DISCOVERY OF FORGIVENESS. "Although, O Lord, no man can approach unto thee, or stand before thee, if thou shouldst mark his sins and follies according to the tenor of the law, nor could he serve so great and holy a God; yet because I know, from thy revelation of it, that there is also with thee, on account of Jesus Christ the propitiation, pardon and forgiveness, I am encouraged to continue with thee, waiting on thee, worshipping thee; when, without this discovery, I should rather choose to have rocks and mountains fall upon me to hide me from thy presence. But THERE IS FORGIVENESS WITH THEE, and therefore thou shalt be feared." From the words thus unfolded the ensuing proposi- tions arise : Faith's discovery of forgiveness in God, though it have no present sense of its own peculiar interest there- in, is the great support of a sin - perplexed soul. Gospel-forgiveness, the discovery of which is the sole support of sindistressed souls, relates to the gracious heart or good-will of the Father, the God of forgive- ness; the propitiation made by the blood of the Son; and free pardon, according to the covenant of grace. Faith's discovery of forgiveness in God is the sole foundation of adherence to him, in acceptable worship and reverential obedience. My immediate aim is to confirm and illustrate the first cf these propositions. I therefore proceed to show: That there is not the least encouragement to a sinner to deal with God without this discovery of forgiveness in him ; That this discovery is a matter great, holy and mys- terious, and which few, on gospel-abiding grounds, at- tain to; That yet this is a great, sacred and infallible truth; and That it is a stable support to a sindistressed soul. Forgive css. 4
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