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,…

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, Psal. 85.2.

To understand this aright, take notice,¹ That to cover is a metaphorical expression, and we must not squeeze it too much, lest bloud come out in stead of milk: Some make the metaphor from filthy, loathsome objects, which are covered from our eyes, as dead carcases are buried under the ground; some from garments that are put upon us to cover our nakednesse, some from the Aegyptians 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 signifie Gods grace, through and in Christ, abolishing our sinnes. Hence the Apostle attributes 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, and 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, to Christ and his bloud which is given to the Mercy-seat; We may not strive for any of these Metaphors, they all in the generall tend to shew 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 blessednesse to have sinne covered, so it is made a woe and misery, Nehem 4.5. not to have sinne covered, as Nehemiah praieth against Sanballat and Tobiah, This expression is also used,