A practical exposition on the 130th Psalm

which would not be so, should he appoint a voluntary Worship, and not propose a Reward to the Worshippers. Wherefore,

3. It is evident that God by the prescription of a Worship unto sinners, doth fully declare that there is forgiveness with him for them. For,

1. He manifests thereby that he is willing to receive a new Revenue of Glory from them. This, as we have proved is the end of Worship. This he would never have done, but with a design of Accepting and Rewarding to his creatures. For do we think that he will be beholding unto them? That he will take and admit of their voluntary reasonable service according to his Will and Command, without giving them a Reward, yea, and such on one as their Obedience holds no proportion unto? no such thing would become his infinite sell sufficiency Goodness and Bounty. This the Wife of Manoah well pleads, Judg. 13. 23. If saith she, the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a meat offering, and a burnt-offering, ⟨p. 178⟩at our hands. His Acceptance of Worship from us, is an infallible Demonstration, that he will not execute against us the severity of the first curse. And this is clearly evidenced in the first Record of solemn instituted Worship performed by sinners, Gen. 4 4. God had Respect unto Abel and his Offering. Some think that God gave a visible pledge of his acceptance of Abel and his Offering; it may be it was by fire from Heaven. For how else should Cain so instantly know, that his Brother and his Offering were accepted, but that he and his were refused? However it were, it is evident that what Testimony God gave of the Acceptance of his Offering, the same he gave concerning his Person; and that in the first place he had respect unto Abel and then to his Offering. And therefore the Apostle saith, that hereby he obtained witness that he was Righteous,