Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-01-19
How God FOrgives Sin.

It seems as though the Lord had ex-
hausted the resources OF language and the
stores of natural imagery in the effort to set
forth the fullness and completeness of his
forgiveness of the penitent. We call atten-
tion to some of the most striking illustra-
tions which the Spirit has used to set forth
the fullness of the divine pardon. What,
then, does God do with the sins of the
Christian
l. "Thou ,oM cast all their sins into the
depths of the sea" (Micah vii 19). The
stone cast into the deep ocean is quite safe
from the danger of discovery. "Tell the
people," said thoughtful child, when he
had listened to sermon on these words
from his father, "tell them to remember
that sin is heavy, and it will sink itself.
They might think it is light, and would
float" Indeed, it will sink of its own
weight. And God puts it not into the shall
low brook, where it may be laid bare, or
into the treacherous river, which may un-
cover its bed in the time of drought, but he
casts it into the depths of the sea, where no
search can find it.
2. For thou hast cast all my sins behind
thy back" Osaiah xxxviii 17). David, in
his penitence, cried out, Thou hast set my
iniquities before thee, my secret sins in the
light of thy countenance." We see, at once,
what a change forgiveness effects. Our sins
are behind God now, instead of before him.
He is between us and our sins, instead of
our sins being between us and him. He
thus hides us from our transgressions, in
stead of transgressions hiding us from him.
8. so far as the east is from The tcest so
far hast thou removed our trdnsgressions from
US" Psalms oiii j: 12). Wonderful promise
this For who can tell how far the east is
| from the west The sailor that navigates
the globe says that he never finds the west,
that it is always before him but never
found. He sails TO one point which lies
west, and when he is there he hears them
| telling of the west still as farther on. So
/ Gods forgiveness puts our sins into far-ofi
land which we can never find, as well as into
deep which we can never fathom.
4. al have blotted out as a cloud Thy trans
gressions, and as a thick cloud thy sins" (lsaiah
| liv:22). When God accuses his people, he
says, But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins
have hid his face from YOU" Here the cloud
is between the Lord and his children, hiding
his face and bringing darkness upon them
clouding their hearts and glooming theii
minds. But in forgiveness the sky is swept
Of clouds, the sun shines once more undim
med Gods hand sweeping through the
heavens has cleared it and in 80 doing has
cleared the soul of its gloom.
5. "7heir sins and their iniquities ,oM I re-
member no more" (Hebrews viii:l2). For
getfulness is the greatest boon to a sinner
The ancients dreamed of Lethe, the river OF
forgetfulness, into which the soul should
plunge at death. There is but one such
stream,-the fountain that cleanses us blots
our sins from memory. God can forget
blessed assurance to the sin-ridden, con
science-stuug soul "The truly penitent,'
says Newman, "never forgives himself
God forgives, we say, and God forgets, and
sins in the sweet oblivion of his grace
| Watchword.