THE STRENGTH OF FAITH. 43
get.her as he made them, and in the order by him assigned to them ; — there is nothing in his nature towards you but kindness, benignity, goodness, power (exerted to continue to you the goodness first im- parted), grace, and bounty, in daily, continual additions of more.
But, alas! they are sinners of whom we speak. It is true, in God, as he is by nature, there is an abundant excellency and beauty, a ravishing goodness and love, for the endearing of his creatures. As he made them, they could desire no more: the not loving him above all for his loveliness, for the suitableness of his excellencies to bind their hearts to him as their chiefest and only good, was the sin of some of them ; but now the whole state of things is changed, upon a supposition of the entrance of sin. God, indeed, is not changed ; — his excellencies and perfections are the same from eternity to eternity: but the creature is changed; and what was desirable and amiable before to him, ceases to be so to him, though it continue to be so in itself. He who, whilst he stood in the law of his creation, had bold- ness with God,- -was neither afraid nor ashamed, — after he had sinned, trembled at the hearing of his voice; yea, endeavoured to part with him for ever, and to hide himself from him. What property of God was more endearing to his creatures than his holiness? How is he glorious, lovely, desirable above all, to them who abide in his image and likeness ! But as for sinners, they cannot serve him, because ©f his holiness, Josh. xxiv. 19. In the revelation of God to sinners, together with the discovery of the excellencies before mentioned, — of his goodness, kindness, graciousness, — there is also a vision given of his justice, wrath, anger, severity, and indignation, against sin. These unconquerably interpose between the sinner and all emanations and fruits of goodness and love. Whence, instead of being endeared to God, their contrivance is that of Micah vi. ■6, 7; and upon a convic- tion of the successlessness of any such attempts, they cry out, " Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Isa. xxxiii. 14. A desire to avoid him to all eternity is all that a sinner's most choice consideration of God, in his own essential excellencies, can lead him to. For who will set the thorns in battle against him? who will bring the stubble that is fully dry to a consuming fire? And there- fore it is that those who propose general grace, from a natural goodness in God, as a ground of consolation to sinners, when they come to answer that objection, " Yea, but God is just, as well as merciful," do, with many good words, take away with one hand just as much as they give with the other. "Apprehend," say they, "God's gracious nature; he is good to all ; trust upon it : believe not them that say otherwise." But he is just also, and will not let any sin go unpunished; and therefore cannot but punish sin according to its demerit. Where is noAV the consolation spoken of? Wherefore observe, —
4-i THE STRENGTH OF FAI1II.
2dly. That since the entrance of sin, there is no apprehension — I mean for sinners — of a goodness, love, and kindness in God, as flowing from his natural properties, but upon an account of the interposition of his sovereign will and pleasure. It is most false which by some is said, — that special grace flows from that which they call general grace, and special mercy from general mercy. There is a whole nest of mistakes in that conception. God's sovereign, distinguishing will is the fountain of all special grace and mercy. " I will/' saith he, " cause all my glory to pass before thee;" and, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy," Exod. xxxiii. 19; Rom. ix. 15. Here is the fountain of mercy, even the will of God. He is of a merciful and gracious nature ; but dispenses mercy and grace by his sovereign will. It is electing love that is at the bottom of all special grace, all special kindness ; whence the election obtains, when the rest are har- dened, Rom. xi. 7 [margin]. Ho blesseth us with spiritual blessings, ac- cording as he hath chosen us, Eph. i. 3, 4. God having made all things good, and imparted of the fruits of his goodness to them, might, with- out the least injury to, or restraint of, his own goodness, have given over all them who sinned, and came short of his glory, to an everlast- ing separation from him. That he deals otherwise with any of them, is not from any propensity in his nature and goodness towards their relief; but from his sovereign, wise, gracious will, wherein he most freely purposed in himself to do them good by Christ, Eph. i. 9.
This I say, then, all considerations of the goodness and merciful- ness of the nature of God, and of general graee on that account, are so balanced in the soul of a sinner by those of his justice and seve- rity,— so weakened by the experience all men have of the not exerting those properties effectually for the good of all that are pretended to have a right thereunto, — that they are no ground, as so considered, of consolation to sinners. And if any one should venture to draw nigh unto God on the account of such general grace, he would meet the sword of justice before he would lay hold upon Him. So that, —