God Birowed above what was the cly and wie reason of his pervation His voll T-ca The f f I-N withsto ing the busset exalbaric of me in arca yea there was o prontion for the partive of eine room space se degrees in A was position that man sinned he was the ecmemacs left God had not a revealed that there was any such thing a forgiveness viti Lim; nor had 2 or the least boge or gura då expectation from thence of any such thing in him. De he mowa, and perish, and that without remedy or recovery. - Now." with Goi, thà mus not be Mercy, goodness, grace, require author ate of ting This covenant w Dat manfest them: their effecta w... not be communicated to poor sinners by it. Hence, masin ka, “it le faulty,—that is, defective. I will no lose the glory of them, nor shall dinners be unrelieved by them. And, therefore, although I may strictly tie up all mankind unto the terms of this. yet I will make another ovenant with them, wherein they shail know and find that there is forgiveness with me, that they may fear Ine."

Now, next to the blood of Christ, whereby this covenant was ratifiod and confirmed, this is the greatest evidence that can possibly be given that there is forgiveness with God. To what end else doth God make this great alteration in the effects of his will, in his way of dealing with mankind? As forgiveness of sin is expressly contained in the tenor and words of the covenant, so set it aside, and it will be of no more use or advantage than the former; for as this covenant is made directly with sinners, nor was there any one in the world when God made it that was not a sinner, nor is it of use unto any but sinners, so is forgiveness of sins the very life of it.

Hence we may see two things;-first, The greatness of forgiveness, that we may learn to value it; and, secondly, The certainty of it, that we may learn to believe it.

First, The greatness of it. God would not do so great a thing as that mentioned but for a great, the greatest end. Had it not been a matter of the greatest importance unto the glory of God and the good of the souls of men, God would not for the sake of it have laid aside one covenant and made another. We may evidently see how the heart of God was set upon it, how his nature and will were engaged in it. All this was done that we might be pardoned. The old glorious fabric of obedience and rewards shall be taken down to the ground, that a new one may be erected for the honour and glory of forgiveness. God forbid that we should have slight thoughts of that which was so strangely and wonderfully brought forth, wherein God had as it were embarked his great glory! Shall all this be done for our sakes, and shall we undervalue it or disesteem it? God for

bid. God could, if I may so say, more easily have made a new world of innocent creatures, and have governed them by the old covenant, than have established this new one for the salvation of poor sinners; but then, where had been the glory of forgiveness? It could never have been known that there was forgiveness with him. The old covenant could not have been preserved and sinners pardoned. Wherefore, God chose rather to leave the covenant than sinners unrelieved, than grace unexalted and pardon unexercised. Prize it as you prize your souls; and give glory unto God for it, as all those that believe will do unto eternity.

Secondly, For the security of it, that we may believe it. What greater can be given? God deceiveth no man, no more than he is deceived. And what could God, that cannot lie, do more to give us satisfaction herein than he hath done? Would you be made partakers of this forgiveness?-go unto God, spread before him this whole matter; plead with him that he himself hath so far laid aside the first covenant, of his own gracious will, as to make a new one, and that merely because it had no forgiveness in it. This he hath made on purpose that it might be known that there is forgiveness in him. And shall not we now be made partakers of it? will he now deny that unto us which he hath given such assurance of, and raised such expectations concerning it? Nothing can here wrong us, nothing can ruin us, but unbelief. Lay hold on this covenant, and we shall have pardon. This God expresseth, Isa. xxvii. 4, 5. Will we continue on the old bottom of the first covenant? All that we can do thereon is but to set thorns and briers in the way of God, to secure ourselves from his coming against us and upon us with his indignation and fury. Our sins are so, and our righteousness is no better. And what will be the issue? Both they and we shall be trodden down, consumed, and burnt up. What way, then, what remedy is left unto us? Only this of laying hold on the arm and strength of God in that covenant wherein forgiveness of sin is provided. Therein alone he saith, "Fury is not in me." And the end will be that we shall have peace with him, both here and for

ever.

IX. The oath of God engaged and interposed in this matter is another evidence of the truth insisted on. Now, because this is annexed unto the covenant before mentioned, and is its establishAnd in it we may con

ment, I shall pass it over the more briefly.

sider,

The apostle tells us that reason of it, "Because he

First, The nature of the oath of God. "He sware by himself;" and he gives this had no greater to swear by," Heb. vi. 13. An oath for the confirmation of any thing is an invocation of a supreme power that can judge

of the truth that is taken, and vindicate the breach of the enclos menr. This God hath acne wher but himself: Because le cui wear y no greater de ware by himait' Now this God dach-F By expres afirmation that ne hach w sworn by himself, vuch wis the form of the first volemn oath of God: Gen, ma 16. * By myself hang. I svom, malih the LORD." The meaning whereof is. I have taxen it upon mysert as I ara God, or let me not be so, I person not this thing And this is expressed by his acui: Jen 1 14 - The Loto of hosts hath sworn by his worl;” that is by himself as we render the wor la Secondly, God doth in by the expecici interporbox of some such property of his nature as is suired to give credit and contimation to the word spoken:—as of his holiness, Ps Irix 35, “I have sworn by my holiness; so also Amos iv. 2-etimes by his life," As I live, saith the LORD, "I live, saith God, it shall be w;"—and sometimes by his name, Jer. xiv. 20 God as it were engageth the honour and glory of the properties of his nature for the certain accomplishment of the things mentionel And this is evident from the manner of the expression, as in that place of Pa lxxxix. 35, "Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David." So we; in the original the words are elliptical: "If I lie unto David;" that is, "Let me not be so, nor be es teemed to be so, if I lie unto David"

