60. God's Glory In Hiding Sin.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. - Proverbs 25:2.

WE will first give the usual interpretation. It is God's glory to conceal many things and the honor of kings to search them out.

But this must be taken in a limited sense. It is not absolutely for God's glory to conceal, or why a revelation at all? Many things it would not be to his glory to conceal. Most mysteries are not so much concealed by any act of God, as hidden from their very nature and from our want of capacity to understand them. The Divine nature, the filiation of the Son of God, the complex person of Jesus, the proc?sion of the Holy Ghost, the eternal decrees, and so forth, are not so much to be understood as believed.

But it is true that what is concealed it is for God's glory to conceal.

His eternal purpose as to individuals, who as yet abide in sin.

The future, and especially the day of the second coming.

The connecting link in doctrine between predestination and free agency, and a thousand other matters. These are concealed, and there is wisdom in the concealment; therefore, we need not wish to know.

But to me this seems not to be the meaning.

The antithesis is not complete. It is rather for wise men than kings to search out the secrets of nature and grace. Moreover, the following verse would not allow the antithetical sense.

We will therefore go upon another tack, and first ask, What things ought kings to search out? Here is the pith of the matter.

When justice is baffled, hoodwinked by bribes, or misled by prejudice, or puzzled by falsehood, it is to a king's damage, and dishonor, and he is bound to search the matter to the bottom. A magistrate's honor lies in the discovery of crime, but the glory of God lies in his graciously and justly hiding guilt from view.

With God no search is needful, for he sees all; his glory is to cover that which is plain enough to his eye, to cover it justly and effectually.

I. THAT IT IS GOD'S GLORY TO COVER SIN.

1. The guilt, aggravations, motives, and deceits of a life, the Lord is able to remove for ever by the atoning blood.

2. Sin which is known and confessed, he yet can cover so that it shall not be mentioned against us any more for ever.

3. He can do this justly through the work of Jesus.

4. He can do this without compensation from the offender himself, because of what the Substitute has done.

5. He can do this without any ill effect on others; no man will think that God connives at sin, seeing he has laid its punishment on Jesus.

6. He can do this without injury to the man himself. He will hate sin none the less because he escapes punishment; but all the more because of the love of the atoning Lamb.

7. He can do this effectually and for ever. Sin once put out of sight by the Lord shall never be seen again. Glorious Gospel, this, for guilty ones.

II. THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT TO SEEKING SOULS.

l. Not to attempt to cover their own sin, since it is God's work to hide their iniquities, and they may leave it with him.

2. To give God glory by believing in his power to conceal sin, eves their own crimson sin.

3. To believe that he is willing to do it at this moment for them.

4. To believe at once, so as to have sin covered once for all.

III. THIS SHOULD BE A MIGHTY STIMULUS TO SAINTS.

1. To glorify God in covering their sin. Let them talk of pardon with exultation, and tell how the Lord casts sin behind his back, casts it into the depths of the sea, blots it out, and puts it where if it be sought for it cannot be found. Jesus "made an end of sin."

2. To aim at the covering of the sins of others by leading them to Jesus, that their souls may be saved from death.

3. To imitate the Lord in forgetting the sins of those who repent. We are to put away for ever of any wrong done to ourselves, and to treat converts as if they had not disgraced themselves aforetime. When we see a prodigal let us "bring forth the best robe and put it on him," that all his nakedness may be concealed and his rags forgotten.

Come and lay bare your sin that the Lord may conceal it at once.