abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and tranfgreffion and fin, " and that will by no means clear the guilty; vifiting the "iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the "childrens children, unto the third and to the fourth ge"neration." To the fame purpose the Pfalmift David, Pfal. ciii. 8. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." Hear alfo the prophet Micah; Micah vii. 18. "Who is a God like unto "thee, that pardoneth iniquity; and paffeth by the tranfgreffion of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth "not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.'

I do not here ftay to confider what hints were given in the ancient difpenfation, of the atonement which was afterwards to be made by the incarnation of the Saviour. Doubtless there was fome refpect to this in the very firft promife of the seed of the woman, and alfo in the promise to Abraham, that in his seed all nations of the earth fhould be bleffed. The fame thing was prefigured by the facrifices, and fhadowed out by many different rites of the Mofaic œconomy. It muft, however, be allowed, that the faithful in those ages faw it only obfcurely, and of confequence understood it very imperfectly. But it was on the revealed mercy of God, which they were obliged to feek in the way appointed by himfelf, that they placed their entire dependence.

I cannot help obferving to you, how very encouraging the affurances of pardon are through many paffages of the Old Teftament; how very gracious the invitations to the finner, as if they had been contrived on purpofe to remove the jealoufy which the guilty are too apt to entertain; If. i. 18. "Come now and let us reafon together, faith the "Lord: though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as "white as fnow; though they be red like crimfon, they "fhall be as wool." If. xliii. 25. "I, even I am he that "blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for mine own fake, and "will not remember thy fins." If. xliv. 22. "I have

blotted out as a thick cloud, thy tranfgreffions, and as a "cloud, thy fins: return unto me, for I have redeemed “thee.” If. lv. I. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come

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ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, હ buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without

money, and without price." Is this the word of God? Are thefe paffages written for our benefit? Is there any thing more plain, than that God is merciful and gracious; nay that he delighteth in mercy? How great encourage. ment is this to the exercife of repentance? In this very view, indeed, it is urged by the prophet in the 6th and 7th verfes of the laft cited chapter, "Seek ye the Lord "while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is 66 near. Let the wicked forfake his way, and the un“righteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto "the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our "God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

I fhall only add, that as the fcripture every where bears>> teftimony to the readiness of God to pardon returning finners, fo there are also many paffages in which he declares his readiness to pardon the failings which continue to cleave to his own people, and treat them with the utmost tenderness and grace: Pf. ciii. 13. "Like a father pitieth "his children, fo the Lord pitieth them that fear him." If. xl. 11. "He fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd: he "fhall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in "his bofom, and fhall gently lead those that are with "young." Mal. iii. 17. "And they shall be mine, faith "Lord of hofts, in that day when I make up my jewels, " and I will spare them as a man fpareth his own fon 4 that ferveth him."

II.

3. But that nothing may be wanting for the complete illuftration of this truth, obferve, that it appears in the cleareft manner, from the gospel of Chrift, that there is forgiveness with God. In the fulness of time, God fent his own fon in our nature, to be a victim and facrifice. for our offences, to bear our fins in his own body on the tree. In this astonishing event, indeed, the love and mercy of God fhines with the brighteft luftre: John iii, 16: "God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life." In this great

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tranfaction, we have not only an affurance of obtaining, but fee the price paid for the purchase of our pardon : 1 Pet. i. 18. "For ye were not redeemed with corrup"tible things, as filver and gold, from your vain conver"fation received by tradition from your fathers." Inftead of finding the juftice of God ftand in the way of our reconciliation and peace, justice being fully fatisfied, feals the pardon, and adds to the comfort of the finner. In the infinite value of this atonement, we may fee the extent of the divine mercy. In the infinite power of this Saviour, we may fee the perfect fecurity of those who put their truft in him. Salvation, in all its parts, is offered to the chief of finners: fo that, as the apoftle expreffes it, Heb. vi. 18. "That by two immutable things, in which "it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have a strong "confolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon "the hope fet before us."

