gument to God to forgive us, when he hath given us hearts to forgive others. But not as the measure of God's forgiving us, for he forgiveth us more freely and fully than we can forgive others." Q. 13. Are we bound absolutely to forgive all men?

A. No; but as they are capable of it. 1. We have no power to forgive wrongs against God. 2. Nor against our superiors, or other men, or the commonwealth, or church, further than God authoriseth any man by office. 3. A magistrate must forgive sins, as to corporeal punishment, no further than God alloweth him, and as will stand with the true design of government, and the common good. And a pastor no further than will stand with the good of the church; and a father no further than will stand with the good of the family: and so of others. 4. An enemy that remaineth such, and is wicked, must be forgiven by private men, so far as that we must desire and endeavour their good, and seek no revenge; but not so far as to be trusted as a familiar, or bosom friend. 5. A friend that offended, and returneth to his fidelity, must be forgiven and trusted as a friend, according to the evidence of his repentance and sincerity, and no further.

The rest about forgiveness is opened in the exposition of that article in the creed, "The forgiveness of sins." Still remembering that all forgiveness is by God's mercy, through Christ's merits, sacrifice, and intercession.

CHAP. XXX.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Q. 1. WHY is this made the sixth petition?

A. Because it is the next in order to the attainment of our ultimate end. Our natures being maintained, and our sin and punishment forgiven, we next need deliverance from all evils that we are in danger of for the time to come, and then we are saved.

Q. 2. What is meant by temptation?

A. Any such trial as may overcome us or hurt us, whether by Satan, or by the strong allurements of the world and flesh, or

© Matt. vi. 14, 15, and xviii. 35; Mark xi. 25, 26.

by persecutions or other heavy sufferings, which may draw us to sin, or make us miserable.d

Q. 3. Doth God lead any into temptation?

A. 1. God placeth us in this world in the midst of trials, making it our duty to resist and overcome. 2. God permitteth the devil, by his suggestions, and by the world and flesh, to tempt us. 3. God trieth us himself by manifold afflictions, and by permitting the temptations of persecutors and oppressors.

Q. 4. Why will God do and permit all this? A. It is a question unmeet for man to put. It is but to ask him why he would make a rank of reasonable creatures below confirmed angels? And why he would make man with freewill? And why he would not give us the prize without the race, and the crown without the warfare and victory? And you may next ask why he did not make every star a sun, and every man an angel, and every beast and vermin a man, and every stone a diamond.f

Q. 5. Doth God tempt a man to sin?

A. No: sin is none of God's end or desire. Satan tempts men to sin, and God tempteth men to try them whether they will sin, or be faithful to him, to exercise their grace and victory.

Q. 6. Is it not all that we need that God lead us not into temptation?

A. The meaning is, that God, who overruleth all things, will neither himself try us beyond the strength which he will give us, nor permit Satan, men, or flesh, to overtempt us unto sin.

Q. 7. But are we not sure that this life will be a life of trial and temptation, and that we must pass through many tribulations?

A. Yes: but we pray that they may not be too strong and prevalent to overcome us, when we should overcome.h

Q. 8. What be the temptations of Satan which we pray against?

A. They are of so many sorts that I must not here be so large as to number them. You may see a great number with the remedies, named in my Christian Directory; but, in general, they are such by which he deceives the understanding, perverteth the will, and corrupteth our practice; and this is about our state

42 Pet. ii. 9; Rev. iii. 10; Matt. xxvi. 41; Luke viii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 6; Matt. iv.; Gen. xxii. 1.

8 Jam. i. 13-15.

'Jam. i. 2, 12; 1 Cor. x. 13. h1 Cor. x. 13; Heb. ii. 18.

of soul, or about our particular actions, to draw us to sins of commission, or of omission, against God, ourselves, or others. The particulars are innumerable.1

Q. 9. What is the evil that we pray to be delivered from? A. The evil of sin and misery, and from Satan, ourselves, and men, and all hurtful creatures, as the causes.

Q. 10. What is the reason of the connexion of the two parts of this petition, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil?"

A. Temptation is the means of sin, and sin the cause of misery. And they that would be delivered from sin, must pray and labour to be delivered from temptation; and they that would be delivered from misery, must be delivered from sin.k

Q. 11. May not a tempted man be delivered from sin?

A. Yes, when the temptation is not chosen by him, and cannot be avoided, and when it is not too strong for him, grace assisting him.

Q. 12. What duty doth this petition oblige us to, and what sin doth it reprehend?

A. 1. It binds us to a continual, humble sense of our own corrupt dispositions, apt to yield to temptations, and of our danger, and of the evil of sin; and it condemneth the unhumbled that know not, or fear not, their pravity, or danger.