Secondly, For the end of his oath. God doth not give it to make his word or promise sure and steadfast, but to give assurance and security unto us of their accomplishment. Every word of God is gure and certain, truth itself, because it is his; and he might justly require of us the belief of it without any farther attestation: but yet, knowing what great objections Satan and our own unbelieving hearts will raise against his promises, at least as to our own concernment in them, to confirm our minds, and to take away all pretences of unbelief, he interposeth his oath in this matter. What can remain of distrust in such a case? If there be a matter in doubt between men, and an oath be interposed in the confirmation of that which is called in question, it is "an end," as the apostle tells us, "unto them of all strife," Heb. vi. 16. How much more ought it to be so on the part of God, when his oath is engaged! And the apostle declares this end of his oath; it is "to show the immutability of his counsel," verse 17. His counsel was declared before in the promise; but now some doubt or strife may arise whether, on one occasion or other, God may not change his counsel, or whether he hath not changed it with such conditions as to render it useless unto us. In what case soever it be, to remove all doubts and suspicions of this nature, God adds his oath, manifesting the unquestionable immutability of his counsel and promises. What, therefore, is thus

confirmed is ascertained unto the height of what any thing is capable of; and not to believe it is the height of impiety.

Thirdly, In this interposition of God by an oath there is unspeakable condescension of grace, which is both an exceeding great motive unto faith and a great aggravation of unbelief; for what are we, that the holy and blessed God should thus condescend unto us, as, for our satisfaction and surety, to engage himself by an oath? One said well of old, "Felices nos quorum causâ Deus jurat! O infelices, si nec juranti Deo credimus;"-" It is an inestimable advantage that God should for our sakes engage himself by his oath. So it will be our misery if we believe him not when he swears unto us." What can we now object against what is thus confirmed? what pretence, colour, or excuse can we have for our unbelief? How just, how righteous, how holy must their destruction be, who, upon this strange, wonderful, and unexpected warranty, refuse to set to their seal that God is true!

These things being premised, we may consider how variously God hath engaged his oath that there is forgiveness with him. First, He sweareth that he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he repent and live: Ezek. xxxiii. 11, "As I live, saith the LORD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Now, without forgiveness in him every sinner must die, and that without remedy. Confirming, therefore, with his oath that it is his will the sinner should return, repent, and live, he doth in the first place swear by himself that there is forgiveness with him for these sinners that shall so repent and turn unto him.

Again: whereas the great means he hath appointed for the forgiveness of sins is by the mediation of the Lord Christ, as we shall afterward show, he hath on several occasions confirmed his purpose in him, and the counsel of his will, by his oath. By this oath he promised him unto Abraham and David of old; which proved the foundation of the church's stability in all generations, and also of their security and assurance of acceptance with him. See Luke i. 73-75. And in his taking upon him that office whereby in an especial manner the forgiveness of sins was to be procured,-namely, of his being a priest to offer sacrifice, to make an atonement for sinners,-he confirmed it unto him, and him in it, by his oath: Heb. vii. 20, "He was not made a priest without an oath." And to what end?-namely, that he might be "a surety of a better testament," verse 22. And what was that better testament? Why, that which brought along with it the "forgiveness of sins," chap. viii. 12, 13. So that it was forgiveness which was so confirmed by the oath of God. Farther: the apostle shows that the great original promise made unto Abraham being confirmed by the oath of God, all his other promises were in like

manner confirmed; whence he draws that blessed conclusion which we have, chap. vi. 17, 18: "As to every one," saith he, "that flees for refuge to the hope that is set before him."—that is, who seeks to escape the guilt of sin, the curse and the sentence of the law, by an application of himself unto God in Christ for pardon,-" he hath the oath of God to secure him that he shall not fail thereof." And thus are all the concernments of the forgiveness of sin testified unto by the oath of God; which we have manifested to be the highest security in this matter that God can give or that we are capable of.

The name of God confirming the truth and reality of forgiveness with him—As also the same is done by the properties of his nature.

X. ANOTHER foundation of this truth, and infallible evidence of it, may be taken from that especial name and title which God takes unto himself in this matter; for he owns the name of "The God of pardons," or "The God of forgiveness." So is he called, Neh. ix. 17, nino nibs. We have rendered the words, "Thou art a God ready to pardon;" but they are, as was said, "Thou art a God of pardons," "forgiveness," or " propitiations." That is his name, which he owneth, which he accepteth of the ascription of unto himself; the name whereby he will be known. And to clear this evidence, we must take in some considerations of the name of God and the use thereof; as,

1. The name of God is that whereby he reveals himself unto us, whereby he would have us know him and own him. It is something expressive of his nature or properties which he hath appropriated unto himself. Whatever, therefore, any name of God expresseth him to be, that he is, that we may expect to find him; for he will not deceive us by giving himself a wrong or a false name. And on this account he requires us to trust in his name, because he will assuredly be found unto us what his name imports. Resting on his name, flying unto his name, calling upon his name, praising his name, things so often mentioned in the Scripture, confirm the same unto us. These things could not be our duty if we might be deceived in so doing. God is, then, and will be, to us what his name declareth.

2. On this ground and reason God is said then first to be known by any name, when those to whom he reveals himself do, in an especial manner, rest on that name by faith, and have that accomplished towards them which that name imports, signifies, or declares. And therefore God did not, under the Old Testament, reveal himself