resemble God than in forgiveness of offences and so much more when we do it readily Psal 86.5 4 See a motive to pray to God for pardon with confidence because we finde our hearts inclining to pardon others who have damnified us in our Bodies goods and Reputation 5 This word As doth not denote the cause degree price or equâ—lity but onely the kinde of remission as Faius well observes or it 's a Law whereto he will have all men bound that 〈◊〉 for pardon from God For Christ is the cause of remission It 's a qualification wherewith the children of God must come before God in Prayer if they would have pardon of God they must bring a minde to pardon others 6 We may see our natural proneness to revenge in that as often as we desire forgiveness of God we must bring forgiveness of our Brother 7 It 's a way to true peace to obtain forgiveness of God and to forgive others there is therefore a necessity of union among Christians without which we can never open our mouths to God 8 That there must be universal forgiveness of all wrongs how great soever for if we keep some one wrong in the corner of our hearts we desire that God would do the same against us which if he should how wofull would it be for us It 's to be feared by the carriages of many that many who profess to forgive and shake hands wait onely for an opportunity to vent their malice hereby calling for the vengeance of God to fall upon them Quest But are we absolutely commanded to forgive all wrongs Answ As Christ in the fifth of Matthew commanding to give like for like informs his Disciples of their private duty so here he doth not bid us forgive civil or natural Debts If a man take away my goods or the life of my friend I may prosecute against him laying aside private and club-like revenge except when publick good or right reason require it Quest Whether are Suits in Law here condemned Answ 1 Such as proceed from malice and private revenge Rom. 12.19 20. 2 Such as tend to scandal as to go to Law for trifles 1 Cor. 6.1 Contrarily we may go to Law 1 In Justice and Charity to get our own right provided it be not for trifles We reade of Zenas a Lawyer a good man who was never bid to change his calling 2 That the party offending may be chastized and brought to repentance for his fault 3 Law must be the last remedy as Physicians use desperate Physick when weaker will not serve or as War is the last Refuge in a State 4 If Paul appealed unto Caesar who was a wicked Tyrant much more may we to Judges who though not so good yet perhaps not so bad as he Use For application Learn heartily forgiveness of offences done against you for 1 It 's a matter of great difficulty hence when Christ proposes this duty Luke 17.13 to forgive trespassing brethren the Disciples pray Lord increase our Faith As if they should say without faith we can never do it 2 All the Ordinances are profaned unto thee if thou come to them with a revengefull heart The Corinthians having strife among them came together for the worse 1 Cor. 11.17 Wrath and Revenge in Prayer condemned 1 Tim. 2.8 hence Christ saith When you stand praying forgive Mark 11.25 3 There can be no forgiveness with God unless we forgive our Brother Matth. 6.14 15. Matth. 18.24 28 29 33. q. d. if thou forgives I will forgive if thou dost not forgive I will not forgive 4 Our selves stand in need of daily forgiveness both from God and men from God for we sin against him daily from men Col. 3.13 Forgiving one another as he stands need of thy forgiveness so dost thou of thy Brothers 5 Unless thy forgiveness of thy Brother be from thy heart God respects it not Matth. 18.35 so likewise shall my heavenly Father do if ye from your heart forgive not every man his Brother his trespasses Neither will it serve the turn that perhaps thou never usest this Petition in any of thy Prayers for fear of calling vengeance upon thine own head yet still the Sentence of God remains firm that if ye forgive not men their trespasses your heavenly Father will not forgive you Object But who are my Debtours whom I am to forgive Answ Any one in the World thou hast a quarrel against that is a just cause of complaint as Paul tells us Col. 3.13 yea even civil Debts when men ow us Money if they cannot be required without the destruction of our Neighbour we are to forgive them and so much more readily when the Debtour is cast into this poor condition not through sloth prodigality or vicious practices but meerly by the Lords hand Cursed is that speech when the Creditour shall say he will make Dice of such a Debtours bones 6 It 's a victory of an high nature to forgive offences Many think they are bound to revenge themselves in point of honour whiles they study to retain the name of Gentlemen they fear not by God to be branded for Murderers being ready to revenge even wrongs of a small nature by Duels c. V. 13. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil And lead us not into temptation In this Petition Christ teaches us to pray 1 That we may not be brought into temptation we know not what weakness we may shew therein God leads into temptation 1 By bringing us where there are occasions of sin and objects through the corruptions of our hearts that become temptations Deut. 13.1 2 3. A false Prophet works a sign to draw to strange gods but thou shalt not hearken to him for herein the Lord thy God proves thee The Lord set Wine before the Rechabites to try whether they would obey their fathers command Jer. 35.5 2 God removes Impediments that kept from sin so he removes such a friend that was an example of good or a reprover to disswade us from sin such a Magistrate such a Father Obj. But James c. 1.13 saith Let no man say I am tempted of God for God tempteth not any man Answ It 's one thing to tempt another thing to be led into temptation God tempts not to evil For 1 it 's our own lusts that tempt us v. 14. 2 Every good gift comes from God therefore no evil v. 17. Now to counsel perswade or advise to evil were sin neither doth God tempt us by powring in wicked thoughts nor by inclining our hearts to wickedness 2 To be lead into temptation is an act of God whereby he by his providence leads us where there are objects and occasions of sin without any sollicitation from God thereto so that Gods leading into temptation is nothing else but a proof whether we will stand in our obedience or no. So God tempted Abraham whether he would part with his dearest comfort for God Gen. 22.1 of this Exod. 16.4
Servant that he might behold Gods power 2 Kings 6.15 16 17. 4 Look on thine own weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 10. Col. 1. ult 5 Have recourse to experience when this power helped us in a fatherless and friendless condition Psal 27.10 When father and mother forsook us he took us up delivered us from a Bear and a Lion 1 Sam. 17.34 to 38. 6 Get into covenant with God When persons are so in covenant together then follows their power to be imployed for one another as in Ahab and Jehosaphat I am as thou art my people as thy people 7 If we would have Gods power improved for us we must serve him with all our power 1 Chron. 29.2 David saith I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God he improving his might and power for God God assisted him in all his Battels with his power and might 8 Consider the belief of the power of God is a means to stablish us in the belief of the promise if a man promise never so much to us if he have not power we regard not his promise hence when God would strengthen Sarahs faith he saith Is there any thing too hard for the Lord Gen. 18.14 Object But my case is like no mans I am in Prison and cannot come forth Answ 1 Thou art not yet in the Lions Den nor in the Whales Belly nor fiery Fornace others have been lower than thou 2 What is not that God able to do that 's able to make a World 3 Persons that have been at the point of despair have been helpt 2 Cor. 1.8 9 10. Some that have lost their Estate and Health and Friends and Children as Job cap. 6.9 10. others that have lost their credit as Joseph and David 1 Chron. 29.28 And the glory Here 's a third argument or motive for God to grant the things we pray for viz. because it makes for his own glory q. d. thou alone oughtest to be worshipped and called upon children should seek their fathers glory thy glory is perfect in it self but thou requirest that we hereby declare it by acknowledging thee the fountain of all our happiness We may see 1 To refer all things to Gods glory 1 Cor. 10.31 Rom. 11.31 Rev. 4.9 2 To stir up our Faith in prayer that God will grant what we ask because it is for his own glory 3 See that as it is the glory of God to hear the prayers of his people Psal 65.2 O thou that hearest Prayers so should we give him the glory hereof 4 To ascribe all glory to him as a God of such power and majesty and not to glory in our selves or any thing we have whether wisdome strength or wealth Jer. 9.23 1 Cor. 1.29 31. 2 Cor. 10.17 give him the glory of his faithfulness as Abraham did Rom. 4.20 and of his mercy and free grace which we behold in the glass of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.18 and of our parts 1 Cor. 4.7 which we have received from him For ever and ever This showes 1 That God hath had and shall have all glory due unto him from everlasting to everlasting Psal 90.1 2 To distinguish the glory of God from the glory of earthly Princes that shines for a few years and then the light goes out and is removed to others and withers like a flower but this is everlasting Amen For this word see my observations on Matth. 5.22 It 's as it were a desire whereby we desire these things to be done and our selves to be heard It 's a profession of our confidence that God hears our prayer Also a wish that thus it may be what our tongues and heart hath requested The Septuagints on Psal 72. ult render this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let it be done as our desires were formerly exprest so here is our seal whereby we believe the grant of them in geneâ—â—â— and to each of them in particular we also set our seal Hence prayer should be in a language that we understand that all may say Amen 1 Cor. 14.16 Yea there ought to be care in him that is the mouth not to powr out any requests of his private spirit and principles but that to which all believers may say Amen and prayers being so powred out let us all say Amen with a loud voice and therefore none should pray in a Church but those that know how to powr out requests aright for matter V. 14. For if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you V. 