The Institution of Christian Religion

They go about to wind out themselves: but (as the proverb is) the water still cleaveth upon them. The forge a distinction of fault & penalty. They confess that the fault is forgiven by the mercy of God, but that when the fault is forgiven, the penalty remaineth which the righteousness of God requireth to be payed: & that satisfactions do properly belong to the release of the penalty. Good God, what a skipping lightness is this? now they confess that the forgiveness of the fault lieth freely open for men, which sometime they teach men to deserve with prayers & weepings, and all other kinds of preparations. But yet still all that is •aught us in the scripture concerning the forgiveness of sins, doth directly fight against this distinction. Which although I think that I have already more than sufficiently confirmed, yet I will add some other testimonies wherewith these winding snakes ⟨p. 148⟩may be holden so fast, that they shall not be able ones to fold in the top of their tail.¹ This is the new Testament which the lord hath covenanted with us in his Christ, that he will not remember our iniquities. What he meant by these words, we learn by an other Prophet where the lord saith:² If the righteous turn away from his righteousness, I will not remember all his righteousnesses. If the wicked depart from his wickedness, I will not remember all his iniquities. Whereas he saith that he will not remember their righteousness, this is as much to say, that he will have no regard of them in respect to reward them. Therefore not to remember sins, is as much as not to call them to punishment. The same thing is called in an other place,³ to cast it behind his back, to wipe it away like a cloud, to drown it in the bottom of the sea, not to impute it & to hide it. By such manners of speech the holy ghost doth plainly express his meaning unto us, if we would apply unto him willing ears to learn.⁴ Truly if God do punish sins, he imputeth them: if he taketh vengeance, he remembereth them: if he call them to judgement, he doth not hide them: if he examine them, he doth not cast them behind his back: if he look upon them, he hath not wiped them away like a cloud: if he sift them, he hath not cast them into the bottom of the sea.