Chapter XXIV: Front Matter (24)

The apostle John says, “And this is the confidence that we have in
him, that if we ask any thing _according to his will_, he heareth us.
And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of him:” [_1 John_ v. 14, 15.] To
ask for any thing _according to his will_, is to ask for those things
which it is agreeable to his will to grant; and this is to be known
only by what he has revealed. When we ask him to do what he has
declared he will do, then we know we ask for that which is according
to his will; and consequently that we have our petitions. But it will
be asked, What are these things? I answer, that God will glorify
himself in all things, and make the brightest display of his
perfections and character forever; that he will promote and effect the
greatest possible good of the universe; that he will make his church
and kingdom perfectly happy and glorious forever; that he will
accomplish all his designs and predictions, and fulfil all his
promises to his church and people: and cause all things to work for
the good of those who love him; and give his holy Spirit to all who
ask him. These, I think, must be the things we ask, when we know that
we pray for any thing _according to the will of God_, and consequently
know that he heareth us, and that we have the petitions that we
desired of him. But in all these instances we ask for that which God
has said he will do, that is, has decreed that he will do them. And as
it has been said before, if a decree in these instances does not
render it unreasonable or improper to pray for their accomplishment;
then, if God has decreed _whatsoever comes to pass_, this is not in
the least inconsistent with our praying for whatever appears to us
desirable and good, and may not be contrary to the will of God to
grant. But here it must be observed, that when we ask for any
particular things or events which, though it may not be contrary to
the will of God to grant, yet he has in no way revealed that it is his
will to grant our petitions; when we ask for any such thing, we must
do it with an express or implicit reserve—_If it be according to the
will of God_. Otherwise, or if it be not according to his will, we
must withdraw our petition, and not desire to have it granted.
Resignation to the will of God, whatever it may be, in all such
instances, is essential to the pious petitions of a benevolent friend
of God. And by thus referring to the will of God, and resigning to
that, desiring it may be done in all cases, whatever petitions we may
make, we do refer to the decrees of God, by which he has determined
what he will do in every particular instance; for his will and his
decrees are in this case one and the same, being fixed and
unchangeable.

_Fourthly._ It is not only proper and important that the worshippers
of God should express their desires of those things which they want,
in praying for them; but were this not true, and were not asking for
them the means and way of obtaining them; yet the pious friends of God
would esteem it a privilege and enjoyment to be allowed and invited,
“by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to make known their
requests unto him.” To them prayer is not a _task_, from which they
would be glad to be excused, but they practise it with pleasure.—They
have great support, enjoyment and happiness, in casting their cares
upon God, and expressing the desires of their hearts to him. While
others restrain prayer before God, and say, “What is the Almighty,
that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray
unto him?” the benevolent friend of God would pray, were it only for
the enjoyment which he has in the exercise; and says in his heart, “I
will call upon God as long as I live. And though he is certain that
God is unchangeable, and that nothing is done, or will come to pass,
which is not foreordained by him, this does not tend to prevent or in
the least abate the pleasure and enjoyment he has in making known his
requests to God, or his desire constantly to practise it: but this
truth gives him support and consolation, and increases his delight in
calling upon God, and renders it more desirable and pleasant unto him:
yea, were not this a truth, he could not find any reason for making
his requests known to him, or any delight in doing it; and would not
have any encouragement, or even _dare_, to ask for any thing, as has
been observed and shewn.”

And now this matter is to be left to the judgment of every one who
will attend to it. It is hoped that it appears evident, beyond all
dispute, from the light in which this subject has been now set, that
the doctrine of God’s decreeing whatsoever comes to pass is not only
consistent with all the exercises of true piety, but is the proper
foundation for this, and is suited to excite and promote these
exercises, and that there can be no real piety which is not consistent
with this truth.

[HOPKINS’S SERMONS.]

Footnote 120:

A kind and wise father, who designs to give his child some particular
favour, will bring the child to ask for it before he bestows it, and
will suspend the gift upon this condition, for the benefit of the
child, that what he grants may be a real advantage to him, and a
greater than if it were given before the child was better prepared to
receive it, by earnestly and humbly asking for it; and that the father
may hereby receive a proper acknowledgment from the child, and be
treated in a becoming manner. And in this case, the petition of the
child is as really regarded, heard and granted, and the child’s
application and prayer to the father is as much a means of obtaining
the favour, and as proper, important, and necessary, as if the father
had not previously determined the whole affair. And when the children
of such a father know that this is his way of bestowing favours on
them, they will have as proper motives, and as much encouragement, to
ask for all they want, as if he had not determined what he would do
antecedent to their asking him; yea, much more.

Quest. CXCIII.

QUEST. CXCIII. _What do we pray for in the fourth petition?_

ANSW. In the fourth petition, [which is, _Give us this day our daily
bread_,] acknowledging, that in Adam, and by our sin, we have
forfeited our right to all the outward blessings of this life, and
deserve to be wholly deprived of them by God, and to have them
cursed to us in the use of them; and, that neither they of
themselves are able to sustain us, nor we to merit, or by our own
industry, to procure them, but prone to desire, get, and use them
unlawfully; we pray for ourselves and others, that both they and we,
waiting upon the providence of God from day to day, in the use of
lawful means, may, of his free gift, and, as to his fatherly wisdom
shall seem best, enjoy a competent portion of them, and have the
same continued and blessed unto us in our holy and comfortable use
of them, and contentment in them; and be kept from all things that
are contrary to our temporal support and comfort.

In order to our understanding this petition, we must first consider what is meant by _bread_. Some have thought that our Saviour hereby intends spiritual mercies, as denoting that bread which is suited to the necessities of our souls, and particularly that we may have an interest in Christ, who is called, _The bread of life_, John vi. 35. _The living bread which came down from heaven_, ver. 51. But though it must be allowed, that this is a blessing far exceeding all those that are of a temporal nature, as much as the happiness of the soul is preferable to that of the body; and it is, doubtless, to be made the subject of our daily and importunate requests to God, _q. d._ give me an interest in Christ, or else I can have no delight or pleasure in any of the enjoyments of life: Yet this does not seem to be intended by our Saviour in this petition; but that bread which we pray for has a more immediate respect to the blessings of this life, which, according to the scripture-mode of speaking, are often set forth by _bread_. Thus God tells Adam, after his fall, _In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread_, Gen. iii. 19. by which we are to understand, that he should take a great deal of pains to provide for himself the necessaries of life. So when God promises outward blessings to his people, he tells them, that _bread shall be given_ them, and their _waters shall be sure_, Isa. xxxiii. 16. And elsewhere, _I will abundantly bless her provision; I satisfy her poor with bread_, Psal. cxxxii. 15. This is what we are taught to pray for in this petition; in which we may observe,

I. That there are some things supposed, namely,

1. That, by our sins, we have forfeited a right to the outward blessings of this life. This was the consequence of the forfeiture of life itself; and it was a part of the curse, that we were exposed to by our rebellion against, and apostacy from God. If he should deprive us of all the conveniences of life, and thereby imbitter it to us; so that we should be almost inclined to make that unhappy choice that Job did, of _strangling and death, rather than life_, Job vii. 15. there would be no reason to say, there is unrighteousness with God.

2. It is farther supposed, that outward blessings are God’s free gift to us. Whether we have a greater or a smaller portion thereof, they are to be acknowledged as the fruits of divine bounty: It is God that spreads a table for us; to some he gives a small measure, and to others a larger share of temporal good things; but, whatever we enjoy, it is to be owned as the effect of his providential goodness. This, indeed, does not exclude the use of those means that are ordained for the preserving of life, and our obtaining the good things thereof; but we must, at the same time, acknowledge, that all that wisdom, industry, and success that attends our endeavours, is from God; it is he that _giveth power to get wealth_, Deut. viii. 18. or, as it is elsewhere said, _The rich and poor meet together_; that is, they both agree in this, that _the Lord is the Maker of them all_, Prov. xxii. 2. that is, whatever be their circumstances in the world, it is he that provides, what they have, for them. And if what we enjoy is sweetened and sanctified to us for our good, so that we have not only the conveniences of life, but a blessing with them, and are enabled to make a right use and improvement of them, to the glory of God and the advantage of ourselves and others; this must also be reckoned an instance of divine favour, or the gift of God.

3. It is farther supposed, that temporal good things may lawfully be prayed for. As the providence of God does not, as was before observed, exclude the use of means; so it is not inconsistent with, but rather an inducement to prayer; and, indeed, prayer is an ascribing glory to God, as the fountain of all we enjoy; without which, it would be an affront to the divine Majesty, to expect any blessing from him. This is applicable to prayer in general, and, in particular, to our making supplication for outward blessings.

I. We shall consider the subject-matter of the petition, or what we are to understand when we say, _Give us this day our daily bread_.

1. The thing prayed for, is _bread_; whereby our Saviour intimates, that we are to set due bounds to our desires, when we are pressing after outward blessings. He does not order us to importune with God for the great things of this life; but rather for those things which are necessary, in the enjoyment whereof, we may the better be enabled to glorify him: He does not put his followers upon asking for crowns and sceptres, as though his kingdom were of this world, as some, who were influenced by carnal motives, fondly imagined, being ready to expect that many worldly advantages would accrue from their adhering to him; and, when they found themselves mistaken, shamefully deserted his cause, and relinquished the profession that they once made of him: But Christ never gave his people ground to expect that their secular interest should be promoted by embracing the gospel: Accordingly, when any one seemed desirous of being his disciple, he generally put this trying question to him; whether he was content to leave all, and follow him, or to lead a mean life in the world, and be hated of all men for his name’s sake? His disciples, indeed, were sometimes filled with too great solicitude about their future circumstances in life; but he encourages them to hope for necessary provisions, when he says, _Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things_, Matt. vi. 32. and it is always found, that where there is the greatest degree of faith, it tends to moderate our affections as to the things of this world; and if at any time, they are apt to exceed their due bounds, it gives a check to them, as the prophet says to Baruch: _Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not_, Jer. xlv. 5. We have an admirable instance of this in Jacob; who, when he was in a most destitute condition, flying from his father’s house, to Padan-aram, did not know what entertainment he should meet with there. The principal thing which he desires, together with the divine presence and protection, is, that he might have _bread to eat, and raiment to put on_, Gen. xxviii. 20. He does not ask, that people and nations might bow down to him; or that God would take away the life of his brother Esau, whose malicious design against him, occasioned his present hazardous journey; he is not anxiously concerned for the great things of this world, but only desires that he may have the necessaries of life. And Agar’s prayer is not unlike this, who says, _Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me_, Prov. xxx. 8. Such a frame of spirit our Saviour supposes them to have, who thus address themselves to God in prayer for bread, or the outward accommodations of life.

2. It is called, _our bread_; the meaning of which is, that there is a distinct property which every one has, by the allotment of providence, in those outward blessings which God has given him, whatever be the measure or proportion thereof: This we are taught to acknowledge with thankfulness, _q. d._ Thou didst not design that one man should take possession of the whole world, or engross to himself all its stores, and that the rest should starve and perish for want of the necessaries of life; herein thy wisdom and sovereignty appears, and to this it is owing, that there are some things which we have a right to, distinct from others: not without, but by the gift and blessing of providence. And therefore, whatsoever God thinks fit that we should receive, we call our own, and as such, pray for it; otherwise we are not in the least to desire or covet it, inasmuch as we are taught to pray only for that which we may call ours, as having a natural or civil right to it, which we have not to that which belongs to another.

Now there are two ways by which we are said to receive outward blessings, which we may call our own from the hand of God, which are more especially included in this petition.

(1.) As God, by his distinguishing hand, gives us that measure of outward blessings which he sees convenient for us, and that either, by succeeding our endeavours, or by supplying our wants in some way which was altogether unexpected by us, and thereby making provision for the comfort of our lives.—There is sometimes a chain of providences concurring hereunto; as God speaks of his _hearing the heavens_, Hos. ii. 21, 22. that, when they want store of water, he may furnish them therewith, and _they may hear the earth_, so as to moisten it with showers, when parched, and becoming unfruitful; and _that the earth may hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil_, so as to produce them; and that _these may hear_, that is, may be distributed among God’s people, as he sees they want them; and the Psalmist says, _He watereth the hills from his chambers: The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthened man’s heart_, Psal. civ. 13-15. So that there are various causes and effects, subservient to each other, which are all owing to the blessing of providence, whereby we come to possess that portion of the good things of this life, which are allotted for us.

(2.) The outward blessings of this life may be called ours when God is pleased to make them blessings to us, and give us the enjoyment thereof. He must add his blessings to all the mercies he bestows, or else they will not conduce to our happiness; nor can the general end, designed hereby, be answered; without this, the bread we eat, would no more nourish us, than husks or chaff; our garments, without this, could no more contribute to our being warm, than if they were put upon a statue; and the air we breathe, would rather stifle than refresh us. Thus it is said, _Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God_, Deut. viii. 3. that is, not barely by second causes, or the means we use, in order to the maintaining life and health, or any of the comforts thereof; but, by the blessing of God, or his power and providence, that these ends are answered.

And it is he alone who can give us the comfortable enjoyment thereof: This all have not; their tables are plentifully furnished, but they want that measure of health which is necessary for their taking in, or receiving advantage from them; as it is said of the sick man, that _his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat_, Job xxxiii. 20. Such do, as it were, starve in the midst of plenty. And there are others, who, though they have a great deal of the world, and are not hindered from the enjoyment of it by the weakness or decays of nature; yet they are made unhappy by the temper of their minds; as there are some that abound in riches, who may, nevertheless be said to be poor, because they want an heart to use what they have, which is God peculiar blessing: Thus the wise man says, _Every man to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is the gift of God_, Eccl. v. 19. For these things we are dependent on him; and this is what we intend, when we pray that God would _give us our bread_.

3. We are farther taught to pray, that God would give us our bread _this day_, thereby denoting that we are to desire to have our present necessities supplied, as those who cannot be certain that we shall live till to-morrow. How often does God break the thread of our lives in an instant, without giving us any notice of it beforehand? And therefore we may truly say in the midst of life, we are in death, and are advised to take no thought for the morrow, but to leave that entirely to the providence of God: Food nourishes but for a day, so that what we now receive will not suffice us to-morrow. Nature is always craving supplies, and therefore we are taught to have a continual recourse to God by prayer for them: And, if we look farther than this present time, it is to be with this condition, that the Lord has determined to prolong our lives, and thereby renders it necessary for us to pray for those things that will be needful for the support thereof: This seems to be the meaning of that variation of expression, which the evangelist Luke makes use of, when he says, _Give us day by day our daily bread_, Luke xi. 3. And it may obviate an objection, as it will be inferred by some, that if we are not to pray for what respects our future condition in this world, we are not to make provision for it: Whereas, this is contrary to what we are exhorted to do, by being led to consider the provision which the smallest insects make for their subsistence; _The ant provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest_, Prov. vi. 8. And the apostle says, _If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel_, 1 Tim. v. 8. This therefore we ought to do; and accordingly we are to pray, that God would succeed our lawful endeavours, in order thereunto; though we must do it with this limitation, as maintaining a constant sense that our times are in his hand, so that if he should be pleased to grant us a longer or shorter lease of our lives, which to us is altogether uncertain, we are to beg of him, that we may never be destitute of what is necessary for our glorifying him therein.

4. This petition is to be considered as respecting others as well as ourselves; _Give us_, &c. whereby we express a concern for their advantage in what respects the good things of this life. The blessings of providence flow from an inexhaustible fountain; and therefore we are not to think that, by desiring that others may have a supply of their wants, there will not be enough remaining for us.

And this should always teach us to bear our part in relieving others, that they may not, through our neglect, perish for want of the necessaries of this life: Thus we are exhorted _to deal our bread to the hungry_, to _bring the poor that are cast out to_ our _houses, and when we see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide_ ourselves _from_ our _own flesh_, Isa. lviii. 7. And Job having been severely accused by his friends, as though all those afflictions that befel him, were in judgment for his having oppressed and _forsaken the poor_, and _violently taken away an house which he builded not_, as Zophar insinuates, Job xx. 19. vindicates himself from the charge in the strongest terms, when he says, _I have not withheld the poor from their desire, nor caused the eyes of the widow to fail; nor eaten my morsel myself alone_, so that _the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; nor seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering_, chap. xxxi. 16-19. This is not only to pray, that God would give others their daily bread; but to help them, so far as it is in our power, which is very agreeable to what we pray for in their behalf, as well as our own, when we say, as in this petition, _Give us this day our daily bread_.

Thus concerning the matter of this petition, as explained in this answer; of which we shall give a summary account in the following meditation, which may be of use for the reducing our Saviour’s direction into practice: Accordingly we address him in this manner, “Our eyes wait on thee, O thou preserver of men, who givest to all their meat in due season. We are poor, indigent creatures, whose necessities oblige us to request a daily supply, for our outward as well as spiritual wants. Thou hast granted us life and favour; and, having obtained help from thee, we continue unto this day. Thou preparest a table for us; our cup runneth over; we have never been wholly destitute of those outward blessings which tend to make our pilgrimage, through this world, easy and comfortable: We therefore adore thee for the care and goodness of thy providence, which continues to us forfeited blessings. We have, by our sins, deserved to be deprived of all the good things we enjoy, which we have not used to thy glory, as we ought to have done. We acknowledge ourselves less than the least of all thy mercies; yet thou hast encouraged us to pray and hope for the continuance thereof: We leave it to thine infinite wisdom, to chuse that condition of life which thou seest best for us. It is not the great things of this world that we are solicitous about, but that portion thereof which is necessary to our glorifying thee therein. Thou hast made it our duty, and accordingly we desire, to use that industry which is necessary to attain a comfortable subsistence in the world; yet we are sensible that the success thereof is wholly owing to thy blessing: We therefore beg, that thou wouldst prosper our undertaking; since it is thy blessing alone that maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow therewith. Keep our desires after the world within their due bounds; and enable us to be content with what thou art pleased to allot for us, that our hearts may not be turned aside thereby, from an earnest pursuit after that bread which perisheth not, but endureth to everlasting life. If thou art pleased to give us the riches of this world, let not our hearts be set upon them; and if thou hast ordained that we should be in low circumstances therein, may the frame of our spirits be suited thereunto, and this condition of life be sanctified, that it may appear, that we are not too low to be the objects of thy special regard and discriminating grace; that having nothing, we may really possess all things, in having an interest in thy love. As to what concerns our future condition in this world, though thou hast made it our duty to use a provident care that we may not be reduced to those straits that would render the last stage of life uncomfortable; yet we would do this with a constant sense of the uncertainty of life, since our times are in thy hand, our circumstances in the world at thy disposal, and we rejoice that they are so: Therefore we earnestly beg, that if it be thy sovereign will to call us soon out of it, that we may be as well pleased to leave, as ever we were to enjoy it, as being blessed with a well-grounded hope of a better life: And, if it be consistent with thy will, that our lives be prolonged in the world, _Give us day by day our daily bread_, that we may, at all times, experience, that thou dost abundantly bless our provision, and satisfy us with those things which thou seest needful for us, till we come to our journey’s end, and are possessed of that perfect blessedness which thou hast reserved for thy saints in a better world.”

Quest. CXCIV.

QUEST. CXCIV. _What do we pray for the fifth petition?_

ANSW. In the fifth petition, [which is, _Forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors_] acknowledging that we, and all others, are
guilty both of original and actual sin, and thereby become debtors
to the justice of God; and that neither we, nor any other creature,
can make the least satisfaction for that debt. We pray for ourselves
and others, that God of his free grace would, through the obedience
and satisfaction of Christ apprehended and applied by faith, acquit
us both from the guilt and punishment of sin, accept us in his
Beloved, continue his favour and grace to us, pardon our daily
failings, and fill us with peace and joy, in giving us daily more
and more assurance of forgiveness, which we are the rather
emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect when we have this
testimony in ourselves, that we, from the heart, forgive others
their offences.

Having been directed, in the former petition, to pray for outward blessings; we are now led to ask for forgiveness of sin; and it is with very good reason that these two petitions are joined together, inasmuch as we cannot expect that God should give us the good things of this life, which are all forfeited by us, much less, that we should have them bestowed on us in mercy, and for our good, unless he is pleased to forgive those sins, whereby we provoke him to withhold them from us: Neither can we take comfort in any outward blessings, while our consciences are burdened with a sense of the guilt of sin, and we have nothing to expect, as the consequence thereof, but to be separated from his presence; therefore we are taught to pray, that God would _forgive us our sins_, as one evangelist expresses it, or our _debts_, as it is in the other.

From whence it may be observed, in general, that sin is a debt. As it is contrary to the holiness of God, it is a stain and blemish, a dishonour and reproach to us; as it is a violation of his law it is a crime; and, as to what respects the guilt which we contract hereby, it is called _a debt_; which is the principal thing considered in this petition. There was a debt of obedience demanded from us as creatures: and, in case of the failure hereof, or any other sin committed by us, there was a threatening denounced, pursuant to the sanction of the law, from whence arises a debt of punishment; and in this respect it is that we are directed, more especially, in this petition, to pray for forgiveness. There are several things which respect the nature of forgiveness, as founded on the satisfaction given by Christ, as our Surety: which have been largely insisted on under some foregoing answers[121]: Therefore, the method we shall observe, in considering the subject-matter of this petition, shall be,

I. To take a view of sinful man as charged with guilt, and rendered uneasy under a sense thereof.

II. How he is to address himself to God by faith and prayer for forgiveness. And,

III. The encouragement which he has to hope that his prayer will be answered. Under which head we shall take occasion to consider how far that disposition which we have to forgive others, is an evidence hereof.

I. Concerning the charge of guilt upon us, and that uneasiness which is the consequence thereof. Here we consider the sinner as apprehended and standing before God, the Judge of all; an accusation brought in against him, in which he is charged with apostacy and rebellion against his rightful Lord and Sovereign, and, as the consequence thereof, his nature is vitiated and depraved, his heart deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; from whence proceed all actual transgressions, with their respective aggravations, which, according to the tenor of the law of God, deserve his wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come[122]. And this charge is made good against him by such convincing evidence, that he must be very much unacquainted with himself, and a stranger to the law of God, if he does not see it: But if we suppose him stupid, and persisting in his own vindication, through the blindness of his mind, and hardness of his heart, and ready to say with Ephraim, _In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me, that were sin_, Hos. xii. 8. yet the charge will, notwithstanding, appear to be just, and every mouth shall be stopped, and they are forced to confess themselves guilty before God: Upon this, conscience is awakened, and trembles at the thoughts of falling into the hands of an absolute God, who appears no otherwise to him than as a consuming fire; his terrors set themselves in array against him, and this cannot but fill him with the greatest anguish, especially because there is no method which he can find out, to free himself from that misery, which he dreads as the consequence thereof.

If he pretends to extenuate his crimes, it will not avail him; and if his own conscience does not come in as a witness against him, as having been a party concerned in the rebellion, it is an argument that it is rendered stupid by a continuance therein: Nothing that it can allege in its own vindication, will be regarded in the court of heaven, but rather tend to add weight to the guilt he has contracted; for the omniscience of God will bring an unanswerable charge against him, as being a transgressor of his law, and thereby liable to condemnation, upon which, vindictive justice will demand satisfaction.

If he makes an overture to pay the debt, he must either yield sinless obedience, which is impossible, from the nature of the thing; or bear the stroke of justice, and suffer the punishment that is due to him, which, if he is content to do, he knows not what it is to fall into the hands of the living God, or to be plunged into an abyss of endless misery. If he thinks that he shall be secure by flying from justice, this would be a vain attempt, since God is omnipresent; and _there is no darkness or shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves_, Job xxxiv. 52.

Nothing therefore remains, but that he make supplication to his Judge, that he would pass by the crimes he has committed, without demanding satisfaction: But this is to desire, that he would act contrary to the holiness of his nature; which would be such a blemish on his perfections, that he is obliged to reject: What is this but to relinquish his throne, deny his sovereignty, and act contrary to his own law, which is the rule of his government, whereby sinners will take occasion to transgress, expecting that they may do this with impunity?

But, is there no intercessor that will plead his cause, or appear for him in the court of heaven? this cannot be done but by one who is able to make an atonement, and thereby secure the glory of divine justice, by having the debt transferred or placed to his account, and giving a full satisfaction for it; but this belongs to none but our Lord Jesus Christ, who has obtained redemption and forgiveness through his blood; and none can take encouragement from hence, but he that addresses himself to God by faith, which we are now considering the sinner as destitute of, and therefore the charge of guilt remains upon him. And it is certain, that the consequence hereof is such, as will tend to fill him with the greatest uneasiness under the burthen that lies on his conscience, which has a perpetual dread of the execution of the sentence that is in force against him. This wounds his spirits; and it is impossible for any one to apply healing medicines, but by directing him according to the prescription contained in the gospel, to seek forgiveness in that way in which God applies it, in and through a Mediator.

II. We are now to consider, how a person is to address himself to God by faith and prayer for forgiveness, which is the principal thing designed in this petition. Here it is to be acknowledged, that when we draw nigh to God, it is with a sense of guilt, and, it may be, with great distress of conscience, arising from it; yet it differs very much from what was observed under the last head, when we considered a sinner as standing before an absolute God, without any hope of obtaining forgiveness, since that cannot but fill him with dread and horror; whereas, this is an expedient for his obtaining a settled peace of conscience; and, indeed, there is nothing of greater importance, than our performing this duty in a right manner. And, in order thereunto, let it be considered,

1. That when we pray for forgiveness of sin it is supposed, that none can bestow this blessing upon us but God. No one has a right to forgive an offence, but he against whom it is committed: This will appear, if we consider sin as a neglect or refusal to pay a debt of obedience, which is due from us, to God, and consequently it would be an invading his right, for any one who had no power to demand it, to pretend to give a discharge to the sinner as an insolvent debtor: This would be to act like the person mentioned in the parable, who was appointed indeed, to receive his lord’s debts, but not to cancel them; and therefore, our Saviour calls him an _unjust steward_; and he is said to have _wasted his lord’s goods_, by compounding the debts which were owing to him without his order, Luke xvi. 1. _& seq._ Now, since obedience, as it is a religious duty is due to God alone; it is only he that can give a discharge to those who have not performed it: and since it belongs to him as a judge and law-giver, to punish offenders, it would be the highest affront to him for a creature to pretend to this prerogative; and therefore God appropriates it to himself, when he says, _I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake_, Isa. xliii. 25. which expression is to be understood of him exclusive of all others; accordingly, when the Jews charge our Saviour with blasphemy on his forgiving sins, and say, _Who can forgive sins but God only?_ the proposition was true, how false soever the inference, which they deduce from thence to disprove his Deity, might be. We shall now consider,

2. That all ought to pray for forgiveness, and in what sense this is to be done,

(1.) All ought to pray for forgiveness: One would think, that this is so evident, and agreeable to the condition of fallen man, as well as founded on many scriptures, and expressly commanded in this petition, which we are explaining, that it is needless to give a farther proof of it; but this we are obliged to do, inasmuch as some have asserted that a justified person ought not to pray for pardon of sin, since this is what is already done: This is an inference from what they advance, who plead for actual justification from eternity; and therefore it is, as they suppose, equally absurd for such an one to pray, that God would forgive him, as it is to pray that he would choose them to eternal life, or that Christ would satisfy divine justice for the sins of his people, which he has already done. It is, indeed, not very easy to understand what some persons mean, when they insist on this subject, inasmuch as they lay down propositions, without sufficiently explaining them; and whatever they allege in their vindication, that they intend nothing else hereby but what is agreeable to the sentiments of the reformed churches, it is certain, that they advance several things, or, at least, make use of such unguarded expressions as are altogether disowned by them; and, at the same time, give occasion to some, to run into the contrary extreme, who, for fear of being thought to assert eternal justification, deny the eternal purpose of God relating thereunto.

But whatever they intend when they say, that a justified person ought not to pray for pardon of sin; the contrary to this is sufficiently evident from scripture. For every believer is a justified person; therefore, if we have any instance of believers praying for the pardon of sin, this sufficiently confutes that absurd notion which we are opposing. Now that many have prayed for pardon of sin, who have, at the same time, been true believers, is evident, from David’s praying for the pardon of sin, as he often does: Thus he says, in Psal. xxv. 11. _For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great_; and yet, at the same time, he expresses himself like a justified person; _O my God, I trust in thee_, ver. 2. and ver. 5. _Thou art the God of my salvation_: And, in Psal. cxliii. 2. he prays, _Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified_; yet, at the same time, he appears to be a believer; for he speaks, in ver. 8. of his _trusting in_, and _lifting up his soul to God_, and _fleeing to him_, that he would _hide him_, ver. 9. which are all acts of justifying faith; and, in Psal. li. 1. he prays, _Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions_; and, in ver. 9. _Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities_: Whereas he had an intimation before from God, that he had pardoned his sin, 2 Sam. xii. 13. which, as appears by the preface to this Psalm, was the occasion of its composure; so that the Spirit of God hereby put words into his mouth, and taught him, notwithstanding the assurance he had from him of his having obtained forgiveness, to pray for it: And the apostle Paul was in a justified state, when he expressed his earnest desire of being _found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith_, Phil. iii. 9. This might also be argued from all those scriptures, that represent believers as praying for salvation, which cannot be done without praying for forgiveness of sin, as being inseparably connected therewith. I shall therefore add no more concerning the obligation which all are under, to pray for the pardon of sin, but proceed to consider,

(2.) In what sense we are to pray for it. This may, without much difficulty, be determined, if we rightly state the doctrine of justification, which, if it be considered as an immanent act in God, or the eternal purpose of his will, not to impute sin, which is what divines call decretive justification, it is to be allowed, that this is no more to be prayed for than eternal election; neither are we to pray, that Christ may be constituted the Head and Surety of his elect, or, that he might finish transgressions, make an end of sin, and bring in an everlasting righteousness, for that is already done. But, inasmuch as the scripture often speaks of justification as consisting in the application of Christ’s righteousness, or that right we have to lay claim to it, which is styled justification by faith, and is the only foundation on which we build our hope, that we have an interest in what Christ did and suffered, and are thereby discharged from guilt and condemnation. This cannot be before we believe; and in this sense we pray that God would justify us: Now since forgiveness of sin is a branch of justification, it is, in this sense that we pray for the pardon of sin. And this includes in it,

[1.] An earnest desire that God would not lay those sins to our charge that we daily commit; or, that he would not, as the Psalmist says, _enter into judgment_ with us, Psal. cxliii. 2. And, as the consequence hereof, we pray, that God would not punish us as our iniquities deserve. This is to pray for the application of Christ’s righteousness as the ground and foundation of our claim to forgiveness.

[2.] We are to pray for the comfortable fruits and effects of forgiveness, that _being justified by faith, we may have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ_, and _access by faith, into this grace wherein we stand_, Rom. v. 1, 2. or, that we may be able to conclude, that our persons and services are accepted in the Beloved; and that Christ hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

[3.] We are to pray for the assurance or comfortable sense hereof, that hereby we may rejoice in hope of the glory of God: And, inasmuch as we daily contract guilt, we are to pray that this blessing may be daily applied to us, and that, both living and dying, we may be dealt with as those who are interested in Christ’s righteousness as our Surety and Redeemer.

If it be objected, that pardon of sin is a blessing that every believer has; and therefore he ought not to pray for it. To this I answer, that there are many privileges which God does, or will certainly bestow upon his people, which they are, nevertheless, to pray for; otherwise they, who are in a state of grace, are not to pray for perseverance in grace; because they are assured that it shall be maintained unto salvation, according to God’s promise: And, indeed, whatever promises are contained in the covenant of grace, a believer ought not, according to this method of reasoning, to pray that God would apply them to him, and so glorify his faithfulness in accomplishing them, since he is certainly persuaded that he will do it; whereas, all allow that we are to pray for this privilege: Therefore, if we have a full assurance that God has forgiven our sins; yet, inasmuch as we daily contract guilt, we are daily to pray, that he would not lay it to our charge, or deal with us as our iniquities deserve.

