I AM now insisting upon the refuge to which the man abased with the conscience of sin betaketh himself; who, when he hath reflected upon God’s proceedings in strict justice, according to the tenor of the covenant of works with sinners, and who, when he hath found that, if God should thus mark iniquity, none, even the most godly, should be able to stand, he subjoins this, as a blest after-game in man’s deplorable case, “But forgiveness is with thee.”
In prosecution of this great truth, that there is pardoning mercy with God, to be a relief for self-condemned sinners, I have spoken to two of the five heads that I proposed to be spoken to upon it. (1) I have spoken to the consideration of that which is pardoned, that is iniquity, sin or transgression. (2) I have spoken to the consideration of the Author of pardon, who it is that pardons sin. And whatever hand ministers have in this, or whatever hand private persons have in it in remitting injuries done to them, yet the text determines God still to be the principal creditor; it’s with Thee (says he). “It’s with Thee alone that forgiveness is.” I entered upon the third thing I proposed to be spoken to, which is the main thing in purpose, that is, to inquire after the nature of this pardon, what this forgiveness of sin which is with God imports. And after a brief touch upon some passages of Scripture whereby pardon of sin is expressed, I proceeded, negatively, to tell you what it is not, where I show that pardon of sin is not to be confounded with men’s forgetting of sin, and taking a pardon to themselves; as also, that sin is not to be lightly looked on, as a thing that God lightly passes by, when He pardons it, for He pardons none but upon satisfaction made to His justice by the sinner’s surety; likewise that pardon of sin is not to be confounded with God’s forbearing, or not inflicting punishment for it for a time, for they may be long forbore who yet may be unpardoned, and whose forbearance is no sign of Divine approbation. Further, it was cleared, that the pardoning of particular sinners, and their restoring in favour, is not to be confounded with a national pardon conferred on a nation whom He may pardon, and yet punish. And lastly, it was cautioned and cleared, that we should not confound the pardon of sin with the removal of sin in the pollution of it; for, though God strike at the guilt and power of sin both together, yet, whereas pardon of sin is attained before death, some filthiness of sin will remain in the pardoned sinner as long as he is in this life, and pardon of sin may consist with the sight of the filthiness of sin, for which the sinner is abased before God daily.
And this leads me positively to point out what pardon of sin imports. All that I shall say to it in general, before I break in to tell you more particularly what it is, shall be this: ye shall distinguish in sin these two. There is in sin a blot or pollution of the soul and a defacing of God’s image thereby; and there is in sin a guilt, that is, an offence done to God by the violating of His law, whereby the sinner becomes obnoxious to the punishment that He hath threatened in His law. These two are clearly distinguishable among men. A child running in a puddle pollutes himself, and, by so doing, he becomes guilty of transgressing his parent’s command, and is liable to their correction, or punishment. Now as to these two, the guilt and the blot of sin, there are diverse and distinct operations of God conversant about them; for, as the blot of sin begins to be stricken at in regeneration, so that work is carried on by piecemeal in sanctification, till sanctification be perfected, and end in glorification. Regeneration and sanctification are the acts of God, conversant about the blot and filthiness of sin, but pardon of sin takes not away the being, nor the filthiness of sin, as Antinomians say, but it takes away the guilt of sin, and the guilt of sin being pardoned, the sinner is delivered from the punishment that his guilt deserves. And this is also distinguishable among men; for a person having committed an enormous crime, that crime continues still a filthy thing, and evidences a naughty disposition, yet, when that crime is pardoned, the man that committed it loses not their favour against whom it was committed, and is free from the punishment that it deserves. So a child that hath puddled himself in a mire, suppose the parents forgive the offence, the filth that he hath got in the mire sticks to him still, till it be washed away another way. So I say, pardon of sin takes not away the filthiness of sin, but the guilt of sin. And this I mention not merely for speculation, and information of the judgment, but it says something for their advantage and encouragement, who in the sense of sin are flying to Christ for pardon, that they be not scared, by the pollution of sin, from relying on him for the pardon of guilt. A tender soul, so long as it finds the blot of sin, will readily doubt if the guilt of sin be taken away; but if we take up pardon scripturally, the guilt of sin is done away by pardon, though the blot of sin remains. I confess, the blot of sin must not remain unmourned for, it must not remain unsubdued, or without an endeavour to subdue it, yet it may remain, when the guilt and violation of the law of God by sin is pardoned, and past. That sin may be near thy sight in the blot and pollution, which pardon hath put far off, as to the guilt of it. “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found” (Jer. 1. 20). Why? “For I’ll pardon them whom I reserve.” Only let me add that thou who grippest to the pardon of guilt, when yet thou findest the blot of sin remaining, and art mourning for it, remember that pardon must not be only a simple exemption from punishment, but that it is also a restitution into His favour, whom thou hast offended. Thy pardon must not be an Absalom’s pardon, that brought him back to Jerusalem, but he saw not the king’s face. Thou must not satisfy thyself with that, but thou must be accepted, and come into favour. That was David’s prayer (Psalm li. 8), “Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice,” and verse 11, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thine Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit.” But of this I will have occasion to speak in the progress, therefore I leave it.
