The infinite DISPARITY between GOD and MEN, &c. 433 1. By oppofing bis thoughts and ways, to those of men. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, faith the Lord. God's thoughts and ways of fhewing mercy, and pardoning, are not like to ours. There is a wide difference between God and men, in the matter of forgiving; as hereafter to be fhewn. 2. By declaring the tranfcendency of his thoughts and ways above those of men. For as the beavens are bigber than the earth, fo are my ways bigher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The diftance betweent heaven and earth, the height of one above the other, does not parallel the distance that is betwixt the mercies of God and thofe of men. His mercy is incomprehenfibly higher than theirs. Theirs is finite, but his is infinite. One man may far exceed others in point of a forgiving spirit; but God herein inconceivably exceeds the moft merciful man. DOCT. GOD's thoughts and ways of pardoning, are not like unto men's, but do exceedingly tranfcend and furpass them. There is an infinite difproportion between God and men, in this respect. This doctrine may be illustrated by comparing God's way of pardoning, with that of men, and obferving the vaft difference and inequality there is between them. 1. Men are very backward to forgive but God is not f. This is a duty very contrary to corrupt nature, and which men are with much difficulty brought to the practice of. Men are hard to be intreated, and do not usually forgive without much begging and waiting upon. But it is not thus with God. He is most ready to forgive. Pfal. lxxxvi. 5. God has a pardon always at hand, prepared for us, when we feek to him for it. He delights in mercy. Mic. vii. 18. And what he delights in, he will do with all forwardness and chearfulnefs. 'Tis a pleasure to him, to fhew mercy. He takes more pleafure in pardoning fin to the penitent, than ever we did in the commiffion of fin. 2. Men are fometimes implacable: but God is not fo Men are many times inexorable, though there be ever fo much fubmiffion. No arguments or intreaties will prevail with them to forgive, efpecially, if they have been greatly provoked, and frequently injured. But now as for God, he is not implacable. He is one eafy to be intreated. He will not retain his anger for ever. (Pfal.. ciii. 9.). Though finners have frequently and heinously finned against him, yet upon their humble application to him, he will turn away his anger from them, and be reconciled to them. Fer. ni. 1. Thou haft played the barlot with many lovers : yet return again unto me, faith the Lord. Though they had multiplied their fpiritual adulteries, yet upon their returning to him, he would receive them. Yea, fo far is God from being of an implacable fpirit, as that his compaffions put a flop, to the breakings forth of his holy indignation, when finners feem ripe for ruin. Hof. xi. 7, 8, 9. My people are bent to backfliding from me: though they called him to the most bigb, none at all would exalt bim. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim How shall I deliver thee, Ifrael? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I fet thee as Zeboim? Mine beart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to defroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man. Godfpeaks of himfelt, as if there were a conflict between his jult refentments and his gracious compaffions; and that his compaflions prevailed. 3. Men, after confeffion of wrong, will take time to confeder, whether they fhall forgive the wrong but God does not fo. Sometimes men, though they are not implacable, yet will for forme while deliberately think, whether they had beft forgive, or not. They cannot be brought to do it prefently, but will firft weigh the matter in their own mind. But it is not thus with God. He ufes no deliberation in this cafe. No fooner does the finner confefs his fin, and feek the pardon of it, but God grants him a pardon. He comes inftantly to a determi- " nation in his own mind. When he faw the Prodigal great way off, upon his return to him, he ran and met him, and fell on his neck (Luk. xv. 20.) No fooner had David faid, I bave finned against the Lord, but God by the Prophet faid to him, The Lord bath also put away thy fin. 2 Sam. xii. 13. No fooner does the finner think of repenting, but God thinks of forgiving. No fooner does the finner heartily fay, I repent, but God fays, I forgive. He forthwith grants the pardon, though he may not im mediately feal unto the finner this his pardon. He is inftantly forgiven, though he may for fome time be without the comfortable evidence of his forgiveness. 