Exposition of Psalm 130, Exposition · Verse 4 · Section 2
Greatness and rareness of the Discovery of Forgiveness in God. Reasons of it. Testimonies of Conscience, and Law against it, &c.
Forgiveness a great Mysterie.Secondly, This discovery of Forgiveness in God is great, holy and Mysterious, and which very few on Gospel grounds do attain unto.
All men indeed say there is; most men are perswaded that they think so. Only men in great and desperate extremities, like Cain, or Spira, seem to call it into question. But their thoughts are empty, groundless, yea, for the most part wicked, and Atheistical. Elihu tells us, that to declare this aright to a sinful soul, it is the work of a Messenger, an Interpreter, one among a thousand, Job 33. 23. that is indeed, of Christ himself. The common thoughts of men about this thing are slight and foolish; and may be resolved into those mentioned by the Psalmist, Psal. 50. 21. They think that God is altogether such a one as themselves. That indeed he takes little or no care about these things, but passeth them over as slightly as they do themselves; That, notwithstanding all their pretences, the most of men never had indeed, any real discovery of forgiveness, shall be afterwards undeniably evinced; and I shall speedily shew the difference that is between their vain credulity, and a Gracious, Gospel discovery of forgiveness in God. For it must be observed, that by this Discovery, I intend, both the Revelation of it made by God, and our understanding, and Reception of that Revelation to our own advantage, as shall be shewed immediately.
Now the grounds of the difficulty intimated, consist partly in the hinderances, that lye in the way of this discovery; and partly in the nature of the thing it self, that is discovered; of both which I shall briefly treat.
But here before I proceed, somewhat must be premised to shew what it is, that I particularly intend by a discovery of forgiveness. It may then be considered two wayes; First, For a doctrinal, objective discovery of it in its truth; 2. An experimental subjective discovery of it in its power. In the first sense, forgiveness in God, hath been discovered ever since the giving out of the first Promise: God revealed it in a word of Promise, or it could never have been known, as shall be afterwards declared. In this sense after many lesser degrees and advancements of the light of it, it was fully and gloriously brought forth by the Lord Jesus Christ in his own Person; and is now revealed, and preached in the Gospel, and by them to whom the Word of Reconciliation is committed. And to declare this is the principal work of the Ministers of the Gospel. Herein lye those unsearchable Treasures and Riches of Christ, which the Apostle esteemed as his chiefest Honour and Priviledge that he was intrusted with the declaration and dispensation of, Ephes. 3. 8, 9. I know by many it is despised, by many traduced, whose Ignorance and blindness is to be lamented. But the day is coming which will manifest every mans work of what sort it is. In the latter sense how it is made by faith in the soul, shall in its proper place be further opened and made known. Here many men mistake, and deceive themselves. Because it is so in the Book, they think it is so in them also. Because they have been taught it, they think they believe it. But it is not so; They have not heard this voyce of God at any time, nor seen his shape; it hath not been revealed unto them in its power; to have this done is a great work: For,
Testimony of a natural consciscience, against the forgiveness of sin.First, The constant voyce of Conscience lyes against it. Conscience (if not seared) inexorably condemneth, and pronounceth Wrath and Anger upon the soul that hath the least guilt cleaving to it. Now it hath this advantage; it lyeth close to the soul, and by importunity, and loud speaking it will he heard in what it hath to say. It will make the whole soul attend, or it will speak like thunder. And its constant voyce is, that where there is guilt there must be judgement, Rom. 2. 14, 15. Conscience naturally knows nothing of forgiveness. Yea, it is against its very trust, work, and office to hear any thing of it. If a man of courage and honesty be entrusted to keep a Garrison against an Enemy, let one come and tell him, that there is peace made between those whom he serves, and their Enemies, so that he may leave his Guard, and set open the Gates, and cease his watchfulness; how wary will he be, lest under this pretence he be betrayed? No saith he, I will keep my hold, until I have express order from my Superiours. Conscience is entrusted with the power of God in the soul of a sinner, with command to keep all in subjection with reference unto the Judgement to come; it will not betray its trust in believing every report of peace. No! but this it sayes, and it speaks in the name of God; Guilt and punishment are inseparable twins. If the soul sin, God will judge. What tell you me of forgiveness, I know what my commission is; and that I will abide by; you shall not bring in a Superior Commander, a cross Principle into my trust; for if this be so, it seems I must let go my Throne; another Lord must come in; not knowing as yet how this whole business is compounded in the blood of Christ. Now whom should a man believe if not his own Conscience, which as it will not flatter him, so it intends not to affright him, but to speak the truth as the matter requireth. Conscience hath two works in reference unto sin; one to condemn the Acts of sin: another to judge the Person of the sinner; both with reference to the Judgement of God. When forgiveness comes, it would sever and part these employments, and take one of them out of the hand of conscience. It would divide the spoil with this strong one. It shall condemn the fact, or every sin; but it shall no more condemn the sinner, the Person of the sinner; that shall be freed from its sentence. Here Conscience labours with all its might to keep its whole dominion; and to keep out the power of forgiveness from being enthroned in the soul. It will allow men to talk of forgiveness, to hear it preached, though they abuse it every day; but to receive it in its power, that stands up in direct opposition to its dominion; in the Kingdom, saith Conscience, I will be greater than thou; and in many, in the most, it keeps its possession, and will not be deposed.
