THE SOUL DRAWING NEAR TO COD. [SEEM. v: and there, says Job, the righteous might surely dispute with him; xxiii. 7. and there I should be delivered from his terrors as an avenging God ; there, though he judge me, yet he will plead my cause ; for the same Judge that sits upon a throne of glory, has taken upon him to be- come my Advocate. " There I behold him, says the soul, with millions of pardons for vile transgressors, and with abundant favour for rebels ; such a rebel am I, and such a transgressor, and yet there is pardon and grace for me. I behold there riches and raiment for the poor, the needy, and the naked, and help for the weak be- liever." There goodness appears in the face of God, in all the sweet variety of its divine forms. There ap- pears long-suffering for old sinners, and patience for re- peated guilt, and pity for the miserable, and free grace for those that deserve nothing but vengeance. All this discovers itself in the face of God, to a soul that gets near him, even to his mercy-seat; and the soul bows, and wonders, and worships, and makes still nearer ap- proaches, and receives the grace, and rejoices in the salvation. The soul puts in for a share in this mercy with faith and hope, and will not be denied, will not be excluded ; then he uses that holy boldness, that wal4710-ia, or liberty of speech; lieb. iv. 16. And this is the language of faith, when the soul gets near to God : " Since there are so many millions of pardons with thee for sinners, I will not go away without one ; since there is such a righte- ousness as that of thine own Son to clothe the naked, I will not go away without being clothed with this right- eousness ;; since there are such supplies of strength for the weak, I will not leave thy seat till I get some strengh." The soul then wrestles and pleads, and makes supplication as Jacob did when he came near to God ; Gen. xxxii. 16. I will not let thee a except thou bless nre. The soul beholds in God mercy enough for the largest multitude of sinners, and pardons large enough forthe blackest offences; it sees Paul the persecutor and blasphemer so near to the right-hand of God in glory, that it cries out with a joyful faith, "All the aggrava -- tions of my guilt shall no more divide me from the mercy-seat, shall no more prevent my hope and help in God; for there sits Paul the persecutor and blasphemer*
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