II. I proceed now to the fecond thing propofed; which was, to point out the connection between the mercy of God and his fear, or explain the import of this expreffion, "There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayeft be "feared." The import of this expreffion must be a little different, as we understand the word fear, which is fometimes taken in a larger, and fometimes in a more limited fenfe. Sometimes, as being fo eminent a part, it is made ufe of to fignify the whole of religion; fometimes it fignifies that awe and veneration of the facred majesty of God with which every one of his fervants ought to be habitually poffeffed. I fhall briefly confider it in both thefe views, there not being the leaft oppofition between them, and both carrying in them the most important and falutary inftruction.

If we take the fear of God in the text to fignify the whole of that duty and obedience we owe to him, then the connection between forgiveness with God and his being feared, appears from thefe two confiderations.

1. A difcovery of the mercy of God is abfolutely neceflary to his being loved and ferved by those who have once been finners. Defpair of mercy drives the finner from God, prefents him only as the object of terror and aversion; and, instead of having the least influence in

bringing us to obedience, confirms the guilty in his rebellious oppofition to his Maker. This must be manifeft to every hearer. There can be no religion at all, either in inclination or performance, if there be no forgiveness with God. How fhould any so much as attempt what they be lieve to be an unprofitable labour?

Though this is a truth which none will deny, I am afraid it is a truth not fufficiently attended to, either in its certainty or influence. It tends greatly to illuftrate the whole plan of falvation, by the riches of divine grace, or the free, unmerited, unfolicited, love of God. How much does it add to the beauty and meaning of several paffages of fcripture! as 1 John iv. 10. "Herein is love, "not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent

his Son to be the propitiation for our fins." Rom. v. 8. "But God commendeth his love towards us, in that "while we were yet finners, Christ died for us." And the 10th verfe of the fame chapter, "If when we were "enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of "his Son; much more being reconciled, we fhall be fa"ved by his life." Guilt is of a fufpicious nature. It is even obferved in offences committed by one man against another, that he who hath done the injury is always hardeft to be reconciled. The fame thing appears very plainly in the difpofition of finners towards God. A gloomy fear, a defpondent terror, greatly hinders their return to him; nor can they ever take one ftep towards him, till, by the display of his mercy, this infuperable obstruction is removed.

2. As a discovery of the mercy of God is abfolutely ne. ceffary to our serving him at all, fo it is perhaps of all others the most powerful motive to induce us to ferve him in fincerity. Nothing whatever more illuftrates the divine glory. It presents him as the proper object of worfhip, of confidence, and of love. When a finner is once burdened with a sense of guilt, fees the demerit of his tranfgreffions, and feels the juftice of his own fentence, what an inconceivable relief must it give him to fee the divine mercy! and how infinitely amiable muft this God of mercy appear in his eyes! Others may reafon at their ease up⚫ on the subject, he is tranfported with unfpeakable joy on

the profpect. His heart is immediately taken captive: he feels its conftraining power, and yields himself willingly to every demand of duty and gratitude. See, to this purpofe, the expreffions of the prophet Hofea, ch. xi. 4. “I "drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love, and "I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them." The fame thing is every where in the New Teftament represented as the great commanding principle of obedience, 2 Cor. v. 14. "For the love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead." John iv. 16. "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that "dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." And verse 19. of the fame chapter, "We love him, be"cause he firft loved us."

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But further, even taking fear in a more limited fenfe, as fignifying a holy reverence and dread of the power and majefty of God, there being forgiveness with him, is fo far from weakening, that it ftrengthens this fear; and that on the two following accounts.

1. The infinite obligations we lie under to divine mercy, must serve to improve our fenfe of the evil of fin, as committed against fo good and fo gracious a God, and to increase our abhorrence of it. The mercy of God to the guilty, at the fame time that it brings unspeakable confolation, as delivering them from the wrath to come, ferves to humble them, by a view of their own unworthy and undutiful conduct. When an awakened convinced foul, under the apprehenfion of eternity approaching, begins to contemplate the mercy of God as the ground of forgivenefs, he immediately thinks upon this mercy, as having all along spared him in the midft of his provocations. What a wonder of mercy is it, does he fay to himself, that I was not immediately cut off in my wickedness, at fuch a time, or at fuch a time, which now return full upon his memory! He cannot easily separate the remembrance of paft crimes from the mercy that with-held immediate vengeance. vengeance. And furely nothing will ferve more to make the finner tremble and ftand aftonished at his