And this gracious act of God discharges the pardoned soul both from guilt and punishment. Guilt is nothing else but the force and power that is in sin, to oblige the sinner to undergo the pen- alty due to sin ; therefore sinners are said to be guilty of helUfire. Matth. v. 22. Guilty of eternal judgment, Mark iii. 29- To be under the judgment of God, Rom. iii. 19. Remission takes away both guilt and punishment together ; it takes away all guilt, Acts xiii. 38, 39. and all punishment. And so much of the first thing to be opened, namely, what the remission of sin is.
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Secondly, Now that this remission of sin is the privilege of be- lievers, is most apparent, for all the causes of remission are in con- junction to procure it for them ; the love of God, which is the impulsive cause of pardon ; the blood of Christ, which is the meri- torious cause of pardon ; and saving faith, which is the instru- mental cause of pardon, do all co-operate for their remission, as is plain in the text.
Besides, all the promises of pardon are made to them, Jer. xxxi. 34. Micah vii. 18. And, lastly, all the signs of pardon are found in them, and in them only, that love God, Luke vii. 47. Merci- fulness to others, Matth. vi. 14. A blessed calmness and peace in the conscience, Rom. v. 1. So that it is a truth beyond contro- versy, that all that are in Christ are in a pardoned state.
Secondly, Next I will shew you, that the pardon of believers is the purchase of the blood of Christ : nothing but the blood of Christ is a price equivalent to the remission of sin, for this blood was in- nocent and untainted blood, 1 Pet. i. 19. the blood of a Lamb without spot ; this blood was precious blood, blood of infinite worth and value, the blood of God, Acts xx. 28. It was prepared blood for this very purpose, Heb. x. 5. Prepared by God's eternal appointment; prepared by Christ's miraculous and extraordinary production by the operation of the Spirit ; prepared by his volun- tary sequestration, or sanctification of himself to this very use and purpose.
The blood of Jesus is not only innocent, precious, and prepared blood, but it is also blood actually shed and sacrificed to the justice of God, for the expiation of guilt, and procurement of our dis- charge, Isa. liii. 5. To conclude, the severe justice of God could put in no exception against the blood of Christ ; it is unexception- able blood, being, (as before was noted,) untainted by sin, and dignified above all estimation by the person whose blood it was. Justice required no less, and could demand no more; and this is the price at which our pardons are purchased, and without which no sin could be pardoned ; for " without shedding of blood, (such " blood as this) there is no remission," Heb. ix. 22.
Thirdly, The last thing to be opened is, That God hath mani- fested the riches of his grace, in the remission of our sins. So speaks the apostle, Rom. v. 20. " Where sin abounded, grace did " much more abound : And, 1 Tim. i. 14. " The grace of our " Lord (viz. in the pardon of sin) was exceeding abundant." Which will appear, if we bring our thoughts close to 'the matter, in several particulars.
First, From the nature of the mercy, which is the richest of all mercies, except Christ the purchaser of it : No mercy sweeter than a pardon to a condemned sinner ; no pardon like God's par-
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don to a man condemned at his bar ; all the goodness of God is made to pass before our eyes in his pardoning acts of grace, Exod. xxxiii. 19-
Secondly, The very riches of grace must needs be in the pardon of sin, if we consider the method in which pardons are dispensed, which is, as the text speaks, " through his blood.1'' Herein " God commends his love to us," Rom. v. 8. He commends it more than if he had pardoned sin without such a sacrifice ; for then he had only displayed his mercy, but not caused mercy and justice to meet and triumph together.
Thirdly, The riches of his grace shine forth in the peculiarity of the mercy. Remission is no common favour ; it is never extended to the fallen angels, nor to the greater part of the children of men, but only to a little flock, a small remnant of mankind, Luke xii. 32. John xvii. 9.
Fourthly, The riches of grace are manifested in remission, if we consider the subjects of this privilege, who are not only equally plunged into sin and misery with others by nature, Eph. ii. 3. but many of the Lord's pardoned ones have been actually guilty of a deeper-dyed abomination than many unpardoned ones, in the ci- vilized world, are defiled with. " To me, (saith Paul), the greats " est of sinners, one that was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, " 4*c. yet to me is this grace given ; I obtained mercy ," 1 Tim. i. 15. "And such were some of you, but ye are justified,^ 1 Cor. vi. 11. Yea, God singles out the most base, despised, poor, and contemptible ones among men, to be the subjects of this glorious privilege, 2 Cor. i. 26. " You see your calling, brethren," Sfc.
Fifthly, More of the riches of grace still appear, if we view the latitude and extent of this act of grace. O how innumerable are our transgressions ! " Who can understand his errors ?" Psal. xix. 12. " Yet the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin," 1 John i. 7. Small and great sins, open and secret sins, old and new sins, all pardoned without exception. O the riches of grace ! O the unsearchable goodness of God ! " With the Lord there is mercy. " and with him there is plenteous redemption ; and he shall re- " deem Israel from all his iniquities," Psal. cxxx. 7, 8.
Sixthly, and lastly, The riches of grace shine forth in the irre- vocableness and perpetuity of remission. As grace pardons all sins without exception, so the pardons it bestows are without revoca- tion : The pardoned soul shall " never come into condemnation," John v. 24. " As far as the east is from the west, so far hath lie " removed our transgressions from us," Psal. ciii. 10. The cast and west are the two opposite points of heaven, which can never come together ; neither shall the pardoned soul and its sins ever
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meet any more. " Thou hast cast, (saith Hezekiah) all my sins " behind thy back." The penitent believer sets his sins before his face, but the merciful God casts them all behind his back, never to behold them more, so as to charge them upon his pardoned people. And thus you see what the pardon of sin is, what the price that purchaseth pardon is, and what riches of grace God manifesteth in the remission of a believer's sins ; which were the things to be explained and opened in the doctrinal part. The im- provement of the whole you will have in the following uses.