on the Lord's Prayer. rakes Place as he is 1he Univu:fal Proprietor of all Things; and th?u oughteft befidts what thou ~rt obliged to give of thine own, to beftow it in Works of Cbanty and Piety, which may promote his Glory, frill bewailing that thou haft fo long deferred rhe Re. ftiru ri on of it to tbe immediate Owners, till thou haft made thy felf now incapabl e of doing it. . . . This perhaps w1ll feem a \"ery J1ard Lefion to many; and G.oubtlefs tt 1s fo to a World fo full of Rapine and lnj uftice: Bur I cannot, I dare not, make God's Commands lighter nor eafier than he barb made them. And let rh is feem as hard as it will, yet this is the Rule ofChriUianiry, this is the inflexible Law of Juftice, and without ob~ ferving it }'Ou keep your felves from all hopes of obtaining P,udon by continuing in !)'OUr Sin, which is utterly inconfiftent wirh Repentance, and wirhout Repentance there can be no Remiffion nor Salvation. And rhus much for the Word Debton, and what it intimates to us; namely, that we are bound to make SatisfaCtion for all the Wrongs arul Injuries we hJvt: done w any others. But then as there I yes rh is Debt on the parr of the Debtor, {o doth there likewife one grea t and importanr Duty on the pan of the Creditor, ~nd that is Forgivenefs, ...ds we fOrgive our Debtors. Now all Pardon and ForgivendS IS a removing of theliablenefs unto Punifhment under which we formerly lay: And therefore as when God pardons, he frees us _from the Puni{hment due to <;>ut Oftf:nc:s; fo when we pardon and fOrgive others, Jt mufl be for a meek forbearing to pumfh others who have offended us. And this confi!ls in Two Things. Fir}/ In the abllaining from the outward AUs of private and perfona! Revenge wherhe~ by Word, or by Deed, for borh are exprefly fOrbidden us. If others hav; bent their Tongues againfr us, and foot forth their Arrows, even cruel Word.r, Cbrifl:ianity ohligerh us not to return them back again, much lefs (as is the common, bur wicked, PraUice of the moll) with double Meafure and Advantage: For if they have wronged us by their A8:ions, as well as by their Speeches, we may not aifume to our :favt:s a Liberty of Retribution, nor think that the Iniquity of their Proceeding will jullifie rhe Equity of ours: For both of thefe fee what the Apoflle faith, r Pet. 3· 9· Be Pitiful, br. Courteous, not rendring Evilfor Evil, nor Railing for Railing, bJtt t'Oiltrariwifo 8/effing, knowing tbat yott art thereunto called that you jlJould inberit a Blcfjing. And indeed there is nothing that the Gofpel and Laws ofChrifl do more inllantly prefs upon us than that we would not requite Injuries with Injuries: This Prohibition is the proper CbaraEh:r of his DoElrine, and this the Pratlice of his Dift:iples. Revenge is a wild, untam'd, Paffion, that knows no Bounds nor Meafures. And if we were permitred to can1e it out fOr our felves we !hould cenainly exceed all LimitS and Moder;:;tion: For Self. love, which is an immoderate AHeEHon, would be made i:be whole Rule of our Vengean~e: ~nd becaufe we love o~r felves abundanrly too well, we fhould revenge every 1magmary Wrong done us wuh too much Bitternefs and Severity: And therefore God would not truft the righrir.g of our felves in our own Hands, knowing we would be. too partial ro our own Inrerefl and Concerns but hath afiUmed it to himfdf as the Prerogati\'e of his own Crown, Rom. 12. 19. bear· ly Beloved, avenge not your {elves, h11t ratbcr give place 111110 Wratb; for it is wrirtcn Vengeance i.r mint, I will repay faitb the Lord. ' But you will fay, How t hen mufi we fit down undtr every petulant Wrong tbat i.r done 11.r1 and by _a flupid Pati(nce invite !njurits, and tempt otken to the Sport and Re· creattan of abufing us; for every one wtll be ,.eady to }hoot bu .Arrows tzgainfl a [oft Butt, where they will flick; but wbo will care to}hoot them againft a Stone Wall that will rebound them back in tbcir Facc.r·again? ' I Anfwer, It is indeed well worth the mort ferious and cri deal Confideration rig?~Iy to ftare.hc;>w,far we are bound ro forgive Injuries ~nd Wrongs, without re~ qumng any SausfaEhon for them. And becaufc: the Refolunon of this fC:ems to be of great Difficuhy, as alfo of great Importance for the regulating of our Confciences I fhall fira lay down fome DifrinCHons, and then fome Conclufions drawn from the~ for our more full Sarisfaftion in this Cafe. ' Fir/~, Thofe Wrongs that are done thee, may either he forgiven by thee, or withour domg any Wrong ro others, or nor. Secondly, Thofe Wrongs which thou m1(!l forgive without doing any Wrong to any orher, are either Light and Tolerable Offences. or of great Conc~n and Confequence. Now thefe DifiinUions being premifed, I fJ )', N n n 2 Firfl, , ~75
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