Nor indeed is it an easie work so to deal with it. The Apostle tells us, that all the Sacrifices of the Law could not do it, Heb. 10. 2. they could not bring a man into that estate, wherein he should have no more conscience of sin; that is, Conscience condemning the Person; for conscience in a sense of sin, and condemnation of it, is never to be taken away. And this can be no otherwise done but by the blood of Christ, as the Apostle at large there declares.
It is then no easie thing to make a discovery of forgiveness unto a soul, when the work and employment which Conscience upon unquestionable grounds challengeth unto it self, lyes in opposition unto it. Hence is the souls great desire to establish its own Righteousness, whereby its natural Principles may be preserved in their power. Let self-righteousness be enthroned, and natural conscience desires no more; it is satisfied, and pacified. The Law it knows; and Righteousness it knows, but as for forgiveness it sayes, whence is it? Unto the utmost, until Christ perfects his conquest, there are on this account secret struglings in the heart against free pardon in the Gospel, and fluctuations of mind and Spirit about it. Yea, hence are the doubts and fears of believers themselves: They are nothing but the strivings of Conscience to keep its whole dominion; to condemn the sinner as well as the sin. More or less it keeps up its pretensions against the Gospel, whilst we live in this world. It is a great work that the blood of Christ hath to do upon the Conscience of a sinner; for whereas, as it hath been declared, it hath a power, and claims a right to condemn both sin and sinner, the one part of this its power is to be cleared, strengthened, made more active, vigorous and watchful, the other to be taken quite away. It shall now see more sins than formerly, more of the vileness of all sins than formerly, and condemn them with more abborrency than ever, upon more, and more glorious accounts than formerly; but it is also made to see an interposition between these sins, and the Person of the sinner, who hath committed them; which is no small or ordinary work.
Testimony of the Law against the forgiveness of sin.Secondly, The Law lyes against this discovery. The Law is a beam of the Holiness of God himself. What it speaks unto us, it speaks in the name and Authority of God; And I shall briefly shew concerning it these two things.
1. That this is the voyce of the Law; namely, that there is no forgiveness for a sinner.
2. That a sinner hath great reason to give credit to the Law in that Assertion.
1. It is certain that the Law knows neither mercy nor forgiveness. The very sanction of it lyes wholly against them: The soul that sinneth shall dye. Cursed is he that continueth not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them, Deut. 27. 26. Hence the Apostle pronounceth universally without exception, that they who are under the Law, are under the curse, Gal. 3. 10. And saith he, v. 12. The Law is not of faith. There is an inconsistency between the Law, and believing; they cannot have their abode in power together. Do this and live; fail and dye; is the constant immutable voyce of the Law. This it speaks in general to all; and this in particular to every one.
2. The sinner seems to have manifold and weighty Reasons to attend to the voyce of this Law, and to acquiesce in its sentence. For,
1. The Law is connatural to him; his Domestick, his old acquaintance. It came into the world with him, and hath grown up with him from his Infancy. It was implanted in his heart by nature; is his own Reason; he can never shake it off, or part with it. It is his Familiar, his Friend, that cleaves to him as the flesh to the bone; so that they who have not the Law written, cannot but she… forth the work of the Law, Rom. 2. 14. 15. and that because the Law it self is inbred to them; and all the faculties of the soul are at peace with it, in subjection to it. It is the bond. and ligament of their union harmony and correspondency among themselves, in all their moral actings. It gives life, order, motion to them all. Now the Gospel, that comes to controll this sentence of the Law, and to relieve the sinner from it, is forraign to his nature, a strange thing to him, a thing he hath no acquaintance or familiarity with; it hath not been bred up with him; nor is there any thing in him, to side with it, to make a party for it, or to plead in its behalf. Now shall not a man rather believe a Domestick, a Friend, indeed himself; than a forraigner, a stranger, that comes with uncouth Principles, and such as suit not its Reason at all, 1 Cor. 1. 18.
2. The Law speaks nothing to a sinner, but what his Conscience assures him to be true. There is a constant concurrence in the Testimony of the Law and conscience. When the Law sayes, this or that is a sin, worthy of death, conscience sayes it is even so, Rom. 1. 42. And where the Law of it self, as being a general Rule, rests, Conscience helps it on, and sayes, This and that sin, so worthy of death, is the soul guilty of; then dye saith the Law as thou hast deserved. Now this must needs have a mighty efficacy to prevail with the soul to give credit to the report and Testimony of the Law; it speaks not one word but what he hath a witness within himself to the truth of it. These witnesses alwayes agree; and so it seems to be established for a truth, that there is no forgiveness.
