SERMoNs of the Forgivenejs of S 1 N s. would judge our ]elves, we jhoult! itot he judged. He does nor ~ay, if \:e .are innocent we fhaU nor be conde'?n'd, for then who can ap~ear before the .h1gh and ml1ghrned Tribunal of Hc_avcn ? But 1f we .acknowledge our Gutlr, and the R1ghreoufi1efs of rhc ScnrCn to wluch we are. obnoxw~s, we fh~ll be fpared. We cannot farisfie God's Jufl:icc b~c we mufl: g loriflc It : In tins the admirable Mercy of God appears.. Suppofe a Cou;r OI: Eatth, whcrcw the Rule of judgment were, that all the Faults wluch the Guilty confcls and condemn rhemfelves f~r,_ fhould be pardoned, and only rhofc they ~onceal fliOuld be deadly w them ; how Willingly and humbly would thofc who are conicious of man captt~l Cnmes, ~nd are fummon'd to appear, accufC rhcmfClvcs ? In the C?urr of Hc!- ven, tf we arc faithful to God and our own. Souls, in the ~onfcfiing our Sms, and paffmg Sentence upon our fclves, we prevent hi s Sentence agamil:. us. ( I·) Prayer for Pardon mufl: be joined with the Confefflon of Sin: lJJe Lord iJ good a;1J ready to forgtve,. and plenteous m Mercy unto all that c~ll up~n hi_m. _God who is rid; in Mercy, has appomted Prayer as the Means of our receiving tt; It bemg moll honourable_to him, th_at we 010uld have a fcrious Senfc of our Wants and Unwo~thincfs and our abfolmc Difabiliry to fupply them : And by our Defires we fhould glonfie his Pow. er and Love, whereby he is all-fufficient. and ready to . ~dl?w upon us his BlelTings ~ray e~ for Pardon ~ufr have the~e Ingrcdtents: 1jl. Hlllmhty ts the mofi bccorningQla~ h ficanon of a Supph2m to the high Judge of the World, w rcverJC the Sentence of crcrnaJ Death. The deep Apprehenfion of our Guilt will humble us before his dreadful Tnhunal. odly. Fervency, which IS the Life of Prayer. A cold Prayer, the fpiritlcfs Mouon of the Lips, IS fO far from mcluung the Divine Mercy to pardon us, thar it illc.reafes .·ou r Guilt, a1~~ provokes God's Difplcafurc . If our Apprchcnfions were as real and qmck of our fpmrual Wants as of our temporal, our Prayers would be as ardent for Supplies . Out Dc(tres fl10uld be raifed in the moO: intenfe degrees, in fome proporti on to the Value of the ll!cfflng; they fhould be 11rong, as our Ncccfliry to obtain ir. The Pardon of our Sins is the Effect of God's highe fl: Favour, of that Love that is peculiar to Ius C hildren , 'us rhe Frmt of our Saviour's bloody Sufferings; wi thout it we are mifCrablc for ever, and can we expect to obtain it by a formal fuperficial Prayer? Ir defervcs the Flower and Zeal of our Affections. How fOlicitous and vehement, and unfatisfied fhould we be, rill we have the clear Tcfl.imony that we arc in a Stare of Divine Favour ? Only fervent Prayers arc regarded by God, and recorded in Heaven. We difva~ue his Pardon ~y our Indifferency and_ faint Defi re~ . In our Petitions for temporal tlungs, our AffcC:bons fhould be temperate, always mtx'd with rdign'd Submiffion rorhe ... r-:~m pto Will and* Wifdom of our H eavenly Father, who knows what is better for us rl!an we !:ffi~::;~ ~~~~ ; do, and loves us better than \~C do our fe lvcs: but i_n praying. for ~he Pardon of ~ur d~bunt Ori: Sins, our Affections fhou!d be xnflamed, we fhould as Jt were offer Vwlence to the Kmg chario... e- ll of Heaven, and be unfausfied without it. ~~:rn"~W~ Vv'hat ardent and repeated A~drc!fes were r:nade. by David for .this great Bleliing: H47Je J»'lun. Mercy upon me, 0 Lord, accordrng to thy Lovmg-kmdne}s, accordmg to the Multitude of thJ tender Jlfercies /;lot out my lranfgrej/ion. Wajh me througbi:J from mine Iniquity, and cleanfi me from my Si11. Purge me with Hyjfop, andl fhal! be clean: 1vajh me, and I jhall h whi· ter than Snow. Deltver me from Blood-guilttnejs, 0 Go.d, thou God of my SalvattO!I. He prays as if the Ghoil of Uriah were always m his V1ew, covered with Blood, and reproaching him for his treacherous Cruelty. The Affairs and Plcafures of his Kingdom could not divert and calm his Spint, nil he was refl:ored to the joyful SenfC of God's faving Mercy.. If i~ be faid., that £!avid's complicated Sins were of a crimfon Guilr, and ju11ly ternfied Ius ConfCience Wlth the Apprehenfion of Vcngeance: I anfwer, 'ris tn:e, bur fuppofing that . preventing Grace has kept us from Sins of a high Nature, whereby we fhould have mcurr'd greater Guilt, and been expofCd to greater Puninm1cnr, yet even the befl: Men · are in infinite need of pardoning Grace : for the leafl: Sin makes us guilty of eternal Death, and the infinite Number of our Sins, rho' according ro rhe carnal Conccirs of Men fmall, would be overwhelming. What is weaker rhan a Drop of Water, yet the Sea that is a Collection of innumerable Drops of Water, does often by an irrcfifl:ible Inundation drown the Land. The Wind is a Collection of many Vapours, whi'ch fingly are of no Force, yet it often rears up the firongefl: Trees, and overthrows the firmefi Buildings. If the numerous Sins of one Man's Life were fer in order before his Eyes, he would link into the Depths of Defpair, were not the Divine Mercy fuperabundanr to our, abounding Sins. Wc mufl: r~new our Rcqueil:s for Pardon every day: 'Tis more necefTary than ro pray for our daily Bread. \Ve contract new Guilt every day: and as our Saviour tells us, he that is JVajhed neecls · to roajh bis Feet, ;. c. the Sins of Frailty and daily Incurfion mufl: be purged away by fcrious Rcpcn· tance, and the Application of the lllood of Chrifl:, and our earncfl: Prayer for Pard;;
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