Of the pardon of sin
John Gill
The doctrine of pardon
properly follows the doctrine of satisfaction; for pardon of sin proceeds upon
satisfactory made for it. Forgiveness of sin, under the law, followed upon
typical atonement for it: four times, in one chapter, it is said, the priest shall make atonement for sin, and it shall be forgiven,
#Le 4:20,26,31,35 and as often in the next chapter, #Le 5:10,13,16,18 and in
other places. This doctrine is of pure revelation; it is not to be known by the
light of nature; "as many as have sinned without law shall also perish
without law", #Ro 2:12 for anything the light of nature suggests,
concerning the pardon of it; men may fancy, from the goodness and mercy of God, that he will forgive their sins; but they cannot
be certain of it that he will, since he is just as well as merciful; and how to
reconcile justice and mercy in the pardon of sin the light of nature leaves men
in the dark; they may conjecture, that because one man forgives another, upon
repentance, God will do the same; but they cannot be sure of it: besides, grace
must be given to a man to repent, as well as remission of
sins, or else he never will repent. Nor is this a doctrine of the law, which
gives not the least hint of pardon, nor any encouragement to expect it;
"as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law",
condemned without any hope of pardon, #Ro 2:12. "Every transgression and
disobedience" of the law, or word spoken by angels, "received a just
recompence of reward"; that is, proper and righteous
punishment, #Heb 2:2. Nor does the law regard a man's repentance, nor admit of
any; "he that despised Moses's law died without mercy!" #Heb 10:28.
But the doctrine of pardon is a pure doctrine of the gospel, which Christ gave
in commission to his disciples to preach, and which they preached in his name,
and to which all the evangelic prophets bore witness, #Lu 24:47 Ac 13:38 10:43.
Concerning which may be observed,
1. First, The proof that may
be given of it, that there is such a thing as pardon of sin: this is asserted
in express words by David; "There is forgiveness with thee", #Ps
130:4 and by Daniel, "To the Lord our God belong mercies and
forgivenesses", full and free pardon of sin, #Da 9:9.
It is a blessing provided and promised in the covenant of grace, ordered in all
things, which, without this, it would not be; this is a principal blessing in
it; the promise of which runs thus; "I will be merciful to their
unrighteousnesses, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more", #Heb 8:12. It is in the gracious proclamation the Lord has made of
his name, and makes a considerable part of it as "the
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, transgression,
and sin!" #Ex 34:7. Christ was "set forth", in the purposes of
God, to be "a propitiation, through faith in his blood, for the remission
of sins"; and he was sent forth, in the fulness of time, to shed his blood
for it; and his blood has been "shed for many for the remission of
sins!" and it is procured by it; or otherwise his
bloodshed and death would be in vain, #Ro 3:25 Mt 26:28 Eph 1:7 and it is in
his hands to bestow it; having ascended on high, he has received gifts for men,
"even for the rebellious"; and among the gifts for them pardon of sin
is one; Christ is "exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give
repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins", #Ac 5:31 and it is by his
orders, published in the gospel, as before observed; to
which may be added, the numerous instances of it, both under the Old and under
the New Testament; as of the Israelites, who, as they often sinned, God had
compassion on them, and forgave their iniquities; even though he took vengeance
on their inventions, #Ps 78:38 99:8 and of David, Manasseh, and others, and of
Saul the blasphemer, the persecutor, and injurious person; and of other notorious sinners, #Ps 32:5 1Ti 1:13 Lu 7:37,47. It is in
this way God would have his people comforted, when burdened grid distressed
with the guilt of sin, #Isa 40:1,2 Mt 9:2 and they are, at times, favoured with
a comfortable experience of it, and peace of soul from it, #Ps 85:1-3 Ro 5:11
they are directed to pray for it, anti do pray for it; to which there would be
no encouragement if there was no such thing, #Ps 32:5
51:1,2,7-9 Da 9:19 Mt 6:12. To add no more, forgiveness of sin is included in
complete salvation, and is a part of it, and without which it would not be
complete; nay, without it there could be no salvation; forgiveness of sin is a
branch of redemption by the blood of Christ, which is explained by it, #Eph
1:7.
2.
Secondly, The phrases by which the pardon of sin is expressed, and which will
serve to lead into the nature of it.
