Davids Repentance, Sermon · Commentary 10
VERSE. 9. 9 Hide thy face from my ſinnes, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Dauid can no way hauehave peace till his ſins be pardoned.IN theſe words Dauid doth the third time renue his former petition and ſuite vntounto God for the pardon of his ſins, as one wonderfully amazed and caſt downe in the ſenſe and feeling of Gods anger for his ſinnes.
Parts of the verſe.And the requeſt hath two parts. Firſt becauſe hee had prouoked the Lord to anger, and was in danger of his diſpleaſure, he intreates him to hide away his angry countenance from beholding his ſinnes. As if hee ſhould hauehave ſaid; ô Lord I hauehave committed great and greiuous ſinnes in thy ſight, and giuen thee cauſe to bee angry with mee: but Lord I beſeech thee caſt away my ſinnes out of thy ſight, looke not on them, neither call them to account, but put them cleane out of minde.
Secondly, he intreates the Lord to blot them out of his book of remembrance alluding to them that keepe a booke of debt, who write all downe that is owing vntounto them; and in token all is diſcharged blot and croſſe the booke: So he requeſts the Lord to croſſe the booke of debt, becauſe he was not able to pay the debt, therefore he requires that he would in the bloud of CHRIST bee content to blot the booke.
When as Dauid praies to GOD that he would turne away his face: that is that he would not call his ſins to mind to puniſh them, Doctr. 1 Gods anger moſt fearefull to the godly.but forget and forgiue them: and as it were caſt them behind his backe as men vſe to do with things they will not remember. Hence wee learne that there is nothing ſo fearefull to a poore diſtreſſed ſinner as is the terrible anger and frowning countenance of the moſt righteous God,1. Cor. 10.5. Pſalm. 5.5. Pſal. 45.7. which if a man beholds, and ſeeth the Lord to frowne vponupon him, it is impoſſible that all the creatures in heauen and earth ſhould giuegive him any comfort: no, Dauid, a King, being in danger of his iuſt anger for ſin could hauehave no ioy nor comfort till hee was reconciled to GOD and did behold his louing countenance turned towards him in and by the meanes of IESVS CHRIST.
And no maruell though the Prophet intreate the Lord to turne away his angry face: for the anger of God is moſt terrible, yea more heauy then if a M…lſtone, yea heauen and earth ſhould bee laid vponupon a mans ſoule, for as Paul ſaith,Rom. 8.31. Heb. 10.30 Math. 5. if God be with vsus, who can be againſt vsus, ſo if hee bee againſt vsus who can be with vsus. It is a fearefull thing to fall into his hands. And if the wrath of the King bee as the roaring of a Lyon, how much more is the wrath of GOD to be feared, who can caſt both body and ſoule into hell.
Yea ſo long as the children of God inioy his fauour, ſee his louing countenance, they are able to ſuffer much, though men torment them, perſecute them, raile on them, they can indure much miſery: but if once they looſe the feeling of Gods louelove, and ſee his angry face and frowning countenance turned towards them oh then nothing can comfort them▪ till they obtaine his fauour againe: how many things did Iob ſuffer without impatiency, yea the loſſe of all he had, ſo long as he felt the louing coū tenance of God towards him: but when he ſeeth the Lord to arme himſelfe like an enemy and like an angryIob. 13: duplicate page duplicate page God then he was no longer able to indure,Pſ. 6.1.2.3. and what can be more terrible to a poore ſinner then to wraſtle with the anger of God then which nothing is more fearefull, and this can eueryevery childe of God teſtifie in his owne conſcience by experience, feeling the heauy weight of Gods anger.
Seeing it is ſo terrible and fearefull a thing for men to prouoke the Lord to anger, Ʋſe 1 and to ſee his angry and frowning countenance: This condemnes that blockiſhneſſe and ſenceleſſeneſſe in moſt men and women who though they do nothing but ſin againſt God daily, & ſo prouoke him to anger and wrath againſt them, yet do not ſo much as ſay Alas what hauehave I done? Ier. 8.6.though they lye ſmoking vnderunder the heauy wrath of God to be deſtroyed for their ſinnes. Men feare the anger and frowning face of great Men, eſpecially of the Prince: but hard-hearted ſinners feare not the anger of the eternall God: well, let all rebellious and ſtif-necked ſinners remember what Chriſt ſaith: Feare not him that …an kill the body and can do no more, but I will tell you whom you ſhall ſeare, feare him that can kill both body and ſoule, and can caſt them both into hell fire, feare him.
Becauſe nothing moues the Lord to anger, Ʋſe 2 and to be diſpleaſed with men and women but ſinne, therefore let vsus aboue all things ſhun ſin, not dare to rebell againſt God, and prouoke his anger,Eſay 59.2. your ſinnes hauehave made aſeperation. O then take heed of ſin: and if thou wilt ſinne, be ſure thou ſhalt find and feele the anger of God, and if thou wouldeſt eſcape the anger, which is ſo terrible, take heed of ſin. We ſee men be too-too carefull to ſhunne ſuch things as offend great perſons and procure their diſpleaſure, for fear if they take a pinch againſt them, they turne them out of their farmes, racke their rents &c. O then feare to offend GOD, who will reiect and caſt thee off for euer and increaſe thy iudgement.
