thee He that thus begs forgivenesse shall undoubtedly obtaine it at the hand of the Lord And leade us not into temptation THis is of sanctification both begun here and ended in heaven sanctification frees from the power of sin glorification frees from the presence of sinne sanctification kills sinne glorification buries sin First for the order sanctification flowes from justification When sin is pardoned we have the Spirit of Christ which conveys all to us first justified then sanctified Secondly for the sense of the words and here are two things First what God should not doe Leade us not into temptation Secondly what he should doe deliver us from evill What is meant by temptation Quest A tryall Answ or an assault whereby a mans strength is tried now they are double First the deliverance from evill Secondly to prove the soundnesse of grace The first is especially intended and by it are understood all the assaults of the soul by sin Satan or the world whereby our faith may be shaken or we withdrawn from God to evill sometimes there are good temptations of proving or expressing our grace These in some sense may have place in this Petition God tries us in this manner and we pray him that he would trie us no more then we are able to beare What is it to be led into temptation Quest It appeares in three things Answ First when temptations pursue us Secondly when they doe foile us in assaulting of us Thirdly when temptation doth totally vanquish us Now we pray in this Petition that temptations may not pursue us pursuing us that they may not foile us and though we be foiled yet that we may recover our selves We desire that God would not let them besiege us if they doe yet not foile us and if they do yet that we may recover our selves after our foile Can God lead into temptation Quest The Apostle explaines it Answ Jam. 13. God cannot tempt to evill He that is goodnesse it selfe cannot provoke a man to sin The Lord doth not put malice into any mans heart God cannot properly be the cause of drawing a man into sinne there are tryals of proofe The Lord may try his as he did Abraham Gen. 22.1 A man doth not hurt his armour if it be good when as he proves it So God intends no evill to a man when he thus deals with him Some adde this word suffer us not to be led but that is silly since God tempts no man to sinne What needs this Prayer Quest God may doe it Answ sin and all other temptations have a double respect First evils are totally and professedly opposite to the Law of God Secondly sinnes go under the name of punishments sometimes God punisheth one sinne with another now as sin hath reference to the Law of God he is not the cause of it but so far as sin is a punishment God may be the author of it We pray then that God by a sinfull distemper would not plague us In what manner doth God leade us into temptation Quest He doth it three waies Answ First when the Lord withdraws not those nets that are laid for us when God removes not those stumbling-blocks that are cast before us Nay God may put a temptation before us Thus a master may lay a baite for his servant by laying money in a corner to trie his truth Now it is lawfull for a man thus to leave his money to discerne whether his servant be faithfull or no he desires not that he should steale but that he may trie his fidelity so God justly suggests occasions there must be heresies for the triall of Gods servants God sends occasions of provocations for their tryall God raines snares Psal 11.6 They that pitch their nets first let it fall and then set it up This is to raine snares the favour of God is but a baite to a wicked man his posperitie is but his ruine It is not with God to deale so because wicked men desire it so Judas would faine have gotten somwhat by the ointment now it is just with God to send the Pharisees to give him thirty pence and ruine too now his minde is pleased he hath thirty pence and damnation too Secondly as God layes occasions so he lets sin and Satan loose a mans heart would be hankering now God gives him up take him sin and Satan let him have field-roome 1 King 22.22 Ahab would faine go to warre it was a thing not allowed but he desired it therefore God sends the Devill God askes who will prevaile over Ahab the Devill saith I will go Then God saith go and do it Judg. 9.23 Abimelech and the men of Sechen did very ill then God sent an evill spirit that is he he let loose the spirit of contention and they destroyed him and he laboured to destroy them So God Rom. 1. is said to give them up when they departed from the government of the truth No saith God will you not be ruled by holinesse then take them uncleannesse Many a man hath a wrathfull disposition take him envie saith God let him bring blood on others and so ruine to himself Thus God tooke away his Spirit from Saul and gave him up to sinfull distempers of all plagues there is none like this Thirdly GOD leaves a man to himselfe and lends him not the assistance of his grace suffers him and Satan to grapple together 2 Corinthians 32.31 Thus GOD