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By his knowledge, shall my righ∣teous servant iustifie many, Esay 53.11.
By him all that beleeve, are iu∣stified, Acts 13.39.
In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be iustified, Esay 45.25. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of GODS Elect? it is GOD that iustifieth, Rom. 8.33.
He iustifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4.5. that is, saith Beza, he makes him righteous in CHRIST, who is unrighteous in himselfe.
This great benefit of forgive∣nesse of sinne by CHRIST, is plentifully proclaimed unto us miserable sinners.
* 1.1Behold the Lambe of GOD which taketh away the sinnes of the world, John 1.29. Hee shall beare their iniquities, Esay 53.11. Once in the end of the world hath hee appeared to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe, Heb. 9.26. He was manifested to take away our sinnes, 1 Joh. 3.5. The blood of JESUS CHRIST cleanseth us from all sinne, 1 Joh. 1.7. He hath by himselfe purged our sins, Heb. 1.3. He bare our sinnes on the tree, 1 Pet. 2.24. He loved us and wa∣shed
us from our sinnes in his owne blood, Rev. 1.5. He is the propi∣tiation for our sinnes, 1 John 2.2.
Hereunto agreeth that invi∣tation of our Saviour: Come un∣to mee all yee,* 1.2 that are weary and heavie laden, and I will ease you, Mat. 11.28.
GOD of his rich grace and mercy in JESUS CHRIST doth make offer of free and full forgivenesse of sinnes, to every burdened, thirstie, and penitent soule.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him returne unto the LORD, and hee will have mercy upon him, and to our GOD, for hee will abundantly pardon, Esay 55.7. Returne thou backesliding Israel, saith the LORD, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I am mercifull, saith the LORD, and I will not keepe mine anger for ever, Jer. 3.22. I will cleanse
them from all their iniquity, where∣by they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed a∣gainst mee, Jer. 33.8.
GOD when he forgiveth us, so fully acquitteth us of our sins, as if we had committed no sinne at all.
This appeareth by many Me∣taphors used in the Scrip∣ture.
I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions, saith the LORD, Esay 43.25. It is a Metaphore taken from Creditors, who when they purpose never to exact a debt, will blot it out of their bookes:* 1.3 I have put away thy transgressions as a cloud, and thy sinnes as a mist, saith the same LORD, Esay 44.22. The clouds which are driven away by the windes appeare no more, nor the mist which is dried up by the Sunne; so the sinnes which GOD forgiveth, returne not
againe: thou hast cast all my sins behind thy backe, saith Hezekiah to GOD, Esay 38.17. that which a man would not look on or regard, that he casteth behind his backe.
Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depths of the Sea,* 1.4 saith Micah to the LORD. When a man would have a thing utterly forgotten, hee will cast it into the bottome of the Sea, from whence there is no fetching it againe.
The Psalmist pronounceth him blessed, whose sinne is covered, Psal. 32.1. A thing covered is not seene, hee hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor seene perversenesse in Israel, Numb. 23.21.
The same Psalmist pronoun∣ceth him blessed, to whom the LORD imputeth not sinne,* 1.5 Psal. 32.2. a sinne not imputed, is as not committed: as Merchants when they will forgive a debt, put it not into the reckoning, and so do not impute it.
GOD himselfe saith, I will forgive their iniquities,* 1.6 and I will remember * 1.7 their sinne no more, Ier. 31.34. the latter clause ex∣pounds the former; to forgive is to remember no more, that is, ne∣ver to call that to account, which was once remitted.
Thus GOD blotteth out our sinnes, that they condemne us not. Putteth them away, that they hurt us not. Casteth them behind his backe, as though he regarded them not. And into the Sea, that they drowne us not. Covers them, that they appeare not. Doth not impute them, as though they were not. Forgetteth them, so that he punisheth them not.
All the blessings in the new Covenant are given with remissi∣on of sinnes. When GOD for∣gives a mans sinnes, then hee gives him all other things, San∣ctification, and whatsoever else, as we see at large. Ezek. 36.26. The LORD there, after he had promised to forgive all their sins,
hee saith, hee will give them a new heart, hee will cause them to walke in his waies; and then hee comes with outward mer∣cies too, hee promiseth them deliverance from their ene∣mies, and other good things in the rest of the Chapter, but all other things come in with remission of sinnes, Acts 10.43. To him give all the Prophets witnesse, that through his name, we have re∣mission of sinnes. The Pro∣phets gave witnesse concerning CHRIST of many other things besides remiss••on of sins, that we have in his name, which wee have by him, but all other things come with this. GOD was in CHRIST reconciling the world to himselfe, 2 Cor. 5.19. a marvellous great mercy, it consists in this, that their sinnes were not imputed. The priviledges of the new Covenant are chained toge∣ther: Whom hee hath predestina∣ted, them also hee called, and whom he called, them also he iustified, and
whom hee iustified, them also hee glorified, Rom. 8.30.
As by one mans disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, shall many bee made righteous, Rom. 5.19. there∣fore we are said, to be the righ∣teousnesse of GOD in him, 2 Cor. 5.21. For this cause CHRIST is called The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE, Ier. 23.6. & 33.16. CHRIST is made un∣to us righteousnesse, 1 Cor. 1.30. He is said to be the end of the law for righteousnesse, to every one that beleeveth, Rom. 10.4. and the Sa∣craments are said to be the Seales of the righteousnesse of faith. Rom. 4.11.
* 1.8He hath covered mee with a robe of righteousnesse, Abraham belee∣ved GOD, and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse, Gal. 3.6.
This imputed righteousnesse the Papists scoffe at,* 1.9 and call it a pu∣tative righteousnesse; and yet the phrase is used tenne times in one Chapter.
See Luk. 14 47. Act 5.31.10.43. & 13.38.
He came to call sinners, Luk. 5 21.
Col. 2.14.
Micah. 7.19. As if hee should say, looke as God subdu∣ed Pharaoh and all his hoast in the bottome of the Sea; so he will cast and put a∣way the sins of his people. Psal. 85.2.
Rom 4.7, 8.
Heb. 8, 12. & 10.17.
That which the Heathen Orator spoke flat∣teringly of Iuliu•• Caesar, is most true of God, nihil obli••iset so let, nisi iniu¦rias, He for∣gets nothing but the sins of penitent suppliants.
Esay 61.10. Zach. 3.3, 4,
Rom. 4.3, 5, 6 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24.