If we hauehave ſinned, Ʋſe 3 & thereby prouoked the Lord to anger by our ſins as Dauid did, & feele his diſpleaſure and ſee his frowning countenance: Oh then let vsus giuegive no reſt to our ſoules til we be reconciled vntounto him, till wee obtaine mercy and fauour at his hands: for ſo long as we ſee his anger & his frowning countenance: alas! we can hauehave no peace nor comfort in the world. If a man ſhould hauehave the fauour of all men, great and ſmall, Nobles, Lords, &c. yet if the King hate him, and cannot abide to heare of him, what can all this doe him good? So, if a man had the fauour of all men and Angells, yea if it were poſſible, all the things on earth ſhould ſeeke to vphold a man, yet if God bee angrie and diſpleaſed with him, his anger would cruſh him in peeces: well then, when wee ſinne againſt God, and ſo prouoke him to anger, let vsus vſe all means to obtaine his fauour, let vsus repent of our ſins, be humbled for them, acknowledge & confeſſe them, let vsus pray for pardon, and intreate the Lord to turne away his face & angry countenance. And as we ſee if a man offend a great perſon, he will ride and runne night and day, ſend gifts, make friends, and all to obtaine his fauor againe. Euen ſo muſt wee ſeeke for the fauour of God; and as Abſolom hauing ſinned againſt his father, ſ…nt Ioab and the woman of Tekoah to get his pardon, and to appeaſe his fathers anger; ſo muſt we ſeeke to Ieſus Chriſt to bee our Mediatour to turne his fathers anger from vsus.2. Sam. 14.
Laſtly, Ʋſe 4 ſeeing the anger of God is ſo fearefull a thing, and ſo vnſupportable, and the louing fauour of God is life it ſelfe; Oh then let vsus make much of Gods louing countenance, & do nothing in word or deed that may turne his mercy and louing faour from vsus, but vſe all good means poſſible to continue the ſame, for if we louelove him, he will louelove vsus; if wee honour him, he will honour vsus.
[Hide thy face from my ſinne.]
That is, pardon them, and doe not call me to accompt to puniſh me for them;Pſal. 60.8. Moſes ſaith thou haſt ſet our miſdeedes before thee, and our ſecret ſins in the ſight of thy countenance; that is, the Lord beheld their ſins, that ſo he might puniſh them for them, ſo whē the Lord hideth his face from our ſins, it is all one as to pardon them: when a man caſts a thing behind his backe or turnes his face from it, it is a ſigne hee would forget it, and not remember it; I will put away your ſins and ſcatter them like a myſte: and wee know that miſts that appeare a little time, are by and by ſcattered and gone:Eſa. 38.17 Hezechiah confeſſeth, That God did caſt all his ſins behind his backe. Alluding to men, who when they purpoſe to forget,Mich. 7.19 or not to remember a thing, turne their backes on it. Againe, I will caſt all their ſinnes into the bottome of the ſea. Alluding to Pharaoh that wicked man whom God drowned in the bottome of the red ſea: and thus we hauehave the meaning of the words.
Here we ſee how, Doctr. 1 Note how God pardons ſin.and after what mauer the Lords pardons our ſinnes, namely, when hee doth for giuegive and forget them, turne his face from them, hath no purpoſe to remember them, or to puniſh vsus for them, and in a word, when hee doth vponupon our true repentance, for the merites of Chriſt eſteeme ſinne as no ſinne, or though it had neuer beene committed,Pſ. 32.1, 2. when he couers them or imputeth them not vntounto vsus.
Seeing the Lord forgiueth ſinne after this maner, V;ſe 1 and euen he doth in mercy forgiue and forget our ſins, puts them out of his remembrance, caſts them behinde his backe, and will neuer call them to minde anie more: heere is matter of endleſſe comfort to diſtreſſed ſoules; if thou haſt once repented of thy ſins truely, and beene aſſured of Gods mercy for the pardon of them: though thou maieſt remember them, and thy conſcience accuſe thee for them as Iob and Dauid, Pſalme 25who were troubled for the ſinnes of their youth, yet I ſay, though thou ſhouldeſt remember them, God will neuer remember them any more to Iudgement, or condemnation, to plague or to puniſh thee for them: hee caſts them cleane out of his minde, and turnes his face from them, and therfore if hee once pardon ſinne, hee pardons it for euer; For the decree and councell of God is vnchangeable, Ro. 11.29.hee alters not, and therefore if once hee giuegive pardon for ſinne, he neuer reuokes it, but loues to the end: The gifts of God are without repentance.
