The truly blessed man

A. This phrase is […] used to express the Forgiveness of Sin, and is accordingly to be interpreted. Now the reason why things are Covered, is that they may be hidden out of sight; that they may not always be in our eye and view to be looked on; and the end of our Covering a thing is either with respect to our selves or others. In regard to others, we Cover it, that they may not see or know it, thus, 1 Pet. 4.8. Charity shall cover the multitude of sins; i. e. it keeps them to it self, and doth not divulge them. Covering is opposed to discovering; thus when men bring pretences to put off things, they are said to cover them: excuses are called Covers. With respect to our selves we are said to cover a thing, when we put it out of our sight, in order to the putting it out of our remembrance: and we are wont to do so by things, the sight and memory whereof would be a grief or a vexation to us; and thus are we here to understand it. God covers his peoples sins from his own sight, that so he may not remember them, nor be angry at his Children by reason of them, so as to take vengeance on them upon the account thereof, the Scripture represents Sin as a thing ⟨p. 67⟩odious to God, a thing that he cannot endure to look upon, Hab. 1.13. a thing that horribly provokes him against the Sinner; and therefore called the abominable thing that he hates, Jer. 44.4. Hence, when he is resolved to punish men for it, he is said, to set it in his sight, Psal. 90.8 to make strict search after it, Zech. 1.12. To call it to remembrance, Ezek. 21.23. When therefore he comes to pardon it, it sets it forth by contrary expressions, the putting it away, 2 Sam. 12.13. Hiding his face from beholding it, Psal. 51.9 not seeing it,