EVIDENCES OF FORGIVENESS. 143 their conversion, as Abraham, who was an idolater, Joshua, 24: 2, 3; and Paul, who was a persecutor and a blasphemer. Some after their conversion ; some in sins of the flesh, as David ; and some in sins of profession, as Peter. Nothing, then, is more evident, than that no one of them came to rest with God but by forgiveness. Had they never been guilty of any sin but what is left upon record concerning them in holy writ, yet they could be saved no other way; for he that transgresseth the law in any one point, is guilty of the breach of the whole. James, 2 : 10. What shall we now say l Do we think that God has forgiveness only for this or that individual ? No man questions but that all these were pardoned. Was it by virtue of any special personal privilege, that was pecu- liar to them l Whence should any such privilege arise, seeing, by nature, they were no better than others, nor would have been so personally, had not they been de- livered from sin, and prepared for obedience, by grace and pardon l Wherefore, they all obtained forgiveness, by virtue of the covenant, from the forgiveness which is with God. And this is equally ready for others, who come to God the same way that they did ; that is, by faith and repentance. 2. Many of those, concerning whom we have the as- surance mentioned, were not only sinners, but great sinners, as was said, which must be also insisted on to obviate another objection. For some may say, that though they were sinners, yet they were not such sinners as we are; and though they obtained forgive - ness, yet this is no argument that we shall, who are guilty of sins unlike theirs, and attended with peculiar aggravations. To which I say, that I delight not in ag- gravating, no, nor yet in repeating, the sins and faults of the saints of God of old. Not only the grace of God, but the sins of men, have by some been turned into
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