"even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgref"fions for mine own fake, and will not remem"ber thy fins." We are many times cautioned against imputing to ourselves, or our own merit, what is merely the effect of divine mercy. If the scripture is read with care, there will be obferved many paffages which carry this inftruction in them, to beware of taking merit to ourfelves from the divine goodness, or any effect or expreffion of it: Deut. ix. 4. 5. "Speak not "thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy "God hath caft them out from before thee, faying, For my righteoufnefs the Lord hath "brought me in to poffefs this land but for "the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth "drive them out from before thee. Not for "thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of "thine heart, doft thou go to poffefs their "land: but for the wickedness of these nations "the Lord thy God doth drive them out from "before thee, and that he may perform the "word which the Lord fware unto thy fathers, “Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob." Ezek xxxvi. 21. 22. "But I had pity for mine holy name, "which the houfe of Ifrael had profaned among "the heathen, whither they went. Therefore fay "unto the house of Ifrael, Thus faith the Lord "God, I do not this for your fakes, O house "of Ifrael, but for mine holy name's fake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went." It is probably alfo with this view, if we may prefume to offer an opinion on fo deep a fubVOL. I. F ject, ject, that the objects of special mercy are fometimes chofen from among the most criminal, even the chief of finners. Does not this forbid, in the strongest terms, every man to harbour the least thought, as if by his own righteousness, or being comparatively lefs wicked than others, he had been intitled to the divine favour: Rom. ix. 15. 18." For he faith "to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will "have mercy, and I will have compaffion on "whom I will have compaffion. So then it is < not of him that willeth, nor of him that run"neth, but of God that fheweth mercy. For "the fcripture faith unto Pharaoh, Even for "this fame purpofe have I raised thee up, that "I might fhew my power in thee, and that my "name might be declared throughout all the "earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom "he will have mercy, and whom he will he "hardeneth." But the circumftance on which we are called chiefly to fix our attention, is, that forgivenefs is bestowed only through the blood of Chrift. It is freely and graciously beftowed upon the finner, but was dearly and hardly purchased by the furety. This is no new or unusual subject in this congregation. But Oh! my brethren, that we could in fome measure apprehend its infinite importance. Think, I beseech you, on the holiness and juftice of God, as they fhine in the fufferings and crofs of Chrift; that a righteous God required full fatisfaction for fin; that "the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us "all; "all;" that "it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, "and to put him to grief." Are not the majefty and purity of God fet forth in this tranfaction, in the most clear and legible, nay in the moft awful and terrible, characters? for they are written in blood. Is the Lord to be prai fed for his mercy? and is he not alfo to be feared for his juftice? May we not, or rather muft we not, say, "If fuch things were done in "the green tree, what shall be done in the "dry?" If God faw it neceffary to lay fuch a load of wrath upon the Holy One, when standing in the room of finners, what shall be the condition of the impenitent tranfgreffors, who fhall lie under it for ever? We We may well adopt the words of Mofes to the children of Ifrael, Deut. xxviii. 58. 59. "If thou wilt not obferve "to do all the words of this law that are writ. "ten in this book, that thou mayft fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD "THY GOD; then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of "thy feed, even great plagues, and of long "continuance, and fore fickneffes, and of long "continuance." Do you not now, my brethren, fee much propriety, as well as inftruction, in this language, "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou "mayft be feared?" The expreffion indeed is not fingular in the holy fcripture, even in the fenfe now illuftrated. It is certainly on the fame fubject the pfalmift is speaking, when he says, Pf. xl. iii. “ And he hath put a new song in my "mouth, F 2 "mouth, even praife unto our God: many "fhall fee it, and fear, and fhall truft in the "Lord." As also the prophet Hosea, ch. iii. 5. "Afterward fhall the children of Ifrael return, "and feek the Lord their God, and David "their king, and fhall fear the Lord, and his goodness in the latter days." III. I proceed now to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid. And, 1. From what hath been faid, you may learn, that none can understand, embrace, or esteem the mercy of God, but those who are convinced of their fin and mifery. Mercy can be of benefit only to the guilty; mercy can be bestowed only on the guilty; and therefore all that can be faid in illuftration of the divine mercy, all that can be faid in commendation of the divine mercy, will be esteemed as idle tales by those who do not know themfelves to be guilty. Hence the negligence and inconcern with which the gospel is received. Very many of those to whom it is addreffed are infenfible of their danger. The employments of the world ingrofs their time; the enjoyments of the world poffefs their affections: an eternal unchangeable state is fuppofed at too great a distance to require their attention. I beseech you, my brethren, to confider, that the time of your trial is wafting apace. Let the commencement of another feafon * put you in mind of its speedy paffage, and perfuade you to look forward to the day of death or judge * Preached at the beginning of the year. ment ment, when all offers of mercy, and exhortations to repentance, fhall cease, and when, though there may be forgiveness with God to all the proper objects of it in his extenfive domi nion, yet there fhall be no forgiveness for you. 2. From what hath been faid you may obferve, that the publication of divine mercy, that the illuftration of the riches of divine grace in the gospel, hath not the least tendency to leffen our fenfe of the evil of fin, or the obligation we lie under to obedience: on the contrary, it' ferves greatly to improve both the one and the other. When we endeavour to bring confolation to the broken in heart; when we set before them the tender mercies of our God, and the infinite compaffion of the Saviour; when we prefs them to hearken to the invitations of the gofpel; when we encourage them to reft their falvation upon it, and to be at peace; this only ferves to excite their indignation against fin, and perfuade them to fly from it, to bring them to the obedience of children, and shed abroad the love of God in their hearts. 3. From what hath been faid, you may fee the difference between a real and fcriptural difcovery of forgivenefs with God, and that carelefs fecurity which arifes from a prefumptuous reliance on his general mercy. The one prevents conviction, the other produces it. The general and common plea of God's mercy, keeps the finger at eafe as he is; but a real and fcriptural discovery of forgivenefs with God, heals the broken in heart, and at the fame time. increafes F 3 |