But are we, therefore, without hope ? By no means : for, together with these acknowledgments, we are free to offer,
II. The sinner's plea —
The particular request which the prophet offered is not specified : but, in accordance with the subse- quent part of his address, we may suppose it to have
s Gal. v. 17. h Isai. Hx. 12.
been for the restoration of God's favour. For this we also may ask, not indeed on account of any thing that is in us, but solely for the sake of God's honour, and for the glory of his name.
This plea is open for all —
[God's honour is deeply involved in his dealings with us. His justice and his holiness require him to manifest his ab- horrence of sin, and his indignation against it : but his mercy inclines him to receive the mourning penitent, and to pardon his transgressions, however greatly they may have been multi- plied against him : and if he were to spurn from his footstool a repentant sinner, he would consider himself as acting in a way that was unbecoming his divine character. He esteems the exercise of mercy as his highest glory, and his chief delight. And, when he can find nothing in his creatures to call forth, or even to justify, his kindness towards them, he takes the motive from within his own bosom, and shews mercy towards them for his own name's sake. It was from this motive only that he brought his people out of Egypt, and conducted them in safety to the Promised Land. " Not for any righteousness of theirs" did he display his mercy towards them1 ; but, as he repeatedly tells them, " he wrought for his name's sakeV Seeing, then, that he has shewn such a regard for his own honour, it cannot be, but that he should be pleased when he sees a similar concern in us, and hears us urging it with him as our only plea. But that we may not found this on mere conjecture, let me refer you to an instance wherein this plea was urged exactly in the way that was most pleasing to God. On an occasion wherein God had appeared to have forsaken his people, Joshua addressed him in these memorable words : " O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies ? For the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth : and what wilt thou do unto thy great name1?" Here then we see, that, however much we may have provoked God to anger, and whatever reason we may have to fear that he is become our enemy, we may still approach him with this plea, and enter- tain a good hope that we shall find acceptance with him.]
This plea shall never be urged in vain —
[In the instance just mentioned, it was attended with good success. The Lord immediately answered Joshua, " Get thee up : wherefore liest thou upon thy face ? Israel hath
i Deut. ix. 5. k Ezek. xx. 9, 14, 22. > Josh. vii. 8, 9.
1051.] god's name the sinner's plea. 125
sinnedm;" and on the putting away of their sin, I will return in mercy towards them. A yet more striking instance we have in the intercession of Moses for Israel, when God had deter- mined to consume them on account of their worshipping of the golden calf. Moses pleaded with him the oath by which he had bound himself to Abraham and his seed ; and imme- diately " the Lord repented of the evil which he had thought to do unto them11." Will not, then, the same plea be efficacious still; or rather, I should say, be, if possible, far more effica- cious, now that we can plead the name of Jesus ? Hear what Jesus himself has said : " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it0." Here is no limitation, no exception : nay more, the very glory of God is pledged for the fulfilment of this promise, and shall be advanced in its accomplishment.]