3. We shall now consider, how we are to address ourselves to God, or what views we are to have of him when we pray for forgiveness of sin. This depends on the idea we have of those perfections which he glorifies in bestowing this privilege; and these are, more especially, his mercy, grace and faithfulness, in accomplishing what he has promised in the covenant of grace. As for his justice, that is considered, as will be observed under a following head, as having received a full satisfaction; but this is concerned in the purchase, not in the application of forgiveness; and therefore, though God, in this respect, appears with the glory of a Judge, resolving to make no abatements of the debt which was contracted, that he may thereby express his utmost detestation of the sins committed: in this sense forgiveness is not to be obtained by entreaty; for it is inconsistent with the character of a Judge, to be moved thereby, and contrary to the demands of law and justice. But, on the other hand, when we draw nigh to him, we consider him as a Father who delights in mercy, as it is particularly intimated in the preface to this prayer; and therefore we do not come before him as summoned to stand at his tribunal, and to be weighed in the balance by him, in which respect we would be found wanting, and, if our iniquities should be marked by him, could not stand; but we consider ourselves as invited to come into his presence, in hope of obtaining this privilege; and we consider him as he has revealed himself in the gospel, in which we are told, that there is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared, not as the criminal fears his judge, who is ready to pass sentence upon him; but as a child comes into his father’s presence with such a fear as proceeds from love, and is the result of that encouragement which is given him, that he should be accepted in his sight: And, the great inducement hereunto, is the intimation that he has given thereof in the promises of the covenant of grace, and particularly those that respect forgiveness, in which he has discovered himself as a God ready to pardon, _gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness_, Neh. ix. 17. with whom is _plenteous redemption_, Psal. cxxx. 7. he also styles himself, _Our God, who will abundantly pardon_, inasmuch as _his thoughts and ways are above ours, as the heavens are higher than the earth_, Isa. lv. 7-9. and he has likewise promised that he will _cast all the sins_ of his people _into the depths of the sea_: Therefore they consider him not only as glorifying his mercy, but as _performing his truth_, and acting agreeably to his faithfulness, Micah vii. 19, 20. and, all this depends entirely on the discoveries he has made of himself to us through a Mediator: This leads us to consider,

4. The way in which God bestows this blessing, and we are to seek it at his hand by faith and prayer. We have before observed, that it would be an affront to the divine Majesty, to suppose that he will extend mercy to guilty sinners, without securing the glory of his vindictive justice; and this depends wholly on the satisfaction that Christ has given to it: Therefore we are to beg forgiveness for his sake, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation for his sake, that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus; we are therefore first considered as having his righteousness imputed to us, and then this blessing, which we pray for, is applied to us. In this method of praying for forgiveness, we take occasion to adore the wisdom of God, which has found out this expedient to hallow or sanctify his own name, as well as secure to us an interest in his love, and, at the same time, we express the high esteem we have for the person of Christ, who has procured it for us, as also the infinite value of the price he paid in order thereunto; and we refer our cause to him, that, as our Advocate, he would appear on our behalf, in the merit of his obedience and sufferings; that our petition may be granted in such a way, that God hereby may have the highest revenue of glory redounding to himself, and we receive the blessings consequent thereupon.

5. We are now to consider the frame of spirit with which we are to pray for forgiveness. There is no grace but what is to be exercised in prayer, agreeably to the subject-matter thereof; and it is evident, from the nature of the thing, that when we pray for forgiveness, it ought to be with a penitent frame of spirit: Accordingly repentance and forgiveness of sins are often connected in scripture. Thus it is said, _Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out_, Acts iii. 19. not that we are to suppose that repentance, or any other grace, is the cause of God’s secret purpose or determination to forgive sin, or, that he accepts of it as any part of that atonement or satisfaction which his justice requires to be made for it; for this is to ascribe that to it which belongs entirely to Christ’s righteousness; yet repentance is so far necessary to forgiveness, that it would be a very preposterous thing for any one to ask this favour either of God or man without it. Not to repent of a crime committed, is, in effect, a pleading for it, and a tacit resolution to persist in it, which disqualifies us from pleading a pardon; and it would be contrary to the divine perfections for God to give it to those who hereby do, as it were, practically disown their need of it.

Now the necessity of repentance, in those who are praying and hoping for forgiveness, appears from the connexion that there is between it, and all other graces; which, though distinguished, are not separated from it, and they are, all of them, necessary to salvation, which we can, by no means attain to, without being forgiven.