Et'IDEi\iCES OF FOItOI`'ENESS. 125 providence, the apostle proves the being and properties of God; yea, he lets them know that God designed, by his works, so far to reveal- himself to them, as the true and living. God, the Maker and Governor of all things, that they ought to have inquired more diligently after him, and not to look on him as " the unknown God." But of the discovery of pardon and forgiveness in God, by these means, he speaks not ; yea, he plainly shows that-they were not thus manifested. The great call to saving repentance is by the revelation of forgiveness. But by these works of his providence God brought not the Gentiles to saving repentance. No, he " suffered them to walk still in their own ways," Acts, 14 : 16, "and winked at the times of their ignorance ;" but "now," that is, by the word of the Gospel, " command- eth them to repent." chap. 17: 30. When man fell, therehad been one signal act of God's providence about sin, but it was so far from revealing forgiveness in God, that it rather severely intimated the contrary. This was God's dealing with sinning angels. The angels were the first sinners, and God dealt first with them about sin. And what was his dealing with them the Holy Ghost tells us, "He spared not the sin- ning angels." .2 Pet. 2 : 4. He spared them not : it is the same word as is used where he speaks of laying all our iniquities on Christ, he undergoing the punishment due to them, " He spared him not," Rom. 8 : 32; that is, he laid on him the full punishment that, by the curse and sanction of the law, was due to sin. So he dealt with the angels that 'sinned ; he spared themnot, but in- flicted on them the punishment due to sin, shutting them up under chains of darkness for the judgment of the great day. Hitherto, then, God kept all thoughts of for- giveness in his own eternal bosom : there was not so much as the least dawning of it upon the world. And this was at first no small reason against any thoughts'of
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