The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians,…The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians,…

This truth deserveth a diligent unfolding, because the mistake about it hath brought forth dangerous errors in two extremities, The one of the Papist, That because it is covered, Therefore there is no sin at all in the godly, otherwise God ⟨p. 215⟩could not but see it, and hate it, as Pererius and others argue. The other of the Antinomian, who infer from thence, That therefore God seeth not sin, or taketh notice of it in justified persons, as Eaton.

This truth deserveth a diligent unfolding, because the mistake about it hath brought forth dangerous errours in two extremities, The one of the Papist, That because it is covered, Therefore there is no sinne at all in the godly, otherwise God ⟨p. 215⟩could not but see it, and hate it, as Pererius and others argue. The other of the Antinomian, who inferre from thence, That therefore God seeth not sinne, or taketh notice of it in justified persons, as Eaton.

To understand this aright, take notice,¹ That to cover is a metaphorical expression, and we must not squeeze it too much, lest blood come out in stead of milk: Some make the metaphor from filthy, loathsome objects, which are covered from our eyes, as dead carcasses are buried under the ground; some from garments that are put upon us to cover our nakedness, some from the Egyptians that were drowned in the Red Sea, and so covered with water; some from a great gulf in the earth, that is filled up and covered with earth injected into it. Lastly, some make it an allusive expression to the Mercy-seat, over which was a covering, which might signify Gods grace, through and in Christ, abolishing our sins. Hence the Apostle attributes [Greek or Hebrew], and [Greek or Hebrew], to Christ and his blood▪ which is given to the Mercy-seat; We may not strive for any of these Metaphors, they all in the general tend to show this, That God when be pardoneth, doth not look upon us as sinners, but deals with us, as if we had never sinned at all: as it is here made blessedness to have sin covered, so it is made a woe and misery, Nehem 4.5. not to have sin covered, as Nehemiah prayeth against Sanballat and Tobiah, This expression is also used,