the throne of his holinefs, is of infinitely greater moment, and of infinitely greater difficulty. He trieth the reins and the heart. He abhorreth evil. You fee how Job defended himself against the accufations of his friends, held fast his integrity, and would not let it go; but no fooner did God fpeak to him in the greatness of his power, than he confeffed his vilenefs, and laid his hand upon his mouth. In the fame manner, he that would guard against the impofitions of a deceitful heart, that would not be abused by flattering friends, or led aftray by a mistaken world; that would rather walk in the path of penitence than fecurity; let him live as in the prefence of God. And happy, happy they, who take confufion of face to themfelves now, and feek for mercy through the blood of the atonement, in comparison of those who juftify themfelves now, but fhall ftand at laft with unutterable confufion before the fupreme judge, ready to pronounce the irreversible sentence.

But there is forgiveness with thee; that thou mayest be

A

feared.

FTER confidering our own miferable and guilty ftate, and how little any plea which we can offer will avail before the holiness and justice of God, it is proper to turn our eyes to his mercy, as the only foundation of our hope and peace. This is of the utmost neceffity to every penitent. When a fenfe of fin hath truly taken hold of the confcience, it is fo intolerable, that no man can continue long in that condition. When the waves and billows of divine wrath are going over him, he muft either faften upon fome ground of hope, or fuffer fhipwreck upon the rocks of defpair. There are indeed, alas that we fhould be fo liable to delufion! many ways of weakening the force of conviction, and obtaining a temporary, imperfect, or falle peace. But the only fafe and ftable ground of hope is the divine mercy. And happy the finner who obtains fuch discoveries of its extent and efficacy, as to make him cleave to it with undivided affection, and reft upon it as the anchor of his foul, from which he is refolved never to depart.

Believe it, Chriftians, the more the finner looks into his own flate, the more real and thorough his acquaintance with his own heart is, the more he finds, that not the least ray of hope can arife from that quarter. precifely the import of the Pfalmift's declaration in this

This is

paffage, taking the one branch of it in connection withthe other; as if he had faid, When I confider how great and multiplied my tranfgreffions have been, I must stand fpeechlefs, and without excufe, before thy holy tribunal, and juftify thee, although thou fhouldft condemn me. But Lord, thou art a God of infinite mercy. This I fix upon as the foundation of my hope. I fee nothing in myfelf to plead. Thy law accufes me. My own confcience paffes fentence upon me. I am not able to fupport the view of thy juftice and holinefs. Whither can I fly, but to thy mercy? Here I desire to take refuge, and to my unfpeakable confolation there is forgiveness with thee; fo that thou mayeft and oughteft to be feared. in difcourfing further on this fubject, which I intend to do in a manner entirely practical, I propose, in a dependence on divine grace, to follow this method.

1. I fhall give a brief view of the difcoveries which God hath made of his mercy, as the foundation of the finner's hope; or, in other words, fhew what reafon we have to believe, that there is forgiveness with him.

2. I fall point out the connection between the mercy of God and his fear; or explain the import of this expreffion, "There is forgivenefs with thee, that thou mayeft "feared."

3. I fhall make fome practical improvement of the fubject.

I. First, then, let us attempt to give a brief view of the difcoveries which God hath made of his mercy, as the foundation of the finner's hope; or, in other words, fhew what reafon we have to believe, that there is forgiveness with him. For this purpose I obferve, first of all, that the patience and forbearance of God towards finners, in the courfe of his providence, is the effect of his mercy. Even this affords fome faint hope, that there may be forgivene's with him. See the reafoning or the expoftulation of Jonah on the refpite of the deftruction of Nineveh, Jonah iv. 2. "And he prayed unto the Lord, and faid,

I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my faying, when I CC was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto

66

Tarfhifh: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteft thee of the evil." The fentence being fuf pended, there is time given to apply for pardon, and fpace for the exercife of repentance, with a peradventure, or who can tell, whether he may not be gracious. We may add to this, his continual benignity and kindness to all his creatures, not excepting the evil, the unthankful, and the unholy. The native tendency of both these is to lead the guilty to repentance, as we are told, Rom. ii. 4. "Or defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness and for"bearance, and long-fuffering, not knowing that the "goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" But though this ought to be mentioned, I am very fenfible, how infufficient it is of itfelf to give confolation to a wounded fpirit. Taking in the whole plan of providence, there are so many tokens of our Creator's difpleasure, fo much to be feen of the juftice and holinefs, as well as of the goodness of God, that it muft leave the finner ftill under a dreadful uncertainty in a matter of such infinite concern. Torn by the fufpicion which is infeparable from guilt, he is full of reftlefs anxiety; and knowing that he must shortly appear before God in an unembodied ftate, he is often putting this question to himself, Wherewith fhall I come before the Lord? How fhall I be able to ftand in the judgment? And therefore,

2. God hath revealed himself in his word, as merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, and flow to anger. This was the great truth on which the finner's hope depended ever fince the apoftafy of our first parents. Never fince that time could any man produce his title to divine favor in his own obedience: and therefore the mercy of God early intimated in the first promise, continued to make, if I may speak fo, the leading part of the divine character in all the discoveries he made of himfelf. Thus, at the giving of the law, Exod. xxxiv. 5, 6, 7. "And the Lord de"fcended in the cloud, and ftood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord paffed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, and

66