die, as we shall see afterward. Neither was there any other way whereby it might be done. Let us now lay aside common thoughts, assent upon reports and tradition, and rightly weigh this matter. Doubtless we shall find it to be a great thing, that forgiveness should be so with God as to be made out unto us (we know somewhat what we are) by sending his only Son to die. Oh, how little is this really believed, even by them who make api'o- fession of it ! and what mean thoughts are entertained about it wdien men seek for pardon! Immunity from punislwient is the utmost that lies in the aims and desires of most, and is all that they are ex- ercised in the consideration of, when they deal with God about sin. Such men think, and will do so, that we have an easy task in hand, — namely, to prove that there is forgiveness in God; but this ease lies in their own ignorance and darkness. If ever they come to search after it indeed, to inquire into the nature, reasons, causes, fountains, and springs of it, they will be able to give another account of these things. Christ is the centre of the mystery of the gospel, and for- giveness is laid up in the heart of Christ, from the love of the Father; in him are all the treasures of it hid. Alid surely it is no small