Well then if this be the prevalent Inclination of the Soul and that which we strive by all good Means to cherish in us this meek Disposition passing by of Wrongs we receive by others then we may take Comfort by this Evidence tho there be some reluctancies and regrudgings of the old-Nature Vse 2. To press us to this ready Inclination to forgive Wrongs and Injuries We are not so perfect but we all need it from one another There will be mutual Offences while we are in the World especially in a time when Religious Differences are on Foot therefore it concerns us to look after this Disposition of forgiving others as we would be forgiven of God Human Society cannot well be upheld without this mutual Forbearance and Forgiving Now imitate your Heavenly Father No Man can wrong us so much as we daily trespass against him and yet God pardoneth us He doth not only pardon the lesser Failings some Venial Errors and Sins of Incogitancy and sudden Surreption which creep upon us we know not how but he pardons the greatest Sins tho they be as Scarlet Isa. 1. 18. Those that are of a Crimson hue God can wash them out in the Blood of Christ. And mark what is it then that you will stand upon Is it the greatness of the Offence God pardons great Sins Or is it the baseness of those that injure you this is the Circumstance When we have received wrong from those which are our Inferiors that owe us more Reverence and Respect What are we to God Notwithstanding the baseness of those which affront him daily all Men to him are but as the drop of the Bucket and the small Dust of the Ballance Isa. 40. 15. yet God pardons them And then again cast in the consideration of God's Omnipotency He is able to right himself of the wrongs done to him and no Man can call him to an account Many times it is not in our Power He can cast Body and Soul into Hell Mat. 10. 28. God is thus offended and by sawcy Dust that is ready to fly in his Face inconsiderable Man and yet the Lord pardons and this he doth freely Luke 7. 42. He frankly forgave them both And he pardons fully as if it were never committed Mich. 7. 19. He casts all our Sins into the Depths of the Sea Then he pardons frequently His Free Gift is of many Offences unto Iustification Rom. 5. 16. And he multiplies to pardon Isa. 55. 7. And mark he pardons too in some sence before they Repent there 's a Purpose he provided Christ before we were born And he gives us Grace to repent or else we could never humble our selves at his Feet the offended God he gives them the Grace whereby they shall acknowledg the Offence Christ prayed for his Persecutors when they had no sense of the Injury they had done him they were converted by that Prayer afterwards Luke 23. 34. Father forgive them for they know not what they do therefore certainly much more when they repent and submit Oh therefore let us not be drawn hardly to this Duty or at least we should not upon every petty Offence cherish Hatred and Rancor against our Brethren But here are certain Cases that would come into debate First Case Whether it be consistent with this Temper forgiving of others to seek reparation of wrongs in a way of Justice and pursue Men at Law for Offences they have committed against us Answer Yes For 1. Certainly one Law doth not cross another By the Law of Charity the Law of Iustice is not made void A Magistrate tho he be a Christian and bound to forgive others is not bound up from executing his Office against publick Offenders Nor yet are private Men tyed from having recourse to the Magistrate for restoration to their Right or reparation of their Wrong For to demand ones Right is not contrary to Love nor to seek to amend and humble the Party Nocent by the Magistrates Authority who is the Minister of God for Good Rom. 13. 4. And that others may hear and fear Deut. 19. 20. And the Party damnified may for the future live in Peace Forgiving is an Act of private Jurisdiction The Offence as far as it is private to us it may be forgiven but there are many such Offences as are not only an Offence to us but to the Publick Order and that must be left to the Process of the Law 2. Whosoever useth this Remedy must look to his own Heart that he be not acted with private Revenge nor with a Spirit of Rigor or Rankor against the Party offending but that he be carried out with Zeal to Justice with pity to the Person that he and others may not be hardned in Sin For this is the general Law of Christ That all things should be done in Love 1 Cor. 16. 14. Therefore when we are acted by our private Passion and secret desires of Revenge we abuse God's Ordinance of Magistracy and make it to Lacquey upon our Lusts. And therefore there must be a taking heed to the frame of our own Hearts that they be upright in these things Tho it seem hard to Flesh and Blood yet remember Flesh and Blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Grace must frame your Hearts to the Obedience of God's Will 3. These Remedies from Authority must be in weighty Cases and in matters of moment and importance Their contending in Law one with another about the smallest matters is that which the Apostle taxeth 1 Cor. 6. 