The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

A. Besides that God hath proclaimed this in his Word, to belong to his great and glorious Name, as that wherein he delighteth to make himself known to the Children of men, Exod. 34. 6, 7. There is abundant demonstration that he hath given for the confirmation of the truth of it.

1. In that any of the sinful race of men have ever ⟨p. 253⟩been forgiven. Such is the vile nature of Sin, so high is the affront that is offered to God by it; there is so much of malignity in the least Sin, and so great an indignity done to the Declarative Glory of God by it, that if he had not an heart in him to pardon, there had no such thing ever been heard of. One Sinner pardoned, though the least that ever was in the world, is a Monument of Gods wonderful Grace, and proclaimeth him to be a forgiving God. One such instance saith that there is forgiveness with him; for it must proceed from his own voluntary inclination, who found the Sinner to be his Enemy, and might justly have destroyed him for ever. To see a Sinner saved from hell, is a matter of just admiration, to all such as ever were acquainted with the nature of Sin, and what it hath made men to be.

2. In the way which he hath contrived to bring about the forgiveness of Sinners. The right consideration of this, will show us how deeply Gods heart was engaged for it in the days of Eternity, and how unchangeably it is fixed on it, in as much as he laid it out before time, and pursued it to effect in the fullness of time; and truly this is that which hath surprised the Holy Angels themselves with astonishing wonder, and they still gaze upon it with greatest admiration; the Psalmist observeth,