454 Of Pardon and Forivenefs qf Sins. 1. As for the firft Particular, I, wen I am he; we may obferve rhar God feems more to triumph in the Glory of his pardoning Grace and Mercy than he doth in any other of his Attributes : I, e:uen I am he : Such a ftatc!y Preface rnuft needs ufhcr in fomewhat wherein God and his Honour is much advanc'd It is therefore, I am he that [pread forth the HeaVens, and m.'lrtialkd all rbeir Hoft: that ha~g up the Jtimb itJ the midff of the Air; that br~ath',l.fortb f!lt the Creatutu up,; the Face of it; tbat poured out the great Deeps, and meafurerl them all in the Holhnv ofmy Hand; that ride up011 the1Vings ofthe 1Vind, mJd make the Clouds the Duftofmy Fw. This, though it might awe and amufe rhe Hearts of Men, ycr God counts it dot his chiefcfl: Glory; bur., I, even I am he, that blotterb out Tranfgrejjions and forgive IniquitieJ. So we find, wh~n God condefcended to ihew MofeJ his'Glory, he proclaims, not the Lord Great and Terrible, that fon:ned a!! things by the Word of hisMouth, and can deftroy all things by the Breath of his Noftril s : No, but he paffeth before him with a fiill Voice, and proclaims him!Clf tO be, The Ltml, the Lord Got!, gracious ant! mcrcif~tl, long.Juffering, anti ab1m1/ant in goodnefl and truth, forgiving iniquity, tranfgrej]ion, and fin. So that when God would be feen in his chiefeft State and Glory, he reveals himfelf to be a Sinpardoning Godj I, even I am be, that blotteth out thJTrmifgrt./]ions, and ?lJilt 11ot rs- . . ffumber thj Sins. Ew1 ~}~?. 2. As for the Pardon it felf, that is exprcffed in two things, I am he tb.zt ~ut ?~H m, b!ottetb cut, and 1Pill not remember. Bloning out implies, ;;!1 /};ings· fidl", That mtr Tranf!reffions an: 1vrit!tn do'JlJn; and wrincn rhcy, are in a twdTiatSilliJ fold Dook; the one is in rhe Book ofGotl's Remembrance, which he blors outwhc!n wrirun. he jufl.ifies a Sinner : The ether is the Book of our own Cmfciwces, which he blots out when he givt:s us Peace and Affurance,; and ofrentimes chefe follow one upon the orher.: When God blots his Remembrance-Book in Heaven, chat Blot diffuferh and fpreads it felf even to the Book ofCcnfcience, and blocs our all that is written there alfO. Man blots his ConfCience by commining Si n, but God blots it by panloning it; !-le lays a .!I lot of Chrill's Blood upon a Blot of our Gui\t; and this is fu~.:h a Blot as leaves the Confciencc of a Sinner purer and cleanerthan it found ic. Secondly, Blotting out o/V·,mfgrej]t'ons, implieJ a leg a! pi {charge ofthe Debt. A Book that is once blotted and croifed, ftands void in Law; whatever the Sum and Debts were before, yer rhe Croffing of the Book fignifies' the Payment of the D ebe. So is it here) huill blot out thy Tranfgrej]ions; that is, I wi!l acquit thee ofall thy Debts, I will never charge them upon thee, I willdalh them all out, I will not leave !Omuch as one Item, not one Sin legible agaiuft thee. This is the proper Meaning of this Expreffion and Notion of blotting"out of Tranfgre{: fio and Sin. And this is one thing rhar Pardon of Sin it exprefred by. It follows in the nexr Words, and! "1villnot rememlm·tby Sins. Not that there is truly any ForgccfulnefS in God; no .• hisMemory retains every Sin we luve committed, fur er and firmer, than if all our Sins were wrirten inLeavesofBrafs; but God f\,eakshcre a.; he doth elfewhere frequemly in Scripture, by a gracious Condefcenfion, and after the manner of Men, and it is robe interpreted only by the Effd:ts, 1 "Jvi/t not remember their Sins; that is, I will deal fo mercifully with them, as if indeed I did not remember the leaft of their Provocations, I will be tO them as one chat harh utterly forgom::n all their Injuries. So thar this 1JOt re.membri11g of Sin, denies not the cmincm Atl: of God's Knowledge, but~nlythc tr~u:fient Atl:ofh_is Jufii~e, and is no more than his prom.ifing.to punifh Sin; as 1f God had fa1d, I w11l not be avenged on them, nor pumfh them for their Sins. And here we may fee what abundant. Sccur~ty God gives hi s Pcop.lc, that they fl1all never be impleaded for thofe Sms wh1ch once they have a teamed the Pardon of; they are blotted out of his Book of Remembrance; and that they may not fear he will accu fe them without Book, he tells them, That they arc utter.. ·1y forgotten, and fhall never be remember' cl by him ,aga inft ther:n any mor::. Thirdly, Co1ljirler tlie impulfiv: Cau{e, tbat m?ves G~tf s Hand~ m 1t were) to b!~t out our Tranfgref[wm; and that IS not ~ny rh~ng Without huufelf, but. (~ays God) I will do it for my own fakt. Tlus admtts of a twofold Sencc, efficient and final.
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