2a. By lifting it up, and
taking it away; "Blessed he whose transgression is forgiven", ywvn is
"lifted up", taken off from him, and carried away, #Ps 32:1. Sin lies upon the sinner, and lays him under obligation to
punishment, unless it is taken off; and the sins of God's elect are taken off
of them, and laid on Christ, and bore by him, and removed from them, as far as
the East is from the West; so that when sought for they shall not be found, God
having pardoned those he has reserved for himself: and sin lies upon the
conscience of an awakened sinner as a burden too heavy for
him to bear; which is taken away by the application of the blood of Christ; and
who gives orders to take away the filthy garments of his people, and clothe
them with change of raiment, and puts away their sins, that they shall not die.
2b. By the covering of it;
"Blessed is he whose sin is covered", #Ps 32:1. "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all
their sin". #Ps 85:2. Sin is something impure, nauseous, and abominable,
in the sight of God, and provoking to the eyes of his glory, and must be
covered out of sight; and this cannot be done by anything of man's; not by his
righteousness, which is but rags, a covering too narrow to be wrapped in, and
can no more hide his nakedness than Adam's fig leaves could
hide his; nay, it is no better than a spider's web; and of which it may be
said, "Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover
themselves with their works", #Isa 59:6 sin is only covered by Christ, who
is the antitype of the mercy seat which was a lid or cover to the ark of the
same dimensions with it, in which was the law, and prefigured Christ, as the
covering of the transgressions of it by his people, from the
sight of avenging Justice; and whose blood is the purple covering in the
chariot of the covenant of grace, under which his people ride safe to glory;
all their iniquities being out of sight; and whose righteousness is unto and
upon all that believe; a garment that reaches to the feet, that white raiment
with which being clothed, the shame of their nakedness does not appear; yea,
being clothed with this robe of righteousness and garments
of salvation, are as ornamented as the bridegroom and bride on the wedding day;
hereby their sins are covered, so as not to be seen any more, and they appear
unblameable and irreproveable in the sight of God.
2c. By a
non-imputation of it; "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not
iniquity", #Ps 32:2 does not reckon it, or place it to his account, or
bring any charge against him for it, or punishes for it; but acquits him from
it, having imputed it to Christ, placed it to his account, charged him with it,
laid the chastisement of it on him, or the punishment of it on him, and
received satisfaction from him for it.
2d. By a blotting of it out: in such language David prays for the
forgiveness of sin; "Blot out my transgressions, and blot out all mine
iniquities", #Ps 51:1,9 and in the same way God declares his will to
forgive the sins of his people; "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions", #Isa 43:25 which language is used, either in allusion to the crossing of debt books, drawing a line over
them; or to the blotting out a man's handwriting to a bond or note, obliging to
payment of money; hence the phrase of "blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us", #Col 2:14. Sins are debts, and these are
numerous, and sinners poor, and unable to pay them; wherefore God, for Christ's
sake, freely forgives, and draws the line of Christ's blood
over them, and cancels the obligation to payment: or else to the dissipation of
a cloud, by the sun rising or breaking out through it; "I have blotted
out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions; and as a cloud thy sins", #Isa
44:22. Sins may be compared to clouds for their quantity, their number being
many; for their quality, being exhaled out of the earth and sea, and mount up
to heaven, cause darkness, and intercept light; sin rises
out of the earthly minds of men, who mind earthly things, and who are like the
troubled sea which cannot rest; and the sins of some, like those of Babylon,
reach up to heaven, and call for wrath and vengeance to come down from thence;
sin causes the darkness of unregeneracy, and is often the reason of darkness to
such who have been made light in the Lord; it intercepts the light
of his countenance, and of Christ, the Sun of righteousness: now as a cloud is
dispersed and dissipated by the breaking forth of the sun, which, overcoming
the cloud, scatters it, so as it is seen no more: in like manner, through the
rising of the Sun of righteousness, with healing in his wings, an application
of pardoning grace is made for his sake; upon which darkness is dispersed,
light and joy introduced, a serene heaven of peace and
comfort follow: and as a cloud is so dispersed that it is seen no more, so sin
is pardoned, in such sort as not to be seen any more, or to be set in the light
of God's countenance unto condemnation; and though as fresh clouds may arise,
so new sins may be committed, which yet are removed and cleansed from, by the
blood of Christ, and the efficacy of it, for the continual pardon of it, through the repeated application of that blood.
2e. By a non-remembrance of
it; "And their iniquities will I remember no more", #Heb 8:12 Isa
43:25. God forgives and forgets; having once forgiven them, he thinks of them
no more; they are out of sight and out of mind; his thoughts are thoughts of peace, and not of evil; he remembers not former iniquities,
but his tender mercies, which have been ever of old.
