EVIDENCES OF FORGIVENESS. 169 lous and miraculous manner; gives him a ministry from heaven ; commands him to go and baptize all those who, confessing their sins and professing repentance,,of them, should come to him to have a testimony of forgiveness. And as to the especial nature of this ordinance, he ap- points it to be such as to represent the certainty and truth of his grace in pardon to their senses by a visible pledge. He lets them know that he would take away their sin, wherein consists their spiritual defilement; and that hereby they shall be saved, as surely as Noah and his family were saved in the ark swimming upon the .waters. 1 Peter, 3 : 21.. Now, how great a deceit must, in this whole matter, have been practised upon poor sinners, if it were not infallibly certain that they might obtain forgiveness with God. After the entrance of this ordinance in the ministry of John! the Lord Jesus Christ takes it into his own hand, and commands the observation of it to all his dis- ciples. I dispute not now, who are the proper immediate objects of it; but this, I say, is certain, that in prescrib- ing this ordinance to his church, the great attention of Christ was to ascertain to us the 'forgiveness of sins. And sinners are invited to a participation of this ordi- nance, as implying that they may receive the pardon of their sins. This is another engagement of the truth, and faithfulness, and holiness of God, so that we can- not be deceived in this matter.- " There is," saith God, " forgiveness with me " saith the soul; "How, Lord, shall I know, how shall I. come to be assured of it i for, by reason of the perpetual accusations of conscience, and the curse of the law upon the guilt of my sin, I find it a. very hard matter for me to believe. Like Gideon, I would have a token of 'it." Why, behold, saith God, "I will give thee a pledge and token of it, which can- not deceive thee. When the world of old had been over w elmed with a deluge of waters by reason of their Forgiveness. 8
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