most and best agree with many precious expressions that we
I humbly judge, according to my present light, that he will not; and
my reasons for it are these, namely:
1. The first is drawn from Christ's judicial proceedings in the
last day, set down largely and clearly in the 25th of Matthew, where
he enumerates only the good works they had done, but takes no
notice of the spots and blots, of the stains and blemishes, of the
infirmities and enormities, of the weaknesses and wickednesses of
his people, Deut. 32:4-6.
2. My second reason is taken from Christ's vehement
protestations that they shall not come into judgment: John
5:24, "Truly, truly, I say unto you, he who hears my word, and
believes on him who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation, but has passed from death unto life." Those
words, "shall not come into condemnation," are not rightly
translated; the original is, shall not come into judgment, not into
damnation. Further, it is very observable, that no evangelist uses this
double asseveration but John, and he never uses it but in matters of
the greatest weight and importance, and to show the earnestness of
his spirit, and to stir us up to better attention, and to put the thing
asserted out of all question, and beyond all contradiction; as when
we would put a thing forever out of all question, we do it by a double
asseveration, Truly, truly, it is so, etc.
3. Thirdly, Because his not bringing their sins into judgment does
most and best agree with many precious expressions that we
find scattered, asso many shining, sparkling pearls, up and
down in Scripture, as,
First, (1.) With those of God's blotting out the sins of his
people: "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my
own sake, and will not remember your sins." "I have blotted out as a
thick cloud your transgressions, and as a cloud your sins," Isaiah
43:25, Isaiah 44:22. Who is this that blots out transgressions? He
who has the keys of heaven and hell at his belt, who opens and no
man shuts, who shuts and no man opens; he who has the power of
life and death, of condemning and absolving, of killing and making
alive; he it is who blots out transgressions.
If an under-officer should blot out an indictment, that perhaps might
do a man no good, a man might for all that be at last cast by the
judge; but when the judge or king shall blot out the indictment with
their own hand, then the indictment cannot return. Now this is every
believer's case and happiness.
(2.) Secondly, To those glorious expressions of God's not
remembering of their sins any more: Isaiah 43:25, "And I will
not remember your sins." "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will
remember their sin no more," Jer. 31:34. So the apostle, "For I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more," Heb. 8:12. And again the same
apostle says, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in
their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more," Heb. 10:17.
The meaning is,their iniquities shall quite be forgiven, I will never
mention them more, I will never take notice of them more, they shall
never hear more of them from me. Though God has an iron
memory to remember the sins of the wicked—yet he has no
memory to remember the sins of the righteous.
(3.) Thirdly, His not bringing their sins into judgment does most and
best agree with those blessed expressions of his casting their sins
into the depth of the sea, and of his casting them behind his
back: "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us, he will
subdue our iniquities, and you will cast all their sins into the depths
of the sea," Micah 7:19. Where sin is once pardoned, the remission
stands never to be repealed. Pardoned sins shall never come in
account against the pardoned man before God any more, for so much
does this borrowed speech import. If a thing were cast into a river, it
might be brought up again; or if it were cast upon the sea, it might be
discerned and taken up again; but when it is cast into the depths, the
bottom of the sea, it can never be buoyed up again.
By the metaphor in the text, the Lord would have us to know the sins
pardoned shall rise no more, they shall never be seen more, they
shall never come on the account more; he will so drown their
sins,that they shall never come up before him the second time.
And so much that other scripture imports: "Behold, for peace I had
great bitterness, but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the
pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back,"
Isaiah 38:17. These last words are a borrowed speech, taken from the
manner of men, who are accustomed to cast behind their backs such
things as they have no mind to see, regard, or remember. A gracious
soul has always his sins before his face: "I acknowledge my
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me;" and therefore no
wonder if the Lord cast them behind his back. The father soon
forgets and casts behind his back those faults that the child
remembers and has always in his eyes; so does the Father of spirits.
(4.) Fourthly, His not bringing their sins into judgment does
best agree with that sweet and choice expression of God's pardoning
the sins of his people: "And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity,
whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their
iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have
transgressed against me," Jer. 33:8. So Micah: "Who is a God like
unto you, who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgressions of
the remnant of his heritage (as though he would not see it, but wink
at it), he retains not his anger forever, because he delights in mercy,"
Micah 7:18. The Hebrew word which is here rendered pardons,
signifies a taking away. When God pardons sin, he takes it clean
away: that it should be sought for, yet it could not be found, as the
prophet speaks: "In those days, at that time,' declares the Lord,
'search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none, and for
the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the
remnant I spare," Jer. 50:20; and those words, "and passes by," in
the afore-cited 7th of Micah, and the 18th, according to the Hebrew
is, and "passes over;" God passes over the transgression of his
heritage, that is, he takes no notice of it.
As a man in a deep muse, or asone that has haste of business, sees
not things before him, his mind being busied about other matters, he
neglects all to mind his business; as David, when he saw in
Mephibosheth the feature of his friend Jonathan, took no notice of
his lameness, or any other defect or deformity; so God, beholding in
his people the glorious image of his Son, winks at all their faults and
deformities, which made Luther say, "Do with me what you will,
since you have pardoned my sin;" and what is it to pardon sin but not
to mention sin? Isaiah 40:1-2.
(5.) Fifthly, In his not bringing their sins into the judgment
of discussion and discovery, does best agree to those expressions
of forgiving and covering: "Blessed is he whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered," Psalm 32:1. In the original it is in the
plural, blessednesses. So here is a plurality of blessings, a chain of
pearls.
The like expression you have in the 85th psalm, and the 2nd verse:
"You have forgiven the iniquity of your people, you have covered all
their sin." For the understanding of these scriptures aright, take
notice that to "cover" is a metaphorical expression. Covering is such
an action which is opposed to disclosure. To be covered is to be so
hidden as not to appear. Some make the metaphor from filthy,
loathsome objects, which are covered from our eyes, as dead carcases
are buried under the ground; some from garments, that are put upon
us to cover our nakedness; others from the Egyptians, that were
drowned in the Red Sea, and so covered with water; others from a
great gulf in the earth, that is filled up and covered with earth
injected into it; and others make it in the last place an allusive
expression to the mercy-seat, over which was a covering. Now, all
these metaphors in the general tend to show this, that the Lord will
not look, he will not see, he will not take notice of the sins
he has pardoned, to call them any more to a judicial
account.
As when a prince reads over many treasons and rebellions, and
meets with such and such which he has pardoned, he reads on, he
passes by, he takes no notice of them: the pardoned person shall
never hear more of them, he will never call him to account for those
sins more; so here, etc. When Caesar was painted, he put his finger
upon his scar, his wart. God puts his fingers upon all his people's
scars and warts, upon all their weaknesses and infirmities, that
nothing can be seen but what is fair and lovely: "You are all fair, my
love; and there is no spot in you," Cant. 4:7.
(6.) Sixthly, It best agrees to that expression of not imputing of
sin: "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes not iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no deceit," Psalm 32:2. So the apostle in that