Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 38
CAHP. 38. Not imputing their treſpaſſes; Opened And 3. Notes on the text.
NOw followes the Two other Expreſſions. Not inputing their treſpaſſes to them. And hath committed to us the word of Reconciliation. The firſt; I may finniſh in a few words, not imputeing their treſpaſſes; meaning, not reackoning, not ſetting their ſins upon their own ſcore; ſo the word is. As a man that is in debt; we ſay there is ſo much ſtanding upon his Head; ſo much upon his ſcore. Now, when God is ſaid not to impute your treſpaſſes; the meaning is; your debt comes to be cancelled & to be reckoned the debt of an other man; he ſets your ſins no longer upon your ſcore, but upon the ſcore of Chriſt: this is the happineſs of Beleevers: that thoſe ſins of theirs that ſtood upon their ſcoor are now taken off and ſet upon the ſcore of Chriſt. This is a bleſſed doctrine, and we cannot ſpeak of this without trembling of heart; becauſe we know how ſubject men are to abuſe it; but the Children muſt have the bread given to them, though it tend to the ruine, and deſtruction of others. You that are ſinners and go on in ſin, though you ſee it not, you run every day upon the ſcore, like ſome Gallants that come into an Inn, or into a Tavern, and there cal for Wine, and good cheer, never thinking that one is al the while they are eating, and drinking, and merry, behind the dore with a peece of Chalk ſcoring up al, and at laſt wil cal in for the payment of it. Every ſin we commit is upon the ſcore and there is a time when God wil cal for payment. You wil ſay, how is it then that God ſaith, their ſins ſhal not be imputed? Why, it is becauſe Chriſt comes, and al that is upon our ſcore is taken off, and ſet upon his, but yet the ſcore muſt be payed. So that this phraſe noteth; That the Salvation of man is not from ſuch a free pardon, as a man that is in debt ſhould have his Creditor come, and ſay, I wil quit the ſcore, I wil wipe off al, and pardon it al: No; But the way of the Salvation of man is thus; Here is a debt, and payed it muſt be: Only Chriſt the ſuerty comes, and he payes for ſome, and others are caſt into the priſon of Hel, where they muſt lie till they have pay'd the uttermoſt farthing; for the debt muſt be pay'd. And here is the Reaſon of the difference between Beleevers, and others. Thoſe that are damned; al the time they live, they run upon the ſcore, and at laſt God comes, and reckoneth with them for all; and then alas they have nothing to pay. Saith God to the Devil; take him Jaylor. Death is Gods Sargant to areſt him, and the Devil is his Jaylor, and they have him to priſon, and there he muſt lie til he hath payed the uttermoſt farthing. But now Beleevers that have run upon the ſcore: In the dayes of their youth, they were ſo much upon ſcore. When they were Apprentizes; ſo much upon the the ſcore. Since they were married; ſo much upon the ſcore. Yea, but when divine juſtice is ready to ſeize upon them, and areſt them; Chriſt comes in, and ſaith he; let the man be freed, I wil pay the ſcore for him. As if a ſpend-thrift ſhould run upon the ſcore, and when he is areſted, and ready to go to the Jayle, there comes ſome freind, and ſaith; deliver him, and I wil pay the debt. So Chriſt doth. So that when our ſins are forgiven, they are ſo forgiven, as that it coſts much; our deliverance coſts much. And this I note from the phrae in the Original text; for there it is thus; not reckoning, or accounting it upon the ſcore: I have in many ſermons opened the doctrine of the pardon of ſin: therfore I do not intend …o dilate upon that. I wil only give ſome few notes from hence that are moſt proper to this text.
Note, 1. And the firſt is this. That there may be ſin in the ſoul, and yet not imputed, Therefore there may be a righteouſneſs imputed which is not our own, there is the ſame ground of both. Many of our adverſaries do crie out of imputation of righteouſneſs: ſay they, how can that which is none of our righteouſneſs, be made ours? for ſo it is if we beleeve, the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt which is none of ours is made ours, how can that be, ſay they? Yes, as wel as that which is our ſin ſhal not be made our ſin, if that which is our own ſhal not be imputed, then that which is not our own may be imputed likewiſe.