And having given you this general notion of pardon, I shall proceed to batter it out a little for the clearing of four questions. (1) How the guilt of sin can be separated from the blot of sin, and the sinner pardoned. (2) Whether in pardon the obligation to punishment be so taken off, as the pardoned man falleth under no chastisement for sin. (3) Whether the real passing of pardon be one in the court of Heaven with that which is the court of conscience, or if the truth of pardon depends on the intimation of it to our hearts. (4) Whether, what the Lord pardons, He pardons irrevocably, or whether, upon the contracting of new guilt, the former pardon be made void to the pardoned man. These four questions I shall touch upon as briefly as I can, and sure I am, those of you, whose plight anchor pardon of sin is, ye will not weary to hear them spoken unto.
For the first, having said that the pardon of sin takes away the guilt of sin, while the blot of sin remains, it’s a question how that can be, seeing these two are inseparable, it’s (as we say) proprium quarto modo, an essential property of sin, that it draws under guilt, and makes the sinner liable to punishment. And it’s as absurd to say that sin can be without guilt as to say fire can be without heat, or the sun without light, guilt being as inseparable a property of sin as heat is to fire, or light to the sun. But for answer, this distinction will clear it; distinguish between guilt itself and the result of that guilt on the person sinning, as also betwixt God’s offence and displeasure at sin, and His offence and displeasure at the sinner. Hence, if we consider guilt in itself, it is inseparable from sin; there is no pardon that God gives unto the sinner that takes away the desert that sin hath in itself of the wrath of God. But if we consider guilt, as it results upon the person sinning and brings him under the lash of God’s displeasure, in that respect guilt may be separated from sin. Sin cannot be sin if it bring no guilt with it, yet the pardoning of sin brings freedom from the actual obligation of the sinner to punishment. Sin hath that evil with it that it deserves wrath, but a free pardon suspends that ill deserving, that it doth not take effect against a sinner that is fled to Jesus Christ. I may illustrate it by a similitude of a massive hammer that is lifted up and falls down by an engine, and crushes that which is under it, and a strong hand holding it up, and keeping it up, that it never falls down. It’s as inseparable from sin, to deserve everlasting wrath, as it’s inseparable from a ponderous weight falling down to crush that which it falls on, but pardon keeps up that weight of deserved wrath that it falls not down to crush them that are fled to Christ. And this also serves not only for information of the judgment, but to meet with another case incident to the people of God. When they are fled to Christ for refuge, they not only meet with the pollution and blot of sin, but with the guilt and ill-deserving of sin, which troubles them. Being sensible of sin, and essaying to close with pardon, when they look to the dreadful rod of iron, that they know their sins deserve, they cannot get pardon of sin closed with. That’s a strong temptation to a tender walker to stand aback, but, in this case, we would distinguish betwixt what we deserve, and the execution of it. A pardoned sinner would remember that it commends God’s free grace in pardoning sin, that, whatever his ill-deserving be, he will not get that which he deserves. God will not give him according to his deserving. And though the man, fled to Jesus Christ, may be daily humbled with the sight of the pollution and desert of sin, yet he may be comforted, in the free grace of God, that his ill-deserving shall never take effect to his prejudice.
Now this is a great point, and folk that are in earnest about the pardon of sin, when they are fled unto Christ for pardon, may have many a sad thought about the pollution and desert of sin. The tender walker will, no doubt, say, “I am a vile body, I have that which deserves everlasting wrath, nay that, that God will pursue to root out, though He doth not look on us as an enemy.” Because this may be ground of many doubts about this matter, touching the pardon of sin, I shall desire you to take notice of some Scriptural expressions that are very full and satisfactory for pardon, notwithstanding of the pollution of sin, and the desert of sin. And in following this, I would desire you to take a look of these two: one is, how the Scripture declares that pardoned sin is looked on by the creditor, to wit, God; and another is, how it stands with the pardoned man.