7. Not upon every trifling occasion It must be after other means are tryed and used as the help of Friends to compound the matter for Charity tryeth all things 1 Cor. 13. 4. And the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 6. 5. Is there none to judg between you that is none to decide and arbitrate the difference for the refuge to Authority should be our last Remedy And it must be too when the Party wronging is able to make Satisfaction otherwise it is Rigor and Inhumanity 2 Kings 4 1. As When the Creditors came to take the Sons of the Widow for Bondmen When you are rigorous with those that come to Poverty not by their own Default but by the discharge of their Duty brought Poverty upon themselves 't is contrary to Christianity Look as Physicians deal with Quick-Silver after many Distillations they make it useful in Medicines So after many preparations is this Course to be taken 2. Another Case Whether in forgiving Injuries we are bound to tarry for the Repentance of the Party The ground of doubting is because Christ saith Luke 17. 3. If thy Brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him and because of God's Example who doth not forgive an obstinate Sinner but him that repents Certainly even before Repentance we are bound to lay aside Revenge and in many cases to go and reconcile our selves with others Saith our Saviour If thou hast ought against any one go reconcile
5. 2. Be not rash with thy Mouth and let not thine Heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy Words be few Remember you have to do with a great God and do not babble things over impertinently in his Ears It is a Truth evident by the Light of Nature Paucis verbis rem divinam facito Platinus If you be to worship God a needless Prolixity doth not become Addresses to him But because this Text may be abused I shall endeavour to clear it a little further There are two Extremes the slight and careless Spirit and Babling 1. There is the slight and careless Spirit who doth the Work of an Age in a Breath and is all for Starts and sudden Pangs which pass away like a Flash of Lightning in a dark Room whose good Thoughts are gone as soon as they rush into the Heart A poor barren and slight Spirit which is not under the Influence and Power of that Celestial Love which keeps the Soul in converse with God cannot endure to be any while with God Alas we need Stroke upon Stroke to fasten any thing upon the Heart We are like green Wood that will not presently take Fire until it lie long there and be throughly and well warmed so until we have gone far in the Duty we can hardly get any warmth of Heart They which are short in Prayer had need of much habitual preparation of Heart The Babler is another Extreme who thinks the Commendation of a Duty is to be long in it and affects to say much rather than well whereas serious and short Speech makes the best Prayer Prov. 10. 19. In the multitude of Words there wanteth not Sin Either to God or Men 't is true but especially when affected So they do but beat the Air rather than pray to God These then are the two Extremes Shortness out of Barrenness or Slightness or Length out of Affectation â—â—d we must carefully avoid these Christ would 〈◊〉 justify that Shortness which comes from Slightness and Barrenness of Heart nor on the other side indulge the Affectation of Length in Prayer Therefore let us a little see I. What is the Sin II. Give you the Force of our Lord's Reasons here urged or how conclusive our Saviour's Arguments are against this Practice What is the Sin That 's necessary to be known for all Repetitions are not vain nor is all Length in Prayer to be accounted Babling First For Repetitions 1. When they express Fervency and Zeal they may be used And so we read Christ prayed over the same Prayer thrice Mat 26. 44. O my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me And another Evangelist sheweth that he did this out of special Fervency of Spirit Luk. 22. 44. Being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly And so we read of the Prophet Daniel chap. 9. 