Note 2. Secondly: (Which is a note of marvelous Comfort) There may be a Reconciliation with God, even while there remains much ſin in the Soul. It is not ſaid thus. Reconciling the world to himſelf taking away their ſins, purging out al their ſins, as if there could be no Reconciliation til al their Sins were taken away; But he was reconciling the World to himſelf, not imputing, that is the Phraſe. As if he had ſaid. O! you Sinners, ſo long as you live in the world, you wil have ſin, and therfore do not think that God is not reconciled unto you, or that you are not reconciled unto God; No, though ſin be remaining in your hearts, yet God may be reconciled unto you not imputing your ſins. This ſhould be an argument to you, to labor to purge out ſin as much as you can, ſeeing the grace of God is ſuch; that ſin remaining in you, yet God is ſtil reconciling you to himſelf: it is not ſo much to think, that God ſhould be reconciled to the Angels in Heaven that have no ſin in them. O! but God to be reconciled to his Saints upon Earth that have ſo much ſin in them; that is much. There are many of the people of God that cannot diſtinguiſh between the not imputing of ſin and being of ſin in them; they think becauſe they have much ſin in them, the Lord wil not be reconciled to them. But know thou; though ſin be in thee, yet the…e may be no imputation of ſin to thee, and therefore learn to diſtinguiſh between ſin being in thee, and ſin being not imputed to thee.
And this ſhould be of Uſe to us likewiſe to teach us to be willing to be reconciled to others, notwithſtanding there are many weakneſſes in them; and though they ſtil continue to offend us. Be reconciled to your Servants, and reconciled to your Childdren, and to your Neighbors; and ſay not; I could be reconciled to them if I ſaw them changed indeed: What meaneſt thou by that? Doſt thou mean that thou may'ſt ſee no more weakneſſes in them, or that there may never be any thing in them more that offend thee; wilt thou ſtay ſo long? God doth not ſtay ſo long for thee, til he bringeth thee to Heaven, and perfecteth thee; he doth not ſtop his Reconciliation with thee til thou comeſt there, and beeſt perfect; No, he is reconciled to thee here; even here whil'ſt thou haſt a nature in thee that bubbles out nothing but ſin againſt him; and notwithſtanding the in-being of ſin in thee; yet God can diſtinguiſh between the in-being of ſin in thee, and the imputation of it.
Note 3. We ſee here is the bottom of al our Reonciliation; the non imputation of our Sins. It is no argument that God is reconciled to a man, becauſe he lets him proſper in the world; or becauſe he hath been at Sea, and hath got a great deal of Riches in his Voyage; perhaps the man bleſſeth himſelf, and he thinketh, O! now al is wel between God and me, for he hath given me ſo much riches; and he bleſſed me in ſuch a Voyage: alas thou miſtakeſt if thou thinkeſt that this is an argument of Reconciliation; No, the bottom of Reconciliation, is non imputation. Haſt thou an evidence to thy Soul, that God hath revealed Chriſt to thee, and that in his Son he hath imputed thy ſin to thee; and do'ſt thou build thy peace upon that? This wil hold. Many build their peace upon this; that their ſins are not ſo, and ſo great as others are, What of that; if it be but one ſin that thou art guilty of, though it be of the leaſt nature, yet if it be imputed to thee; it is enough to make thy Soul and God eternally enemies. Others there are whoſe ſins were committed a great while ago, and they have worne out the trouble of them, & now they are quiet and at peace; But O! let them know there is ſtil the debt, remaining upon the ſcore, it is not taken of. And as a man that may ſtay a long while before he cals for his debt, may cal for it when he pleaſeth, and firſt, or laſt wil do it; So, thou haſt gotten thy ſelfe into a kind of peace and worne out the trouble of thy conſcience; yet know, that ſo long as thy ſins are upon the ſcore, and are not wiped off; God wil cal for payment ſooner, or latter; therefore pleace not thy ſelf in any things in the world as the ground of thy peace, but thy being reconciled unto God in Chriſt he not imputing thy ſins unto thee.