1

the other three children of the captivity, who defired to be proven ten days, with no better cheer than pulse and swater:And at the end of ten days, their countenances ap peared fairer and fatter in fefb, than all the chidren which did eat the portion of the king's meat, Dan i. 12. 15.

2. 24. Why do we pray in the plural number, Give us? A. To exprefs a concern for the good things of this life to the rest of our fellow creatures, as well as to ourselves, Kings viii. 35-40.

105 QUEST. What do we pray for in the fifth petition?

ANSW. In the fifth petition (which is And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors), we pray, That God for Chrift's fake, would freely pardon all our fins; which we are the rather encouraged to aík, becaufe, by his grace, we are enabled, from the heart, to forgive others.

21. Why is this petition connected with the former, by the copulative article [and]?

A. To teach us, that we can have no outward comfort with God's bleffing, unlels our fins are pardoned, and our perfons accepted in Chrift, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

22. What are we to understand by [debts] in this pe tition?

A. By debts we are to underftand our sins, whether o riginal or actual, of omiffion or commiffion, Luke xi. 4. Q3. Why are thefe called debts?

A. Because of the debt of punishment we owe to the jus tice of God, on account of them, Rom. vi. 23. The wa ges of fin is death.

24. Can we pay any part of this debt to the juftice of God?

A. No: "neither we, nor any other creature, can make "the leaft fatisfaction" for it, Pfal. cxxx. 3.*; or pay the A farthing thereof, Mat. xviii. 25.

Larger Cat. Quest, 194,

Q. 5. What other debt are we naturally owing, befide the debt of punishment as tranfgreffors?

A. We are likewife owing a debt of obedience to the law as a covenant; wherein we are alfo utterly infolvent; bes ing unto every good work reprobate, Tit. i. 16.

26 What are we to pray for with reference to our fins or debts?

A. [That God, for Christ's fake, would freely pardon them all.]

Q7 Whole prerogative is it to pardon?

A. It is God's only, Mic. vii. 18.

28. From what spring or fountain in God doth pardon flow?

A. From his own gracious nature, Pfal. Ixxxvi. 5. and fovereign will, Exod. xxxii. 19.

29. What is it for God to [pardon]?

A. It is to acquit us both from the guilt and punish"ment of fin, Rom. iii. 26. *??

9. 10. For whofe fake doth he pardon?

A. Only for Chrift's fake].

2. 11. What is it for God to pardon for Chrift's fake? A. it is to vent his pardoning grace" through the o"bedience and fatisfaction of Chrift, apprehended and ap. 66 plied by faith, Rom iii. 25.†"

212. Could God pardon fin, without any refpect to the obedience and fatisfaction of Christ?

A. No: becaufe juftice behoved to be fatisfied; for,with] out fhedding of blood is no remiffion, Heb. ix. 22.

2. 13. What is the extent of pardoning grace?

A. It extends to [ALL our fins], Pfal. ciii. 3.

2. 14. In what manner fhould we expect that God will pardon all our fins?

A. We should expect that he will do it [freely,] for his own name's fake, Pfal, xxv. 1.

215. How can God be said to pardon our fins freely, when he doth it on account of the furety righteousness imputed to us?

A God's accepting of Chrift es our Surety, and his fulfilling all righteoufnefs in our room, were both of them as of rich, free, and fovereign grace, Pfal. lxxxix. 19. Luke xii. 5c. Though the pardon of our fins be of debt to Christ, yet it is free to us, Eph. i. 7..

Q. 16. When a believer prays for the forgiveness of his daily fine, does he pray for a new formal pardon of them?

A. Whatever may be the believer's practice as to this matter, at fome times, through the prevalency of darkness and unbelief; yet it is certain, that the pardon of fin, in juftification. is one perfect aft, completed at once, and never needs to be repeated, Mic. vii. 19-Thou wilt caft all their fins into the depths of the fea

Q. 17. If daily fins are already forgiven in juftification, in fo far as the not imputing of them is fecured therein; whyis the believer here directed to pray for the pardon of them?

A. As the evidences of pardon may be frequently eclipf ed, and fatherly difpleafure incurred, by our daily failings; it is therefore our duty to pray, that God's fatherly dif pleasure may be removed, and, the joy of his falvation reftored, by his "giving us daily more and more affurance "of forgiveness, Pfal. li. 8, 9, 10, 12. *"

Q18. Upon what ground may we be encouraged to afk and expect, from God, the intimation of the pardon of our daily fins and failings?.