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly Father also forgive you Christ shows here that pardon of sin is given and continued unto us upon the condition of repentance and new obedience one branch whereof consists in gentleness in forgiving wrongs which men do against us and so much more because we are ready to aggravate other mens faults as slow to confess our own therefore that we may be pitifull herein Christ bids us set our own faults before our eys Christians ought greatly to endeavour after peace that they may not offend one another or if it fall out that they do offend one another that they be ready to forgive This command doth not destroy the discipline of families towards children and stubborn servants nor doth it hinder Magistrates from punishing Malefactors though in all execution of judgement gentleness should appear but the Lord herein would have our hearts free from revenge Deut. 19.13 so that we should never desire justice of the Magistrate nor of God to satisfie our revenge but rather do these enemies good and pray for them as Christ bids Matth. 5.44 Luk. 23.34 and Stephen Acts 7.59 60. and Joseph to his brethren Now this remission of men their wrongs is not a cause or price or merit of our remission at Gods hand but a signe or testimony of our remission and in some sence an antecedent though in other sence a consequent of remission it 's a consequent or an effect because we cannot forgive any man his sins till we be warm'd with the sence of Gods love to us in forgiveness and it 's an antecedent to continued and renewed forgivenesses which we have daily through Christ his advocation in heaven Christ doth not receive us to pardon but on this condition that we forgive men their offences Men that will not forgive do what in them lies to make God implacable towards them Our forgiveness is not a cause but a condition That therefore we may lay aside our revenge Christ brings two reasons 1 From the profit If we forgive God will forgive v. 14. 2 From the danger or loss If we forgive not neither will God forgive To conclude our forgiveness of men is not a cause of Gods forgiveness of us but a condition hence the words in the text are not Because you forgive men their trespasses your father will forgive you but If you forgive men their trespasses Obj. But if forgiveness of
must be honoured with puritie therefore they wrote upon the doors of their Temples Let none having a guilty conscience enter this place A bad conscience can never hope well Obj. But do not we finde wicked men in Scripture have had their praiers heard A. Yes when they have sought for temporal things Jehoahaz the son of Jehu was a wicked man 2 Kin. 13.2 yet when the nation of Israel was delivered into the hands of the Syrians Jehoahaz besought the Lord and the Lord hearkened unto him for he saw the oppression of Israel and the Lord gave Israel a Saviour v. 4 5. So Ahab seeking obtained the removing of the judgement until his sons daies 1 Kin. 21.27 28 29. So when men of all sorts are in danger by storms at sea they cry to the Lord in their trouble and he delivereth them out of their distress Psal 107.28 So prisoners that lie in irons v. 13. and sick men that draw near to death v. 18 19. If thou afflict a widow or fatherless person whether godly or ungodly I will surely hear their cry Exod. 22.22 23. Ishmael was a wicked person a persecutor yet God heard the voice of the Lad Gen. 21.17 Uzziah sought God in the daies of Zachariah and as long as he sought the Lord God made him to prosper 2 Chro. 26.5 yet was he wicked as we see 2 Chron. 25.2 compared with 2 Chron. 26.4 Besides God bestowes praying abilities upon unregenerate men therefore they may improve them the not calling upon God is charged upon wicked men as their sin therefore the performance of it is their dutie The Prophet proves the Jews to be under sin because there 's none seeks after God Psal 14.2 Also Psal 53.4 wicked men are branded that they call not upon God Psal 10.4 they are taxed for this both Pastours Jer. 10.21 and people Hos 7.7 Zeph. 1.6 and all flesh are said to come to God in prayer O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 An unbeliever may be underpreparing grace though he be not yet come to saving faith and in this estate he may have many good desires which God may hear To reconcile these to the former speeches know that God hears wicked men in temporal things which indeed oft is onely the cry of their cause not of their person as he is said to hear the cry of the ravens Psal 147.9 so the young Lions are said to seek their meat from God Psal 104.21 Quest But what would you have us to do with our children and servants Answ You may bid them call upon God in the general and if you speak to them to call upon God for saving grace as pardon c you must speak to them as Peter to Simon Magus Repent of this thy wickednesse and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee Act. 8.21 First he bids him repent then pray God Quest But what should we do for joyning in prayer with others Answ If the person with whom you are to eat and who is to give thanks be visibly wicked either forbear his table or declare that you desire liberty of conscience without which grant you cannot partake of his meat which doubtless was practised by the believers when they went to the unbelievers table 1 Cor. 10.27 we must not wound our consciences for good chear nor to gratifie a friend but where no such wickedness doth apppear my opinion is that charity must carry us to judge the best yet must we remember that this is onely a privative signe Positive signes of a good man being either Church Communion or some thing that is equivalent if you will follow conscience herein I know you must be content to lose some fat morsells 4 We must pray in saith 〈◊〉 faith in prayer ought to be certain of hearing but we must wait for the time when the place where the manner how and the person by whom God will work Now to pray in faith there is command Matth. 