dealt with Hezekiah because he had a lease of his life he began to be proud Therefore God left him to himselfe to trie what was in him He though himselfe a brave man therefore GOD leaves him as a father lets a child go when he will not be held so saith GOD see what thou canst doe trie thy own strength Now this leaving is in two passages First GOD lets in the truth of his Word not so much as may serve for direction but for provocation That of the Romans is observable to this purpose There is no transgression where there is no Law not that the Law brings sinne but provokes a mans heart Rom. 7.5 the phrases are strange in the fifth verse The motions of sinne which were by the Law The Law moves a man to sinne by opposing of it saith the stubborne heart I will doe it because you say so many a man that hath lived civilly and as a good neighbour c. and after the Law stirs him up to more exactnesse he is more violent against good men The Law meeting with a proud heart he opposeth it and would pluck the Law in peeces All the while men joine sides they are loved but if GOD pleaseth to humble them then they flie out There is nothing there that comes in anew saving GODS grace but that malice that was there before is now stirred now there is no fault in a good man that he is good but sinne taking occasion by the command slew me saith the
is fire thus That which burnes is fire but that burnes therefore it is fire now burning is not the cause of fire but an effect of it not a cause for first there must be fire before it can burne so it is a tree because it hath Apples now Apples are not the cause of the Tree but the Tree of the Fruit. What is it to forgive the trespasses of our fellow-brethren and how farre may it be done In the trespasses of a brother three things are considerable First the sinne it selfe Secondly the guilt of that sinne Thirdly the punishment due to that sinne First concerning the sinne In guilt wee must know two things wherein is the Answer First we must know that to forgive properly we cannot it cannot be done by us for who can forgive sinnes but God onely it is one of Gods prerogatives to forgive sinnes and that no creature can doe Secondly as the guilt hath a respect to God so it hath a respect to us for as he is injured so are we when a man steales it is not onely a wrong to the Law of God but also a wrong to me So farre as the sinne doth respect God he pardoneth it and as it concernes me I forgive him And this is done when the heart is as willingly content to doe all the good to a brother as though he had never sinned against him We say we forgive him but not forget him this is not to forgive but between whom and me there is nothing to stop me that is to forgive him onely remember this that a man doth sinne in some kinde so that the Lord doth not require that a man should forgive him As if a man that flatters me to my face and back bites me I am not bound to trust him againe He that beares fire in one hand and water in another if he sinne against me once God forgive him but if he sinne against me the second time and I forgive him God forgive him and me When a man cheates me I will never trust him againe till I see good and yet I forgive him when I am as willing to doe him good as though he had never offended me and withall intreat the Lord to pardon him if he hath a lot in Christ seek for the pardon of those sinnes whereby he hath done us wrong This our Saviour did Father forgive them they know not what they doe So also Stephen Acts 7.12 thus we should doe so farre as it concernes us Whether is a man bound to forgive punishment to another Quest as when one hath stolne any thing from us should we not follow the Law on him how farre must a man goe in this case in taking punishment on such an one offending A man may Answ nay it may be so that a man is bound not to forgive it but to punish it and a man should sinne deeply in the neglect of it If one hath murthered another a man is bound to follow the Law on him and to give him the punishment due to the fact How farre may a man goe in this case Quest It appeares in these particulars First Answ when all things considered in all a man sees it may doe good then a man is bound to give punishment When there is nothing but a Bridewell will doe a servant good give it him When a childe is stubborn give him correction and spare him not it is as good as his meat If a wretch belch out his malice if a man can reforme him by punishment give it him for who knowes but it may be the best physick that ever he had and to let him go unpunished in such a case a man is guilty of his sinne because hee might have reformed him by this meanes Secondly if this be a way and meanes to binde a mans hands and to hinder him from the practice of some sinne As if a persecutor intends to persecute another if a man have a suit of Law against him he is bound to cast him into prison for it keeps him from persecuting the Saints of the LORD and so from sinning deeply It is a work of mercy to take a knife from a mad man so to bind such a