things by the word of his mouth, and can destroy all things by the breath of his nostrils: no; but he passeth before him with a still voice, and proclaims himself to be, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.....forgiving iniquity and transgression and

sin.

So that, when God would be seen in his chiefest state and glory, he reveals himself to be a sin-pardoning God: I, even I, am he, that blotteth out thy transgressions......and will not remember thy sins.

Secondly. As for the Pardon itself, that is expressed in two things: I am he, that blotteth out.....and will not remember. Blotting out implies,

First. That our trangressions are written down.

And, written they are, in a twofold book: the one, is in the Book of God's Remembrance; which he blots out, when he justifies a sinner: the other, is the Book of our own Consciences; which he blots out, when he gives us peace and assurance. And, oftentimes, these follow one upon the other: when God blots his Remembrance-Book in heaven, that blot diffuseth and spreadeth itself even to the Book of Conscience, and blots out all that is written there also. Man blots his conscience by committing sin, but God blots it by pardoning it: he lays a blot of Christ's blood upon a blot of our guilt; and this is such a blot, as leaves the conscience of a sinner purer and cleaner than it found it.

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Secondly. Blotting out of transgression implies a legal discharge of the debt.

A book, that is once blotted and crossed, stands void in law: whatever the sum and debts were before, yet the crossing of the book signifies the payment of the debt. So is it here: I will blot out thy transgressions; that is, "I will acquit thee of all thy debts: I will never charge them upon thee: I will dash them all out: I will not leave so much as one item, not one sin legible against thee." This is the proper meaning of this expression and notion, of blotting out transgression and sin.

And this is one thing, that pardon of sin is expressed by.

It follows, in the next words, and I will not remember thy sins. Not that there is truly any forgetfulness in God: no; his memory retains every sin which we have committed, surer and firmer than if all our sins were written in leaves of brass. But God speaks here, as he doth elsewhere frequently in Scripture,

by a gracious condescension, and after the manner of men; and it is to be interpreted only by the effects: I will not remember their sins; that is, "I will deal so mercifully with them, as if indeed I did not remember the least of their provocations: I will be to them as one, that hath utterly forgotten all their injuries." So that this, not remembering of sin, denies not the eminent act of God's knowledge, but only the transient act of his justice; and is no more than his promising not to punish sin: as if God had said, "I will not be avenged on them, nor punish them for their sins."

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And here we may see what abundant security God gives his people, that they shall never be impleaded for those sins, which once they have attained the pardon of: they are blotted out of his book of remembrance. And, that they may not fear he will accuse them without book, he tells them, that they are utterly forgotten; and shall never be remembered by him, against them, any more.

Thirdly. Consider the Impulsive Cause, that moves God's hand, as it were to blot out our transgressions: and, that is, not any thing without himself, but, says God, I will do it for mine own sake.

This admits of a twofold sense, efficient and final.

First. For mine own sake: that is, because it is my pleasure: I will do it, because I will do it.

And, indeed, this is the royal prerogative of God alone, to render his will for his reason: for, because his will is altogether sovereign and independent, that must needs be most reasonable, that he wills. If any should question, why the Lord passed by fallen angels, and stooped so low as to take up fallen man; and, why, among men, he hath rejected many wise and noble, and hath chosen those that are mean and contemptible; why he hath gathered up and lodged in his own bosom those, that wallowed in the filth and defilement of the worst sins, when others are left to perish under far less guilt: the most reasonable answer, that can be given to all, is this, "I have done it, for my own sake: I have done it, because it is my will and pleasure to do it: even the same reason, that God gave unto Moses: I will be gracious, because I will be gracious; and I will shew mercy, because I will shew mercy: Exod. xxxiii. 19. which was the same answer, that our Saviour gave to himself: Luke x. 21. Even so, Father; because so it seemed good in thy sight.

Secondly. For mine own sake: we may take in a final sense:

that is, "I will do it, because of that great honour and glory, that will accrue to my great name by it.'

The ultimate and chief end of God in all his actions, is his own glory. God bestows pardon and salvation upon us, chiefly for the manifestation of his own glory; even the glory of his mercy and free grace. Our salvation is therefore accomplished, that it might be a means to declare to the world how merciful and gracious God is: not so much for our good, as for his glory; not for our sakes, But for his own sake. Such a parallel place we have in Ezek. xxxvi. 22. “I do not this for your sakes, saith the Lord, but for my holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen. I will shew mercy unto you; not so much that you may be delivered, as that my holy name, that you have profaned, may be redeemed from that dishonour, that you have cast upon it, and may be glorified among the heathen."

And, thus, we have the full interpretation of the words; and, from them, I shall raise and prosecute this Observation.

