~68 A Praflical Expofttion our Guilt, both by fatisfying the Penalty of the Law in Cbrift our Surety and b the Free Grace and Mercy of Gcid, who bath Sealed to us a Gracious AEl ol- Pardo: and .therefore we are Juft in the Sight ofGod as if we had never finned. ' Ftfihly, PatdonofS!n is one greatPart of our Juftification. JuO ification confifis of thefe Two Pans, Rem1ffion and Acceptance ; we have them borh joined rogether £ph. 1. 6,. 7• Hebath made us ac~epted in th~ Beloved,. in whom tc;t have Redemprio~ t.hrougb bu Blood, even the F~rgtvenifr of Sms. .Remi!Iion of Sins takes away our ltablenefs to Death, Acceptauon of our Per fans gtves us· a Title unto Life. Now to be free from our Obnoxioufnefs to Death, and inflated in a Right to Eternal Life thefe Two conftitute a perfet'c Juftification : For to be accepted of God in Chti1l i; no other than for God, through the Righteoufnefs and Obed ience of Chrilt imputed to us, to own and acknowledge us to have a Right eo Heaven; and therefore we haVe mention of Pardon and an Inheritance together in Saint Paul's CommiffiOn to his Miniftry, Nls 26. 18. That they may receiveForgivenefs of Sins) and an lnberitan(e •n1ong them that are jan£lijied. • It is not therefore, 0 Soul, a bare negative Righteoufnefs that God intends thee in · the Pardon of thy Sim;, it is nOt meerly to remove the Curfe and Wnth thy Sins have deferved, (though that alone can never futliciently be admir<d,) bur the fame Hand that plucks thee out of Hell by Pardon, Iifis thee up to Heaven by what he give& thee together with thy Pardon, even a Right and Title to a ·Bielfed and Glorious In be~ ritance. Thy Pardon thou haft from the Paffive Obedience of Chrift in his Sufferings; a Right ro Heaven thou haft through the Aaive Obed ience of Chrift, in fulfilling all Righreoufnefs; and through both haft thou obtained a compleat Ju!lification; God looking upon thee as lnnocentthrough the Satisfa£\ion of his Son, and as Worthy through his Obedience, both which are made thine by Faith. Now this Pardon of Sin is in Scripture fer forth by very fweet and full Expreffions. It is called a blotting out ofTranfgreffion, a Metaphor taken from a Creditor's cro!fing the Debt-book, fignifying thereby a Dif9'arge of the Dobr. And left we might poffibly fear God will implead Ui for them without Book, the Prophet adds forgellingumo blolling out, Ifa. 43· 25 . 1, even I, am be tbat blottetbout thy TranJgreflions for my Namesfake,and 1will not remtmber thy Situ, It is called a covering of our Sins, Pjal. 32. r. Bliffedit the Man wh'![e Tran.fireffiom are forgiven, and wbofeSin is covered. Yea, we have a further Ground of Comfort, for it isnot only · a covering of our Sins, but it is a covering of God's Face from them. Pjal. 51. 9· Hide thy Face from my Sins, and blot out ail mine .Iniquiti(t, It is a caRing of them behind God's Back, as a Thing that he will never more regard. !fa. 38. 17. Tbou bajl cafl all my Sint behind thy Back. And !ell we !hould fufpe£\ he !hou!d turn again to behold them, it is called, a cafiing of them into the Bottom of the Sea, Mic. 7· 19. ~ as we dowithThingswewould have irrecoverably loft and gone. It is a fcaruring them at a thick Cloud, !fa. 44· 2 2. When the Vapours of it are fo diilipated, that there !hall notremain the leaft Spot to obftrua the lhini ng of God's Face and Fa· ~our upon our Souls ; . ~ea , an~ fo perfe<:t an A~olition !hall he made of a ll .our In!· quities, that thougbDtvme Juftt~e fhould enter mto a ftr1ilSe~u:b and ~SCrutmy after them they !hall not be founda!l'mftus. So the Prophet "jeremroh tell us, ]er. ;o. 20. In that Day foal/the lni~uity '![lfrael be fought for, and there foal/ be none ; and rhc Sint ofJudah, and tbe;y foal/ not be found. How h_ath God hea ~ed up Expreflions ofhis Grace and MercY: one upon another ? And ftudred Words as tt were toaffure us of the Validhy of our Pardon, giving to us aboundingConfolat ions a<tour Sins have beenabounding. And thus much !hall futlice to !hew theNlture of Pardoning Grace and Mercy as-expreffed in thefe Words, Forgive us our Debts. Secondly, Lee os confider unto whom this Petition ·for Pardo~ is direaed, and that is as all therett are to our Farher, whofe Laws we have vwlatcd, whofc Ju· ftice ~e have oftendetl, ~hof(; Difpleafure we. have i nc~rred, and to whofe Veoge· ance we have made ourfelves liable and obnoxtous, to h1m we fue for Pardon and Remiflion. · Hence we may colletl: this Note, That it i£ the High Prerogative of God alone to forgive Sins. . . . . . God a!fumestbtS particularl y to h1mf<lf, and feems to Ttiumph m the Glory of this Attribute. I, (Ven I, am. be tbat blot~eth oJit thy T~anfgrej}ion~. And. therefore when Chrifi cured rhe Paralyttck, the Scnbu ~nd Pharif~er ftorm d t~t htm for a Blojpbemer for faying, Be of good cheer, thy Sznt are forgzven thu : Thou blajphe- . mefl,
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