17 18 19. O our God hear the Prayer of thy Servant O my God incline thine Ear and hear O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do defer not for thine own sake O my God All this was out of vehemency he goes over again and again the same Request When we use many Words of the same kind and signification and it be out of vehemency and fervency of Spirit it is not forbidden 2. This Repetition is not to be disproved when there is a special Emphasis and spiritual Elegancy in it as Psal. 136. you have it twenty six times repeated For his Mercy endureth for ever because there was a speciâ—â—â—eason in it his purpose there being to sheâ—â—â— Unweariedness and the unexhausted Riches of God's free Grace that notwithstanding all the former Experiences they had had God is where he was at first We waste by giving our Drop is soon spent but God is not wasted by bestowing but hath the same Mercy to do good to his Creatures as before Tho he had done all those Wonders for them yet his Mercy was as ready to do good to them still All along God saved and blessed his People For his Mercy endureth for ever But as there are Repetitions which have their Use so there are useless Tautologies and vain Repetitions And such they are when they neither come from the Heart nor go to the Heart when they come not from the abundance of the Heart but rather the emptiness of the Heart because we know not how to inlarge our selves to God therefore fall upon idle and useless Repetitions of the same Words and Requests As a Man that hath small Skill in Musick doth only play over the same Note so when Men have not a full spiritual Abundance they waste themselves in Prayer in these idle Repetitions And then they go not to the Heart they do not conduce to warm the Affections A vain clamorous ingeminating the same thing without Faith and without Wisdom meerly to fill up the Tale of Words or to wear out a little time in a religious Exercise that 's it which is here condemned under the notion of vain Repetitions Secondly For the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or much speaking Every long Prayer is not forbidden for our Lord Jesus himself centinued all Night in Prayer Luke 6. 12. And in extraordinary Duties of fasting Length seems to be very necessary Esther 4. 16. They fasted and prayed together for three days and nights without eating any Bread And Solomon pray'd long at the Dedication of the Temple But that which is forbidden is when Men speak Words without need and without Affection a needless lengthening out of Prayer and that upon a Conceit that it is more acceptable to God 1. In the General Prayer should be short as all Examples of Scripture teach us and the Lord's Prayer you see how concise and short it is for presently upon this our Lord teacheth his Disciples to pray For Prayer is a spending rather then a feeding Duty Those which affect long speaking many times run into this they make it a feeding Duty for they mingle Exhortations with Prayer which is a great Abuse A Man can bear up under the hearing of the Word for an Hour or two better than half an Hour in Prayer with that necessary Vigor of Spirit which God hath required Therefore the general Rule is Let your Words be concise but full of Affection Look as in vast and great Bodies the Spirits are more diffused and scattered and therefore they are more unactive than those which are of a smaller Compass so in a long Prayer there may be more of Words but less of Life 2. The Affectation of Prolixity is naught usually it comes from some evil Ground either from Pride and Ostentation of Gifts Thus we read the Pharisees were taxed for making long Prayers Mat. 23. 14. that under the colour of them they might devour Widow's Houses that is be credited and trusted with the Management of their Estates Or else it may come from Superstition such
should they study Thankfulness Secondly Because of the Equity of it Consider what an Equity there is that we should be thankful for outward Blessings 1. They are good in themselves 2. They come from God 3. They come from the Lord's Grace and Mercy 1. They are good in themselves Food and Raiment is good and every Creature of God is good 1 Tim. 4. 4. They are good things tho not the best things They are good for our selves that we may serve God more chearfully The Lord would have the Levites and Priests have their Portion that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord. 2 Chron. 31. 4. Now these things are good to encourage us and support us in our Work Man consists of two parts of a Body and of a Soul Now whether we look to the one or the other you will have many Arguments to love and praise God not only for what he hath done for our Souls but likewise for our Bodies And they are good because they prevent many Snares and Temptations Prov. 30. 9. Lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain Diseases which arise from Fulness are more common but Diseases which arise from Indigence and Emptiness they are more dangerous So Diseases of Prosperity they are more common it is a rank Soil and yields more Weeds but Diseases which arise from Poverty breed Atheism Irreligion and Rebellion against God They are good as they make us more useful for God and Man For God as having more Advantages for the honouring of God Prov. 3. 9. Honour the Lord with thy Substance and with the First-Fruits of all thine Increase And of doing good to others That we may have to distribute to them that need Eph. 4. 