For the first, whatever thou feelest who art fled to Christ for pardon, yet O how fully and satisfactorily doth the Scripture speak to thy pardon. I dare not fall on all the Scriptural expressions that hold it forth, but I shall briefly touch on some of them in these four steps. And (1) The Scripture tells that pardoned sin is a blotted out sin, Psalm li. 9, “Blot out all mine iniquities;” and Isaiah xlv. 22, “I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins.” It is an allusion to a man that deletes or blots out of his count-book that which is either paid or forgiven, and hence this phrase tells that pardoned sin is a debt that will never be craved nor called for; it is a debt that God, the principal creditor, hath given over, and will no more call for, seeing it is blotted out. But (2) because it might be supposed that a debt, deleted in a count-book, may be looked on and read, though not to crave the debt, yet to waken resentments, therefore the Scripture goes a further length in the pardon of sin, and tells that pardoned sin is not only blotted out, that it cannot be gotten read, but it is covered and hid out of God’s sight, Psalm xxxii. 1, “Blest is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered;” Numbers xxiii. 21, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor hath he seen perverseness in Israel.” It is not only blotted out, but it is covered, and so covered as is not seen to be pursued with the punishment it deserves; and here, the Scripture is very copious to express how sin is covered, as that He casts pardoned sins behind His back, or over His shoulders (to speak so) that they shall be no more in His view. Isa. xxviii. 17, “Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” And because a man may turn about and see that which is behind his back, therefore pardoned sin is said to be so covered that, as in Micah vii. 19, it is said to be cast not in the shallow places, “but in the depths of the sea.” And ye use to say of a thing that is lost irrecoverably, it is tint* (Lost) as it were in the sea-bottom. But further, because, though a thing be in the depth of the sea, it may be dived after, and sought out; therefore, it is added in that forecited place, Jer. l. 20, “The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sin of Judah, and they shall not be found.” So that the pardon of sin covers sin, takes it out of God’s sight, and puts in the depths of the sea, that though it be sought for, it shall not be found. But (3), if there remain any doubt, how can it be but the Omniscient God must see sin, and seeing it, must be angry at it; therefore the Scripture gives a further account of the fulness of pardon, that it hides God’s face from it; as David says, Psalm li. ix., “Hide thy face from my sins;” and it is a notable word, Micah vii. 18, that God passes by, or over-pardons transgressions, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardons iniquity, and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage?” Though He be an Omniscient God to see sin, yet, when sin is pardoned, He will (as we used to say) see, and not see, He will see, and misken, as he that passes by that which might irritate him, He will not set his face in that airt† (Quarter); so deals the Lord with pardoned sins in His people. But (4), whereas ye have a cursed distinction of forgiving, but not forgetting of injuries, and temptations may be ready to rise, and say that, though in the sense that I have been speaking of, pardoned sin be blotted out, covered, put out of sight, passed by, or over, the Lord will not take notice of pardoned iniquities, to punish them; yet He may remember them by way of grudge against the pardoned person. The Scripture secures us against the fear of that, and tells us that pardoned iniquities are not remembered, Isaiah xliii. 25, “I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins;” and Jer. xxxi. 34, with the parallel place, Heb. viii., in the new covenant it is said, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.” I will remember it judicially no more, to call them to an account for the sin I have pardoned. So that sins being pardoned, they shall be as if they had not been committed, as if they were everlastingly forgotten, no more to be remembered. So much for these expressions, shewing how pardoned sin is looked upon in reference to God, to which many more might be added. And O what a full and satisfactory ground do they afford, that pardon of sin is no compliment, but a real security, and firm ground of confidence. When God hath said all this, who are they who, looking on the pollution, or desert of sin, will take pardon of sin for a compliment, and not look on it as a solid security?
And this will be further clear if, in the second place, we consider how it stands with the pardoned man. For ye may say to me, “Much hath been said for God, and of the fulness of His pardon, and that it is a real security to the pardoned man, but I find it not so with my case;” therefore I shall, in a few words, hint how it stands with thee. Thou who art a pardoned sinner may find much sin and pressures of guilt at thy door, and lying near thy conscience, but the Scripture tells us that it is otherwise with thee than thou apprehend, Psalm ciii. 12, “So far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” That which thy fears and doubts apprehend lying at thy door, and to be as an heavy burden upon thy back sinking thee, a pardon removes from thee, as far as the east is from the west, as far as one thing can be removed from another, as the proverbial speech imports. Thou thinkest thyself to be in a woeful and wretched condition, but the Scripture determines thee to be blest, Psalm xxxii. 1-2, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,” etc. Thou mayest be crying out, “O wretched man, who shall deliver me?” But the Scripture tells thee thou art happy, and ought to thank God through Christ, Rom. vii. 24-25. Thou mayest be drooping, notwithstanding thou art fled unto Christ for pardon, but the Scripture-language of pardon is another thing, Matthew v. 2, “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee.” The power and pollution of sin may make thee droop, but the pardon of sin may make thee “drink and forget thy misery, and remember thy poverty no more.” Thy other sores and difficulties may stick to thee and press thee down; but, if thou read the pardon of sin rightly, thou may say, as Isaiah xxxiii. 24, “The inhabitant shall not say I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Since I am pardoned, what can ail me; what can dare at me, or trouble me, since I am forgiven of my sin? In a word, the Scripture declares, that have what thou wilt, or want what thou wilt, though thou should complain, loving-kindnesses are wanting, thou hast not these proofs of love thou wert wont to receive, yet thou wantest not an admirable proof of love that hast pardon; hence is the exclamation, Micah vii. 18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity?” Others may say, “Who is a God like thee in working wonders, when thou broughtest thy people out of Egypt?” But, as for me, I will say, “Who is a God like thee in pardoning sin?” Thus, if we take the Scripture verdict of pardon of sin, as well, in reference to the pardoned man as in respect of God, we will find that pardon is a sure foundation of confidence, and it is so excellent a character that, if we could heed it, believe it, and improve it to the quickening of us to run and secure pardon in the right method (whereof we may hear), we should find that we have here a treasure hid in this field, Christ, a pardonor of iniquity, lying in the bosom of this mercy. The Lord bless what ye have heard.
(To be continued.)