Ver.4.] EXHORTATIONS UNTO BELIEVING FORGIVENESS. 535
be free from that bondage, that galling yoke in duties of obedience ? would you have all that you do towards God a delight and 23leasant- ness unto you? This, and this alone, will effect it for you.
(3.) This tvill 2}lace all your obedience upon a sure foot of ac- count in your oiun sonlsand consciences, even the same that is fixed on in the gospel. For the joresent, all that you do is indeed but to compound with God for your sin. You hope, by what you do for him and to him, to buy off what you have done against him, that you may not fall into the hands of his wrath and vengeance. This makes all you do to be irksome. As a man that labours all his days to pay an old debt, and brings in nothing to lay up for himself, how tedious and wearisome is his work and labour to him! It is odds but that, at one time or other, he will give over and run away from his credi- tor. So it is in this case : men who have secret reserves of recom- pensing God by their obedience, every day find their debt growing upon them, and have every day less hopes of making a satisfactory payment. This makes them weary, and for the most part they faint imder their discouragements, and at length they fly wholly from God. This way alone Avill state things otherwise in your consciences: it will give you to see that all your debts are paid by Christ, and freely forgiven unto you by God; so that what you do is of grati- tude or thankfulness, hath an influence into eternity, leads to the glory of God, the honour of Christ in the gospel, and your own com- fortable account at the last day. This encourageth the soul to labour, to trade, to endeavour; all things now looking forward, and unto his advantage.
(4.) Find you not in yourselves an imjjotency, a disability unto the duties of obedience, as to their performance unto God in an ac- ceiDtable manner? It may be you are not so sensible hereof as you ought to be; for, respecting only or principally the outward j)art and performance of duties, you have not experience of your own weakness. How to enliven and fill up duties with faith, love, and delight, you know not ; and are therefore unacquainted with your own insufficiency in tliis matter. Yet if you have any light, any con- victions (and to such I speak at present), you cannot but perceive and understand that you are not able in your obedience to answer Avhat you aim at ; you have not strength or power for it. Now it is this faith of forgiveness alone that will furnish you Avith the ability whereof you stand in need. Pardon oomes not to the soul alone, or rather, Christ comes not to the soul with pardon only; it is that which he opens the door and enters by, but he comes with a Sj^irit of life and power. And as " without him we can do nothing," so through his enabling us we may " do all things." Receiving of gospel for- giveness engageth all the grace of the gospel unto our assistance.
536 ''an EXPOSITION UPON rSALM cxxx. [Vcr.l
This is the sum of what hath been spoken : — The obedience that you perform under your convictions is burdensome and unpleasant unto you ; it is altogether unacceptable to God. You lose all you do, and all that you hope to do hereafter, if the foundation be not laid in the receiving of pardon in the blood of Christ. It is high time to cast down all that vain and imaginary fabric which you have been erecting, and to go about the laying of a new foundation, which j^ou may safely and cheerfully build upon, — a building that will abide for ever.
7. Again: it is such a way, so excellent, so precious, so near the heart of God, so relating to the blood of Christ, that the neglect of it will assuredly he sorely revenged of the Lord. Let not men think that they sliall despise the wisdom and love of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the promises of the gospel, at an eas}' rate. Let us in a very few words take a view of what the Holy Ghost speaks to this purpose. There are three ways whereby the vengeance due to the neglect of closing with forgiveness or gospel grace is ex- pressed : —
(L) That is done positively: "He that belleveth not shall be DAMNED," Mark xvi. 16. That is a hard word; many men cannot endure to hear of it. They would not have it named by their good wills, and are ready to fly in the face of him from whose mouth it proceeds. But let not men deceive themselves ; this is the softest word that mercy and love itself, that Christ, that the gospel speaks to despisers of forgiveness. It is Christ who is this legal terrifying preacher; it is he that cries out, " If you believe not, you shall be damned;" and he will come himself "in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that obey not the gospel," 2 Thess. ii. 8. This is the end of the disobedient, if God, if Christ, if the gospel may be believed.