28. O we should all covet and affect mightily to have wherewith to relieve the Necessities of others 2. As they are Blessings so they are Blessings which do not come by Chance or by Man's Providence 1 Tim. 6. 17. The living God who giveth us richly all Things to enjoy The People of God are plentifully provided for Your Tables are well furnished Backs well cloathed it is God which gives you richly to enjoy them and he must be acknowledged as David doth 1 Chron. 29. 14. For all Things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee Then ver 16. O Lord our God all this Store that we have prepared to build thee an House for thine holy Name cometh of thine hand and is all thine own Tho you your selves have been Purchasers of your own Estate and Carvers of your own Fortune as Man is most apt to forget God there yea but tho you have prepared and brought together a great deal of Store yet Lord all comes from thee It sweetneth the Mercy When you are at the Table to be carved to by a great Person their Remembrance is counted a greater Favour than the Meal it self So it is not barely the Comfort we have by the Creature which sweetneth it but when we think of the Donor that the great God should think of us that it is God which spreads our Table for us that doth put this Meat and Drink before us It was he that gave Seed to the Sower and Bread for Food 2 Cor. 9. 10. When we take it immediately out of God's Hands it is much sweeter And not only so but also it is the more sanctified When we look to second Causes we shall surely abuse the Mercy Hos. 2. 8. For she did not know that I gave her Corn and Wine and Oil and multiplied her Silver and Gold what then Therefore she prepared it for Baal When God's Kindness is not taken notice of when we do not see God in our Mercies we shall not use them for God That Man will surely improve his Comforts ill that doth not see God in them Now that which comes from God leads the Heart to God again then the Creature is sanctified Therefore acknowledg God in these outward Things We should say of every Morsel of Bread this is God's Gift to me of every Nights Sleep this is the Lord's Goodness When God is acknowledged in these outward Things he takes it the more kindly and we are the better for it the Mercy is the sweeter and the more sanctified 3. They not only come from God but from the Lord 's free Grace and Mercy These are two distinct Notions by which God's Goodness is set out and they are both significant and expressive in the present Case Grace that doth all freely Mercy that pitieth the Miserable 1. Then we have them from Grace Grace is at liberty to give them to whom it will Well there is Grace in these outward Things for God gives them to whom he will to some not to others O when we consider the Distinction between us and others every one hath not such liberal Supplies nay many of those of whom the World is not worthy surely this is meerly the Lord's Goodness Prov. 22. 2. The Rich and the Poor meet together the Lord is the Maker of them all They had the same Maker that you had others which are destitute therefore why is it you have more than they It is meerly from Grace Why is one Vessel framed for an honourable Use and another for a baser Use So it pleased the Potter God as the great Master of the Scenes appointeth to every Man what part he shall act meerly out of his own Grace he is bound to none It was a good Speech of Tamberlain the great Conqueror of the East to Baâ—azet What did God see in thee that art blind in one Eye and me that am lame of one Leg that he should make us passing by many others the Lords of so many opulent and mighty Kingdoms A savoury Speech from an Infidel What did God see in any of us to exalt cherish and supply us and let pass many others who for moral Excellencies and vertuous Endowments do far exceed us When we consider this Distinction then Even so Father because it pleased thee There is a kind of Election and Reprobation in these common Mercies that is God will dispense them to one and not to another he will be glorified in their Poverty and glorified in thy Wealth and therefore there 's Grace in it 2. There is Mercy in it that pitieth the miserable How doth it appear these good things come from Mercy because of our Want and because of our Forfeiture 1. Our Want and our Indigence O when we think what shiftless creatures we should have been if he had not provided for us Psal. 40. 17. I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh upon me If we were but sensible of our own Weakness and Emptiness and manifold Necessities we would admire that God should think of us such forlorn and wretched Creatures or that our Baseness and Poverty doth not make us contemptible to God Psal. 34. 6. This poor Man cried and the Lord heard him and saved