3. The Law, though it speak against the souls interest, yet it speaks nothing but what is so just, righteous and equal, that it even forceth the souls consent. So Paul tells us, that men know this voyce of the Law to be the Judgement of God, Rom. 1. 32. They know it, and cannot but consent unto it, that it is the Judgement of God; that is, good, righteous, equal, not to be controlled. And indeed what can be more righteous than its sentence? It commands Obedience to the God of life and death; promiseth a Reward, and declares that for non-performance of duty, death will be inflicted. On these terms the sinner cometh into the world, they are good, righteous, holy; the soul accepts of them, and knows not what it can desire better or more equal. This the Apostle insists upon, Rom. 7. 12, 13. Wherefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good; was then that which was good made death unto me? Godforbid; but sin that it might appear sin, working death in me, by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. Whereever the blame falls, the soul cannot but acquit the Law, and confess that what it says, is righteous, and uncontrollably equal. And it is meet things should be so; Now though the Authority and credit of a Witness, may go very far in a doubtful matter; when there is a concurrence of more witnesses it strengthens the Testimony; but nothing is so prevalent to beget belief, as when the things themselves that are spoken are just and good, not liable to any reasonable exception; And so is it in this case; unto the Authority of the Law, and concurrence of conscience, this also is added, the Reasonableness, and equity of the thing it self proposed, even in the Judgement of the sinner; namely, that every sin shall be punished, and every transgression receive a meet recompence of reward.
4. But yet further. What the Law sayes, it speaks in the name and authority of God. What it sayes then, must be believed, or we make God a Lyar. It comes not in its own name, but in the name of him who appointed it; you will say then, is it so indeed? Is there no forgiveness with God? for this is the constant voyce of the Law, which you say speaks in the name and Authority of God, and is therefore to be believed. I answer briefly with the Apostle; What the Law speaks, it speaks to them that are under the Law. It doth not speak to them that are in Christ, whom the Law of the Spirit of life, hath set free from the Law of sin and death; but to them that are under the Law it speaks, and it speaks the very Truth; and it speaks in the name of God, and its Testimony is to be received; It sayes there is no forgiveness in God, namely, to them that are under the Law; and they that shall flatter themselves with a contrary perswasion will find themselves wofully mistaken at the great day.
On these and the like considerations, I say, there seems to be a great deal of Reason, why a soul should conclude that it will be according to the testimony of the Law; and that he shall not find forgiveness. Law and Conscience close together, and insinuate themselves into the thoughts, mind, and judgement of a sinner. They strengthen the Testimony of one another, and greatly prevail. If any are otherwise minded, I leave them to the tryal. If ever God awaken their Consciences to a through performance of their duty; if ever he open their souls, and let in the light and power of the Law upon them, they will find it no small work to grapple with them. I am sure, that eventually they prevail so far, that in the preaching of the Gospel, we have great cause to say, Lord who hath believed our report? We come with our Report of forgiveness; but who believes it? by whom is it received? neither doth the light, nor conscience, nor conversation of the most, allow us to suppose it is embraced.
Thirdly, The ingrafted notions that are in the minds of men, concerning the Nature and Justice of God, lye against this discovery also. There are in all men by nature indelible characters of the Holiness and purity of God; of his Justice and hatred of sin, of his invariable Righteousness in the Government of the world, that they can neither depose nor lay aside. For notions of God, whatever they are, will bear sway and rule in the heart, when things are put to the tryal. They were in the Heathens of old; they abode with them in all their darkness; as might be manifested by innumerable instances. But so it is in all men by nature; their inward thought is, that God is an Avenger of sin; that it belongs to his Rule and Government of the world, his Holiness and Righteousness, to take care, that every sin be punished; This is his Judgement which all men know, as was observed before, Rom. 1. 32. They know, that it is a Righteous thing with God to render tribulation unto sinners. From thence is that dread and fear which surprizeth men at an apprehension of the Presence of God; or of any thing under him, above them, that may seem to come on his errand. This notion of Gods avenging all sin, exerts it self, secretly, but effectually. So Adam trembled, and hid himself. And it was the saying of old, I have seen God, and shall dye. When men are under any dreadful Providence; thundrings, lightnings, tempests, in darkness, they tremble, not so much at what they see, or hear, or feel, as from their secret thoughts that God is nigh, and that he is a consuming fire.
Now these inbred notions lye universally against all Apprehensions of forgiveness; which must be brought into the soul from without doors; having no Principle of nature to promote them.
It is true! Men by nature have presumptions, and common ingrafted notions; of other properties of God, besides his Holiness and Justice; as of his Goodness, Benignity, Love of his Creatures▪ and the like; But all these have this supposition inlaid with them in the souls of men; namely, that all things stand between God and his Creatures, as they did at their first Creation; and as they have no natural notion of forgiveness, so the interposition of sin, weakens, disturbs, darkens them, as to any improvement of those Apprehensions of Goodness and Benignity which they have. If they have any notion of forgiveness, it is from some corrupt Tradition, and not at all, from any universal Principle, that is inbred in nature; such as are those, which they have of Gods Holiness, and Vindictive Justice.
And this is the first ground from whence it appears, that a real, solid discovery of forgiveness, is indeed a great work; many difficulties and hinderances, lye in the way of its accomplishment.