21.22 1 Faith in God How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Rom. 10.14 And this God to be lookt on as a father Matth. 6.9 Heb. 11.6 2 Faith in the attributes of God as his omnipresence that he is every where Esa 6.31 in his omniscience that he knows all our wants and all our hearts hear thou in heaven and give to every man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest 1 King 8.39 in his omnipotence thus Jeremy grounds his prayer thou hast made heaven and earth and there 's nothing too hard for thee Jer. 32.17.4 in his mercy Nehem. 1.4 5. in his all-sufficiency Of the object in prayer James speaks as I suppose Jam. 1.6 7. let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James speaks not of a partial or particular unbelief in the subject but of an universal and total unbelief in respect of the object 3 There must be faith to set before us the worthiness of the Mediator Heb. 4.15 16. and not barely his worthiness but also our union with him Joh. 15.7 8. If ye abide in me ye shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you 4 Faith grounded on the promises Psal 119.49 50 147. remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to trust To pray in faith is to go as far as the promise goes to believe that God is a father and being a father he will not keep any good thing from his child A beggar never goes from an house keepers door so long as he believes he shall have an alms no more doth a believing soul go from the throne of grace so long as he believes God will hear but if he leave off the words of prayer he doth not leave off the sute of prayer Had we a particular promise as Eliah had we were bound to believe in particular as Eliah did concerning the not raining for three years and six months And as faith looks on other promises so in particular such promises as concerns the souls present condition so Jacob Gen. 32.9 10 11 12. Thou saidest return into thy country and I will deal well with thee and thou saidest I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau There is scarce any case but the Scripture affords promises which speak to that very case had we wisdom to store them up as David did Psal 119. also Heb. 13.5 5 Faith grounded on former Experiments Thou art my trust from my youth leave me not in old age Psalm 71.5 9. When we thus pray in faith we have a bold access into the presence of God notwithstanding all our unworthiness and imperfections in prayer Ephes 3.12 5 Pray with fixedness of spirit When David's
condemn all forms seeing we read of sundry in Scripture as Psal 102. v. 1 c. Esai 63.15 to the end of cap. 64. ult Numb 6.24 Yet to use a form doth argue thou art a very babe who go by a form because they cannot go alone and to use a form when thou art able to powr out thine own heart more and better then any form can teach thee is to to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing when thou hast a male in thy flock Thou art a very babe till thou art able to express thy wants in conceived prayer what man is there that is sensible of his wants that cannot declare them to man and canst thou not declare them to God Christ hath given us this breviary of prayer as a looking-glass to see our wants Himself never used it nor could he in truth say Forgive us our trespasses seeing himself had none We never read the Apostles used this prayer but onely framed their petitions according to it Acts 1.24 Matth. 26.39 We ought then to look upon this as a pattern without which we might have wandred in our requests often asking things hurtful for us we ought then hence to draw the matter of our prayers This form or patern is usually divided into three pâ—rts 1 A Preface Our Father which art in Heaven 2 Petitions which are six or according to some of the Ancients seven 3 The Conclusion For thine is the Kingdom c. 1 The Preface Our Father which art in Heaven We call him Father 1 To shew that we are not to look upon him as a Tyrant or a Stranger that knows us not or as an hard Master but as a Father 2 To embolden us to come unto him 3 To shew his readiness to do you good Luke 11.13 If evil fathers will do good to their children will not our Father do good to his children 4 To shew that we believe our Election and Adoption 5 Assurance of his readiness and willingness to help us whereas formerly we durst not lift up our eys to Heaven Luke 15.18 Our 1 This word Our teacheth that however we believe for our selves yet Charity teacheth us to pray for others 2 To denote unto us a Communion of Saints how that they are so joyned together as if the want of one were the want of all 1 Cor. 12.26 If one member suffer all the members suffer with it 3 That we may not disdain the meanest Christian from being our Brother in Christ if God have adopted him