A practical exposition on the 130th Psalm

And this is that which I shall briefly speak unto; and therein manifest the differences between this common prevailing Apprehension of forgiveness, and Faiths discovery of it to the soul in its power.

First, That which we reject is loose, and general, not fixed, ingrafted, or planted on the mind. So is it always, where the minds of men receive things, only in their notion, and not in their power. It wants fixedness and foundation: which defects accompany all notions of the mind that are only retained in the memory, not implanted in the Judgement. They have general thoughts of it, which they use as occasion serves. They hear that God is a merciful God, and as such they intend to deal with him. For the true bottom, rise and foundation of it, whence or on what account, the pure and holy God who will do no iniquity, the Righteous God, whose judgement it is, that they that commit sin are worthy of death, should yet pardon iniquity transgression and sin, they weigh it not, they consider it not; or if they do, it is in a slight and notional way, as they consider the thing it self. They take it for granted that so it is; and are never put seriously upon the enquiry, how it comes to be so; and that because indeed they have no real concernment in it. How many thousands may we meet withal, who take it for granted, that forgiveness is to be had with God, that never yet had any serious exercise in their souls, about the grounds of it, and its consistency with his holiness and justice. But those that know it by faith, have a sense of it fixed particularly and distinctly on their minds. They have been put upon ⟨p. 90⟩an enquiry into the rise and grounds of it in Christ; so that on a good and unquestionable foundation they can go to God, and say, there is forgiveness with thee. They see how, and by what means, more glory comes unto God by forgiveness, then by punishing; of sin; which is a matter that the other sort of men are not at all solicitous about. If they may escape punishment, whether God have any glory or no, for the most part, they are indifferent.

First, That which we reject is loose, and general, not fixed, ingrafted, or planted on the mind. So is it alwayes, where the minds of men receive things, only in their notion, and not in their power. It wants fixedness and foundation: which defects accompany all notions of the mind that are only retained in the memory, not implanted in the Judgement. They have general thoughts of it, which they use as occasion serves. They hear that God is a merciful God, and as such they intend to deal with him. For the true bottom, rise and foundation of it, whence or on what account, the pure and holy God who will do no iniquity, the Righteous God, whose judgement it is, that they that commit sin are worthy of death, should yet pardon iniquity transgression and sin, they weigh it not, they consider it not; or if they do, it is in a slight and notional way, as they consider the thing it self. They take it for granted that so it is; and are never put seriously upon the enquiry, how it comes to be so; and that because indeed they have no real concernment in it. How many thousands may we meet withall, who take it for granted, that forgiveness is to be had with God, that never yet had any serious exercise in their souls, about the grounds of it, and its consistency with his holiness and justice. But those that know it by faith, have a sense of it fixed particularly and distinctly on their minds. They have been put upon