different manner, and to use the Words almost without any Meaning. In a word, Did ever any one Man ask Forgiveness of another in good earneft, without a Particular Senfe of the Faults which made him obnoxious? And why should we think that we ask God's Pardon well, when we know not What it is that we beg to be forgiven?

2. To make us ufe this Petition in good earnest, we ought to be fenfible of the Nature of Sin, as it is a Tranfgreffion of God's Law, and a Violation of his Will. I do not mean that it is enough to have a true Notion of this, but we must be heartily affected with it, confidering well that we have broken his Law who is the Sovereign of the World, and hath an abfolute Right to govern us, and withal have abufed the Clemency of the infinitely good God, and have expofed our felves to the juft Anger of an Almighty Being, and that in all thofe Things, whereby we have finned,we have neither regarded the Goodness, nor the Power, nor the Prefence of God; we have done that which is unworthy and bafe, and have thereby incurr'd infinite Danger. Which Things are fo Plain, that they cannot but be understood, fo Evidently True, that they cannot be denied, and fo Concerning, that he who confiders them as he ought, cannot but be greatly affected with them; and it is fuch Affection that P

qualifies

qualifies a Man to ask Forgiveness as he ought to do.

3. We fhould confider, Who we are, that acknowledge our felves to be Sinners, viz, Such who upon innumerable Accounts were obliged to Obedience in Gratitude for numberlefs Favours received from the Bounty and Goodness of God, for being daily preferved and fuftained by his Providence, for receiving all the Comforts of Life from him, for his Patience and Long-fuffering towards us, notwithstanding many Provocations, but especially (as that's our Cafe) for having been wash'd in the Laver of Regeneration, and been made Partakers of the Bleffings of the New Covenant. We have named the Name of Chrift, and yet have not departed from Iniquity. We have eaten of the Lord's Body, and drank of his Cup: We have known the Love of God, and the Paffion of Chrift: We have tasted the good Word of God, and the Powers of the World to come: We have been led and guided by his holy Spirit. When a Son turns a Rebel against his indulgent Father, or a Friend proves falfe to his Friend, we know then how to aggravate the Cafe. Put these and all like Inftances together, and how great are the Aggravations of any wilful Sin we commit against God? And what Punishments do our Iniquities deferve? And then what reason

have we to fay, Lord, forgive us our Sins? And how can he not fay it in good earnest who understands thefe Things, or confiders them? And if the common Aggravations of Sin make a Man's Guilt fo great, how much greater will it grow when every Man's Confcience has discharged its proper Office, and check'd him for his Relapfes, his frequent Violation of Vows and Promifes of better Obedience, and all the particular Circumftances of Guilt, which make his Sins to be out of measure finful?

4thly, and laftly, It fhould alfo be confidered, that neither the General Nature of our Sins, nor the Particular Aggravations of them, need to caufe Defpair in us of being forgiven. For this indeed would ftifle all our Devotion in praying for it, fince where Juftice is inexorable and Anger unappeafable, there Men do not feek Forgiveness, but ra ther ftrengthen their Hands in Wickedness. This Confideration joined with the former will difpofe every Man to caft himself upon God's Grace and Mercy, and to fay with the Prodigal, I will arife and go to my Father, and fay, Father, I have finned against Hea ven, and in thy Sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.

I have not faid any thing in Proportion to what the Argument will bear, but only fhewed what Kind of Qualifications are ne

'ceffary to use this Petition, befides that great one mentioned in it, Forgive us our Tref paffes, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us. And this is the main Thing I am to infift upon.

To forgive others is fo hard a Matter, that is, to do it thoroughly and heartily, without retaining any revengeful Thoughts, any Stiffness or Grudging, any evil Defires -or Wishes, this, I fay, is fo hard, that our Lord hath tied the Obligation thereto upon us as faft as that of any other Duty whatfoever, but in fome Refpects he hath tied it fafter. And this is that which I defire you to obferve in the first place, that he hath not only given us a fpecial Law concerning it, but he hath caufed us to acknowledge it daily in this Prayer, and not only to acknowledge it, but in effect to promife for the Future that we will forgive, and not only to promise for the Future, but to profess for the Present that we do forgive. And that we may be afraid to profefs it falfly and rafhly, he hath caused us fo to do when we defire Forgiveness of God our felves, and moreover to profess it in that manner that we de fire to be forgiven our felves, as we our felves do forgive others.

And now that you may fee the utmost Strength of this Obligation, I fhall add, that we ought not to esteem it fo difficult to for

give as it appears at first, and as most Men make it, and that because there is fo much more reason why we should forgive others, than why we should expect that God will forgive us, which yet we may expect upon our forgiving. And,

1. It happens very frequently that those who are injured gave fome Provocation beforehand. Where Wrong is complain'd of, the Fault is often on both fides, tho' more on the one fide than on the other; but this cannot be faid to excufe our Sins against God, he never did us any Harm, nor can we lay any Matter of Accufation against him. Now fhould it not be an easy thing for us to forgive, who stand in need to be forgiven, not only by GOD, but by our Neighbour too? And yet it is commonly obferv'd, that they who are moft Ready to do Injuries, are moft Backward to forgive them, but in reafon they fhould be most Forward.

2. When a Man is wrong'd upon a Provocation given, yet the Injury that is done, him is not capable of thofe Aggravations which his own Sins against God are loaded with. For no Man is or can be fo obliged to another as every Man is to his God. Therefore let us fuppofe that another Man hath requited thee Evil for Good, which is the highest Kind of Aggravation that one Man's Sins against another can admit, yet what

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