for his Ephes 4.5 yet may a Christian in private say My Father Matth 26.39.27.46 4 To keep us from arrogating to our selves above others remembring we are of the company of sons On earth some Saints have more noble fathers than others but to the Father in Heaven all Believers are alike related 5 To encourage the weak that they may believe that God is no less their Father than the Father of Peter Paul c. 6 That we should not onely pray for our own necessities but also for the necessities of others James 5.16 applying in private Prayer that common Fatherhood to our selves And this Father we call upon we may look upon some times personally Ephes 3.14 1 Cor. 8.6 sometimes essentially for Father Son and Spirit so Christ is called the everlasting Father Isai 9.6 7 To teach us mutual sympathy 1 Cor. 12.26 If one member suffer all the members suffer with it Heb. 13.3 8 To teach us unity and agreement with our Brethren as members of the same body hence before we bring our gift we are to agree with our Brother Matth. 5.24 Which art in Heaven 1 To shew that how ever earthly parents have a good will to help their children yet want power yet our Father being in Heaven and being the God of all might hath power to do for us above all that we can ask or think Ephes 3.20 Psalm 115.3 2 To take away erroneous conceptions of God wherein carnal men are ready to think of him like earthly parents 3 To denote unto us his special presence he hath in Heaven there his power wisdom goodness do most shine forth and from thence are manifested to us Psalm 19.1 The Heavens declare the glory of God 4 That when we come before him we should come with reverence and lifting up of heart Lam. 3.41 Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the Heavens where God is not circumscriptively as the body of man bounded by such a place nor definitively as the Angels but repletively filling all place for the Heaven of Heavens is not able to contain him 1 Kings 8.27 5 To shew to us that though God be every where Psalm 139.7 8 9. Whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there if I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there if in the uttermost parts of the Sea thou art there Amos 9.1 2 3. yet he is said to dwell in the Heavens Psalm 2.4 Hear from Heaven thy dwelling place 1 Kings 8.30 there his majesty and glory most shines forth Psalm 112.5.123.1 yet doth he dwell in humble and holy hearts Isai 57.15 1 Cor. 3.16 As the soul of man which is wholly in the whole and in every part yet is said to be in the head or heart more than elsewhere because there more than elsewhere it exerciseth his power and effects so though God be essentially every where and in all places wholly yet he works not grace and gifts equally in all parts but he works in Heaven more than in Earth in the godly more than the wicked and in one of his children more than in another in the Saints in Heaven 〈◊〉 than in the Saints on Earth and in the humane nature of Christ more than in any creature Hallowed be thy Name This is the first Petition and Christ his meaning is 1 That Gods glory be every where magnified it 's put in the first place because Gods glory must be preferred before all things Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himself Thus must every one do that calls God Father So that if our credit or profit come in competition therewith we are willing to renounce not onely them but every thing else for the Lord. 2 That the Name of God which is God himself be magnified The Name of God is not so many Letters but God himself Holy and reverend is his Name Psalm 111.9 It was the speech of the men of Bethshemesh Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God 1 Sam. 6.20 God is glorious in holiness Exod. 15.11 The Trinity is said to be holy Isai 6.3 Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts The Father is holy John 17.11 The Son holy Luke 1.35 Acts 4.27 The Spirit is holy Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God God is not onely holy but holiness in the very abstract Amos 4.2 The Lord hath sworn by his holiness that is by himself Saints are holy
our pains and care is nothing unless God give a blessing Psal 127.1 2. 6 To bridle our immoderate covetousness 7 That we should not take that which is anothers but that which is our own either left us or got with honest labour Psal 128.2 8 To acknowledge our own beggery and want Psal 104.27 28. Acts 14.17 and that what we have becomes ours by Gods gift Jam. 1.17 9 To put us in minde of our frailty in that every day we are a new to beg for bread Obj. But I am rich what need I ask daily bread A. The greatest heaps you have without Gods blessing will not profit Deut. 8.3 Man doth not live by bread onely but by Gods word In vain put we meat into our stomacks unless God give meat power to nourish and the stomack ability to digest 10 In that we are onely to pray for bread we are to learn contentment in any little that the Lord shall send Phil. 4.12.13 and not greedily to pray for wanton abundance Onely know that this bread is to be measured according to mens several callings and charges as if a man be a publike person a Magistrate or Preacher a beggerly maintenance makes their callings contemptible so where there is great charge of children there is need of more and the reason why abundance is not to