NATURE OF FORGIVENESS, sovereign will and pleasure. This is his great glory, Exod. 33 t 18, 19. " Show me thy glory," saith Moses. "And he said, I will make all my goodness to pass be- fore thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord be- fore thee ; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gra- cious." Upon that proclamation of the name of God, that he is " merciful, gracious, long - suffering, abundant in goodness," some might conclude, that it could not but be well with all; nay, saith he, but this is my great glory, that " I will be gracious to whom I will be gra- cious." There must be an interposition of a free act of the will of God, to deal with us according to this his abundant goodness, or we can have no interest therein. This I call the purpose ofhis grace, or the " good plea- sure that hehath purpesed inhimself," Eph. 1 : 9 ; or, as it is termed, ver. 5, 6, " the good pleasure ofhis will, that he bath purposed, to the praise of his gracious grace." This free and gracious pleasure of God, or purpose of his will to act according to his own abundant good- ness, is another thing that influences the forgiveness of which we-treat. Pardon flows immediately from a sove- reign act of free grace. This free purpose of God's will and grace, for the pardoning of sinners, is indeed that which is principally intended, when we say, "There is forgiveness with him ;" that is, he is pleased to for- give ; and so to do is agreeable to his nature. Now, the mystery of this grace is deep, it is eternal, and there- fore incomprehensible. Few there are whose hearts are raised to a contemplation of it. Men rest and content themselves in a general notion of mercy, which will not be advantageous to their souls; freed theywould be from punishment, but what is to be forgiven they inquire not. But these` fountains of God's actings are revealed, that they may be the fountains of our comforts. II. Now, of this PURPOSEOF' God's GRACE, there are se- veral acts, all of them relating to gospel-forgiveness.
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