RULES FOR OBTAINING FORGIVENESS. 281 him, and a sense of it pressed him sore. But yet, not- withstanding all this, he had a comfortable persuasion that God was his God in covenant, "I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God." verse 14. And the tenor of the covenant wherein alone God is the God of any person is, that he will be merciful to his iniqui- ty. To whom he is a God, he is so according to the tenor of that covenant; so that here these two are con- joined. Saith he, Lord, I am pressed with the sense of the guilt of mine iniquities; and thou art my God, who forgivest them. The ground of this is, that God, by the Gospel, path divided the work of the law, and taken part of it out of its hand. Its whole work is to con- demn the sin and the sinner. The sinner is freed by the Gospel; but the law still condemns the sin, and that justly. Now, though the sinner himself be freed, yet finding his sin condemned, it fills hire with a deep sense of its guilt, and of the displeasure of God against it; while yet at the same time he may have such an insight as faith gives into his personal interest in a gospel-acquittance. A man then may have a deep sense of sin all his days, walkunder the sense of it con- tinually, abhor himself for his ingratitude, unbelief, and rebellion against God, without any impeachment of his assurance. 2. Deep sorrow for sin is consistent with assurance of forgiveness; yea, it is a great means of preserving it. Godly sorrow, mourning, humiliation, contriteness of spirit are no less gospel-graces and fruits of the Holy Ghost than, faith itself; and so are consistent with the highest flourishing of faith. It is heaven itself, and not the assurance of it, that will wipe all tears from our eyes.
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