Homilist Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities… Three ideas involved in figures of Divine forgiveness. I. AN ANTECEDENT LIABILITY TO PUNISHMENT. All the terms imply something wrong, and the wrong is moral. It is crime, and crime must ever expose to punishment. Because of this moral wrong there must be a liability to punishment. II. THE EXERCISE OF A MERCIFUL PREROGATIVE. God is disposed to forgive. Two things connected with this pardoning prerogative which marks it off from its exercise in human governments. 1. In human governments it is exercised with most cautious limitations. 2. In human governments forgiveness is invariably valued by those to whom it is exercised. III. AN ACTUAL DELIVERANCE FROM ALL LIABILITY TO PUNITIVE SUFFERING. The forgiven man is delivered from punishment. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. |
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