mans hands that doth so If God put forth an opportunity into a mans hand he is bound to take the Law and it is mercy to him thus to doe Thirdly when a man cannot otherwise maintaine his owne honour or life or some other particular good for the taking off of his own wrong a man is bound in justice to take punishment on such a one as thus If he shall raise a false report on a man it is not a work of tyranny but a work of mercy he ought to right his own wrong that is done unto him by punishment when it cannot otherwise be maintained we are bound to take this course for why mine own honor life and estate is to be preferred before others Fourthly when this course being just will maintaine the goodnesse of a mans profession and Gods glory this should be done when a mans profession lyes at the stake a man is not bound to be mealiemouthed but to make those black-mouthed wretches known to others that they may not dare to bring a scandall upon the glorious Gospel of Christ nor on the professours thereof Thus a man must doe and yet forgive a man for all this if his good or mine or the profession of the Gospel may be furthered hereby this should be And thus a man may goe to law in these cases and the like Now we come to the force of the Argument How is this an Argument to prevaile with GOD to forgive us Quest because wee forgive others where lyes the force of the Argument what vertue is there in this It lyes in 3. particulars and it is a speciall meanes to obtain mercy Answ Lord I forgive others therefore forgive thou me First all the mercie I have it is not firstly in my selfe it is but a river and spring comming from the Sea but mercie is firstly in thy selfe the fountaine and Sea of mercy is in thee Now Lord if I have but some bowels of mercy and some drops of that Ocean of mercy and yet can forgive others much more then thou the fountaine of mercy canst forgive me When the two servants fell out the one pulled the other by the throat and said Pay mee that thou owest me now when the Master of that servant heard of it he said Oh thou wretch dost thou deale thus with him when I deale so favourably with thee and if a sinner must forgive his fellow brother seventy seven times how much more the Lord the God of mercy if he that hath but some mercie received from the fountaine much more the Lord the fountaine it selfe Secondly as we have not from our selves but from God so also that we have is mixt with a great deale of spleene Though some compassion yet mingled with a great
Son Isaac the Son of the promise and he must be the Sacrifice So for us not to be drunk and to commit outragious sins that all the Crowes cry out of that 's nothing but thy secret lusts thy beloved Isaac's they must be sacrificed and abandoned else thou dost no more then the Devill Thus thou must do the will of God not as thou wilt to sanctifie half a Sabbath but on Gods terms or else it is nothing Fourthly the Angels do the will of God constantly where they were they are Mat. 18. They are daily before the face of God they hold out and persevere to do Gods will This should be our practise though we cannot do it in that manner and so much as they yet endeavour for it Continue to the death saith the Text and what then I will give you the Crowne of life Our reward shall be for ever let our labour be so hold it out with constancie A Saint should be foure-square the same for ever the fruits of righteousnesse are according to the parts of the yeare spring and harvest autumne and winter and the first fruits is fatnesse not to fall back to be good in good company with professors professe and with swearers curse and with drunkards be drunkards and with Divels be Divels the blessed Angels do not thus the Lord commends the good steward Happie shall that servant be that when his Master shall come shall finde so doing When the Lord shall come and finde a Saint persevere to the end he shall be blessed indeed the Angels will out-bid us in the measure of performances of Gods will but yet we should be speedy and readie and faithfull and constant as they our hearts are holy in uprightnesse although not in that measure of exactnesse as theirs are What is the frame of the heart in putting up this Petition Quest It appears in two things Answ First it is willing to do it it self Secondly it is willing and desires to help and stir up others to the utmost of its power to do the will of God First the soul ought to be forward to know the will of God and to labour to do it it self and this appears in foure particulars First the heart is willing to do the will of God in laying down its own will so far as it may be a hinderance from doing Gods will for oftentimes our will and the will of God are contrary there is naturally a sturdy toughnesse that lifts up it self above the LORD this must be removed Not my will saith our Saviour but thy will be done If our will and Gods will cannot stand we must lay down ours but sometimes we say desperatly as they did We will walk in our own waies c. and we will have a King as other Nations we