be prayed for is because in abundance we are apt to forget God Deut. 8.12 13 14. See it in Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.26 David 2 Sam. 24.1 1 Tim. 6.17 In respect of our proneness to abuse plenty a competency is the safest estate to pass through this world 11 It denoteth to us that we must pray every day for the good things we want if God give us good things this day for to morrow let us to morrow pray for supplies for the 3d. day Give us He saith not me but us 1 To show that we must not onely regard our selves in our estates but be also mindful of others many covetous persons instead of praying for a supply of their brethrens wants cry give me all give them none 2 We are hereby taught so to use our portion that others may have part with us God makes rich men Stewards for the poor Eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions for them for whom nothing is prepared Neh. 8.10 Stewards receive sometimes the wages of the whole family not to keep them but to distribute them Job 31.17 Job did not eat his morsels himself alone but the fatherless did eat with him also v. 19. And forgive us our trespasses By trespasses Christ means sins Luk. 11.4 Because sin is the greatest debt Hence no man is without sin contrary to the Pelagians who said righteous men pray for pardon of sin for others not for themselves or if they said so for themselves it was not in truth but out of humility and modesty but to say that which is false is not humility but Hypocrisie Now we see there 's none so holy but needs pardon and pardon of sins from Christs advocation and intercession is a continued act in God This word Forgive is a metaphor taken from creditours who upon occasion forgive debts And though God in the new covenant forgive our sins Heb. 8.12 and hath promised so to do yet would he not deliver us from eternal death but upon these terms that whiles we are in this life we should humbly acknowledge before God our sins past and persevere in asking pardon for them The Lords prayer teaches us that we are daily sinners and alwayes sin and that our whole life is a repentance Luth. Tom. 1.301 Under sins Christ means original and actual sins Obj. But these are all forgiven to Gods children Rom. 8.1 There 's no condemnation to them that are in Christ Why then should they ask pardon Answ Because there is not a justified person that sins not Psal 130.3.143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant David committed Adultery and Murther after justification and Peter denyed Christ This petition is put next to the former of begging daily bread that after we have got a natural life we should seek for a life of justification when God pardons our sins we are thus alive as malefactors that have obtained pardon from the Prince are then said to be alive Besides we could not begg pardon of sin if God should not continue our natural life and this petition is joyned to the former to show that all the bread or outward things in the world are no comfort to us if together with them we obtain not pardon of sin In desiring forgivenness we see 1 There must be an acknowledgement of our sins Psal 32.5 I said I will confess my transgressions and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin David first confessed saying I have sinned and then Nathan saith the Lord hath put away thy sin 2 Sam. 12 13. He that confesses and forsakes shall find mercy Prov. 28.13 1 Joh. 1.8 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us them The sick sinner Job 33 26. confesses I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not then follows ver 58. he will deliver his soul from going into the pit And this according to Christs preaching Mar. 1.15 Repent ye and believe the Gospel To preach remission of sins to faith without repentance is a dangerous doctrine seeing both of them are together in the soul Zach. 12.10 They shall look on the Lord as crucified and mourn and in that day when there is such mourning which alwayes includes confession of sins in it there is a Fountain set open for sin and for uncleanness 1 As to obtain pardon there must be the blood of Christ Heb. 9.22 without shedding of blood there 's no remission and with the blood of Christ the whole Church is purchased Act. 20.28 Rev. 1.5 Rev. 7.14 so must this blood be applyed to every individual soul that hath the power of believing this blood washes white yet must there be washing before whiteness Pardon must be had not onely from bloodshed but from blood sprinkled See Esa 52.15 Ezek. 36.25 Heb. 9.13 14.10.22.12.24 1 Pet. 1.2 Yet as the Spirit must besprinkle thee and apply this blood to thee so must thou by faith wash and besprinkle thy self Rev. 7.14 They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. God hath fore-appointed Christ to be the propitiation for our sins yet is it not before believing but through faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Faith is the hand of the soul and the soul by faith puts her hand into Christs blood and so washes off its guilt Zach. 13.1 Christs blood is resembled to a Fountain opened for sin and uncleanness but it s not standing by the Fountain but the washing with the water thereof that will cleanse hence Luk. 7.49 50. Thy faith hath saved thee go in peace 2 To obtain pardon there must be repentance As there is a faith unto