We can, then, no way so eminently bring or ascribe glory unto God as by our receiving forgiveness from him, he being willing thereunto upon the account of its tendency unto his own glory, in that way which he hath peculiarly fixed on for its manifestation. Hence the apostle exhorts us to " come boldly unto the throne of grace," Heb. iv. 16; that is, with the confidence of faith, as he ex- pounds "boldness," chap. x. 19-22. AVe come about a business wherewith he is well pleased ; such as he delights in the doing of,
504 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [Ver.4.
as he expressetli himself, Zeph. iii. 1 7, " The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he mil joy over thee with singing." This is the way of God's pardoning; he doth it in a rejoicing, trium- phant manner, satisfying abundantly his own holy soul therein, and resting in his love. We have, then, abundant encouragement to draw nigh to the throne of grace, to be made partakers of what God is so willing to ffive out unto us.
And to this end serves also the oath of God, before insisted on, — namely, to root out all the secret reserves of unbelief concerning God's unwillingness to give mercy, grace, and pardon unto sinners. See Heb. vi. 17, 18, where it is expressed. Therefore, the tendency of our former argument is, not merely to prove that there is forgive- ness with God, which we may believe and not be mistaken, but which we ought to believe ; it is our duty so to do. We think it our duty to pray, to hear the word, to give alms, to love the breth- ren, and to abstain from sin ; and if we fail in any of these, we find the guilt of them reflected upon our conscience, unto our disquiet- ment: but we scarce think it our duty to believe the forgiveness of our sins. It is well, it may be, we think, with them that can do it ; but we think it not their fault who do not. Such persons may bo pitied, but, as we supjjose, not justly blamed, no, not by God himself Whose conscience almost is burdened with this as a sin, that he doth not, as he ought, believe the forgiveness of his sins? And this is merely because men judge it not their duty so to do; for a non-performance of a duty, apprehended to be such, will re- flect on the conscience a sense of the guilt of sin. But now what can be required to make any thing a duty unto us that is wanting in this matter? for, —
1. There is forgiveness with God, and this manifested, revealed, declared. This manifestation of it is that which makes it the object of our faith. We believe things to be in God and with him, not merely and formally because they are so, but because he hath mani- fested and revealed them so to be, 1 John i. 2. What he so declares it is our duty to believe, or we frustrate the end of his revelation.
2. We are expressly commanded to believe, and that upon the highest promises and under the greatest penalties. This command is that which makes believing formally a duty. Faith is a grace, as it is freely wrought in us by the Holy Ghost ; the root of all obe- dience and duties, as it is radically fixed in the heart ; but as it is commanded, it is a duty. And these commands, you know, are seve- ral ways exjDressed, by invitations, exhortations, propositions; Avhich all have in them the nature of commands, which take up a great part of the books of the New Testament.
Ver. 4.] FORGIVENESS BELIEVED BY FEW. 505
3. It is a duty, as we have showed, of the greatest concernment unto the gkuy of God.
4. Of the greatest importance unto our souls here and hereafter. And these thmgs were necessary to be added, to bottom our ensuing exhortations upon.
Evidences that most men do not believe forgiveness.
That which should now ensue is the peculiar improvement of this truth, all along aimed at, — namely, to give exhortations and en- couragements unto believing; but I can take few steps in this work, wherein inethinks I do not hear some saying, " Surely all this is needless. Who is there that doth not believe all that you go about to 23rove? and so these pains are spent to little or no purpose." I shall, therefore, before I persuade any unto it, endeavour to show that they do it not already. Many, I say, the most of men who live under the dispensation of the gospel, do wofully deceive their own soids in this matter. They do not believe what they profess them- selves to believe, and what they think they believe. Men talk of " fundamental errors;" this is to me the most fundamental error that any can fall into, and the most pernicious. It is made up of these two parts: — 1. They do not indeed believe forgiveness. 2. Thei/ sup- pose they do believe it, which keej)s them from seeking after the only remedy. Both these mistakes are in the foundation, and do ruin the souls of them that live and die in tliem. I shall, then, by a brief inquiry, put this matter to a trial. By some plain rules and princi- ples may this important question, whether we do indeed believe forgiveness or no, be answered and decided. But to the resolution intended, I shall premise two observations : —