2. To presc7'ihe repentance as a duty unto sinners, without a foundation of pardon and forgiveness in himself is inconsistent with the tvisdoni, holiness, goodness, faithfulness, and all other glorious excellencies and p)&^fGCtions of the nature of God; for, —
(1.) The apostle lays this as the great foundation of all consola- tion, that God cannot lie or deceive, Heb. vi. 18. And again, he engageth the faithfulness and veracity of God to the same purpose: Tit. i. 2, " God, who cannot lie, hath promised it." Now, there is a lie, a deceit, in things as well as in words. He that doth a thing which in its own nature is apt to deceive them that consider it, with an intention of deceiving them, is no less a liar than he which affirms that to be true which he knows to be false. There is a lie in actions as well as in words. The whole life of a hypocrite is a lie; so saith the prophet of idolaters, there is '' a lie in their right hand," Isa. xliv. 20.
(2.) The proposal of repentance is a thing fitted and suited in its OAvn nature to bes^et thoughts in the muid of a sinner that there is forgiveness with God. Repenting is for sinners only. " I come not," saith our Saviour, " to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." It is for them, and them only. It was no duty for Adam in Eden, it is none for the angels in heaven, nor for the damned in hell. What, then, may be the language of this appointment? " O sinners, come and deal with God by repentance." Doth it not openly speak for- giveness in God? and, if it were otherwise, could men possibly be more frustrated or deceived? would not the institution of repentance be a lie? Such a delusion may proceed from Satan, but not from Him who" is the fountain of goodness, holiness, and truth. His call to repentance is a full demonstration of his readiness to forgive, Acts xvii. 30, 31. It is true, many do thus deceive themselves: they raise themselves unto an expectation of immunity, not on gospel grounds ; and their disappointment is a great part of their punish- ment. But God deceives none ; whoever comes to him on his pro- posal of repentance shall find forgiveness. It is said of some, indeed, that "he will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh," Pro v. i. 26. He will aggi'avate their misery, by giving them
440 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [VcT. •!'.
to see what tlieir pride and folly hatli brought them unto. But who are they? Only such as refuse his call to repentance, with the pro- mises of the acceptation annexed.
(3.) There is, then, no cause why those who are under a call to repentance should question whether there be forgiveness in God or no. This concerns my second proposition. " Come," saith the Lord mito the souls of men, "leave your sinful ways, tui'n unto me; hum- ble yourselves with broken and contrite heart." "Alas!" say poor convinced sinners, " we are poor, dark, and ignorant creatures ; or we are old in sin, or greater sinners or backsliders, or have fallen often into the same sins ; — can we expect there should be forgiveness for us?" Why, you are under God's invitation to repentance; and to disbelieve forgiveness is to call the truth, holiness, and faithful- ness of God into question. If you will not believe forgiveness, pre- tend wliat you please, it is in truth because you hate repentance. You do but deceive your souls, when you pretend you come not up to repentance because you cannot believe forgiveness ; for in the very institution oi this duty God engageth all his properties to make it good that he hath pardon and mercy for sinners.
(4.) Much less cause is there to doubt of forgiveness where sincere repentance is in any measure wrought. No soul comes to repentance but upon God's call ; God calls none but whom he hath mercy for upon their coming. And as for those who sin against the Holy Ghost, as they shut themselves out from forgiveness, so they are not called to repentance.
(5.) God expressly declares in the Scripture that the forgiveness that is with him is the foundation of his prescribing repentance unto man. One instance may suffice : Isa. Iv. 7, " Let the wicked forsake his way" {^^1, " a perverse wicked one," H^ ^''^]), "and the man of iniquity his thoughts: and let him return unto the LoRD, and he will have mercy; and to our God, for Di^'p? '"'?7-, he will multiply to par- don." You see to whom he speaks, — to men perversely wicked, and such as make a trade of sinning. What doth he call them unto? Plainly, to repentance, to the duty we have insisted on. But what is the ground of such an invitation unto such profligate sinners? Why, the abundant forgiveness and pardon that is with him, superabound- ing unto what the worst of them can stand in need of; as Rom. v. 20.
And this is another way whereby God hath revealed that there is forgiveness with him; and an infallible bottom for faith to build upon in its appi-oaches unto God it is. Nor can the certainty oi this evi- dence be called into question but on such grounds as are derogatory to the glory and honour of God. And this connection ot repentance and forgiveness is that principle from whence God convinces a stub- born, unbelieving people that all his ways and dealings with sinners