will have our base lusts to sway and rule us But so long as this is in us we cannot do the will of the LORD we cannot serve two masters I came not saith our Saviour to do my own will but my fathers that sent me It is often times with our will and the will of GOD as with two buckets the letting down of one is the lifting up of the other and the lifting up of the other is the letting down of that so when we let down our own wills we lift up Gods but the lifting up of our own wills is the letting down of the good will of the Lord. Now the cause why we stick in service and cannot come off is because we would have our pleasures we would be this and that so that the will of God is justled against the wall and shut out of doores but let this distemper be crush't and then the will of God will take place When we have done this then we must repaire to the Lord to know what his pleasure is take his Warrant before we set upon the work conscionable attendance of Gods will should be the root and spring of all our actions not to go without it but to have our spirits carried by it This is as a Master-comptroler that swayes the ballance and beares all before him Tell me not I cannot do it for my liberties sake c. But I have no Warrant of Gods will unlesse the good will of the Lord go before me I dare do nothing Eph. 5.10.11 Proving what is acceptable to the Lord. As a Gold-smith laies the gold to the touch-stone so prove yourselves and find out what is acceptable to the Lord. In the time of the old Law they put on the linnen Ephod and went to inquire of the LORD whether the men of Kedar would come up so should we come to the LORD that is the touchstone and see what the LORD will have us to do and not to go to a company of carnall Counsellors to consult with honour ease wife and family c. whether shall I suffer saith the soul saith honour if you do thus I am laid in the dust saith ease and profit for my part if you take this course I am utterly undone and lost then saith the soul if it be thus I will not do it let all sinke and swim thus they do not GODS will but their owne but they that do the will of GOD let them inquire what his will is Let honour and profit and ease and world and all say what it will but they wil do the LORDS will we must not master conscience as it was the speech of a wicked wretch one of his companions being in horror of conscience he bade him master it as he did for before that he could never live quietly but now he was not at all troubled with it Mastering of conscience in English is searing of conscience but that must master you and lead you to the performance of duty Thirdly when this will of GOD is revealed we must yeeld to it without any quarrelling against it or questioning of it but let the soul be delivered up to the will of GOD as David saith let my will be done with thine when the LORD calls seek my face we should eccho thy face Lord I seek 2 Tim. 2.19 we should be prepared for the LORD so to have our affections strike as the LORD sets them and then we should have hearts like GOD then we should do his will aright then would it be in our hearts to do the will of the LORD as David saith Psal 40. Fourthly we should have a couragious constant resolution to go on with that work and in that way GOD hath revealed to us and hath laid open before us so that the soul should say not my will but give me a heart that may do thy will thus we should have a constant resolution to go on not to do it by fits and starts but as the Apostle saith Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of eternall life And except a man have this he prayeth not this Petition aright but out of hypocrisie it is his own will he
wee must not looke to the quantity not for a month or a quarter but goe to the Lord as to a market let him dispose it or else wee beg one thing and desire another the Lord will be content to give us bread not pearles not to cocker us but to give us what we stand in need of That of Hagar should be our prayer Give me not too much lest I be proud nor too little lest I put forth my hand to wickednesse Prov. 30. but give me food convenient It is better to be at Gods allowance then our owne A childe happily would have a coat foure or five yards too long and to tire him or fire to burne him but a father will not have it too long to tyre him or fire to burne him So our Father wee would over-flow our measures out-run our portions too beyond our need It is with us as it is with dyets sicke men would have hot wines and salt meates and eate excessively but the Physitian orders all his dyet for if hee should have his fill it would kill him A full body and a full stomack would increase the humour So the Lord is a marvelous skilfull Physitian we have proud hearts and would have dainties and if we should have riches as we would God should lose his honour which now he hath by us being kept under hatches therefore the Lord dyets us Divers creatures are kept in divers things Cherries are kept in Sugar but Beefe is kept in salt pickell and not in sugar for otherwise