2f. By making sin, or rather
sinners, "white as snow": so David prays, "Wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow", #Ps 51:7. So the Lord promises; "Thy sins shall
be as white as snow", #Isa 1:18. "Her Nazarites
are purer than snow", #La 4:7. Being justified by the righteousness of
Christ, clothed with that fine linen, clean and white, washed in his blood, and
their garments made white therein, and all their sins forgiven for his sake,
and so all fair without spot or blemish.
3.
Thirdly, What sins are pardoned; sins both with respect to quality and
quantity.
3a. First, For quality; they
are called "trespasses". Sin is a walking on forbidden ground, for
which a man must suffer, unless forgiven: and "transgressions" of the
law of God; a passing over and going beyond the bounds and limits prescribed by
it: and "iniquities", which are contrary to the
rules of justice and equity; and sins, errors, aberrations, strayings from the
rule of God's word: when God is said to forgive "iniquity,
transgression", and "sin", it takes in every kind and sort of
sin; every sin is against God, though some are more immediately against him
than others; they are contrary to his nature, which is pure and holy; whereas,
nothing is more impure and unholy than sin is; and
therefore it is abominable to him, and hated by him; and hence sins arc called
abominations; not that they are so to sinners, for they delight in them; but to
God, to whom they are so very disagreeable: there is an enmity in sin, and in
every sinner's heart, to God; every sin is an act of hostility against him, it
is a stretching out the hand against God, and a strengthening
a man's self against the Almighty; it strikes at his Deity, and is a contempt
of his authority; and yet he forgives it: it being committed against him, an
infinite Being, it is objectively infinite, and requires an infinite
satisfaction; and without it is punished "ad infinitum". Sin is
defined, "a transgression of the law", #1Jo 3:4 a breach, a violation
of it; which accuses of it, pronounces guilty for it, and curses
and condemns; and is only forgiven by the Lawgiver, who is able to save and to
destroy. Sins are sometimes represented as "debts"; because, being
committed, they oblige to the debt of punishment, which God remits; the sinner
owing more than ten thousand talents, and not able to pay, he frankly forgives
all for Christ's sake; of which the year of release from debts under the law
was typical: sins, with respect to men, are called
diseases, and they are incurable, but by the grace of God and blood of Christ;
and pardon of sin is expressed by healing them; "who forgiveth all thine
iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases", #Ps 103:3 Isa 33:24 Mal 4:2.
3b. Secondly, for quantity;
all trespasses, sins, and transgressions are forgiven, #Col 2:13
Ps 103:3. Original sin, the sin of the first man, and the sin of all men in
him, by which all are made, constituted, and accounted sinners; which is the
source and fountain of all sin, and is the iniquity of us all, which was laid
on Christ, and he satisfied for, and is forgiven for his sake; of all sin, it
cannot be thought this should be left unforgiven: all actual sins which spring
from thence; the works of the flesh, which are many and
manifest; some are more secret, some more open, some lesser, others greater,
more daring and presumptuous; some sins of commission, others sins of omission;
but all are forgiven; see #Isa 43:22-25 and not only daily failings and
infirmities, but all backslidings, revolts, and partial apostasies, #Jer
3:12-14,22 Ho 14:4 and, indeed, every sin, excepting the sin against the Holy
Ghost, #Mt 12:31,32 and why that is unpardonable has been
observed, see Gill on "Mt 12:31", see Gill on "Mt 12:32".
4. Fourthly, The causes of the
pardon of sin.
4a. First,
The efficient cause is God, and not any creature, angels or men.
4a1. It is
not in the power of men to forgive sin; one man may
forgive
another an offence, as committed against himself,
but not as
committed against God; saints ought to forgive
one another's offences that arise among them; as God, for
Christ's
sake, has forgiven them, #Eph 4:32 Col 2:13.
Ministers
can remit sin ministerially and declaratively, but
not
authoritatively; no man that goes under the name of a
priest, or a
minister of the word, has a power of
absolution, or has authority to absolve men from their
sins:
all that a
true and faithful preacher of the gospel can do
is to preach
remission of sins in the name of Christ; and to
declare,
that whoever repent of their sins, and believe in
Christ,
shall receive the forgiveness of them; and which
declaration of theirs God abides by and confirms; and whose
sins, in
this sense, they remit, they are remitted,
#Joh 20:23. To
assume a power to forgive sin, and absolve
from it, is
the height of antichristianism; it is with respect
to this that
antichrist is said to sit in the temple of God,
"showing himself that he is god", by taking that
to himself
which
belongs to God only; namely, to forgive sin; this is
one of the
blasphemies, and a principal one, which his mouth
is opened to
utter, to dispense with sin, grant indulgences
of it, and
pardons for it, #2Th 2:4 Re 13:5,6 the highest
angel in heaven cannot forgive, nor procure the
forgiveness,
of one sin;
they could not for those of their own kind that
sinned; nor
can they for any of the sons of men.
