Section 833
II. That those whose iniquities the Lord puts away, shall not die
This may, in a sense, respect a corporal death, which David might be in some fear of; for the sin he had committed required such a death. He had shed blood; and it is said, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed (Genesis 9:6). The sin of adultery, which he had been guilty of, demanded death; The man that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death (Leviticus 20:10). Now though David, being in so high a station as he was, and so greatly esteemed of the people, might have nothing to fear from a court of judicature, or of being called to account, or dealt with according to the rigor of the law of God, yet he might be in fear that God would, by his own hands, strike him dead, as he did Nadab and Abihur, Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, or Annanias in the New Testament; for though the magistrate might not do it, he knew God could do it, and he might think he would do it; therefore, says Nathan, " The Lord hath put away thy "sin, thou shalt not die, " a corporal death—I do not see there is any reason to omit this sense.
And we may observe, the Lord's people, though they do indeed die a corporal death, good men, as well as bad men, "Our fathers, where are they?" yet those from whom God hath put away their sins, do not die this death as a penal evil. Though they die, they do not die under the curse; the sting of death is taken away, and death is a blessing to them. Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13).
But this may rather have reference to spiritual and eternal death. Those whose iniquities the Lord has put away shall not die a spiritual death: they may be in such circumstances as look like it; things that remain may seem ready to die; they may reckon themselves as free among the dead; but true grace cannot die, it is an immortal seed, a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:14). Nor shall such persons die the second death; that shall have no power over them: whosoever believeth in me (says Christ) shall never die; believest thou this ? (John 11:26). Those, whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are put away, in the sense we have been speaking of, they shall never die an eternal death—But, to draw to a conclusion,
A soul that is made sensible of sin, whose conscience is burdened with it, and wants to have it removed, and to be comforted, let such make their application to God; for it is he only that can put away sin. And when souls are brought to a true sense of sin, make an ingenuous confession of it, and have true repentance unto life that needs not to be repented of, these have a great deal of reason to hope and believe that God will put away their sins; that he will manifest his pardoning grace unto them, as he did to David. When he owned he had sinned, then he had a message brought him from the Lord, by one of his servants; "The Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die."
And when souls are favored after this manner, with applications of pardoning grace and mercy to them, what obligations do they lay under to love the Lord, who has shewn so much love to them. What reason have they to be thankful unto him, and with David, to call upon their souls, and all that is within them, to bless his holy name, who has forgiven them all their iniquities, who hath redeemed their life from destruction, and crowned them with loving kindness and tender mercies.