SERM.promife, in which they will be no longer wanted. In XXII. the mean time, let the advice of our Saviour be remembred; and let us not labour for the meat which perifbeth, but for the meat which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto us.

To whom, with the Father, and the holy Ghoft, be afcribed, as is moft due, all Honour, Power, Might, Majefty, and Dominion, both now, and for ever

more.

A

SERMON

On MATT. vi. 12.

And forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors.

IN thefe words, there are two thingsSERM,
obfervable. First, the Petition, forgive XXIII.
us our Debts: And, Secondly, the con-
dition on which we ask Forgiveness,

as we forgive our Debtors, Both these are Subjects very worthy to be confidered; the former, as it affords us the highest Inftance of God's Goodness and Compaffion to the Sons of Men; the latter, as it is a Motive to the Forgiveness of our Enemies, one of the hardest of all Chriftian Duties. I fhall therefore at this time confider them in their Order. And,

First, I fhall fhew, how the Mercy and Goodness of God is remarkably display'd by the Permiffion here given us, to pray to him for the Forgiveness of our Sins.

The temporal Bleffings which his Providence difpenfes for the fupply of our worldly Wants, are Arguments indeed of great Goodness to us, and deferve our highest Gratitude and Love. But these are mat

ters

SERM. ters of fmall moment to us, in comparison of those XXIII. which look beyond the Grave, and yield a Prospect For what would it avail

of better things to come.

us to be supplied by his Bounty with the neceffaries of this prefent Life, if our Sins were to follow us to the next; and if the Debts we had contracted, were never cancell❜d here, but placed to our Account, when we are fummoned to appear at the Judgment-feat of Chrift? if the Sins and Offences of our Youth and Old-age were registered and treasured up against us; if no A&t of Oblivion was to pass upon our Actions, no Pardon granted, no Method of Atonement appointed to blot out our Sins, no affurance that our Prayers and Supplications will be heard, no direction to ask that our Debts may be forgiven, as we forgive our Debtors? We had all been concluded under Sin, fays the Apostle, and confequently under Punishment. Our Sentence had been irreverfible, our Condemnation fure; and the Bleffings and Conveniencies we enjoy at prefent, had ferved for nothing else, but to make our Paffage eafy to a State of everlasting Mifery. Who could be fo fond of a short momentary Life, as to value it on fuch Terms as these?

It is the glorious Prospect that we have before us; the certainty, that if we are not wanting to ourselves, we may work out our own Salvation, obtaining by the merits and fatisfaction of our Lord, what we were not able to fecure for ourselves; I fay, it is this profpect, this hope, this confidence, in which our true Happiness confifts. The means of Forgiveness are placed in our own Hands, and therefore it is our own fault if we miscarry: If we will but lament our paft Offences, and forfake them for the time to come; if we will but rely on God's Mercy through Chrift; if we will but forgive those that have offended us, in

con

conformity to his Example and Command, no Iniqui- SERM, ty thall be imputed to us. And therefore, with these XXIII. thoughts and defigns about us, we may boldly have. recourse to the Throne of Grace, and plead there for the Forgivenefs of our Sins, being justified freely by God's Grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Chrift, whom God hath fet forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood.

And now, when we confider the wretched State we were in, before Chrift undertook our Ranfom, the neceffity of Sinning, the certainty of our Punishment, and how little reafon there was for God to accept of a Satisfaction, to reconcile fuch Rebels to him; we cannot but esteem it a high Inftance of God's Goodness, that he was pleased to provide a Remedy himself, and to point out a Method, by which Mercy might take place, and yet Juftice be fully fatisfied: Such a Method as nothing but his own Wisdom could contrive; fuch a Method, as the holy Angels were not able to discover, much lefs could Man have discovered it for himself, by all the Art that his own Mifery could fuggeft.

The Use therefore that we ought to make of this amazing Goodness, is, firft, to reflect with gratitude upon it, and to acknowledge the Sense we have of our unworthinefs to receive it, and the utter Impoffibility of our obtaining Mercy without the free Grace of God.

As there was nothing in our Power, that could influence God, or move him to fhew Mercy to us; and as there was no Satisfaction, but the Blood of our Redeemer, that could confiftently with God's Juftice be accepted by him, our condition was quite defperate and hopeless. No one could have expected, that God himself should submit to pay the Ransom for us,

or

SERM. or indeed that it was poffible to unite the divine NaXXIII. ture in such a manner to our finful Flesh, that as Man had finned, fo Man fhould fuffer, and yet that his Sufferings, by virtue of that Union, fhould be a full and perfect and fufficient Sacrifice, which it was impoffible for mere Man to make. But thus it was or dered. Thus God was fatisfied, and thus Man was redeemed from Mifery; thus was he rescued from everlasting Punishment, and entitled to everlasting Glory And he that is not moved by fuch Benefits as thefe, he that can reflect upon them without Love and Gratitude, does very well defserve to lose them; nay, it is certain he will lose them : Notwithstanding Chrift's Sufferings, his Portion will be no better than it was.

And this leads me to take notice of another Use, we ought to make of God's Goodness thus manifefted unto us; and that is, that we labour to fecure those Bleffings, that are thus purchased by the Blood of Christ. It is true, that no other Sacrifice is neceffary to be offered, no other Satisfaction is required by God, but the Blood of our dear Redeemer. He was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chaflifement of our peace was upon him, and by his firipes we are healed. But we are not fo healed, as to be past danger of relapfing; we are not fo rescued from the Bondage of Corruption, that we are fecure of God's Favour for the future. The Chriftian Life is a State of Trial and Conflict. He that bought us with a Price, has a right to our Obedience; and at the fame time that he exempted us from the Punishment of our Sins, he laid upon us an Obligation to forfake them; to abftain from all wilful and premeditated Offences, and to repent of thofe flips and mifcarriages which are unavoidable, through

the