4a2. There
is nothing a man has, or can do, by which he can
procure the pardon of sin, either for himself or for others:
no man, by
his riches, and the multitude of his wealth, can
give to God
a ransom for himself, or his brother, make
atonement
and satisfaction for sin, and obtain the pardon of
it;
"riches profit not in the day of wrath": when God comes
to deal with men for their sins, and pour out his wrath
upon
them for
them, bags of gold and silver will be of no avail.
Nor is
pardon of sin to be obtained by works of
righteousness;
could it, it would not be of grace; for grace
and works
are opposed to each other; men would be saved by
works, contrary to the scriptures, since pardon is included
in
salvation, and that is by grace, and not works: besides
the blood of
Christ would be shed in vain; for as if
righteousness,
or justification, came by the law, then
Christ died
in vain; so if pardon of sin came by the works
of the law, and obedience to it; in like manner Christ must
have died in
vain. Once more, the best works of men are due
to God; he
has a prior right unto them, and therefore cannot
be meritorious
of pardon; nor is there any just proportion
between them
and pardon, and eternal life; one debt cannot
be paid by another, or the debt of punishment be remitted
by
the debt of
obedience. Nor is pardon procured by repentance;
they are
both gifts of grace; and though given to the same
persons, the
one is not the cause of the other; at least,
repentance
is not the cause of remission; for true,
evangelical repentance, flows from, and in the exercise
of it is
influenced by the discovery and application of
pardoning
grace; see #Eze 16:63. Brinish tears will not wash
away sin,
notwithstanding these, it will remain marked
before God;
the tears the woman, a sinner, shed, and with
which she washed Christ's feet, were not shed to procure
the
pardon of
her sins; but flowed from a sense of pardoning
love
manifested to her, #Lu 7:37,47. Nor is pardon procured
by faith, as
the cause of it; faith does not obtain it by
any virtue
of its own, but receives it as obtained by the
blood of Christ, #Ac 10:43 26:18. Nor is it procured by a
submission
to the ordinance of water baptism; baptism
neither
takes away original sin, nor actual sin; not as to
the guilt
thereof, as the case of Simon Magus shows; for
though the
three thousand are directed to be "baptized in
the name of Christ, for the remission of sins"; and
Saul was
advised by
Ananias, to "arise, and be baptized, and wash
away his
sins", #Ac 2:38 22:16 yet the meaning is not, as if
remission of
sins was to be obtained by baptism, or sinners
to be
cleansed from them by it; but that by means of this
ordinance, they might be led to the sufferings, death, and
bloodshed of
Christ, represented in it; for whose name's
sake
remission of sins is granted, and whose blood was shed
for it, and
cleanses from it.
4a3. God only can forgive sin; it is his sole prerogative;
it
belongs to
him, and to no other, #Mr 2:7 Isa 43:25 Da 9:9.
And this
appears from the nature of sin itself; it is
committed
against God; and none but he against whom it is
committed
can forgive it; it is a breach of his righteous
law; and none but the Lawgiver, who is able to save and to
destroy, can
remit it, or free from obligation to punishment
for it.
Besides, if there was any other that could forgive
sin, then
there would be one equal to God; whereas, "Who is
a God like
unto him that pardoneth iniquity?" #Mic 7:18
and it may be observed, that saints in all ages, under the
Old and
under the New Testament, never made their
application
to any other but to God for the forgiveness of
sin; nor are
they ever directed to any other for it,
#Ps 51:1 Da
9:19 Mt 6:9,12 Ac 8:22.