it would stinke Nothing would serve some if the Lord should not dyet them but they would be as proud and as saucie as ever they could therefore the Lord is compelled to dyet them Thus we should be content with the least pittance that the Lord sees fitting for us and he that is thus the Lord will give him enough for his baites in this pilgrimage And thus much for this Petition And forgive us our trespasses c. THis is the fifth Petition touching the good of man There are three Petitions concerning God and three concerning us this life and a better the first we have handled and those that concern our spirituall being follow First for the order Secondly the sense and meaning of the words Thirdly the frame of the heart in putting up this Petition First for the order why it is thus placed justification before sanctification Reason The reason is because sanctification flowes from justification being justified we are sanctified first we are acquitted of our sins whereof we stand guilty before him and then he sanctifies us first this then the other the other are the sprigs and this the main branch we beg for faith c. but they are included in this Secondy for the sense of the words First here is the Petition Forgive us our trespasses Secondly the Reason As we forgive others or For we forgive others that trespasse against us so Lord forgive thou us this is the argument whereby we win the favour of the Lord. What is meant by debts Quest By debts are meant all sinnes Answ all failing of all kindes of omission or commission now they are called debts because we owe all obedience to God to love him above all and our neighbours as our selves and these being the articles of agreement the sleighting and neglect of this brings us into debt with God For first we are bound to these Secondly by breaking these we deserve the punishment due to the breach of it now when we omit any thing we forfeit and are cast behinde hand And thirdly wee are lyable to the execution of the punishment due to us in the breach of this thus sins are debts and debts sinnes of omission or commission What is it to forgive To forgive is this Quest we beg that the Lord would be pleased not to take advantage of us because of our debts Answ nor yet to proceed in the rigour of this Law to do that it requires Now our sins require we should be condemned and executed A malefactors forfeiting his bond is cast in his cause and then cast into the prison and execution sued out for the satisfaction of this debt now we beg of the Lord that he would not condemn us in the Court of conscience nor execute his justice on us this is to forgive and this proceeds from mercy But how can God do thus will this stand with the justice of God Quest not to be satisfied for our faults to pardon without satisfaction No Answ but though the party do not satisfie yet if the surety do it is sufficient so though he doth forgive us yet he looks for it at the sureties hand as the creditor doth not require the debt at the debtors hand but at his hand that is bound to make satisfaction for the debt so the Lord doth not require satisfaction of us as he might to exact the utmost farthing because thou sinnest thou shalt die the LORD will not exact this of us but he requires this satisfaction of the LORD JESUS so that GOD the Father is satisfied though not by us mercy to me and justice to CHRIST mercy on my part and justice on CHRISTS part Thus we see what it is to forgive us that is that the LORD would not arest us but the surety that he would not exact of us but take all of CHRIST Whether are a mans sins forgiven at once Quest or at sundry times At the first time Answ when a man believes in the LORD JESUS CHRIST at that time all his sins past present or to come are remitted The sins he commits after beleeving or in beleeving or before beleeving are all pardoned Justification doth not increase or decrease but sinne it is pardoned at the first act of beleeving Though sanctification may have degrees one man may be more sanctified then another but this hath none but he is fully justified and all his sins past present or to come are pardoned to him in CHRIST all phrases in Scripture implie thus much Jer. 32. I will pardon their sins and remember them no more Ezek. 38. I will blot them out of my remembrance Now the Argument is this I will conclude in divers Propositions First Argum. our Saviour by once suffering suffered for the sins of the Elect past present and to come the infinite wrath of GOD the Father fell on him for my sins now this wrath is all one in him and being all one and infinite and our Saviour suffering this whole and infinite wrath of GOD the Father if he had suffered for 10000. worlds he could have suffered no more Gods wrath could not be but infinite so were his sufferings he might have applyed his suffering to many thousands more if he would and yet have suffered no more Adam's sinne was enough to infect a thousand worlds and our Saviours merits are sufficient for a thousands worlds Secondly those sufferings that he suffered