Doctrine. That THE GRACE OF GOD, WHEREBY HE BLOTS OUT AND FORGIVES SIN, IS ABSOLUTÉLY FREE AND INFINITELY GLORIOUS. I, even I, am he, that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

I. Though this doctrine of FREE GRACE hath deserved well of all; as being the best tenure of our present enjoyment, and the best prop for our future hopes: yet hath it, in all ages, found bitter enemies; and, of old, like the procurer of it, been crucified between two thieves, the Gnostics and the Pelagian Heretics.

The Pelagians deprive it of its freedom, and enslave it to the will of man; affirming, that God therefore pardons and saves some, because they will, by the power of their own nature, work faith in themselves: whereas, the truth is, therefore God works faith in them, because he will pardon and save them. Thus they make Free Grace a handmaid, to wait upon the motions of Free Will. Now this is greatly derogatory to Free Grace, for men to bottom their faith and pardon upon the arbitrariness of Free Will; and not upon the almighty sovereign grace of God, that first moves the will to believe, and then pardons it upon believing.

As these depress the Free Grace of God; so there are others, that ascribe too much unto it: of old, Islebius, in Luther's time;

who was the first ringleader of latter days, the Antinomians. And these think the grace of God is so free, as to supersede all necessity of working, for it or with it; and that it is enough for us to sit still and admire it, and so to be hurried away to heaven in a dream. Nay, some, even in our days, have, upon this principle, arrived to that height of blasphemy, as to affirm, that we never so much glorify Free Grace, as when we make work for it by stout sinning.

i. Now therefore, that we may avoid both these extremes, it will be very necessary to state aright, HOW THE GRACE OF GOD IS FREE, and HOW IT IS NOT FREE.

Now there are many sorts of freedom: a freedom from natural necessity; a freedom from violent co-action, and from engaging promises, and the like: but these are not pertinent to our present business.

When Grace, therefore, is said to be Free, it must be taken in a Twofold sense.

Free from any Procurement.

Free from any limiting Conditions.

And, accordingly, I shall propound the Resolution of Two Questions.

Whether the Grace of God be so Free, as to exclude all merit and desert. And, then,

Whether it be so Free, as to require no conditions.

1. Whether the Grace of God be so Free, as to exclude all merit and desert.

In answer unto this Question, I shall lay down Three Propositions.

(1) That the pardoning grace of God is not so freely vouchsafed to man, as to exclude all merit and desert on Christ's part.

There is not the least sin pardoned unto any, but it first cost the price of blood, even the precious blood of the Son of God. It is this blood, that crosseth God's debt-book; and blotteth out all those items, that we stand indebted to him for. As Christ now sues out our pardon, by his intercession in heaven; so he bought out our pardon, by his sufferings on the cross: for, without, shedding of blood, there is no remission: Heb, ix. 22. And, This is my blood, says our Saviour himself, which is shed.... for the remission of sins: Mat. xxvi. 28. And, we are not our own, but we are bought with a price; even with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

as the two great Apostles speak: 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 1 Pet. i. 19. Some have made bold, and possibly with no bad intention, to call Jesus Christ the greatest sinner in the world; because the sins of all God's people met in him, and were imputed to him: they were his, by a voluntary susception and undertaking. And, if the foregoing expression may be allowed, there is one in heaven, the highest in glory, whose sins were never pardoned; for our Lord Christ paid down the utmost farthing that either the law or justice of God could exact, as a satisfaction for those sins that he voluntarily took upon himself: and, therefore, by Law and Justice, and not by Free Grace, he hath taken possession of heaven for himself, and is there preparing mansions for us. In respect of Christ, we receive nothing of Free Grace, or of Free Gift; but all is by purchase: and, as we ourselves are bought with a price; so is every thing we enjoy: even common and vulgar mercies come flowing in upon us in streams of blood: our lives, and all the comforts of them, much more our future life, and all the means tending to it, are paid for by the blood of Christ. So that the Grace of God is not so Free, as to exclude all merit on Christ's part; who hath purchased all we enjoy or hope for, by paying a full and equitable price to the justice of God.

(2) The infinite grace of God, in giving Christ to us and his blood for us, through which we have pardon merited, is absolutely free; and falls not under any merit, either of ours or of his. [1] It falls not under any merit of ours.

For, certainly, could we have merited Christ out of heaven, we might as well have merited heaven without Christ. When God, in his infinite Wisdom, foresaw how we would reject and despise his Son; first spill his blood, and then trample upon it; he did not account this demeanour of ours to be meritorious of so great a gift.

[2] Which is yet more to the glory of God's Free Grace, he bestowed Christ upon us; not only without any merit of ours, but without any merit of his also.

It is Free Grace, that pardons, that sanctifies, that saves us; yet all this Christ purchased for us by a full price. God will have a price paid down for all other things of a less value; that so he might hereby set forth his own bounty, in parting with his own Son for us without price.

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(3) Pardon and grace, obtained through the blood of Christ, respect of any merit of ours is altogether free and undeserved.