526 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM cxxx. [Ver.4.
men proposed to themselves was sufficiently manifested, it pleased him to reveal his way. And what are we, that we should contend about it with him? This rejection of the way of personal righteous- ness, and choosing the way of grace and forgiveness, God asserts: Jer. xxxi. Sl-3-i, " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers" (in which administration of the covenant, as far as it had respect unto typical mercies, much depended on their personal obedi- ence) : " but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lokd, I will put my law," etc., " for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Let, then, this way stand, and the way of man's wisdom and self- righteousness perish for ever.
2. This is the way that above all others tends directly and imme- diately to the glory of God. God hath managed and ordered all things in this way of forgiveness, so as " no flesh should glory in his presence," but that " he that glorieth should glory in the Lord," 1 Cor. i. 29, 81. " Where is boasthig then ? It is excluded. By what law? by the law of works? Nay; but by the law of faith," Rom. iii. 27. It might be easily manifested that God hath so laid the de- sign of saving sinners by forgiveness according to the law of faith, that it is utterly impossible that any soul should, on any account whatever, have the least ground of glorying or boasting in itself, either absolutely or in comparison with them that perish. " If Abraham," saith the same apostle, " were justified by works, he had whereof to glory; but not before God," chap. iv. 2. The obedience of works would have been so infinitely disproportionate to the re- ward, which was God himself, that there had been no glorying before God, but therein his goodness and grace must be acknowledged; yet in comparison with others who yielded not the obedience required, he would have had wherein, to glory : but now this also is cut off by the way of forgiveness, and no pretence is left for any to claim the least share in the glory of it but God alone. And herein lies the ex- cellency of faith, that it " gives glory to God," chap. iv. 20 ; the denial whereof, under various pretences, is the issue of proud unbelief. And this is that which God will bring all unto, or they shall perish, — namely, that shame be ours, and the whole glory of our salvation be his alone. So he expresseth his design, Isa. xlv. 22-25. Verse 22, he proposeth himself as the only relief for sinners: " Look unto me," saith he, " and be saved, all the ends of the earth." But what if men take some other course, and look well to themselves, and so decline this way of mere mercy and grace? Why, saith he, verse 23, " I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in right-
Yer.4.] EXHORTATIONS UNTO BELIEVING FORGIVENESS. 527
eonsness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Look you unto that, " But I have sworn that you shall either do so, or answer your disobedience at the day of judgment;" whereunto Paul applies those words, Rom. xiv. 11. What do the saints hereupon? Isa. xlv. 24, 25, " Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glor3^" They bring their hearts to accept of all righteousness from him, and to give all glory unto him.
God at first placed man in a blessed state and condition, — in such a dependence on himself as that he might have wrought out his eternal happiness with a great reputation of glory unto himself. " Man being in this honour," saith the psalmist, " abode not." God now fixes on another way, as I said, wherein all the glory shall be his own, as the apostle at large sets it forth, Rom. iii. 21-26. Now, neither the way from which Adam fell, nor that wherein some of the angels continued, Avhich for the substance were the same, is to be compared with this of forgiveness, as to the bringing glory unto God. I hate curiosities and conjectures in the things of God, yet, upon the account of tlie interposition of the blood of Christ, I think I ma}'' boldly say there comes more glory to God by saving one sinner in this way of forgiveness, than in giving the reward of blessedness to all the angels in heaven: so seems it to appear from that solemn repre- sentation we have of the ascription of glory to God by the whole creation, Rev. v. 9-14. All centres in the bringing forth forgiveness by the blood of the Lamb.
I insist the more on this, because it lies so directly against that cursed principle of unbelief which reigns in the hearts of the most, and often disquiets the best. That a poor ungodly sinner, going to God with the guilt of all his sins upon him, to receive forgiveness at his hand, doth bring more glory unto him than the obedience of an angel, men are not over ready to think, nor can be prepared for it but by itself. And the formal nature of that unbelief which worketh in convinced sinners lies in a refusal to give unto God the whole glory of salvation. There are many hurtful controversies in religion that are managed in the world with great noise and clamour, but this is the greatest and most pernicious of them all ; and it is for the most part silently transacted in the souls of men, although under various forms and pretences. It hath also broken forth in writings and disputations ; — that is, whether God or man shall have the glory of salvation; or whether it shall wholly be ascribed unto God, or that man also, on one account or other, may come in for a share. Now, if this be the state and condition with any of you, that you will rather perish than God should have his glory, what shall we say