* Take away iniquity,' and the train of all which it draws after it — judgments.
* Take away iniquity,' that is, forgive the sin, and overcome the power of it by sanctifying grace, and remit the judgments attending it.
' Take it away.' That is, take away the guilt of it utterly by pardon, and the remainders thereof by sanctifying grace, so as the Spirit may rule, and be all in all in us. They see sin is an offensive thing, and therefore they say, ' Take it away,' as an offensive, odious thing, and as a bm'den. For howsoever it be sweet as honey in the committing it, afterwards, when the conscience is thoroughly awaked, it is most offensive and bitter. So as in this case, a sinner would gladly run from his own conscience, and from himself; run anywhere from the tormenting and racking thoughts of conscience awaked, and withal hates the place where it was committed, and the company with whom, yea, the thoughts of them. As Absalom hated Tamar after he had lien with her, so a sinner awaked from sin hates what he formerly loved. As good men love the circumstances of anything which puts them in mind of any good they have done, loving both place and person. So it is with a sinner. When his conscience is awaked, he hates all things which puts him in mind of his sins. Therefore, * Take it away,' forgive it, cast it into the bottom of the sea, blot it out of thy remembrance, cover it, impute it not ; all which phrases shew a taking away.
Therefore, I beseech you, let us examine ourselves hereby, whether our desire of forgiveness be sound or not. If we desire sin should be taken away, we cannot think of it with comfort. For in that many think with delight of their old sins, what do they else, but repeat them over again and again ? But where the heart is soundly touched with a sa\'ing sense of sin, 0 then he cries, ' Take it away ; ' take it out of my conscience, that it cause not despair there ; and out of thy remembrance, that no advantage be taken against me for it. * Take it away.' But it is no otherwise taken away than by satisfying of divine justice. How much are we beholden to Christ, therefore, who hath borne and taken away our sins, and as the scape-goat, gone away with the burden of all into the wilderness of oblivion. Blessed be God, and the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world ! We can never bless God too much, nor sufficiently, for Christ. ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,' Eph. i. 3. Now we may think of sin without shame and despair. 0 blessed state, when a man can think of his former odious, and filthy, loathsome sins, and yet not despair ! Because, when he beUeves in Christ, the blood of Christ purgeth all away, takes away all sin. He hath taken them away.
You see here, in the first place, they pray for the taking away of their iniquity. For, take away this, and all other mercies follow after, because this only is it which stops the current of God's favours, which removed, the current of his mercies run amain. As when the clouds are gone, the sun shines out ; so let our sins be removed, and God's favour immediately shines upon us. Therefore, first ' Take away all iniquity,' and then we shall see nothing but thy fatherly face in Christ. You see what the care of God's children is, to seek mercy and favour in the first place ; as David, 'Have mercy on me, 0 Lord!' Ps. li. 1. This he begs first of alL Whereas God had threatened other terrible judgments, as that the sword
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should never depart from his house, &c., yet he neglects all, as it were, and begs only for mercy, ' to take away iniquity.' For a sinner is never in such a blessed condition as he should be in, until he prize and desire mercy above all ; because, though we be in misery, until then, with sinful Ephraim, Hos. vii. 14, we howl upon our beds for corn and wine, preferring earthly, sensual things before all. But that soul and conscience which is acquainted with God, and the odiousness of sin, that soul God intends to speak peace imto in the end, desires pardon of sin and mercy above all. For it knows that God is goodness itself, and that, when the interposing clouds are vanished, God cannot shew himself otherwise than in goodness, grace, and mercy. ' Take away all iniquity.'
Quest. Before I go further, let me answer one question. Ought we not to think of our former sins ? Shall God take them away altogether out of the soul ?
Ans. Oh no ! Take them away out of the conscience, 0 Lord, that it do not accuse for them ; but not out of the memory. It is good that sin be remembered, to humble us, to make us more thankful, pitiful, and tender-hearted unto others, to abase us and keep us low all the days of our life, and to make us deal gently and mercifully with others, being sensible of our own frailties. As they are naught in the conscience, so they are good to the memory. Therefore, let us think often of this, what the chief desire of our souls to God should be for — mercy, to have sin taken away. In all the articles of our creed, that of chiefest comfort is, that of ' remission of sins.' * Wherefore are all the other articles of Christ, his birth, death, and crucifying, but that he might get the church ? and that the pri%'ilegea thereof might be, ' forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the body, and life everlasting ; ' but forgiveness of sins is in the first place.