ever of you have the grace of repentance and the Holy Spirit, are not in those uncertainties, but have Enoch's testimony, Heb. ii. 5, that you do please God.

§. XII. AND THAT THE REST OF OUR LIFE HEREAFTER MAY BE PURE AND HOLY] This is the second benefit and motive earnestly to pray for these things; for so you shall not only be welcomed at present with a gracious smile, but all your lives long be reputed as the friends of God, and by his help shall be preserved pure as a true repentance hath made you, and holy as those are who are under the guard of the spirit of holiness. Pray therefore with all your heart for a true repentance, or else as soon as your soul is washed, it will return to its impure wallowings, and all your labour is in vain hitherto; for a feigned repentance sends this Absalom away for a while, but upon the next interview it will hurry us with more passion into its embraces. Whereas the deep wounds of the true penitent make sin hateful to him while he lives, and he that gets on a white garment with so much pains will not easily sully it, but carefully preserve it pure as his tears have made it. And upon this ground also we must be very pressing for the Holy Spirit, which if we can obtain, we shall not only be preserved from the spots of sin, but shall shine with the lustre of a holy life; our goodness is apt to vanish, Hos. vi. 4, we are wavering and soon weary, unless we have that establishing Spirit, Psalm li. 14, which David prays for, and then all duties will be easy. Our love and the sense of his assistance will carry us so cheerfully through them all, that they shall be our pleasure, not our burden: and when we are arrived to this, nothing can bribe us to forsake them. O happy soul! which is thus begun to be restored to that purity and holiness which are part of God's image, Eph. iv. 24,

P 2 Pet. ii. 22. Laterem lavare.

and parcels of the Divine perfections. Blessed is he that is so far advanced, that God is not like to forsake him, because he hath made him holy, pure, and a fit temple for the inhabitation of his Spirit; nor is he likely ever to forsake that God whose mercy hath saved him, whose grace doth refresh him, whose ways please him, and whose glorious bounty (which faith discovers) doth still allure him to press forward to nearer 53 unions and unseparable connections. No state under the sun is to be longed after and wished for like this, which a true repentance and God's Holy Spirit bring

us to.

§. XIII. SO THAT AT THE LAST WE MAY COME TO HIS ETERNAL JOY, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN] There is nothing more desirable than the sweet peace of a good conscience, but only the end and perfection thereof, even that happiness which is infinite and endless, which the scripture calls an eternal and everlasting joy, Isa. xxxv. 10, chap. li. 7, and chap. Ixi. 11, which men nor devils cannot lessen or interrupt, much less take from us. If God give us true repentance, it will preserve us from the sins which forfeit this joy; and if he add his Holy Spirit, it will safely conduct us into those paths of righteousness which lead to that bliss, where we can desire no more, because we have all that is desirable. There are no cares to disturb, no fears to allay, nor sorrows to abate those ravishments of delight for ever; there is joy which far surpasseth the half-sad and mixed pleasures of this world, being nothing else but pure delight, which pleaseth by its own excellence, and by having no fears nor possibility of defailance in degree or continuance. We taste some

thing of it in the pleasing calm of a strong faith and a quiet conscience, and cheerful expectations of God's love; but this is but the landscape of our hea

venly Canaan which Jesus hath purchased for us, and God the Father will grant unto us, and the most Holy Spirit will be our guide thither. The whole glorious Trinity will put us into possession thereof, and then rejoice over us to all eternity. The Father who forgave us, the Son who died for us, and the blessed Spirit who wrought effectually in us, will communicate this their joy with us and to us for ever. And lastly, to shew that you thankfully follow these directions of the ministers, and have in your own heart and thoughts most devoutly petitioned God for a true repentance and his Holy Spirit (by means whereof all these incomparable benefits may redound to you); in testimony, I say, hereof, you sum up all in a petitionary Amen, desiring it may be so, and assenting also to the truth of all this. It is most true, and therefore so be it unto you. Amen.

The Paraphrase of the Absolution.