Seeing the Lord in pardoning of ſinne doth turne his face from them, Ʋſe 2 forgets them and forgiues them, and will neuer ſpeake of them, nor call them to minde any more, we learne hence in pardoning of wrongs and iniuries done to vsus to imitate the example of God our heauenly Father, to pardon them, ſo as wee neuer call them to minde againe, that wee forgiue and forget all wrongs and iniuries: trample them vnderunder our feete. But it is a common ſpeech of many vngodly men and women, if men doe them any harme, they will forgiue them, but they will neuer forget them: and accordingly ſo they deale, though for a time they can ſhew a ſmooth countenance and giuegive faire wordes, yet if euer they get them in their danger, they will fetch them ouer, they will ſhew their ſpleene and malice, and powre our all their poiſon: But let all ſuch take heed; for how can they ſay, Forgiue vsus our treſpaſſes, as wee forgiue them that trespaſſe againſt vsus? and yet doe not forgiue and forget wrongs: if the Lord ſhould deale thus with vsus, hee ſhould confound vsus: for God is prouoked of vsus eueryevery moment, and we are indebted vntounto him tenne thouſand talents, yet he is intreated of vsus, and he is reconciled vntounto vsus: ought not we therefore to forgiue one another after his examle; this is the reaſon vſed by the Apoſtle Paul, Coloſſ. 3.12, 13. Now therefore as the Elect of God, holy and beloued put on the bowels of mercy, kindeneſſe, humbleneſſe of mande, meckeneſſe, long ſuffering, forbearing one an other: and for giuing one another: if any man hauehave a quarrell to another, euen as Chriſt forgaue euen ſo doe yee. It were wofull with vsus, if God were not ready to forgiue: for we finde our ſelues ready to offend, and our ſinne vnpardoned is ſufficient to make vsus condemned.
The ſecond branch of the Petition is in the end of the verſe in theſe words,
[And blot out all mine iniquities.]
2 Part of the verſe.THat is, blot them out of thy Booke of Accompts: and that Bill and Debt-booke wherein they ſeeme to bee written, for ſo much the ſpeech imports: the Prophet alluding to men that keepe Bookes of Accompt, wherein they write all their debts: euen ſo the Lord hath, as it were, his Booke of Accompt, wherein are regiſtred all the ſinnes of men & women, when, and where, and howſoeuer, committed.
Then hence we learne that all our ſinnes are knowne to God: Doctr. 1 All our ſinnes knowne to God.he hath them all, as it were, written downe in a Booke of Accompt, and vnleſſe they be blotted out in this life, they ſhall all one day be called ouer, euen at the day of Iudgement,Reuel. 20. The bookes ſhall be opened, and eueryevery mans conſcience ſhall bee as a Bill of Indictment to accuſe and condemne him.
This is that which is tolde by the Prophet Ieremy chapt. 17. The ſinne of Iuda is written with a penne of yron, and the point of a Diamond. And Iob hath it, Thou haſt ſealed vp our ſinnes in a bagge. By all which places it appeareth, that all our ſins are knowne to God, as perfectly as if they were noted in a Booke, and vnleſſe wee repent, they ſhall all one day bee called ouer and laide to our charge, when our Bookes ſhall be opened.
Seeing all our ſinnes are well knowne to GOD, Vſe 1 and the Lord hath them all, as it were, written downe in a Booke, and this Booke ſhall one day be opened: and if our ſins be not blotted our before Death come, and this debt be not cancelled, then they ſhall be brought to light, and wee ſhall be caſt into priſon till we hauehave paid the vttermoſt farthing. Then we ſee it ſtands vsus all in hand, while we liue, to labour to hauehave this Booke cancelled, that our ſins may be put out, and all our debts croſſed: for if they be found vncancelled at death, and the day of Iudgement, if they be found then vponupon Records, ſurely then it is too late to looke for merciemercy, and therefore it is a matter of endleſſe moment, which wee are all moſt carefully to thinke vponupon, that this Booke may be croſſe and our ſinnes cancelled, that ſo wee be not in the great day of the Generall Iudgement called to an account for them.
But how might wee doe that we might hauehave our ſinnes blotted out? wee are not able to pay the debt: Wee owe the Lord …enne thouſand tallents, and cannot pay one penny: what ſhall wee doe to hauehave the debt paied?
To this I anſwere, The Lord is like a mercifull Creditour, if his Debtour be not able to pay, let him confeſſe the debt, and hee will as ke him no more, but will willingly pardon all: So the Lord GOD, ſeeing wee are by no meanes able, of our ſelues, to pay the debt, yet if wee confeſſe it, and deſire pardon, he will forgiue it: And yet, becauſe he is iuſt, as hee is mercifull, therefore his Iuſtice ſhould be ſatisfied, and that is done by the meanes of Ieſus CHRIST, hee is become our ſurety, he is content to take our debt on him, to become pay-maſter, and ſo when nothing elſe could doe it hee was content to ſuffer death, euen the curſed death of the Croſſe, and to blot out our ſinnes by his owne heart bloud.
So then wee ſee the meanes how our ſinnes are blotted out, namely, when wee doe repent of them, bewaile them, be humbled for them, leaue and forſake them, lay hold on Ieſus Chriſt, and apply vntounto vsus his death and paſſion, then by the bloud of Chriſt all our ſinnes are done away.