4. Men fometimes demand confiderable reparation for wrongs done; elfe they will not forgive but God does not fo. Oftentimes men demand fatisfaction, or else they will not put up an injury. Humbly to own the injury, and to afk the forgiveness of it, will not fuffice, but they infift upon fome compenfation. But it is not thus with God. Though we have wronged him ever fo much by our fins, he will forgive us, without demanding the leaft fatisfaction from us. This he received from Chrift, and exacts it not of us. If we do but humbly and penitently acknowledge our fins, and intreat the pardon of them, he will freely forgive them to us, without any compenfation from us. Mic. vi. 6, 7, 8. Wherewith all I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of an year old? Will the Lord be pleafed with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my tranfgreffion, the fruit of my body for be fin of my foul? He bath fhewed thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to da justly, to love mercy, and to walk bumbly with thy God? This is all God expects. Not fatisfaction for paft fins, but humble and dutiful walking with God for the future. Repent of former fins, and return to God in and by Chrifl, and he will freely forgive all your fins, never punish you for them. Ff2 5. Men 5. Men fometimes forgive, and after that, wish they bad not forgiven: but God does not fo. Men many times repent of their forgiveness, are forry for what they have done, and wifh they had took the advantage, when they had it in their hands. Efpecially do they thus, if they meet with fome new provocation. Then they wish, they had not paffed by the former provocation. But it is not thus with God. This is not his way. When he When he grants a pardon, he never repents of his granting of it. The remiffion of fin, is a gift of God, without repentance in him. He is for ever well pleafed, in all his acts of grace and mercy, towards finners. Nay, though the pardoned finner fhould again greatly offend God, yet that will not make God repent of his former forgiving of him. Indeed, we read in a Parable, that God called bis fervant, and faid to bim, O thou wicked fervant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou defiredft me. Should not thou alfo bave bad compaffion on thy fellow fervant, even as I bad pity on thee? And the Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto bini. Matth. xviii. 32, 33, 34. But it is no part of Chrift's intent herein, to teach, that God having once forgiven fin, will revoke the pardon, and punifh afterwards for it. But the full fcope of that Parable is to fhew, that if we don't forgive wrongs, when our brother repents, and begs pardon at our hands, we may not ex· pect that God will pardon us. 6. Men fometimes forgive but diffemblingly whereas, God does not fo. Many times men fay, they forgive, and outwardly carry it as if they did, when really they do not fo. They don't forgive from their hearts, but retain ill will in their hearts. Their intereft, their reputation, or fome other confideration, may move them to profefs in words, that they do forgive, when in their hearts they do not forgive. The refentment of the injury is as ftrong as ever, and the difaffection as great, to the party injuring, as ever.-But it is not thus with God. When God forgives, he forgives really and with his whole whole heart. He abhors diffimulation in men, and cannot be guilty of it himself. We are apt to think, that God is not real in his offers of pardon to us but God ever is real and hearty therein. And as he is hearty in the offer, fo he is in the grant of pardon. From his heart he forgives, not retaining the leaft difaffèction to us, or anger against us, for our former fins. He is now no more displeased at us, than if we had never finned againft. him. He is heartily, fully, and perfectly, and eternally reconciled unto us. APPLICATION. USE 1. Of Caution : Let us take heed, that we do not abuse this doctrine of the tranfcendency of God's pardoning mercy. As oft as fuch a fubject is treated upon, fo oft there is need to renew the caution againft making an illufe of it. Thefe fweet truths are what finners are very apt to furfeit upon, and turn into poifon to their own fouls. They may be ready to fay, If God's of mercy be thus infinite, and fo far above the mercy the most merciful men, as the beavens are bigh above the earth, then I may venture to go on in fin, and hope to find mercy after all. O beware of drawing fuch a conclufion from the rich mercy of God. To enforce this caution, do but confider, how great an aggravation of fin it is, and how great a provocation to God, thus to abuse his mercy unto a perfifting in fin. To this end, confider, how lovely God appears, in this revelation of himself to be a God of fuch glorious grace and mercy. As his juftice reprefents him moft terrible to finners, fo his mercy reprefents him moft amiable to finners. What can be more rejoicing and ravishing to finners, than the profpect of God as a fin pardoning God? If this will not make him altogether lovely in their eyes, what can ? Now, to make this lovely appearance of God, a ground for hating of him, ts moft unaccountable and aftonishing, And yet this is what finners do, when they take occa Ff3 fion, |