give it in what manner he pleased; and it could not be unjust that the Lord that gave him this Bleffedness, fhould give it him under what Conditions he pleased: but he gave it him under most reasonable and juft Conditions, viz. an Obedience to a moft juft and reasonable Law, which fuited with the ability and perfection of his Nature; and therefore when, upon the breach of Covenant by Man, he withdrew that bleffednefs from him and his pofterity, he did no more than what was moft juft for him to do. And thus we ftand Guilty of that Sin which our firft Father committed, and are deprived of that Bleffedness and Life which our firft Father had; and the Privation of that Bieffedness and Immortality is Death; Rom. 5. 12. By one Man fin entred into the World, and death by Sin; and Verf. 19. By one Man's disobedience many were made Sinners. 1 Cor. 15.22. In Adam all die. And by this Sin of Adam all were made Sinners, by thefe two ways:

1. By actual participation of this difobedience; for we were then in him: but that is not all, for upon that reafon every Man fhould ftand guilty of all the Sins committed by any of his Progenitors fince Adam, which feems not to agree with the Profeffion of Almighty God, Ezek. 18. 20. The Son fhall not bear the Iniquity of the Fa ther. But the cafe is not alike; for Adam was created in integrity and perfection, in an ability to perform the Law, and fo was a fit perfon to ftipulate for his posterity. 2. And as he was a perfon fo qualified, fo the Covenant was made between God and him, both for him, and his Pofterity; And, 3: As we fuffer in the penalty of his Difobedience, fo we had enjoyed the benefit of his Obedience; we had come into the World with the fame Liberty of Will, and Integrity, and Perfection of Nature that he had: But all these are wanting in any other Perfon in the World: 1. A defect of Nature is gone over all, that none is fit to ftipulate for himself and his Pofterity: 2. No fuch contract hath been at any time made between God and any other Man.

2. By a neceffary Confequence; for God having Juftly withdrawn from Man his Bleffednefs and Perfection; and

Sin having corrupted and imbafed his Nature, we by propagation from him derive a corrupted, depraved Nature, full of impotence, and rebellion, and diforder; Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? God was pleafed to communicate to Man a Being in the the Effence of a Man; and to communicate unto him a degree of Purity, Immortality, Wifdom, and Perfection, beyond the compafs of his Natural Subfiftence: but this latter was communicated to him under à Covenant, which when he broke he loft, and not only loft that, but even ftained, and corrupted, and imbased that very Being that after he had finned he retained. And this is the old Man corrupt, according to the deceiva ble Lufts, Ephef. 4. 22. A body of death, Rom. 7. 24. And this Depravation of our Nature was followed with the continual Corruption, and at laft with the Diffolution of Nature: and that not only in those who had finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, by an actual breach of an exprefs Law, Rom. 5. 14. but in all that were partakers of Adam's corrupted Nature, even Infants; and fo Death paffed over all.

And as thus we partake of Original Sin, as well by being virtually actors in it, as alfo by derivation of a corrupted Nature; fo this corruption of our Nature produced in all our Lives continued and renewed Actual Sins, the conceptions of Lufts, James 1. 15. And these Actual Sins, according to the difference of thofe Commands of God which are violated, are either Sins of Omiffion, or of Commiffion: and both come under the extent of this Petition, by the name of Sins or Trefpaffes, Luk.11. by the Name of Debts, Matth. 6. For we owe unto God Duty and Obedience, and every Violation of that Duty leaves us fo much indebted unto God; the leaft of which is impoffible to be paid when once incurred; because it is impoffible for us to make that not to have been, which hath already been, and impoffible for us by all our futute Obedience, (were it as exact as the will of God requires) to expiate a Sin paft; for ftill that perfect Obedience is no more than we owe; we have therein

but done our duty, and are but unprofitable Servants; but if it were poffible to think that one act of perfect Obedience to God would expiate for any Sin paft, yet fuch is the Corruption of our Nature, that not one fuch act can be found there is in our best actions a mixture and adherence of fome defects or other, that makes it become the fubject ftill of this Petition, that which needs Mercy, Pardon, and therefore cannot contain Merit to deferve.

So then all are concluded under Sin, Gal. 3. 22. and confequently under guilt, the effect of Sin; confequently under death, and a curfe, the wages of Sin. And this Sin, Guilt, and Curse, is so closely bound to every one of Adam's pofterity, that there is no poffibility in the best of them to deliver themfelves from it; therefore, O Lord, teach us to pray.

Forgive us.

Forgiveneß is an act of Free Grace, whereby our of fended God freely, and without any Merit of ours, remits the Sin, the Guilt and Punishment; the Person offended is he only that can forgive; the rule was true, though mifapplyed, Mark 2. 7. Who can forgive fins but God only? and Forgiveness is an act of moft free Mercy, and nothing of Merit in the Perfon forgiven; Ifaiah 43. 25. I, even I, am be, that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for my own fake, and will not remember thy Sins. Mifery, which is the effect of Sin, is the Object of Mercy, but it is not the Defert of it, especially when that very Mifery under which we are brought by Sin, is a Mifery wilfully contracted by our felves, and not only fo, but is ftill finning Mifery, a Mifery accompanied with ftupidity and fenfelefness, with averfion and oppofition against that God, and that very Mercy, that fhould deliver us. God com

mends the freenefs and fulness of his Goodness to us, by taking that season to be Merciful when our condition is most Miserable, not because our Mifery deferves his pity: Ezekiel 16. 6. I faid unto thee, when thou waft in thy Blood, Live: Yea, Ifaid unto thee when thou waft in thy Blood, Live. This Forgiveness is thus wrought: Man, that

was

was infinitely bound to Love and Obey the Author of his Being, moft ungratefully and unneceffarily Sinned against him, and thereby defervedly incurred the Everlafting Curfe of the most Juft and True God, and forfeited his Being: yet, though Man had deftroyed himfelf, Almighty God, of his own free Will, and without any other Motive, and by his own Infinite Wisdom, contrived a way whereby his moft exact Truth and Juftice might be satisfied, and yet his Creature faved, and his Mercy and Goodness might be infinitely evidenced unto Men and Angels: By an Everlafting Covenant between the Father, and the Son, the Son he muft affume our Nature, and offer it up as One Sacrifice for Sin for ever, Heb. 10. 12. This was that Mystery hid from Ages and Generations; the Myftery that the Angels defire to look into, 1 Pet. 1. 12. The Great Mystery of Godliness, God manifefted in the Flefh, 1 Tim. 3. 16. The great End of the Creation of Man. And by this Sacrifice thus freely given by our offended Lord, we have Redemption, even the Remiffion of our Sins, Epkef. 1. 7. Coloff. 1. 14. And Pardon thus freely given by the Father, and yet thus dearly bought by the Son, is with abundance of Love and Grace proclaimed and tendred unto all, in all the World, that will but come in, and enter into Covenant with God in Chrift, ferem. 31. 34. I will forgive their Iniquity, and will remember their Sin no more. And although this one Sacrifice of Chrift, offered up once for all, is a full fatisfaction for all the Sins of his Elect, to the end of the World; yet the fame eternal Contract that made it fo, did likewife appoint certain Means actually to apply it and make it effectual to us, of Faith to lay hold upon it. And in as much as, notwithstanding our giving up our Names to Chrift, many renewed daily fins are committed by us, our Lord teacheth to refort daily to this Sacrifice, this Magazine of Mercy, this Fountain opened to wash for Sin and for Uncleannefs, thence to fetch new applications of this one Sacrifice of our renewed Offence, and to beg our Pardon as often as we beg our Bread,

So then,

1. We have the true Original of Forgiveness, the Free Love of God, which gave Chrift as the Sacrifice for Sin, and accepted that Sacrifice as the price of our Pardon: S God loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofocver believed in him should not perish, but have everlafting Life, John 3. 16.

2. We have the Meritorious caufe of it, that Sacrifice of Chrift, whereby Pardon is impetrated for as many as lay hold upon it.

3. The Act, which that Eternal Counsel appointed to be the Means of the actual Application of it to the Soul, receiving of the Pardon thus offered. To as many as received bim, to them, &c. John 1. 12. For as we live, and move, and have our Being by God, and his Will, and Provi dence; yet the fame Will of his hath appointed the mears whereby that Will of his is accomplished, our daily Bread, and the use of it; So, although from God we have our Pardon, yet the fame Will of his hath appointed Faith in Chrift to be the inftrument of an Actual or Effectual Application of it; and the Efficacy of Faith, as an inftrument for that purpofe, depends likewife upon the fame Will of God which hath fo appointed. When the Ifraelites were bitten with fiery Serpents in the Wildernefs, God commanded Mofes to erect a brazen Ser pent for their Cure, Numbers 21, 8. But although the Divine Will had annexed a power of healing unto that Serpent inftrumentally, yet the fame Will appointed the actual application of that Power, to the looking upon that Serpent: Every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live: So though by the Eternal Will of God a Pardon is obtained by the Death of Chrift, yet the fame Will of his hath appointed Faith in Chrift the means of receiving of that Pardon; and yet this very 'means is not in our own power, but it is the Gift of God: John 6. 44. No man can come unto me, except the Father

draw him.

4. The renewed Exercise of that A&t, upon occafions of Sin committed or renewed. Prayer for Pardon, which

as