after earthly things, and to rest satisfied in God's providence and present blessings. Q. May we not then carefully provide for the time to come, and the support of our dependents? A. We may, and ought: but our care must be only prudent and provident; not perplexing and desponding. Q. Why is that expression," this day," added? A. To shew us that every day we stand in need of supplies from God; and, therefore, should daily pray to receive them. Q. Since we pray for daily bread, why is it called "our bread ?” A. To note, that we ought to use lawful means to acquire what we pray for. Q. What pray you for in this petition? A. 1. That God would give us the good things of this life, as the acquisitions of our lawful endeavours. 2. That he would bless the increase of what is lawfully ours. 3. That he would bestow upon us a spiritual right, in whatsoever we enjoy, through Jesus, the Heir of all Things. 4. We pray, that we may not desire nor covet what is another's. 5. We pray for life itself, that it may be prolonged, whilst God hath any service for us to do in this world. 6. For all the means, that may lawfully preserve our life and health. 7. That he would strengthen our faith and dependence on his Providence, who is the giver of all good. 8. That he would give us contentment in that portion of earthly blessings which he allots us. Q. What is the FIFTH PETITION of the Lord's Prayer ? A. The Order and the Matter of it. Q. What observe you from the Order of it? A. That, after we have prayed for our daily bread, we are taught to pray for pardon of sin. Which method is most rational: 1. Because the guilt of sin, many times, withholds from us those temporal comforts, which we stand in need of: Isaiah lix. 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear, 2. Because, without pardon of sin, our temporal enjoyments are but snares and curses. Q. What observe you in the Matter of this petition? A. Two things: the petition itself; "Forgive us our debts:" and the condition, or proportion, or plea, and argument for obtaining this forgiveness; "As we forgive our debtors."? Q. What mean you here by Debts? A. The same, which St. Luke, xi. 4. calls Sins. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one, that is indebted to us. Q. Horo stand we indebted to God? A. We stand indebted to God, both as we are his Creatures, and as we are Offenders: on the former account, we owe God the Debt of Obedience; on the latter, the Debt of suffering Punishment. Q. Which debt do we pray God to forgive? A. The latter only for the former is irremissibly due to our great Creator. Q. How come we to be thus indebted unto God? 4. By the sentence of the Law, which condemneth every transgressor of it, to undergo the penalty it threatens; which penalty is all manner of woes and curses, and everlasting death: Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one, that continueth not in all things, zohich are written in the Book of the Law, to do them : Rom. vi, 23. For the wages of sin is death: Ezek, xviii. 4. The soul, that sinneth, it shall die. Q. Since the suffering of these is the debt we owe to divine Jus tice, why say you that sin is that debt? 4. Because sin alone is the meritorious cause of these; and we owe the suffering of them, only as we are sinners, Q. Are there no sins venial in their own nature, so as not to deserve eternal damnation? A. No; not the least: for the wages of every sin is death. All therefore are mortal in their own nature; and all are venial, through the mercy of God in the merits of Christ, excepting only the sin against the Holy Ghost. Q. Can we no way pay off these debts, so as to satisfy the justice of God? A. No for neither can we do it by obedience, nor yet by sufferings. Not by the duties of obedience: for these are a debt we owe to God's holiness and sovereignty; and therefore cannot pay the debts we owe to his justice, and we cannot pay debts by debts. Not by suffering : for sin, being an infinite evil, must be punished with an infinite punishment; but we cannot suffer a punishment infinite in degrees, therefore it must be infinite in duration: so that the damned in hell shall never be able to say, it is finished. Q. How then may we hope to be acquitted of our numberless debts? A. Only through the free mercy and grace of God, pardoning them in Jesus Christ, and therefore, we pray, Forgive us our debts. Q. What is pardon, or forgiveness of sin? A. It is the removal of the guilt of sin. A. The guilt of sin is either the intrinsical desert of punishment; or, else, an obnoxiousness and liableness to it, through God's designation of the sinner to undergo it. Q. Doth pardon of sin remove both these guilts? A. No, it removes not the former; for still the sins of those, who are pardoned, do, in themselves, deserve eternal death. But it removes the latter: viz. it takes away our appointment unto death: 2 Sam. xii. 13. and David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin: thou shalt not die. Q. How is it consistent with the justice of God, to pardon offenders without punishment? A. Though believers are not personally appointed to punishment, yet mystically they are: which punishment they have already suffered in Christ, their Surety; with whom they are made one by faith. Q. To whom is this prayer for pardon of sin directed? A. To God only; whose royal prerogative it is, to forgive sins: Isa. xliii. 