I will fix my eyes upon him for good ; I will look upon him with complacency ; though burning seraphs surround my throne, and myriads of angels brighter than the sun encompass me around, I will look through all their shining ranks, nor shall all of them together divert my attention from the contrite sinner : "To this man will I look :" from whomsoever I hide my eyes, I will be sure to look on him with pleasure and com- placency: " I will rejoice over him with joy ; I will rest in my love; I will joy over him with singing." What an unspeakable blessing is this ! To have God himself delighting in us, and shedding abroad his love in our hearts, this is inestimable indeed! He adds moreover, " I will love them freely ,•" i.e. without any desert in them, without any reluctance in himself. Were he to wait till they had something in themselves worthy to attract his notice, they could have no hope : to all eternity they must remain poor, helpless, miserable, undone creatures: they could never of themselves entertain so much as one good thought ; much less could they do any thing to merit God's esteem : God therefore will not wait for any thing in them to attract his regard : if only they be sorry for their sins, and bewail them before him in secret, he will love them freely ; not for their sakes, but for his own ; not because they are good, but because he will shew forth the freeness of his grace. And, as he will love them without any desert in them, so will he love them without any reluctance in himself: he delights in the exercise of mercy : it is the very joy of his heart to mani- fest his mercy to all that call upon him in truth. When our iniquities compel him to give us up, then he is all backward- ness and reluctance ; " How shall I give thee up ? my bowels are troubled for thee." But when we desire to return to him, he never deliberates ; he never says, " How shall I receive such a sinner as thou art ? " We may see in the parable of the Prodigal Son what is his conduct towards every repenting sin- ner : instead of hesitating whether he should receive the Pro- digal, he ran to meet him; instead of upbraiding him, he interrupts him in his confession, and seals up his lips with kisses ; instead of granting his request and making him the lowest of his servants, he treats him as his best-beloved son, clothes him in the richest garments, and kills the fatted calf for him. Thus does God towards every penitent ; and were every soul as much disposed to receive mercy as God is to shew mercy, there would never so much as one perish, even to the end of the world.
These blessings then may every penitent expect : God has here, as also in many other passages, expressly bound himself by his own voluntary promise ; so that every penitent may expect these blessings upon the ground of God's truth and faithfulness.]