no grace, no vertue, no duty, no ornament of the mind, or converfation of man, is in itfelf fo lovely, fo comely, fo praife-worthy, or fo ufeful unto mankind, as are meeknefs, readiness to forgive and pardon. This is that principally which renders a man a good man, for whom one would even dare to die: And I am forry to add, that this grace or duty is recommended by its rarity. It is little found amongst the children of men. The confideration of the defect of men herein, as in those other fundamental duties of the gofpel, in felf-denial, readiness for the crofs, and forfaking the world is an evidence, if not how little fincerity there is in the world, yet at least it is. of how little growing and thriving there is amongst profeffors.

We Whatever was

Thirdly, That there is no grace, vertue, or perfection in any man, but what is as an emanation from the divine goodness and bounty, fo expreffive of fome di-. vine excellencies or perfection; fomewhat that is in God, in a way and manner infinitely more excellent. were created in the image of God. good or comely in us, was a part of that image; especially the ornaments of our minds, the perfections of our fouls. Thefe things had in them a resemblance of, and a correfpondency unto fome excellencies in God, whereunto by the way of analogy they may be reduced. This being for the moft part loft by fin, a fhadow of it only remaining in the faculties of our fouls; and that dominion over the creatures, which is permitted unto men in the patience of God. The recovery that we have by grace, is nothing but an initial renovation of the image of God in us, Eph. iv. 22. It is the implanting upon our natures thofe graces, which may render us again like unto him, And nothing is grace or vertue, but what fo answers to fomewhat in God. So then, whatever is in us, of this kind, is in God abfolus ly, perfectly, in a way and manner infinitely more excellent.

Let us now therefore put these things together. God requires of us, that there fhould be forgivenefs in us G g

for

for thofe that do offend us; forgivenefs without limitation and bounds; the grace hereof he bestoweth on his faints; fets an high price upon it, and manifefts many ways, that he accounts it among the most excellent of our endowments; one of the most lovely and praifeworthy qualifications of any perfon. What then fhall we now fay? Is there forgiveness with him or no? He that made the eye, fhall he not fee? He that planted the ear, fhall be not hear? He that thus prefcribes forgiveness to us, that beftows the grace of it upon us, is there not forgiveness with him? It is all one as to fay, tho we are good, yet God is not; though we are benign and bountiful, yet he is not. He that finds this grace wrought in him in any measure, and yet fears that he fhall not find it in God for himself, doth therein, and fo far prefer himself above God; which is the natural effect of curfed unbelief.

But the truth is, were there not forgiveness with God, forgiveness in man would be no vertue, with all thofe qualities that incline thereto; fuch are meekness, pity, patience, compaffion, and the like. Which what were it, but to fet loofe human nature to rage and madnefs? For, as every truth confifts in its anfwerableness to the prime and eternal verity, fo vertue confifts not abfolutely nor primarily in a conformity to a rule of command, but in a correfpondency unto the firft abfolute perfect Being, and its perfections.

Properties of forgiveness.----The greatness and free

dom of it

The arguments and demonftrations foregoing, have, we hope, undeniably evinced the great truth we have infifted on, which is the life and foul of all our hope, profeffion, religion and worship. The end of all this difcourfe is, to lay a firm foundation for faith to reft upon, in its addreffes unto God for the forgiveness of fins, as alfo, to give encouragement unto all forts of perfons fo to do. This end remains now to be explain

ed

ed and preffed; which work, yet before we directly clofe withal, two things are further to be premifed. And the first is, to propofe fome of those adjuncts of, and confiderations about this forgiveness, as may both encourage and neceffitate us to feek out after it, and to mix the teftimonies given unto it, and the promises of it, with faith, unto our benefit and advantage. The other is to fhew, how needful all this endeavour is, upon the account of that great unbelief which is in the most in this matter. As to the first of thefe then, we may con

fider;

First, That this forgiveness that is with God, is fuch as becomes him, fuch as is fuitable to his greatnels, goodness, and all other excellencies of his nature; fach as that therein he will be known to be God. What he fays concerning fome of the works of his providence, Be ftill and know that I am God; may be much more faid concerning this great effect of his grace: Still your fouls, and know that he is God. It is not like that narrow, difficult, halving and manacled forgiveness that is found amongst men, when any fuch thing is found amongst them. But it is full, free, boundless, bottomlefs, abfolute, fuch as becomes his nature and excellencies. It is, in a word, forgiveness that is with God, and by the exercife whereof he will be known fo to be. And hence,

