2. Man, who had sinned, subscribed in his heart and conscience xmto the righteoiis sentence of the law. He knew what he had de- served, and looked for nothing but the immediate execution of the sentence of death upon him. Hence he meditates not a defence, expects no pardon, stays not for a trial, but flies and hides, and attempts an escape: Gen. iii. 10, "I was afraid," saith he, "and hid myself;" than which never were there words of greater horror in the world, nor shall be until the day of judgment. Poor creature ! he was full of expectation of the vengeance due for a broken covenant.
3. God had newhj declared in the sinning angels what his justice VOL. VI. 28
43^ AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM cxxx. [Ver.4.
required, and lioiu he could deal with sinning man, ivithout the least impeachment of his government, holiness, or goodness. See 2 Pet. ii. 4.
4. There was nothing without God himself that slwuld move him, in the least, so much as to suspend the execution of his wrath for one moment. He had not done so with the angels. All things lay now under wrath, curse, confusion, and disorder; nothing was left good, lovely, or desirable in his eye. As in the first creation, that which was first brought forth from nothing was inbnnh^ " without form, and void," empty of all order and beauty, — nothing was in it to induce or move God to bring forth all things in the glory that ensued, but the whole design of it proceeded from his own infinite goodness and wisdom, — so was it now again. There was an emptiness and vanity brought by sin upon the whole creation. Nothing remained that might be a motive unto a merciful restoration, but all is again devolved on his sovereignty. All things being in this state and condition, wherein all doors stood open to the gloiy of God's justice in the punishing of sin, nothing remaining without him to hold his hand in the least, the whole creation, and especially the sinner himself, lying trembling in expectation of a dreadful doom, what now cometh forth from him? The blessed word Avhicli we have, Gen. iii. 15, " The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head." It is full well known that the Avhole mystery of forgiveness is wrapped up in this one word of promise. And the great way of its coming forth from God, by the blood of the Messiah, whose heel was to be bruised, is also intimated. And this was the first discovery that ever was made of forgiveness in God. By a word of pure revelation it was made, and so faith must take it up and receive it. Now, this revelation of forgiveness with God in this one promise was the bottom of all that worship that was yielded unto him by sinners for many ages; for we have showed before, that Avithout this no sinner can have the least encouragement to approach unto him. And this will continue to the end of the world as a notable evidence of the truth in hand, a firm foundation for faith to rest and build upon. Let a sinner seriously consider the state of things as they were then in the world, laid down before, and then view God coming forth with a Avord of pardon and forgiveness, merely from his own love and those counsels of peace that were between the Father and the Son, and he cannot but conclude, under his greatest difficulties, that yet " there is forgiveness with God, that he may be feared." Let now the law and conscience, let sin and Saian, stand forth and except against his evi- dence. Enough may be spoken from it, whatever the particular case be about which the soul hath a contest with them, to put them all to silence.
Ver.4.] EVIDENCE OF FORGIVENESS WITH GOD. 435
II. God revealed this sacred truth hy his institution of sacri- fices. Sacrifices by blood do all of them respect atonement, expia- tion, and consequently forgiveness. It is true, indeed, they could not themselves take away sin, nor make them perfect who came unto God by them, Heb. x. 1 ; but yet they undeniably evince the taking away of sin, or the forgiveness of it, by what they did de- note and typify. I shall, therefore, look back into their rise and intendment : —
1. The original and first spring of sacrifices is not in the Scrip- ture expressly mentioned, only the practice of the saints is recorded. But it is certain, from infallible Scripture evidences, that they were of God's immediate institution and appointment. God never allowed that the will or wisdom of man should be the spring and rule of his worship. That solemn word wherewith he fronts the command that is the rule of his worship, "^f i^'^i^O ^•', — " Thou shalt not make to thyself," which is the life of the command (that which follows being an explanation and confirmation of the law itself by instances), cuts off all such pretences, and is as a flaming sword, turning every way to prevent men's arbitrary approaches to God's institutions. God will not part with his glory of being the only lawgiver, as to the Avhole concernment of his worship, or any part of it, unto any of the sons of men.