which believers feel in themselves, that it is their firm resolution from the heart to forgive their neighbour." Men are by nature prone to revenge, "hateful and hating one another," Titus iii. S. But the Lord changes the hearts of his elect, according to his law, "which he writes in their hearts," Jer. xxxi. 33, and thus they become inclined to love their neighbour as themselves, and to forgive him his injurious deeds. God enables them to see and feel this in themselves by his Spirit, who causes them to "know the things that are freely given them of God," as Paul speaks, 1 Cor. ii. 12, which is also an evidence of God's grace to them; for "we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren," 1 John iii. 14. And so this evidence serves, (1) for a declaration, that they have a proper disposition for prayer, and particularly for praying that their debts may be forgiven, to which God hath respect, and upon which he promiseth forgiveness. The Lord Christ saith also, Mark xi. 25. "When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your tresspasses." (2) “The children of God show also in some measure by the words, after what manner they desire that God would forgive their debts, to wit, that he would forgive them all, heartily, and for ever, even as they forgive their debtors. So David said to Saul, to whom he had rendered good for evil, 1 Sam. xxvi. 24. "As thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation." (3) This appendix serves also for a token and evidence to them, that God will hear them, and forgive their debts. So Jesus himself explains it, when he saith, vs. 14. "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (4) It serves finally as an argument, to urge the Father strongly, that he would forgive us our debts; it is as though we said, are we, who are evil, through thy grace so well inclined to our neighbour, that we forgive him his faults, and wilt not thou then, who art goodness itself, much more forgive us our debts? Therefore Luke explains the word “as" by "for," when he writes, "Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us," Luke xi. 4.

We might from this petition refute the patrons of the perfection of the saints; but I will not busy myself with them, but with you, my worthy hearers, that I may improve this petition to your advantage. Ye see how the children of God pray for the forgiveness of their debts; do ye pray so also? Surely ye do not, (a) who take still so great a delight in the practice of sinning: sin is, as it were, your life, your element; ye live in it, as a fish in the water: "ye have pleasure in unrighteousness," 2 Thess. ii. 12. "Ye rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked," Prov. ii. 14. Ye delight in nothing but sin; and therefore ye regard not what your conscience saith, what the word of God, what his judgments and blessings say to you, but will as soon part with your lives as with your sins for not to sin is like death to you: "Wickedness is sweet in your mouths, ye hide it under your tongues; ye spare it and forsake it not; but keep it still within your mouths," Job xx. 12, 13. What think ye, can a person who cleaves so with his lusts to sins, pray that God would forgive him his sins? and when he even repeats this petition, after his manner, doth he then mean what he saith! surely no. (b) Neither do ye pray that your debts may be forgiven, who are so little concerned about your sins. Ye know not how abominable they are, nor that they render you guilty before God, that his wrath lieth upon you, that he will surely set them in order before your eyes, and punish you on account of them. Ye know indeed that ye are great sinners, but this is only from hearsay, ye see no sins in yourselves, and would not be able to reckon up even six sins. Do others point them out to you, ye excuse them, and plead for them. David saith of you, and others of your character, Psalm xxxvi. 2. "He flattereth himself in his own eyes, when his iniquity is found, which is hateful." How then can ye pray to be forgiven? (c) Neither can ye, who have some knowledge of your sins, but think that ye have obtained forgiveness of them, or will obtain it without much, difficulty. Ye doubt not but that God hath forgiven your sins already. And why do ye think so? Because Christ hath satisfied for sins? hath he then satisfied for all men, and for you in particular? what proof have ye of this? do ye think so, because ye live among Christians, and have received the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper? what do ye think then of Judas,

and of Simon the sorcerer, and of "those who will say at the last day, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence," according to Luke xiii. 26? or do ye imagine that your sins are forgiven, because they were committed a long time since, and are forgotten, and God doth not punish you for them? Thus the people also thought, when they said, Jer. ii. 35. " Surely I am innocent, for his anger is turned from me, Behold," said the Lord, "I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned." Hear what the Lord saith, Psalm 1. 21, 22. "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." Or is it your opinion, that ye will obtain forgiveness by merely uttering this petition, or by a superficial sorrow, or by a civil amendment! Alas, how shamefully do ye deceive yourselves, and show that ye have never yet called upon God aright to forgive your sins! (d) Much less have ye prayed for the forgive. ness of your sins, who retain so much displeasure, and revenge against your neighbour, on account of the smallest injury which he hath done you, that if ye might but have your will, and if it were in your power, ye would even slay a man for your wounding, and a young man for your hurt,"* like that wicked Lamech, Gen. iv. 23. No, say ye, I forgive indeed, but I do not forget. When ye

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then say, 66 Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” do ye not pray that God would take vengeance of you or your evil deeds, and that he would not forgive them, at least, that he would not forget them?

ness.