1. God himself doth really feparate and diftinguish his forgiveness, from any thing that our thoughts and imaginations can reach unto, and that because it is his and like himself. It is an object for faith alone, which can reft in that, which it cannot apprehend. It is never fafer, than when it is, as it were, overwhelmed with infinitenefs. But fet mere rational thoughts, or the imaginations of our minds at work about fuch things, and they fall inconceivably fhort of them. They can neither conceive of them aright, nor ufe them unto their proper end and purpofe. Were not forgivenefs in God fomewhat beyond what men could imagine, no flesh, could be faved. This himfelf expreffeth, Ifa. lv. 7, 8, 9. 7,8,9.

Gg 2

Let

Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, faith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, Jo are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. They are, as is plain in the context, thoughts of forgiveness, and ways of pardon whereof he speaks. Thefe our apprehenfions come fhort of; we know little or nothing of the infinite largenefs of his heart in this matter. He that he fpeaks of, is (Heb.) an impiously wicked mar, and (Heb) a man of deceit, and perverfe wickedness. He whofe defign and courfe is nothing but a lie, fin and iniquity; fuch an one as we would have little or no hopes of; that we would fcarce think it worth our while to deal withal about a hopeless converfion; or can fcarce find it in our hearts to pray for him, but are ready to give him up, as one profligate and defBut let him return unto the Lord, and he hail obtain forgivenef. But how can this be? Is it poffible there fhould be mercy for fuch an one? Yes! For the Lord (Heb.) will multiply to pardon. He hath forgivenets with him, to out do all the multiplied fins of any that return unto him, and feek for it. But this is very hard, very difficult for us to apprehend. This is nor the way and manner of men: We deal not thus with proff profligate offenders against us. True faith God; But your ways are not my ways: I do not act in this matter like unto you, nor as you are accustomed to do. How then fhall we apprehend it; how fhall we conceive of it; You can never do it by your reafon or imaginations; For as the heavens is above the earth, fo are my thoughts, in this matter, above your thoughts. This is an expreffion to fet out the largest and most unconceivable distance that may be. The creation will afford no more fignificant expreffion or representation of it. The heavens are inconceivably distant from the earth, and inconceivably glorious above it. So are the thoughts

of

of God; they are not only diftant from ours, but have a glory in them alfo that we cannot rife up unto. For the most part, when we come to deal with God about forgiveness, we hang in every briar of dif puting quarrelfome unbelief. This or that circumftance of aggravation, this or that unparallel'd particular, bereaves us of our confidence. Want of a due confideration of him with whom we have to do, meafuring him by that line of our own imaginations, bring. ing him down unto our thoughts and ways, is the caufe of all our difquietments. Because we find it hard to forgive our pence, we think he cannot forgive talents. But he hath provided to obviate fuch thoughts in us, Hof. xi. 9: I will not execute the fierceness of my wrath,. I will not return to deftroy Ephraim, for I AM GOD, AND NOT MAN. Our fatisfaction in this matter, is to be taken from his nature; were he a man, or as the fous of men, it were impoffible that upon fuch, and fo many provocations, he should turn away from the fiercenefs of his anger. But he is God: This gives an infinitenefs, and an unconceivable boundlefnefs to the forgiveness that is with him; and exalts it above all our thoughts and ways. This is to be lamented; prefumption, which turns God unto an idol, afcribes unto that idol a greater largenefs in forgivenefs, than faith is able to raise up unto, when it deals with him as a God of infinite excellencies and perfections. The reafons of it I confefs are obvious. But this is certain, no prefumption can falfly imagine that forgivenefs to itfelf from the idol of its heart, as faith may, in the way of God, find in him,and obtain from him. For,

2. God engageth his infinite excellencies to demon ftrate the greatnefs and boundlefnets of his forgivenefs. He propofeth them unto our confiderations, to convince us, that we shall find pardon with him fuitable and anfwerable unto them. See Ifa. xl. 27, 28, 30, 31. Why Sayeft thou, O Jacob, and fpeakeft, O Ifrael, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is paffed over from my God? Haft thou not known, haft thou not heard,

that