But what St. Matthew Ryles Debts and Trefpaffes, St. Luke here calls apagrías, Sins; which amount to the fame thing, being all fo many Violations of the Laws of God, and the Duty we owe to Men: for every Sin makes us a Debtor to Divine and Human Juftice, and every Trefpafs expofes us to the Cenfure and Punishment of both. This for the Sins. But,

Secondly, What is meant by Forgiving our Sins? This being at large explain'd in the Tenth Article of the Creed, I fhall not here repeat, but refer the Reader to it.

In fhort, as the forgiving of a Debt is blotting out the Score, and cancelling the Bond that oblig'd to Payment: And as the forgiving a Trefpafs, is the paffing by the Wrong, without demanding farther Amends or Satisfaction; fo the forgiving of Sins is the freeing a Perfon from the Guilt of them, and releafing the Obligation to Punishment due to them. For all Sin being an Affront to the Authority of our Maker, and a Breach of his Righteous Laws, justly incurs the Divine Vengeance, and binds the Sinner over to the Sentence of Eternal Death, this being the proper Wages and Demerit of it. Now the abfolving of any from this Guilt, and taking off this Penalty, is the forgiving of it. And as a Malefactor lying under the Sentence of Death, is faid to be pardon'd, when the Execution is not only refpited, but the Sentence of Death revok'd: even fo the Sinner is faid to be forgiven, when he is releas'd from the juft Punishment threatned and denounc'd against him; which is too plain to need any farther Explication. But,

Thirdly, What is imply'd in asking Forgiveness of Sin? 1. Here is imply'd a deep and ferious Senfe of our Sins, together with the Guilt and Heinousness of them; for he who asks Pardon, owns a Fault, and is fenfible of his need of it: This is a fit Qualification of a Supplicant, and dif pofes him to receive Mercy, which is ever moft readily beftow'd on thofe that are moft fenfible of the want of it; whereas they that feel not the lack of it, will never feek or find it. And therefore we are here taught to addrefs unto God, with an humble fenfe of our manifold Infirmities and Mifcarriages; not like the proud Pharifee, boafting of his own Righteoufnefs, and thanking God that we are better than other Men; but with the poor Publican, fmiting on the Breast, and saying, Lord be merciful to me, a Sinner.

This is here fuppos'd, for the begging Forgiveness, is both owning the Guilt, and craving of Mercy.

2. Here is imply'd, not only the inward Senfe, but the outward Confeffion and Acknowledgment of our Sins; this is farther requifite to the obtaining Mercy, for we can neither ask nor hope for Pardon, without confeffing our Faults: He that covereth his Sin (fays the Wife-Man) Jhall not prof per; but whofo confeffeth and forfaketh them, fhall find Mercy. And St. John, to the fame purpose: If we fay we have no Sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us; but if we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive them: 1 John 1. 8, 9. We put a cheat upon ourselves, to look for Pardon without Confeffion; and therefore this must be evermore fuppos'd in our Petition for it.

3. The asking for Pardon, implies the fenfe of our Inability to obtain it of ourfelves; for none will ask that of another, which he can do for himfelf. Indeed, the leaft Sin has too much Guilt for us to expiate or remove, 'tis a Debt we can never fatisfy for ourselves, and an Affront for which we can never make fufficient Amends, and therefore feek it elsewhere: this is imply'd in this Petition for Mercy; and our feeking Forgivenefs, fuppofes us to be loft and undone without it.

4. Here is imply'd our Truft in God, and Faith in the Merits of a Redeemer. To ask Forgivenefs at God's hands, supposes him both able and willing to give it; and because an Atonement was neceffary to that end, and Divine Juftice requir'd Satisfaction, our begging of it fuppofes a Satisfaction made, and our Reliance upon the Merits and Virtue of it. To hope for Mercy without this, were Prefumption and Vanity; and to ask for Pardon without a Satisfaction, would be to ask Impoffibilities, and to set the Mercy of God at variance with his Juftice. Now because without bedding of Blood there is no Remiffion; and the Blood of Bulls and Goats, or any other Creature, was not of Value fufficient for this Expiation: our Belief of a Satisfaction fuppofes the Sacrifice of Chrift, whofe Blood alone cleanfes us from all Sin; and our asking Forgiveness, implies a Faith in his Blood, from whence all our Mercies flow.

Thus we fee the Sense of this Petition, and what is imply'd in it. But how are we to ask this Forgiveness? Why, 1. This must be done with Self-abasement, and a deep Sense of our own Unworthiness; not claiming it upon any VOL. II. Defert

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Defert of ours, but wholly cafting ourselves upon the Merits and Satisfaction of our Surety; thankfully owning the Wisdom of God in contriving, and his Goodness in accepting this Method of Reconciliation.

2. We must ask it heartily, and with the fame earnestnefs that a condemn'd Malefactor feeks and fues for a Pardon': And feeking the good Things of this Life, we are to moderate our Defires, and refer all to the divine Will; but in asking for Mercy and Pardon, we cannot be too importunate. Here we are allow'd to wrestle with God, and to take no denial, being utterly loft and undone for ever

without it.

3. We must ask Forgiveness with penitent Hearts, and Refolutions to return no more to Folly; for 'tis the confeffing and forfaking of Sin, that hath the Promise of finding Mercy. Without this we do but mock God, and ask leave farther to provoke him: To fin and confefs, and to confefs and fin again, is to act in a Circle, that will involve us in endlefs Mifery; and he justly forfeits all Title to a Pardon, that returns again to the fame Enormities: and therefore all Petitions for Pardon must be ever attended with Contrition and Amendment.

Laftly, To obtain the Forgiveness of our Sins, we must ask it with Hearts ready and willing to forgive others: And this will lead me, in the next place, to

Confider the Motive and Condition annext to this Petition; in which we pray to God to forgive us our Trefpasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

By Trefpaffes here we fee are meant in general, all the Violations of Divine and Human Laws. Those which more immediately crofs the Duty we owe to our Maker, are fyl'd Trefpaffes against God; thofe which are more directly level'd against our Neighbour, are faid to be Trefpaffes against us: infomuch, that when we neglect the Worship, or profane the Name of God, we commit a Trefpafs against him; when any Hurt is done to our Perfon, Goods or Name, they are faid to trefpafs against us. Now thefe latter Offences committed against us, must be remitted by us, if we expect Remiffion of the former, which we have committed against God; for our Saviour here teaches to pray God to forgive us our Trefpaffes, as we forgive others. This is frequently inculcated upon us elfewhere; Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven, Luke 6. 37. And if ye forgive

not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive yours, Mat. 6. 15.

But muft we put up all Wrongs done to us without feeking Satisfaction, upon pain of forfeiting all Favour and Forgiveness at God's hands?

No: there are fome flight Trefpaffes that do us little or no harm, these Chriftian Charity, which fuffereth long, wills us to pass by without feeking Revenge or Reparation; but where the Damage or Danger is greater, where Men by having a few leffer Wrongs remitted, are embolden'd to commit more and greater, there a legal Satisfaction may well enough be fought, to repair paft and prevent future Injuries: And yet here too, where the Trefpaffes are involuntary, where the Wrong done is repented of and amended; and where no greater Satisfaction can be had, there we are requir'd frankly to forgive them.

This is our Cafe in refpect to our Offences against God, to whom we have run on fcore beyond all poffible Satisfaction; and if we expect that God fhould forgive us our Debts, we must forgive them that are indebted to us, without which we can pretend no title to Favour; for 'tis upon thefe Terms only that we are here taught to ask it, defiring God to forgive us as we forgive others. We read in the Gofpel, that he who took his Fellow Servant by the Throat for forty Pence, when his Mafter had juft before forgiven him a thousand Talents, was caft into Prifon, and doom'd to ftay there till he should pay the utmost Farthing; even fo (fays our Saviour) will your Heavenly Father do with you, if ye forgive not one another their Trespasses.

In fhort then, we fee the Condition of our Pardon, together with the manner of asking it: which must be with Hearts full of Charity, and Readiness to forgive others: for God expects that we fhould be fo difpos'd towards our Brethren, as we defire him to be towards us; which is no more than what the Golden Rule of Equity, of doing as we would be done by, requires from us. And therefore we are bid to be reconcil'd to our Brother, before we offer our Gift for a Reconciliation with God; emptying our Hearts of all Malice, Grudges and Prejudices against any, that we may lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting: 'Tis this way we beg it, and if we do not or will not forgive others, we put a Bar to our own Requests, and fhut ourselves out of all Plea for Pardon.

To conclude all, Let us frequently and fervently put up this Petition for Mercy and Pardon, confidering not only the Excellence of this Benefit, but the abfolute Neceffity we ftand in of it for as bleffed and thrice happy are they whofe Iniquities are forgiven, and whofe Sin is cover'd; fo miferable and undone for ever are all they, whofe Tranfgreffions remain on the Score, and are left to be reckon'd for at the laft Day.

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DISCOURSE X.

LUKE XI. 4.

And lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil.

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AVING in the preceding Petition pray'd for the Pardon of all our paft Sins, we are directed in this lait to pray for Grace to prevent all future Tranfgreffions: And because there are many Baits and Snares laid for us by the Devil, the World and the Flesh, the three grand Enemies of our Soul, we are taught to fay, Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil. Twill be in vain to hope for Pardon without Amendment; and because there are many things that may obftruct both, we are to watch and pray, that we be not inveigled or betray'd by them.

And here from our Saviour's prefcribing two Petitions for our Soul, and but one for our Body, we may obferve that our Care for the one fhould be double to our Concern for the other; and for good reafon too, the Soul being that noble and immortal part of us that will live for ever, and the Body only a frail perifhing Subftance which will fhortly moulder into Duft.

Now this Petition for the Safety and Welfare of our Souls, confifts of two parts;

The one more general, to be preferv'd from all Tempta

tations.

The other more particular, to be deliver'd from the Evil One, and all the Miferies that proceed from his Temptations.

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