Is this so, then all your debts, which render you guilty, lie still upon you, and the wrath of God lieth on you; for your debts are not yet forgiven, since ye have not done aught yet to obtain forgiveAnd how shall ye then obtain forgiveness? Ye cannot as long as ye indulge your careless imaginations. Hear what the Lord himself saith, Deut. xxix. 19, 29. "If he hear the words of this curse, and bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, the Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." Ye will be forced to pay all your debts yourselves by bearing the wrath of the Lord for ever; and ye "shall be delivered for this end to the tormentors,"

According to the Dutch translation.

Mat. xviii. 34. How grievous and dreadful will this be to you! Although ye do not now feel the wrath of God, under which ye lie, but harden yourselves against it, "God will render to every man according to his deeds: to them that are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath shall be rendered: tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil," Rom.. 8, 9. "Deceive not yourselves with vain imaginations, as though your end will not be so sad surely God will wound the head of his enemies; and the hairy scalp of such an one, as goeth on still in his trespasses," Psalm lxviii. 21. "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter iv. 18.

Are ye desirous of escaping eternal destruction, and the wrath to come, (a) Endeavour then to know your sins, and to see how abominable your heart and actions have been from your birth even until this day, and that ye are "in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity," Acts viii. 23. The Lord requires this, in order to your recovery: He saith, "only acknowledge thine iniquity." (b) Nevertheless behold your sins, as they are in their proper nature, as violating the majesty of God, provoking the eyes of his glory, rejecting his favour, and rendering you exceedingly guilty: yea, apply your eyes and ears to the door of hell, and see and hear how the damned weep with their eyes, and gnash with their teeth, how they wring their hands, and bewail themselves for ever, that your hardened hearts may at length become contrite. (c) Lay aside your imagination, that it is so easy to obtain the forgiveness of your sins; for this imagination retains you in your careless humor. What griev ous sufferings did sin procure Christ! How was Job forced to complain of it! Job xiii. 24-26. How was David bowed down under it! Psalm xxxviii. How did Heman lament on account of it! Psalm lxxxviii. and how "bitterly did Peter weep" for his sin! Matt. xxvi. 75, and shall ye obtain forgiveness by a faint sigh, by ineffectual words, and by only behaving yourselves somewhat more decently? (d) "Confess your sins" circumstantially to the Lord, "and forsake them;" for then, as Solomon saith, "shall ye obtain mercy," Prov. xxviii. 15. Think not that ye will obtain forgiveness, as long as ye retain one sin willingly and wittingly: "Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, VOL. II.

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they shall be as wool," Isaiah i. 16-18. (e) Flee with your sing to the Mediator, that ye may seek and find forgiveness of your debts in his satisfaction: for "God hath set him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins," Rom. iii 25.

But, believers, ye who have already obtained forgiveness of your sins by your first entrance into the covenant of grace, and by em bracing the Son of God, it behooves you nevertheless to pray daily for forgiveness. How often do ye now yet transgress against your Father! It is not enough always to recover from your sins, and to forsake them, and in the mean while to suffer your debts to remain uncancelled, and not to seek continually a new reconciliation: your High Priest hath put this prayer in your mouths, that ye may seek pardon of your Father every day. Endeavour therefore to obtain grace and pardon day by day. And for this end,

1. Lay your daily offences to heart, that ye may be grieved for them, and may, with believing David, "be sorry for your sins," Psalm xxxviii. 18 The children of God can never be in a more wretched state, than when they are not sensible of their sins. The church, seeing this, complained, Isaiah Ixiii. 17, "O Lord, why hast thou hardened our heart from thy fear? Your sins are more aggravated now than before your conversion; for they are commité ted against your loving Father, against so many and such great fa vours, against greater light and conviction, and against your solemn obligations. All this ought surely to affect your souls, and to grieve you; we will never seek forgiveness in earnest, until our souls are heavy laden with our sins; therefore reflect often upon your sinful behaviour, that ye may be grieved, and ashamed, and may seek for giveness heartily.

2. Confess also your sins to the Lord in their aggravating circumstances, with detestation of them, that ye may humble and abase yourselves before your Father, like Job, chap. xlii. 5, 6, and Ezra, ix. 3-15. We are sometimes backward to this, we dare not behold our sins attentively, it would oppress and confound us too much, and we cannot endure this. But the soul must know, that while she conducts thus, she will not obtain forgiveness, God will continue to hide his countenance from her, and her grief will become still heavier: "When I kept silence," saith David, Psalm xxxit. 3-5, "my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee,