Eook IV. s N /1. D E B T. • (erved; nor could our Sin be the impulfive Caufe of his Death, not· wuld we luve 'had any Benefit thereby.' Dr. Oweil. See Surety. N F E R E N C E ~ I. THIS thews what the Nature of Sin is, together with the woeful and miferable Condition of Man thereby. How few know, or are fenfible, how far they are in Debt, and what fearful Danger they are in hereby every Moment. lf. Jt may raife our Hearts to admire the Grace and Goodnefs of God, in fendino· Chrifl: to fatisfy for our Sms. 0 lll. Let us alfo from hence be fl:irred up to cry for Pardon and Forgivenefs of our Sins: Forgive liS our Debts. · §2Jeft. What is it we dejire of God in this Petition? Anfw. 1. \~'e pray, that God would not requ<re or exaCl: Payment and SatisfaCl:ion for our Sins of us; .tor if he fhould pafs by Millions of Sins, and fet down bm one Hundred, nay, come fo low as to charge but ten, nay, forgive us all fave only one, that one would fink us down to the lowefl: Hell. Should God require us to make Satil~ fat\ ion bur for one evil Thought, we fhould be utterly undone. 2. We pray, faith Mr. B11rges, that God would lay our Sins upon Chrifl:, or accept of SatisfaCl:ion in and through him; for feeing, faith he, God bath declared his Will, that Man !hall die for Sin; if we fhould pray, that he would abfolutely forgive our Sins, it would' be ro pray that he might be unjufl:. Therefore in this Prayer thus we 1 my argue, 0 Loid,_ we call not upon thee ro repeal any Threatening, ro nullify rhy Word, to become UnJufl:; but thy W1fclom harh lo found our a Way, that we may be pardoned, and thou farisfied, &c. 3· We pray, that through Chrifl:'s Atonement, or the Propitiation of his Blood, our datly Sms and Infir,nittes may be forgtven us, and we kept m a Stare of J ullifi– carion; for if our form er Sins Jlwuld bt forgiven, and not our prefent and future, our Ca1e would be dtljJerate: For Sin, like Sampfon's Hair, ihouah cut, it will rrrow aaain. And as we fin daily, fo we ought to pray tor Pardon, thro~gh Chrill:'s M~diati~n; for Sin is not aCtually forgiven, before committed, nor before we have the rrue Senfe and Sorrow of it upon our Hearts. Where God gives Remiffion, he gives a broken Heart, Afis v. 3 r. 4. We pray, that God would account or impute Chriil:'s Righteoufnefs unto us for Pardon. 5• We pray for the Senfe and Feeling of the Grace and Bleffing of Pardon in our own Souls; for it is one Thing ro be pardoned, and another Thing ro know, or have the feeling Senfe of it in ourftlves. vVe arc in this Cafe, faith an eminent Perfon, like tome Heir or Prince,. rh at harh many temporal Digt;ities, bm br reafon of his Infancy doth not underfl:and 1t. We pray pnnopally, 1. for the real Exhtbttwn of Pardon; and, 2. For the Declaration and Manifefl:ation of it in our Con!Ciences. Some fay, that God, from all Eternity, hath 'pardoned Sins pail:, prefent, and ro come; and that when we believe or repent, our Sins are pardoned declararively only to our Con– fciences; bur now, I fay, we pray nor only for Allurance and Manifefl:arion of Par– don, but for Pardon itfelf. The Reafons are : ( r.) We might by the fame Rule interpret all the other Petitions, in regard of De– claration only, and not of Exhibition. When we pray for SanCl:ification and Glorifi– cation, in that Petition, :thy Kingdom come, it might he as well laid, that we are fanc– rified and <>lorified from all Eternity; and therefore when we are laved and g lorified in Heaven, rl1is is bur to our Senlc and Feeling. And thus Men make the Decrees of God to be from Eternity, wirh the Execution of them in Time. How ridiculous would it be to expound that Petition, Gi·ve us this Day our d~ily Bread, rhus! viz. Nor rh"t God fhould give us our dally Bread, bur make us to lee and feel that he hath given it to us. (2.) A fecond is from the Nature of Forgivenefs itfelf: When Sin is pardoned, it is fa id to be blotted our; now can any thtnk, that blomng our ts only 111 a Man's own Confcience and Feeling? It is more immediately out of God's Book, it beina- a Mna. phor taken from blotting or crofling Debts ouc of a Book of Accounts, &c~ and not only the Guilt that ltes upon our Hearts; therefore rhefe are very feparable the one from the other. .A,. Man may feel no Wetghr or Burden of Stn upon him, and yet it ll:and
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