(3.) Faith dealing about forgiveness doth commonly eye, in a par- ticular manner, its relation to the mediation and blood of Christ. So the apostle directs, 1 John ii. 1, 2, " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and he is the propitiation for our sins." If any one hath sinned, and is in depths and entanglements about it, what course shall he take, how shall he proceed, to obtain deliverance? Why, he must unto God for pardon. But what shall he rely upon to encourage him in his so doing? Saith the apostle, " Consider by faith the atonement and propitiation made for sin by the blood of Christ, and that he is still pursuing the work of love to the suing out of pardon for us ; and rest thy soul thereon." This, I say, most commonly is that which faith in the first place im- mediately fixes on.
(4.) Faith eyes actual pardon or condonation. So God pro- poseth it as a motive to farther believing: Isa. xliv. 22, ''I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins : return unto me ; for I have redeemed thee." Actual pardon of sin is proposed to faith as an encouragement unto a full returning unto God in all things, 2 Sam. xsiii. 5. And the like may be said of all the other particulars which we have insisted on. There is not any of them but will yield peculiar relief unto a soul dealing with God about forgiveness, as having some one special concernment or other of forgiveness inwrapped in them; — only, as I said, they do it not exclusively, but are the special doors whereby believing enters into the whole. And these things must be spoken unto afterward.
Let us now take along; with us the end for which all these consi-
410 AN EXPOSITION UrON rSALM CXXX. [Vtr.4.
derations have been insisted on. It is to manifest that a real dis- covery of gospel forgiveness is a matter of gi-eater consequence and importance than at first proj)osal, it may be, it appeared unto some to be. Who is not in hopes, in expectation of pardon? Who think not that they know well enough at least what it is, if they might but obtain it ? But men may have general thoughts of imj:)unity, and yet be far enough from any saving acquaintance with gospel mercy.
Forgiveness discovered or revealed only to faith — Reasons thereof.
Foil a close of this discourse, I shall only add what is included in that jDroposition which is the foundation of the whole, — namely, that this discovery of forgiveness is and can he made to faith alone. The nature of it is such as that nothing else can discover it or re- ceive it. No reasonings, no inquiries of the heart of man can reach imto it. That guess or glimpse which the heathens had of old of somewhat so called, and which false worshippers have at present, is not the forgiveness we insist upon, but a mere imagination of their own hearts.
This the apostle informs us, Rom. i. 17, '' The righteousness of God is" (in the gospel) " revealed from faith to faith." Nothing but faith hath any thing to do with it. It is that righteousness of God whereof he speaks that consists in the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ, declared in the gospel. And this is revealed from the faith of God in the promise to the faith of the believer, — to him that mixes the promise with faith. And again more fully, 1 Cor. ii. 9, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." The ways whereby we may come to the knowledge of any thing are, by the seeing of the eye or hearing of the car, or the reasonings and meditations of the heart; but now none of these will reach to the matter in hand, — by none of these ways can we come to an acquaintance with the things of the gospel that are prepared for us in Christ. How, then, shall we obtain the knowledge of them? That he declares, verse 10, " God hath revealed tliem unto us by his Spirit." Now, it is faith only that receives the revelations of the Spirit; nothing else hath to do witli them.
To give evidence hereunto, we may consider that this great mys- tery,— 1. Is too deeji, 2. Is too great, for aught else to discover; and, — 3. That nolhing else but faith is suited to the making of this dis- covery.
1. It is too deep and mysterious to be fathomed and reached by any thing else. Reason's line is too short to fathom the dei)ths of the
Ver.4.] FORGIVENESS KEVEALED ONLY TO FAITH. 411
Father's love, of the blood of the Son, and the promises of the gospel built thereon, wherein forgiveness dwells. Men cannot by their ra- tional considerations launch out into these deeps, nor draw water by them from these " wells of salvation." Reason stands by amazed, and cries, " How can these things be?" It can but gather cockle- shells, like him of old, at the shore of this ocean, a few criticisms upon the outward letter, and so bring an evil report upon the land, as did the spies. All it can do is but to hinder faith from venturing into it, crying, " Spare thyself; this attempt is vain, these things are im- possible." It is among the things that faith puts off and lays aside when it engageth tlie soul into this great work. This, then, that it may come to a discovery of forgiveness, causeth the soid to deny it- self and all its own reasonings, and to give up itself to an infinite fulness of goodness and truth. Though it cannot go unto the bottom of these depths, yet it enters into them, and finds rest in them. Nothing but faith is suited to rest, to satiate, and content itself in mysterious, bottomless, unsearchable depths. Being a soul-emptying, a reason-denying grace, the more it meets withal beyond its search and reach, the more satisfaction it finds. " This is that which I looked for," saith faith, " even for that which is infinite and unsearch- able, when I know that there is abundantly more beyond me that I do not comj^rehend, than what I have attained unto; for I know that nothing else will do good to the soul." Now, this is that which really puzzles and overwhelms reason, rendering it useless. What it cannot compass, it will neglect or despise. It is either amazed and confounded, and dazzled like weak eyes at too great a light; or forti- fying of itself by inbred pride and obstinacy, it concludes that this preaching of the cross, of forgiveness from the love of God, by the blood of Christ, is plain folly, a thing not for a wise man to take notice of or to trouble himself about : so it appeared to the wise Greeks of old, 1 Cor. i. 23. Hence, when a soul is brought under the power of a real conviction of sin, so as that it would desirously be freed from the galling entanglements of it, it is then the hardest thing in the world to persuade such a soul of this forgiveness. Any thing appears more rational unto it, — any self-righteousness in this world, any purgatory hereafter.