25. I, even I, am he, that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins: Mark ii. 7. Who can forgive sins, but God only? Q. Have not the ministers of the gospel power to forgive sins : according to that of St. John xx. 23. "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted?" A. They have a ministerial and declarative power, as officers; not an authoritative and judicial power, as sovereigns. As the prince only pardons, the herald proclaims it: so God alone, by the prerogative of his grace, grants pardon; the Minister, by his office, publisheth it to all that repent and believe. Q. What then must we judge of that absolute and plenary power, which the Pope assumes of pardoning sins? 4. That it proves him to be Antichrist, in exalting himself above God: 2 Thess. ii. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he,as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God: for whosoever can forgive wrongs done against another must be superior to him; and have authority to cause the person offended to surcease the prosecution, and sit down by the wrongone him. Q. If God only can forgive sins, how then are we bound to forgive those who trespass against us? A. We ought to forgive them, so far forth as they have wronged us: but we cannot forgive the wrong they have done to God in wronging us; but must leave them to his mercy, and their repentance. Q. Since it is God's prerogative and glory to pardon sins, what inferences may we collect from hence? A. 1. That our pardon is free and gratuitous; without respecting former deserts, or expecting future recompence. 2. That our pardon is full and complete: because it is an act of God within himself; whereas, what he works in us is, in this life, imperfect: nothing of guilt is left upon the soul, when God pardons it; though still there is something of filth left in it, when he sanctifies it. God does not pardon by halves, nor leave any guilt to be expiated by purgatory. 3. That, upon our faith and repentance, our sins, whether greater or less, fewer or more, shall be forgiven; for this makes no difference in infinite grace and mercy. Q. But may not this encourage men to continue in sin? A. Many do so abuse it; but their damnation is sure and just: Deut. xxix. 19, 20. And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: the Lord will not spare him. Q. You have formerly observed, that it is God alone who can forgive sins, and from thence inferred both the freeness and fulness of pardoning grace: what observe you farther? A. 1. That, though God's pardoning grace be altogether freely bestowed, in respect of us, Isaiah xliii. 25. I, even I, am he, that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins: yet, in respect of Christ's purchase, it is not free, but cost him the price of his blood: Heb. ix. 22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Mat. xxvi. 29. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you Father's kingdom. in my 2. That the obtaining of pardon is not free from the performance of conditions on our part. Q. What are the conditions upon which pardon is granted? A. They are two; faith and repentance: Acts x. 43. That, through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins: Acts iii. 19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Q. Is, therefore, a mere sorrow that we have sinned, a sufficient qualification for obtaining pardon? A. No: for so Judas is said to repent: Matt. xxvii. 3. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. But, as true repentance includes in it a sorrow of heart; so reformation of life and manners is always joined with a lively faith. Q. Is pardon of sin an act only of God's mercy? A. It is likewise an act of God's justice to pardon the sins of those, who perform the conditions of the covenant of grace. Q. How prove you this? A. Both by express Scripture: 1 Epistle of John i. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And, likewise, by Scripture-Reason: because believers, being made mystically one with Christ, therefore, their sins, being already punished in him their Surety, and their debts paid by him, cannot be again justly punished in their own persons, nor demanded from them. Q. Is pardon of sin our entire Justification? A. No: but it is one principal part of it. For Justification consists both in remission of sins, and acceptation of our persons: the former depends upon Christ's passive, the other upon his active obedience: his satisfaction, applied by faith, makes us accounted guiltless of death, and his obedience worthy of life; both which complete our justification: Eph. i. 6, 7. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Q We have thus considered the petition, "Forgive us our debts:" what remains further considerable? |