4a4. Yet all
the three Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, have a
concern in
it. God the Father made an early provision of
this
blessing of pardon in his heart, in his purposes, in
his council
and covenant; and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for it, and for the remission of it, through
faith in his
blood; and does bestow it for his sake; in
which he shows,
not only his grace, but his justice and
faithfulness;
for upon the bloodshed of his Son for it, he
is
"just and faithful to forgive sin"; just, in that the
blood of Christ is a sufficient atonement for it; and
faithful to
his counsels, covenant, and promises, concerning
it. Christ,
as God, and the Son of God, has power to forgive
sin, even as
Immanuel, God with us. God in our nature, and
when he was
here on earth; of which he gave proof, by
another act of his divine power, bidding a lame man take up
his bed and
walk, #Mt 9:2,6. As God man and Mediator, his
blood was
shed for the remission of sin; and by it it was
obtained; as
the Advocate of his people he calls for it, and
demands and
requires the application of it when it is
wanted; and as the exalted Saviour he gives it, and in his
name it is
preached, according to his orders, by the
ministers of
the gospel. The Holy Spirit of God has also a
concern in
it: he convinces men of sin, and of their need of
the pardon
of it; he makes it manifest; he takes the blood
of Christ, and applies it to the conscience, which speaks
peace and
pardon; he pronounces the sentence of it in the
conscience
of a sinner; he is the Holy Spirit of promise,
and he seals
up the pardon of sin in a promise; and
witnesses to
the spirits of God's people that they are
4b. Secondly, The impulsive
moving cause of pardon, is not neither man's misery nor his merits; not any
works of righteousness done by him; nor even any of the graces of the Spirit in
him; but the sovereign grace and mercy of God, through Christ,
#Eph 1:7 #Ps 51:1 Lu 1:77,78.
4c. Thirdly, The procuring
meritorious cause of it, is the blood of Christ, which was shed for it, has obtained
it, and for the sake of which God forgives sin; which virtue it has from the
human nature being in union with the divine Person of the Son of God; see #Heb 9:14 1Jo 1:7.
5. Fifthly, The effects of
pardon, that is, when applied; for the effects of it are not sensibly perceived
unless applied; which are,
5a. Peace
of conscience; when sin is charged upon the conscience, and there is no sight
and sense of pardon, there is no peace; but no sooner is there a view of
interest in justification, by the righteousness of Christ, and pardon by his
blood, but there is peace, which that blood speaks and gives; and which the
world cannot take away; a peace that passeth all understanding, and is better
experienced than expressed.
5b. Cheerfulness of spirit: when
sin lies as an heavy burden, without a view of pardon, the mind is depressed;
it is filled with gloominess, and melancholy apprehensions of things, if not
with despair, as in the case of Cain: a spirit, wounded with a sense of sin,
and without a view of pardon, who can bear? But when the Lord says,
"Son", or "daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven
thee!" cheerfulness takes place; the spirits, that were sunk, are raised;
the head, that was bowed down, is lifted up; that countenance, that looked
dejected, smiles; the soul is caused to hear joy and gladness; and the bones
that were broken are made to rejoice.
5c. Comfort of soul: while a
gracious soul, under a sense of sin, apprehends that God is angry with him, he
has no comfort; but when he manifests his pardoning grace, then he concludes
his anger is turned away, and he is comforted: and this is one of the ways and
means in which God would have his people comforted by his ministers;
"Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; cry unto her, that her iniquity is
pardoned", #Isa 40:1,2 and when their ministry is accompanied by the
Spirit of God, comfort is enjoyed.
5d. Access to God with
boldness and confidence: a soul, under the weight and pressure
of the guilt of sin, moves heavily to the throne of grace; and when it comes
there cannot lift up his eyes, but looking downward, and smiting on his breast,
says, "God be merciful", or propitious, "to me, a sinner!"
but when it has a view of the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ, it
comes with liberty, boldness, and confidence; particularly when it has a clear
and comfortable sight of the pardon of sin, through the
blood of Jesus, it has boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and come up
to the seat of God, and claims interest in him.
5e. Attendance on divine
worship with pleasure and delight: this flows from a sense of forgiveness of
sin, and is one end of it; "there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared", that is, worshipped; for fear is put
for worship, both inward and outward; and especially denotes, serving the Lord
with reverence and godly fear. And to have the conscience purged from dead
works by the blood of Christ, both puts a soul into the best capacity, and into
the most suitable frame to serve the living God, #Ps 130:4 Heb 12:28 9:14.
5f. Love to God and Christ is
raised, promoted, and increased, by an application of pardon; which, as it is
an evidence of the love of God to a sinner, it produces love again; the poor
woman in the gospel, the notorious sinner as she had been, loved much, many
sins having been forgiven her. #Lu 7:47.
5g. Evangelical repentance,
and the exercise of it, are much influenced by pardon of sin being applied: the
tears of repentance, shed by the poor woman before mentioned, flowed from a sense
of pardoning grace and mercy; sin never appears more odious than in the glass
of forgiving love; shame, confusion of face, and silence,
are never more manifest, than when a soul knows that God is pacified towards it
for all that it has done; this produces a godly sorrow, a sorrow after a godly
sort, for sin committed against a God of love, grace, and mercy; faith first
looks to Christ, and beholds pardon through him; and then evangelical mourning
and repentance follow upon it, #Eze 16:63 #Zec 12:10.
5h. Thankfulness of soul for
such a mercy; than which there cannot be a greater: if a man is truly impressed
with a sense of it, he will call upon his soul, and all within him, to bless
and praise the Lord for all his benefits; and particularly for this, "who
forgiveth all thine iniquities", #Ps 103:2,3. Think with what gratitude
and thankfulness a condemned malefactor, and just ready to
be executed, receives his pardon from the king! with that, and much more, souls
sensible of sin, the demerit of it, and danger by it, receive pardon of all
their sins, through the blood of Christ, from the King of kings.
6.
Sixthly, The properties of pardon.
6a. It is an act of God's free
grace; it is according to the "riches" of it; that is, the plenty of
it, which is abundantly displayed in it; and according to the "multitude
of his tender mercies", mercy being richly shown forth in it, #Eph 1:7 Ps
51:1. It is an act of the Father's grace, who has found the
ransom; and, upon it, delivered men from going down to the pit of corruption;
has set forth Christ to be the propitiation, through faith in his blood, for
the remission of sins, and does, for his sake, freely forgive them: and it is
an act of the Son's grace, in shedding his blood for the remission of it: and
it is an act of the Spirit's grace, to lead to the blood of Jesus, which speaks peace and pardon; to that fountain opened to wash
in for sin and uncleanness; to take of the things of Christ, his blood,
righteousness, and sacrifice, and show interest in them, and make application
of them. Pardon of sin is one of the things freely given of God, which the
Spirit gives knowledge of; and it is an act of sovereign, unmerited, and
distinguishing grace. God bestows it on whom he pleases, according
to his sovereign will, and on persons altogether undeserving of it, who have
been guilty of all manner of sin, of sins of omission and commission; and yet
to such he says, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions
for mine own sake", #Isa 43:25 and it is bestowed on some, and not others,
who are equally as bad as the others; and on men, and not angels; for to the
angels that sinned no sparing pardoning mercy is extended;
only to rebellious, sinful men.
6b. It is a point of justice;
God is just, while he pardons those that repent of their sins, confess them,
and believe in Christ; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins", #1Jo 1:9 just on account of the blood of his Son
being shed for the remission of sin, and faithful to his
counsel, covenant, and promises, to grant it upon that footing; and hence also
Christ, as an advocate, calls for it, and demands it in right of justice; that
it be applied to his people, for whom he shed his blood; and became the
propitiatory sacrifice for their sins; which he powerfully and effectually
pleads on their behalf, #1Jo 2:1,2.
6c. It is a complete act; it
is a forgiveness of all the sins and trespasses of God's people, not one is
left unforgiven; and it is done "simul" and "semel",
together and at once; though the manifestation and application may be made at
different times, as wanted by believers; yet in the mind of God it passed at
once; even a full as well as free forgiveness of all sins,
past, present, and to come. Nor is it any objection to this, that then sins
must be forgiven before they are committed; so they are, in virtue of Christ's
suretyship engagements, and the performance of them {1}.
6d. It is an act that will
never be repealed; it is one of those gifts of grace which are without
repentance, and will never be revoked; it is a blessing God has given in
covenant, and in and with his Son Jesus Christ, and it is irreversible; it is
one of those things which God does, which are for ever; sins once pardoned are
always so; when sought for they shall not be found; they are removed from the
pardoned sinner as far as the east is from the west; God has cast them behind
his back, and will never set them more in the light of his
countenance; he has cast them into the depths of the sea, and wild never fetch
them up again.
6e. It is one of the chief
articles of faith, and blessings of grace; it stands the first of those
benefits, on account of which the Psalmist called upon his soul to bless God for, #Ps 103:2,3 next to eternal election, it is reckoned
among the spiritual blessings saints are blessed with in Christ; being a branch
of redemption through his blood, #Eph 1:3,4,7 and happy is the man that has an
interest in it; he has peace and comfort now, and may rejoice in hope of the
glory of God hereafter!
7.
Seventhly, answer some questions relating to pardon of sin; which do not so
naturally fall under any of the above points.
