The Method of Grace

If this be so that all Believers, and none but Believers receive ¹the remission of their sins through the riches of grace, by the blood of Christ: What a happy condition then are Believers in! Those that never felt the load of sin, may make light of a pardon, but so cannot you that have been in the deeps of trouble and fear about it: those that have been upon the rack of an accusing and condemning Conscience, as David, Heman, and many of the Saints have been, can never sufficiently value a pardon. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered; blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, Psal. 32. 1, 2. or, O the blessednesses and felicities of the pardoned man! as the Hebrew sounds. Remission cannot but appear the wonder of ²mercies, if we consider through what difficulties the grace of God makes way for it to our souls; what strong bars the ⟨p. 304⟩love of God breaks asunder, to open our way to this privilege: for there can be no pardon without a Mediator: no other Mediator but the Son of God: the Son of God cannot discharge our debts but by taking them upon himself as our surety, and making full payment by bearing the wrath of God for us; and when all this is done, there can be no actual pardon, except the spirit of grace open our blind eyes, break our hard hearts, and draw them to Christ in the way of believing. And as the mercy of remission comes to us through wonderful difficulties, so it is in it self a complete and perfect mercy. God would not be at such vast expense of the riches of his grace, Christ would not lay out the invaluable treasures of his precious blood to procure a cheap and common blessing for us. Rejoice then ye pardoned souls, God hath done great things for you, for which you have cause to be glad.