on the Lord's Prayer. Pardon them; but yet certainly thou fhouid .PJoH cordial!y cmbra..ce all fucQ Qccafi· ons if ir were but only to recommend rhe Exc<;:ll~n cy of chy Chariry unro orqers, a~ DiJirie Love hJth recomnlended its Fulnefs and Riches to thy dearefi: Efieem ; and th:n's the Second. Bur. . . Tbirdly, Confider the. binding l'anicle in the Texr, Forgivc, :~s ~ur D_ebn, ai we fOr. givr our Debtors. And now think with thy felf that th?!J. daft but _btnd and fe?l the goilt of thy Sins upon thy o~'Vn Soul, unlefs thou an Wllltng and ready to forgH'e others. Thou who art revengefUl an.d implacable, inftead of pra}rin~ prqnouncetl the mofl dheful and dreadful Curfe that can be againfl thy felf, and . beggefl .of God no more to forgive thee, than tho~ daft fofgive thote that have oflknded thee ;, and f~ thy Prayer is not only turned into Sin~ but into a Snare and Curfe, and thou pafieft upon thy felfthe tremendous Senrcnce of thine own F.ternal DJmnarion; for if thou prayeO: that God would fOrgive thee as thou forgivefi others, thou eirher cu rfeft thy !elf. or elfe thou rnufi: forgive them. Now this forgiving of orhc:rs mufi have thefe Qualification~. . Firft~ Ir rnufl he unf~igned and co~diel from tby verY,_ Jjeart nnd·Soul) for fo thou Woul'dfl have God forg1ve thee . It IS nor enough to forbe:n 011t warJ Revenge, bu~ rhou mufl not h"bour in thy Btea!l the lea!! Grudge or Prejudice again!! them. God bzgives fo as to forger; hut if thou keepefl: hlalice raked up in thy Heart till ihou c:~nlt find a fit Opportunity to vent it in Revenges, how canfi thou but expett rha~ God likewife fhould rake his Advantage againfl: thee, and whon it would make mofl: !or rhe Glory of his Juflice, break forth upon thee, and exerc;fe his Vengeance in thy everbfting DellruClion? s~,ondly_, Thou art obliged likewife to forgive freely without any Rtc()mptnce ()r Sa.. t iJjtt!lioll{rom ntbcrs. _ffrhe Injury he fupponable, ~e ought not fo much as expeCt or dtfire Sarisfa£Hon; ifir be othenvife, and yer the Perfons offending unable to make Satisfa8ion, we ought to forgiv~ them without t?oking ~ny unmerciful ~evenge upon them; Which is the wicked Cuftom ofmany, who will ea!\: their infufficient Dtbton inro Prifon. and there let them Starve apd Rot; tho' by this Cruelty they cannot fatisfi e their Debt, hut rheir Malice and Revenge. . Thirdly, We mu(! forgive others fully andcomplcat!y, for God dotb fo. He pardons our Sins 10 fully? that they arc in his Account as if they had never been commirted; and fo muft we pardon Injuries wholly and fully as if there had never ~een any done us. !bis the Apojfle obferves towards the Galatiam, who were a People as injuriouS ro his Miniftry and Authority as any could be, and yet. he forgives it fo fully that be tells ehem, Gal. 4· 12 Brcthnn, I bifecch you be at 1 am, for I am. at you are; yoU have not injured me at a/J, And to exprefS all this we muft blot out the remembrance of all Wrongs, and be ready chearfully to take all Occafions to do Good unto them; yt:J, nor cnjy ro rake them, but tO feek them: This will be a plain Evidence that no l.ctZucn of /Ylalice or Rev-enge bath fOured our Spirits. Well then, to Sum and Clof< up all; what is it thou can!! plead for ll.eu<nge which the Confideration of Gqd,s pardoning thee will not abundantly Anfwer? Is it that rbe \Vrongs rhar others have done thee are great and infupportable? What, are . t~ey more inroh: rable than thy Sins againft God~ Is it that he is a vile and inferiour Perfott unro rhee ? How much mole art [hou fo unto God? Is it rhat he bath ofi~n wtonged thee! Are they not Ten Thoufand Talents that God bath forgiven thee I Is it ttiat he will he emholdened to wrong and injure thee again? Poffibly f0, but thou aft not cer.. tain of it: However, confider bow often tho1:1 ba(l: abufed the Merc}rof God to enct:Jurage thee in finning againfr him: Is it that Men will think thee Bale and Cowardly if thou purreft up fuch Wrongs and Injuries; feek thou. the Honour that cometh tron1 God, and not rhe vain, fooliih, Repute ofMen. But is God indeed accounted Faithful in P"doning thee> Or doth be fpare thee becaufe he dare not !liike rhee? Cettainly there is no Ofl~nce, nor Aggravation of any Offenc.e, that can l)e pleaded as a Reafon for Revenge, but the fame may in a grearer lvlt:afure, and in a higher Proportion be pleaded why God !hould Revenge himfelf upon thee; and yet if notwithflanding'this thou hopcfl for Pardon aod Forgivenefs from him, go then to thy Brother and do hkew1fe. And thus I bJve finilhed the Fifth Ptlition; the Matter of which being of fuch vart and imporrant Confequence 1 have expatiated heyond what my Fidt intended Method would allow. I !hall Contraa my felfio what remains atld keep my felf within th:.: Limits of an Expo/ition. ' ·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=