7a. Whether any sin is venial
or pardonable in its own nature, and does not deserve eternal death? The reason
of this question is, the distinction the Papists make between
venial and mortal sins; some sins, they say, are in their own nature venial,
pardonable, or not deserving of eternal death, only some lesser chastisement,
while others are mortal, and deserving of death: but there is no room nor
reason for such a distinction; no sin is venial or pardonable in itself but
mortal, and deserving of death; though every kind of sin is venial or
pardonable, or rather is pardoned through the grace of God
and blood of Christ, excepting one. There is a difference in sins, some are
greater, others lesser; see #Joh 19:11 some are breaches of the more weightier
matters, or precepts of the law, as those against the first table of it; others
of the lesser matters, or precepts of it, as those against the second table;
some are attended with more aggravated circumstances than others, being
committed against light and knowledge, and under the
enjoyment of great blessings and privileges, #Lu 12:47,48 Mt 11:22,24 while
others are done ignorantly without knowledge of the Lord's will, and not
favoured with means that others have; yet every sin is mortal, or deserving of
death: death was threatened to sin before it was committed, in case it should:
and the first sin brought death into the world with it, and the end of all other sins is death; death is the wages and just demerit of
sin; every sin is committed against God, and is objectively infinite, and
deserving of infinite and everlasting punishment; it is a breach of his law,
and every disobedience to that has a just recompence of reward annexed to it;
righteous punishment, or the wrath of God it reveals and works; the breach of
the least of the commands of it is liable to divine resentment;
and he that offends in one point is guilty of all; the least sin leaves a stain
which what is done or used by the sinner cannot remove; and such pollution
excludes from the kingdom of God; the least sin, even every sin of thought,
word, and deed, will be brought into judgment, and must be accounted for: though
all manner of sin is venial, or pardonable, or is pardoned through the grace of
God and blood of Christ; God forgives iniquity,
transgression, and sin, which include all sorts of sin; sins of the greatest
magnitude, and of the deepest die, are blotted out for Christ's sake; such as
are like crimson and scarlet become through him as white as wool, as white as
snow; his blood cleanses from sin; every sin is forgiven, but the sin against
the Holy Ghost, #Mt 12:31,32.
7b. Whether any sin will be
forgiven in the world to come? The reason of this question is, because it is
said of the sin against the Holy Ghost, that it shall "not be forgiven,
neither in this world nor in the world to come"; which seems to imply,
that though that sin shall not then be forgiven, others may: but the meaning of
the expression is, that it shall never be forgiven; it is a
phrase expressive of endless duration, that that sin shall always remain
unpardonable, and does not suppose anything concerning other sins; and
therefore the answer to be returned to the question is, that there will be no
forgiveness of any sin at all in the other world. As for the sins of God's
people, the remission of them is perfect; all of them have been laid on Christ, and bore by him; and he has finished and made
an end of them all; and has made perfect reconciliation and satisfaction for
them; and God, Christ's sake, has forgiven all trespasses, and no new sins will
he committed by them; the will of God will be done by them with the same
perfection as by the angels; there will be no sin in them, and done by them, to
be pardoned; there will be indeed a general declaration of
pardon, and of their being blessed with that and all other blessings
comprehended in Christ's address to them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father";
and they will live under a continual sense of pardoning grace, and in
admiration of it, and thankfulness for it; but no particular act of pardon will
be passed by God, nor applied to them for any particular sin: and as for
others, the door will be shut upon them at the day
judgment; the door of the ministry of the word; repentance and remission of
sins will be no more preached in the name of Christ; after this there will be
no repentance of sin in sinners, nor faith to believe in Christ for the remission
of sins; these graces will not be bestowed on any in the other world, the door
of mercy will be shut, and never opened to men any more.
7c. Whether the sins of
pardoned ones will be made known and exposed to others in the day of judgment!
I think not; my reasons are, because none but their good works are taken notice
of in #Mt 25:1-46 because it does not seem consistent with the nature of
pardon: pardon of sin is expressed by a covering of it; when God forgives sins he covers them, and he will never uncover them,
or take off the blood and righteousness of his Son; and if he does not uncover
them, who can? neither angels, nor men, nor devils: it is a blotting them as a
cloud; and when a cloud is broke to pieces and scattered, it can never be
collected together any more; sins are cast behind the hack of God, and into the
depths of the sea; and are removed as far as the east is
from the west, and can never, though sought for, be found more. Nor does it
consist with the state and condition of the pardoned ones that their sins
should be exposed; Christ, who has taken so much pains to sanctify and cleanse
his church, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, will never suffer their sins ever more to appear;
the church will now descend from heaven as a bride adorned
and prepared for her husband, having the glory of God upon her, and clothed
with the shining robes of immortality and glory, as well as with the fine
linen, clean and white, the righteousness of her Lord; it will now be her open
consummate marriage with the Lamb; and it seems quite out of all character,
that he should suffer her faults, failings, sins, and
transgressions, to be exposed on her wedding day; and which would, one would
think, cause shame and blushing, which seems not consistent with that state of
happiness.
