vengeful thoughts. We are committing daily offences against God, and ought therefore to pray for God's pardon every day. In order to qualify us for this therefore, we ought also to forgive others every day, even though they fhould every day give us occafion for it. For if we would be in God's grace to day, we must not continue in ill will to our brother till to morrow.

Further: We defire that the aggravations of our fins may not be confidered against us; that is, as the pfalmift expreffeth it, that God would not enter into judgment with us; that he would make all abatements in our behalf that can be made.

And this is what we ought to do towards those that have injured us; we should admit of any excufe that is offered; that is, we should not forgive hardly. We must not only be free of a revengeful spirit, but we must give over aggravating the offence against that man whom we have forgiven. For indeed, how can we be truly faid to have forgiven that man, whom yet we seek to reprefent under as bad a character as his cafe will bear?

Again: When we defire to be forgiven, we do not only defire that the punishment

may

may be remitted, and God's anger against us may cease, but we defire this alfo; that he would be reconciled to us, that he would lové us, and do us good. And therefore we ought, in like manner, not only to banish revenge, and put off indignation and difpleasure against our adverfary; but we ought also to love him, and be ready to do good to him instead of evil, and to defire his welfare in this world, and in the world to come, and be forward our felves to promote it.

Do we

AND now, we fhould do well to make a stand, and confider well with our felves, how we practise this precept of our religion. Į fuppofe, ever fince we knew what religion. and prayer meant, we have every day faid the Lord's prayer. In this we pray unto God, to forgive us our trefpaffes as we forgive them that trefpafs against us. never, when we use this petition, harbour malice, revenge, and hatred in our hearts? If we do, we pray not for, but against our selves; and bring our felves hereby under a neceffity of saying this prayer back again, and defiring God to forgive us, not as we forgive others, because we do not perhaps forgive them at all; but that he would

forgive

forgive us more and better than we do to others; that is to say, that he would please to pardon us, not in the method that he himself hath appointed, but according to a way of our own devifing: Than which, what greater infolence and affront can be offered unto the divine majesty?

Let us not then go about to excuse our felves before God, as if there were no living in the world without contention, ftrife, and debate, and animofities, because the occafions of these things are often multiplied upon us; but let us for our own fakes, for the forgiveness of our fins, fet about the exercife of this grace and virtue.

Our Lord very well knew, that our life, and the business thereof, would adminifter frequent matter of debate, and hard words, and bitter thoughts; and therefore he hath provided us a daily remedy, against this mischief of conversation; namely, that prayer wherein we pray for daily forgiveness, as well as for daily bread; and for the former, upon no other condition, than that on our parts there be none in the world, but whom we wish well to, and to whom we are ready to grant forgiveness, and to do them good.

But

But one thing more: If forgiving of wrongs be neceffary for our being forgiven of God; what then shall we say of those, that do wrongs and injuries to their neighbours? Is it not a gross abuse of God's majefty and patience, for that man to defire God to forgive him, as he forgives the injuries he has received from others, who is hurtful and injurious himself? Whoever ufes the petition, may well be fuppofed a person that provokes and hurts no body, and to be one, who exercifeth himself to have a confcience void of offence.

To conclude: Hath another man affronted or wronged us? We do our felves greater injury by not forgiving him, than he hath done us by the offence. Nay further, We do our felves more harm by not forgiving him, than it is poffible for us to do to him: For we make that wretched use of his fault, as to debar our felves hereby from the forgiveness of God; which we certainly do, if we fuffer his offence to breed in us rancorous and evil thoughts against him.

But, because he hath despised and infulted us, fhall we be revenged on him to our own deftruction? If he hath done us wrong, he

hath hurt his own foul; but shall we therefore destroy ours too, by fhutting up the mercies of God against our felves? What a madness is that?

Let us therefore carry these words of my text, always in our hearts, wherever we go ; that they may be prefent, as prefent with us, as if they were inscribed in all places, where we have any affairs and business; as if they were graven upon the palms of our hands, or we wore them on our garments. Let this petition be our daily addrefs unto God, whenever we are in danger of being tempted to anger and ill will; and when we are fo tempted, let us remember, that we have then an occafion of praying effectually for God's pardon, in these words, Forgive us our trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trespass against us.