t I 1;6 Forgivenefi not revealedby the world Pfal.130, chains of darknets for the Judgement of the great Day. Hither- to then God keeps all thoughts offorgivenefl in his own Eter- nal Bofom. There is not fo much as the leafi dawning of it upon the world. And this was at firft no fmall prejudice .againft any thoughtsofforgiveneß. The world is made,fin en- ters. by the molt glorious part of the Creation, whole recove- ry by pardon might fèem to be moil Bearable, but not the kaft appearance of it is difco.vered. Thus it was hid in Godfrom the f..undation of the world, Eph. 3. 9. 111. God gave unto Man a Law of Obedience immediately .upon his Creation. Yea, for the main of it, he implanted it in him by, and in his Creation. This Law it was fuppot d that man might tranJgrefs. The very nature of a Law pre- ícribcd untofree Agents, attended with Threatnings and Pro- mifes ofReward, requires that fùppofition. Now there was .not annexed unto this Law, or revealed with it, the }call inti- mation of pardon to be obtained, ifTranfgre(lion fhould entue. Gen.2. t y. we have this Law,In the day thou eatjtt thou (haltPurely dye : dying thou ¡halt dye or bring upon thy felt affuredly the guilt of death temporal and eternal. There God leaves the (inner und.r the power of that commination. Of forgiveneß or pardoningmercy there is not the lean intimation. To this veryday, that Law, which was then the whole Rule of life and AcceptancewithGod knows no fuch thing. Dying: thou (halt dye, OPinner, is the precife and final voyce of it. From there previous conaderations, added to what was formerly fpoken, fame things preparatory to the enfuing difcourfe may be inferred : as, i . That it is a great and rare thing to have forgivenefs in Cod difcovered unto -a (info! foul. A thing it is, that, as hath been (hewed, Confcicnce and Law, with the;,., inbred Notions that are in the hear.t ofman about Gods .Holingfl and Vindiîtive ju- ffi.ce do lye agatnfi. A matter whereof we. have no natural prefiimption; whereof there is no ,common notion in the mind of man A thing which no confideratiornof ;the Works ofGod, either ofrreatióti.orProvidence will reveal, and .which. the great In(tance ofGods dealingwith finning Angels renders deep, admirable and myfferiou: Men whohave common and flight thoughts
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