Be it known unto every one of you that hath confessed his sins with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, that ALMIGHTY GOD, supreme King of heaven and earth, whose royal prerogative it is fully to acquit or finally to condemn, he being THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, is now, by his merits, of an angry Judge become a tender Father, and hath solemnly sworn he is one WHO DESIRETH NOT, neither taketh pleasure in, THE DEATH or damnation of a SINNER, though never so justly deserving it, BUT RATHER chooseth to have opportunity to shew mercy; and therefore he useth all possible means THAT HE who hath sinned MAY TURN FROM HIS WICKEDNESS, which would bring him into condemnation, that by leaving these paths of death, he may be forgiven, AND LIVE in holiness and comfort here, and in everlasting joy hereafter. AND to confirm this, and keep penitent sinners from despair, he HATH GIVEN POWER by virtue of his supreme authority, AND COMMANDMENT for the exercise of this power on

q Psal. li. 14. LXX. Пveûμa ηyeμoviкóv.

special occasions TO HIS MINISTERS, which are lawfully chosen to be his ambassadors, ordering them TO DECLARE at all times his willingness to pardon, AND to PRONOUNCE absolution more particularly TO HIS PEOPLE, BEING grieved and truly PENITENT for all their offences, (as you now from your hearts seem to be.) Know ye therefore that we are authorized in God's name to bring to such this message of THE ABSOLUTION from the guilt, AND REMISSION of the punishment oF THEIR SINS; and by virtue of the power, and in obedience to the command given to us by God, we do now proclaim, that not we, but HE, that can do it by his own right, PARDONETH AND ABSOLVETH both from guilt and punishment ALL THEM that are qualified for a pardon, by those conditions which are by him required, even them THAT TRULY REPENT, and grieve for all their evil ways, longing to be delivered from them, and seriously purposing to amend them; these shall never be condemned, if 54 they will trust in his mercy, AND UNFEIGNEDLY BELIEVE the promises of HIS HOLY GOSPEL, particularly accepting this message of his love therein manifested. WHEREFORE since God is so able and willing to pardon, and hath sent his ministers to offer a pardon to the penitent and believing, O let us not lose the benefit of so gracious an offer, but LET US all (since all are sinners) go together to the throne of grace upon this courteous summons, and BESEECH HIM earnestly TO GRANT US TRUE REPENTANCE, such as he can work in us, and such as he will accept to our forgiveness; and having thereby cleansed us from by-past sins, let us more heartily beg the help of his grace, AND HIS HOLY SPIRIT, to purify our hearts, strengthen our faith, and bless our endeavours of reformation; which petitions we must ask fervently, 1, THAT THOSE THINGS MAY PLEASE HIM, even our absolution, our prayers, and all the other duties WHICH WE DO AT THIS PRESENT perform in his house. AND, 2, THAT THE REST OF OUR LIVES, which formerly have been so sinful, HEREAFTER MAY BE PURE from wickedness, sanctified AND HOLY in all points: so THat, 3, at the LAST, when death puts an end to the tedious sorrows and short contents of this mortal life, WE MAY COME TO HIS ETERNAL JOY, which is unconceivable and endless, without mixture or diminution; and which is so much above our deserts, that we

could not hope ever to obtain it, but THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, who by his death purchased this pardon, by his intercession prevaileth for this grace, and at his ascension took possession of this eternal joy for all that are truly absolved; to which we all say AMEN. Lord, be it so unto us. Amen.

SECTION V.

OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.

§. I. WHAT hath hitherto been performed by the church was rather a preparation to prayer than prayer itself; for this confession and absolution answers to the heathen washings, and those the Jews used before they approached their altars: so that we may say the first place is by us assigned to the first and chiefest of all prayers which should have stood in the front of all; but only that till we had repented of our disobedience we ought not to call God Father, and till we have his pardon, we cannot with comfort call him so. He that hath been in rebellion must have his offence forgiven before he presume to petition for acts of grace; so we being predisposed by confession and absolution, begin with this prayer. And sure this deserves to be first, since it was made by Jesus, and indited by his Divine Spirit to be a guide to, and a part of, our daily devotionsa, to be used as oft as we need our daily bread, saying these words, or praying in this manner, which is all one; as when the Jews are commanded to bless after this manner, they do keep both words and language in the pronunciation. This prayer Christ had delivered in his first sermon, Matt. vi, but it seems his disciples

a Luke xi. 2. λéyere. Matt. vi. 9. OUTWS OUV Tроreúxeσde. Vid. LXX. in Numb. vi. 23. ourws λέγοντες.

b Debet benedictio ista proferri lingua sancta, cum nomine Dei proprio. Fagius in loc.

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