7d. Whether it is now the duty
of saints to pray for the pardon of sin? Prayer itself is a
moral duty, and incumbent on all; and the light of nature will direct persons
in distress to pray to God for relief; and when they suppose they have
offended. Deity by sin, and he is angry with them, and his judgments are, or
they fear will come upon them; it is natural to them to pray unto him to
forgive them, and deliver them out of present troubles, or what they fear are
coming upon them; as may be observed in Jonah's mariners,
who were heathens; and the apostle directed Simon Magus, an unregenerate man,
and known by him to be so, to "pray" to God if perhaps "the
thought of his heart" might be "forgiven" him, #Ac 8:22. But
this comes not up to the question, which is, Whether pardoned sinners should
pray for the pardon of sin? to which it may be answered, That either these
pardoned ones have a comfortable sense and perception of
the pardon of their sins, or they have not; if they have, they have no need, at
present at least, to pray even for the manifestation of it to them, since they
have it already; if they have not a comfortable view of it, which is sometimes
the case of pardoned ones, as it was of the church, when she said, "We
have transgressed and rebelled, thou hast not pardoned", #La 3:42 they will then see it both their duty, and privilege, and
interest, to pray for a comfortable view and fresh manifestation of it: and
whereas saints are daily sinning in thought, word, or deed, Christ has directed
to make a daily petition of it, that when we pray that God would give us
"day by day our daily bread", that he would also "forgive us our
sins", #Lu 11:3,4 and it appears to have been the practice of saints in all ages to pray for the pardon of sin in some
sense, and as it seems in the sense suggested; so Moses prayed when the people
of Israel had sinned at Sinai, "Pardon our iniquity and our sin", #Ex
34:9 so David prayed, "For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity,
for it is great", #Ps 25:11. A strange plea this! a reason, one would
think, why it should not be pardoned, than why it should be pardoned;
and it was so great in his apprehension, that if he had not a discovery and
application of pardon made to him, he could not bear up under it; and as he
prayed thus, and with success, he observes it for the encouragement of other
saints to do so likewise; "I said, I will confess my transgressions unto
the Lord", and so he did; "and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin;
for this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a
time when thou mayest be found", #Ps 32:5,6 that is, for the pardon of
their sins, and the evidence of it, when they stood in need thereof; so Daniel
prayed for himself and others, "O Lord hear, O Lord forgive", #Da
9:19 and so New Testament saints are directed by Christ to pray, as has been
observed: but then it must he understood in an explained sense, consistent with
the nature of pardon, as procured by Christ, and passed by
God; it cannot be supposed that saints should pray that Christ's blood may be
shed again to procure fresh pardon for them; nor that any fresh act of pardon
should be passed in the divine mind, since God has forgiven all trespasses
through the blood of his Son, shed once for all; but that they might have fresh
manifestations, discoveries, and application of pardon, as they stand in need of them, being continually sinning against God:
in no other sense can I understand that pardon of sin can be prayed for by the
saints {2}.
There are several other
questions that might be put, but they are superseded by what has been already
said concerning them; as, Why the sin against the Holy Ghost is
said to be unpardonable? the reason of which is given, see on "Of Actual
Sins &c." 928. And whether one man can forgive another? and in what
sense? to which the answer is, He may, and in some cases, ought; as it is an
injury and offence to himself: and whether sins against God can be forgiven by
himself without a satisfaction to his justice? and whether if, upon a
satisfaction, how can pardon be free, or of free grace? The
answer to these questions may be found in a preceding chapter.
{1} "Justificatio
virtualiter peracta est----cum filius statim post lapsum datus est mediator et
sponsor electorum ex decreto", Gen. iii. 15. "itaque hoc sensu quadam
ratione peccata possunt dici fidelibus remissa, antiquam
sunt commissa", Leydecker. Synops. Theolog. Christian. l. 5. c. 5. s. 33.
{2} "Petitur quotidie
remissio peccatorum a justificatis, ut sensus et manifestatio ejus magis
magisque percipiatur, pro ut singularia peccata postulant", Amesii Medulla
Theolog. l. 1. c. 27. s. 25.