5. PETITION. vpozc,the Lards Prayer. loi wee fall againe intothefelfe fame offence and Chine. And if the Lord Mould ne- tier receive vs againeafter fuch atranfgreffion,wechad but what iutfly and great, iy we deferued' Yet is this mercy more,not to imbolden to fo great impiety, but to comfort grieuedones with fo great frailty.Wherefore with defire to íland,& al pofîrbleindeuouragainflfuchfecond fals, let vs hears yetwhartheLord faith, if in our great weakenes wee doe fa11,1 meane into the fame offence againe after re- pentance. Firft,wee fee the Prophets in euerie place exhort men to repentance, hot which had once offended, butwhich with an obfl:inate contempt of Go D had not flayed to runne into all kind of.wickednell'e, andwhich after a thew of repentance yet returned to their finfull courfe againe, th e Prophet Jeremy ofall other is fullof places, ifyou lift toreadeany. Againe,the Lord in his Lawe would haue dayliefacrifices offred fomctime in the name of the whole people, fometimes in thename ofa private perfon, aiwellfor offences col-limited byig- norance, as for voluntary tranfgreflions & falles, which all-tiredly fhoulde not haue beenedone, except there hadbeene mercy euenfor fecond faults. For the Lord would not deceiue his peoplewith vainefigures; Thirdly, in the Praline we very plainely fee,that God was intreated to forgiue moti Hypocriticall and obftinate finnes. And now in the time oEhis Gofpell Pfal' 78: his goodneifeis not l lreytedordiminifired; but euentwowallo snore piaineiy it is proclaymed to the worlde, that at what time focuer a finnerforoweth from his heart, there is pardon with the Lo & D , without exception again ft' often com- mitting ofthe fame offente.When the Lordinioyneth vsto forgive opr brethren feu cone times fawn times , dochheemeane new offences onely ,'euchas they neuer committed agaiüft vs before, or heemeaneth all, whatfoeuer, or how of- ten foeuer fallen into by their frailty ? And iffo, doth hee require more mercy 'of Man than hee theGodof mercy will thew ? orfhall the creatureexcefl the cre- 'ator in any goodnefre? God forbid. Seeit thereforeand bee with comfort aloft aifured of it, that if wee ftnne not feauentintes, but feuentic times feuen times againft his =lefty , and euen in the fame thing, and fooften with 4rcepingeiesBezrarepre7 and fobbing foule fallat his feete for mercy to fo great frailtie, there is ntercie fumption: With him and pardon to true repentance. But take heeds wee turne not the 'grade óf Go D into wantonneire and prefumprion. For ifIftktr*ethelibertïe out of this doctrine, bee furs, I fauour it to death, and not tolife, and what knew I whether euer I (hall haue grace truely to repent, what fo bouldly and pre - fitmptuoufly I haue dared tocomtnit, Whed theApoffle faith , If any manfinne; wee haueau aduocate with the Father lefus Chilli the righteous, and bee isthe Propitiati- on for ourf,nnes : doe you thinks wee may rye this onely to fuch finnes aswere ne- tier committed before,' without avenie plaine and great iniurie to that place of Scripture? No, no, wee cannot, and therefore a true ground of comfort euen for finnes often fallen into, fo thatfrailtie and not loofeneffe bee theesufe. And reads the 9. of Daniel. verfe the 6. and fee if bee confetre not firme often corn= nutted, and as it were in a continued courfe , and yet difpaireth not of mercy r What meaneth that Article ofour Faith,/ beleeue the forguseneffeoflihnes ? - Shall weeglofe vpon it thus; that it is offuch fins as I neuer committed but once. Sure - lyifwedoiitmu[lbefaid,curfedbe the glofe that corrupteth the ttttti For that articlecomprifeth all fin, before baptifine,& after baptifine,before repemtance,& after repentance,euer through the courfe ofmylife in this world,wliatfoeuer it is, how often fo ewer it is , how often fo euer 1 haue Ilyded into itthroughfrailty,yet god giuing me true repentance for it, Credo remifonem,I beleue the forgiunes of it. Yea it is thecófort fpiritual,that cannot be fpoken of, that god would haue O freer: children fo fore ofthe pardon oftheirfns,euen ofal their fins,withith out excep- tion,wherof he giueth thé adif like &true abhorring, as that heweld haue ìt an at. tide fo that theythold not befoíídchriftians if they beleued it not. k3 Laflly
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