A. Becaufe, by his grace, we are enabled, from the heart, to forgive others.

Q19. What is it we forgive to others?

A. Perfonal injuries; or injuries as committed against ourfelves, Mat. xviii, 15.

22c. Have perfonal injuries an offence done to God in them?

A. To be fure they have: and it is our duty to pray that God would forgive it, Pfal. xxxv. 13.

22. In what manner should we forgive perfonal injuries!

A. We should do it [from the heart].

Q. 22 What is it to forgive our fellow creatures from the heart?

A. It is not only to lay afide all refentment against them; but to wifh and do them all offices of kindness that lie in our power, as if they had never done us any injury, Mat.

v. 44.

Q. 23. Have we fuch a difpofition in us naturally?
A. No: God enables us to it [by his grace].

9. 24 What are we naturally inclined unto with refe rence to perfonal injuries?

A. We are naturally inclined to harbour hatred and malice in our hearts on account of them, and to revenge them if we can; as was the cafe with Efau again his brother Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 41.

Q25 What fhould excite us to the duty of forgiving perfonal injuries?

A. The examples of this difpofition recorded in fcripture for our imitation; fuch as, the example of Jofeph, Gen. 1. 17, 21.; of Stephen. As vii. 60,; and of our Lord himfelf, Luke xxiii. 34.

Q: 26. Can it ever be dishonourable to forgive a perfonal injury?

A. No: it is a man's glory to pass over a tranfgreffion, Prov. xix. 11.

2. 27. Can forgiving the person, infer an approbation of his crime?

A. No: we may forgive the perfon, and yet charge his fin clofe home upon his confcience, as Jofeph did to his brethren, Gen. xlv. 4. and 1. 20.

2. 28. When if forgiveness embolden the offender in the like injuries for the future?

A. The fear of this should not be an excufe of omitting the prefent duty of forgiving; because we fhould leave events to the Lord.

2. 29. When we fay, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, do we mean to ftate a comparifon between our forgiving others, and God's forgiving us?

A. No: there is infinite difproportion betwixt the one and the other; the injuries our fellow creatures do us are but few and finall, in comparison of the innumerable and aggravated crimes we are guilty of again God, Mat. xviii. verfes 24th and 28th compared.

2 30. Can we, in a confiftency with the fcope of this petition, make our forgiving of others, the ground and reafon of God's forgiving us?

A. No: for this would be to put our forgiving of athers, in the room of Chrift's righteousness, on the account alone it is that God forgives us.

Q3. What then is the true meaning of these word. [as we forgive our debtors]?

A. The meaning is, that we take encouragement to hope, that God will forgive us the fins of our daily walk from this evidence, or teftimony in ourselves, that we, from

"the heart, forgive others their offences, Mat. vi. 14, 15. "If ye forgive men their trefpaffes, your heavenly Ea "ther will alfo forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive yout "trefpaffes.*"

Q. 32. What may we learn from the verfes juft now quoted, for illuftrating the meaning of this petition ?

A. We may learn this from them, as the meaning of it, that our forgiving others, may be an evidence of God's forgiving us: and that our being of an implacable and unrelenting difpofition towards our fellow creatures, who have injured us, is a fad fign, that our own fins are not forgiven us of God, Mat. xviii. 35.

106. QUEST. What do we pray for in the fixth petition?

ANSW. In the fixth petition, (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deli ver us from evil) we pray, That God would either keep us from being tempted to fin, or fupport and deliver us when we are tempted.

Q. What doth this petition neceffarily suppose ?

A. It fuppofes," that the moft wife, righteous, and gracious God, for divers holy and juft ends, may so or"der things, that we may be affaulted, foiled, and, for a time, led captive by temptations, 2 Chron. xxxii, 31.†” Q. 2. How many ways may God be faid to [lead] a perfon (into temptation], and yet not be the author of fin? A. Two ways; objectively and permiffively.

Q3. How may he be faid to lead into temptation eb jectively?

A. When his providential difpenfations, which in them. felves, are holy, juft, and good, do offer, or lay before us occafions for fin.

Q4. May thefe occafions be called incitements or 2726tives to fin?

Larger Cat.

Quest. 195.

İbid. Queft. 195.