51 God's End in His Goodness
God’s End in His Goodness
How wonderful is the goodness of God toward poor sinners! How much of his goodness have we received! How much are we receiving now! Well may it be said, that he is abundant in goodness and in truth. But what poor returns we make. How little effect his goodness has upon us. Yet these are the cords of love — by which he seeks to draw us to himself. Hence the apostle says, "The goodness of God leads you to repentance." Romans 2:4. This is the design of it, and this is its natural tendency; and if our hearts were not as hard as flint, yes harder than the adamant, such would be the effect. In all the mercy the Lord shows us, in all the goodness he confers upon us — he has an end to obtain.
What Is That END? "Repentance." As sinners, we need repentance. As a just and holy God, the Most High requires repentance. We must therefore repent — or perish. The repentance required, includes a change of sentiment, a change of feeling, and a change of conduct. God’s goodness is to change our views of him, in order to change our feelings toward him, that we may change our conduct before him. Until we think of him as gracious, merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and in truth — or until we think of him as Love — we shall never love him, mourn that we have grieved him, or with a melting heart confess our sins before him.
Right views of God, lead us to feel rightly toward God, and when we feel aright, we shall act aright — but not before.
God wishes us to take right views of our conduct — that we may be sorry for our sins; and he wishes us to be sorry for our sins — that we may confess them, enjoy a sense of the pardon of them, utterly hate them, and so depart from them. Real repentance, the repentance which God requires, embraces . . .
a change of mind,
a change of heart, and
a change of conduct. To produce this change, God employs means.
What Are the MEANS Which God Employs? His goodness, gentleness, and unmerited kindness. His providential goodness — therefore he feeds, clothes, protects, preserves, and confers innumerable blessings upon us. How wondrous the goodness of God in providence to such vile, base, rebellious, and utterly undeserving creatures as we are! His gracious goodness — his goodness in spiritual things he employs for the same purpose. Hence he appointed his ministers to preach to us, sent his Word to be read by us, instituted his ordinances to affect us, and by his gospel, pointedly and personally addressed us. In that gospel, he informs us that he has given his Son to save us, promises his Spirit to teach and comfort us, sets the way of escape before us, and promises everlasting life and glory to every one that believes. He warns, he invites, he exhorts, he beseeches, he assures, he promises, he makes use of every means; and all to lead us to repentance. He wants us . . .
to think kindly of him,
to feel lovingly toward him,
and to act wisely before him. In order to this, he has made use of the most likely method.
What METHOD Has He Adopted? Goodness, kindness, love — to lead us to repentance. He does not deal with us — as with brutes. He does not drive — but draws. He employs his love to win us, to convert us, to conduct us by kindness. His goodness courts us to lay down the weapons of our rebellion, to give up our opposition, and return to the Lord. He would produce repentance by mercy; and bring water out of the rock, not by striking — but by melting it.
Beloved, let us observe the design of God in the riches of his goodness; he would bring us to our knees, bring us to his throne — in order that he may pardon, sanctify, and bless us. Let us also admire the method of divine mercy, we would not wish to be forced, or driven — therefore our good and gracious God, would lead us to repentance. Let us also improve the favors we receive from God, to their proper end, and let us look upon him whom we have pierced, and look upon him until we mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and are in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.
O, Holy Spirit, do attend the goodness of God, both in providence and grace with your blessing, that we may thereby be led to repentance, that we may so sorrow for sin, as to hate it, turn from it, and heartily forsake it.
Reader, what effect has the goodness of God had upon you? You have enjoyed health, you have received food and clothing, you have found shelter and the accommodations of home, you have had the Bible, the ministry of the gospel, and many good things beside. Have you realized that all these were favors? Favors conferred upon you by God? That you did not deserve one of them? That on the score of justice, you could not claim one of them? Have you perceived that they all come from that God, whom you have grieved and dishonored by your sins; and that the design of them is to make you think kindly of him, sorry that you have offended him, and concerned so to live and so to act as to please him?
If God’s goodness does not soften you — it will harden you;
if it does not draw you to him — it will drive you from him;
if it does not attract you to Heaven — it will sink you lower into Hell. The greater his goodness to you — the more aggravated, because the more inexcusable, are your sins against him.
O Jesus, Son of God Most High, are you not exalted to give repentance and the remission of sins, let it please you to give deep and abiding repentance both to the writer and reader of these lines! Let us believe in the love of God, be deeply affected by the goodness of God, and be ashamed and confounded that we have so grossly, so frequently, so unfeelingly sinned against him. O for that repentance which is unto life, and that needs not to be repented of!