on the Lord's Prayer. Service, who are what we are by his Bounty, and hope eo b~ infinircly betrer than now we are through his Mercy. Now this Debt of Obedience is irremillible, and we are eternally and indifpenfably bound unto it: For it is altogether inconfillent with the Notion and Being of a Creature to be di!charged from its Obligation to the Laws and Commands of its Creator 1 fOr this would exempt it from the Dominion of God, and make It Abfolute and lnde· pendent; that is, it would make the Creamre to h: no lon~er a Creature, but a Dei• •Y· We do not therefore pray that God would forgrve us thiS Debt; no, he cannot fo far deny himfelf, and it is our Happinefs and Glory to pay it: To this his So vereignty obligeth our SubjeU Condition, and his Mercy and Goodne!S.our lngenuily. Secondly, As we are Tranfgre!fors, fo we owe God a Debt of P11nijhment, to be fu!fered by us to make God fome Reparation to his Honour, and Satisfaaio n to his Jullice, for our rranfgteffing his Law, which fentenceih all Offenders to Eterna l Death and Damnation. This Debt now is that which we pray God would forgive us; a Debt, which if we pay we are eternally roined •nd undone; and there is no Way pcffible to efc ape the Payment of it, bur by the Free Grace and Mercy of God remitting of it unto us: And rhus Sin is called a Debt, not indeed properly, as if we owed it, but by a hletonymy, as it is the Meritorious Caufe of his Puni!hmenr, the fulfering of which we owe to Divine Jutlice. Hence by the Way we may obferve that every Sin makes us liable to Eternal Death 1 for Death and Damnation isothc Debt, which we mutt pay to the JutliceofGod, and Sin is rhat .which expofeth us unto ir, .by the Sentence of the Law which we have rraof£ire!fed. For as againft other Debtors is brought forth fome Bond or Obligation to exaa Payment from them, fo againft us is produced the Handwriting of th e Law; and we not having performed the Condition of the Bond, !land liable to the Forfeiture and Penalty, which is no Iefs than Curfes, and Woes, and Torments, and Everlafiing Death. Curftd is evay cne that continues not in ali Things written in the Boo!t oftbe Law to do them, Gal. 3· 10. And the Wages of Sin is Death, Rom. 6. 23. And the So11/ tbat ./innetb it /hall Die, Ezek. 18. 4· Now here to exCite thee to a Ferven· cy in praying for the Forgivenefs of thy Debts, confider, Firtl, The infinite Multitudes of thy Debts. -God's Book is full of them, and there they ftand on Account againfr us under every one of our Names. We were Born Deb• tors to God, our Original Sin and Guilt obliget~ us to Punilhment; and although we did not perfonally Conrraa the Debt, yet as being the wretched Heirs and Executors of fallen .Adam, the Deb~ is legally devolved upon us, and becpme ours. And ever fince we came into the VVorld we have run upon the Score with God, our Debu are more than our Moments have been ; for whatfoever we have thought or done bath beeu . Sin, either in the Matter, or at leaft in the Circumftances, of it. God fors all our Sins down in Order in his Debt·Bock; fame as Talents, and iOme as Pence. Our fhgitious Crimes and heinous Impieties, our prefumptuous Sins, committed againft Light, Knowledge, Confcience1 Convi8:ions, Mercies, and Judgments, each of tbefe God fe!S down as a Talent: And how many Thoufands of thefe may we ha~e been guilty 1 of? Our Sins oflgnorar.ce, Surreprion, and daily Infiriniry, are much mor~ innume- ' rable; and though they may be but as Pence, in Comparifon with the or~er, yet the unaccountable Numbers of tbem will make the Debt defperate, and the Payment im· poffibJe. And yet notwithftanding our Debts are fo many, and very many of them fuch great Sums too, yet ·we daily run our felves fartherin Arrears, not confidering eh" a Day of Accounts will come, when both our Talents and our Pence f hal! be punCtually reckoned up againft us, not omitting the leaft Item; when every \'ain Thought, and foolifh. Pallion, that bath fMhed up in us, with every idle and fuper· Huous VVord that we have unadvifedly fpoken, as well as the more grofs and fcan· dalous Pa!fages ofour finful Lives, fhall be then audited; all which will ma ke the Total Sum infinite, and us defperate~ · Secondly, That God, who is thy CrcJitpr, isSrriEl: and Impartial; his Patience hath rrufied and for born thee long; but his Jutlice will at !aft demand the Debt feverely, and every Particular fhall be charged upon thee, even to the utmofi Farthing; for he bath Booked down all in hi; Remembrance, and will bring all to thine: And there· fore we have it exprelferJ concerning the laft Judgmenr, that the Books were opened, and tbe Dead were j11dged out oj thofe·TIJings whicb were written in the Books, ac8 <ortling to their Works , Rev. 20. ••· What now are thefe Books but the Two.great Volumes
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