2. It binds us all to fly from temptations, as far as lawfully we can; and condemneth them that rush fearlessly on them, yea, that tempt themselves and others. The best man is not safe that will not avoid such temptations as are suited to his corrupt nature, when he may. While the bait is still near unto his senses, he is in continual danger.1

3. It binds us to feel the need of grace and God's deliverance, and not to trust our corrupted nature, and insufficient strength.

Q. 13. How doth God deliver us from evil?

A. 1. By keeping us from over-strong temptation. 2. By his assisting grace. 3. By restraining Satan and wicked men, and all things that would hurt us, and, by his merciful providence, directing, preserving, and delivering us from sin and misery.

1 Thes. iii. 5; Eph. vi. 11.

* Prov. iv. 14, 15; 1 Thes. v. 22; Prov. vii. 23; 2 Tim. iii. 7, and vi. 9; 1 Cor. vii. 35; Matt. v. 29-31.

'Matt. xviii. 6-9, and xvi. 22–24; 1 Cor, viii. 9 ; Rom. xiv. 13; Rev. ii. 14.

CHAP. XX.

"For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever.— Amen."

Q. 1. WHAT is the meaning of this conclusion, and its scope? A. It is a form of praise to God, and helps to our belief of the hearing of our prayers.

Q. 2. Why is it put last?

A. Because the praise of God is the highest step next heaven.m Q. 3. What is the meaning of kingdom, power, and glory here?

A. By kingdom is meant that it belongeth only to God to rule all the creatures, dispose of all things; and by power is meant that, by his infinite perfection and sufficiency, he can do it; and therefore can give us all that we want, and deliver us from all that we fear. And by glory is meant that all things shall be ordered so as the glory of all his own perfections shall finally and everlastingly shine forth in all, and his glory be the end of all for ever."

Q. 4. What is the reason of the order of these three here? A. I told you that the last part ascendeth from the lowest to the highest step. God's actual government is the cause of our deliverances and welfare. God's power and perfection is it that manageth that government. God's glory shining in the perfected form of the universe, and especially in heaven, is the ultimate end of all.

Q. 5. But it seems there is no confession of sin, or thanksgiving, in this form of prayer?

A. It is the symbol or directory to the will's desire: and when we know what we should desire, it is implied that we know what we want, and what we should bewail, and what we should be thankful for and praise includeth our thanksgiving.

Q. 6. Why say we, "for ever?"

A. For our comfort and God's honour, expressing the everlastingness of his kingdom, power, and glory.

Psalm cxix.; clxiv.; lxxi. 6, 8, and lxxviii. 13.

" Psalm ciii. xix., and cxlv. 12; Dan. iv. 3, 34; Matt. xvi. 28; Psalm cxlv. 11, 13; Heb. i. 8; Luke ii. 14; Matt. xvi. 27, and xxiv. 30; Acts xii. 23.

Psalm cxlv. 4, 10; cxlviii.; lxvi. 2, 8; cxlvii. i, 7, and cvi. 2, 47 ; Phil. iv 20; Jude 25: Rev. v. 13, and vii. 12; Rom. xi. 36, and xvi. 27.

Q. 7. Why say we "Amen?"

A. To express both our desire, and our faith and hope, that God will hear the desires which his Spirit giveth us through the mediation of Jesus Christ.

CHAP. XXXII.

Of the Ten Commandments in general.

Q. 1. ARE the ten commandments a law to Christians, or are they abrogated with the rest of Moses's law?

A. The ten commandments are considerable in three states: 1. As part of the primitive law of nature. 2. As the law given by Moses, for the peculiar government of the Jews' commonwealth. 3. As the law of Jesus Christ.P

1. The law of nature is not abrogate, though the terms of life and death are not the same as under the law of innocency. 4

2. The law of Moses to the Jews as such, never bound all other nations, nor now bindeth us, but is dead and done away. (2 Cor. iii. 7, 9, 10, 11; Rom. ii. 12, and xiv. 15; iii. 19, and vii. 1-3; Heb. vii. 12; 1 Cor. ix. 21.) But seeing it was God that was the Author of that law, and by it expressly told the Jews what the law of nature is, we are all bound still to take those two tables to be God's own transcript of his law of nature, and so are, by consequence, bound by them still. If God give a law to some one man, as that which belongs to the nature of all men, though it bind us not as a law to that man, it binds as God's exposition of the law of nature when notified

to us.

3. As the law of Christ, it binds all Christians.

Q. 2. How are the ten commandments the law of Christ? A. 1. Nature itself, and lapsed mankind, is delivered up to Christ as Redeemer, to be used in the government of his kingdom. And so the law of nature is become his law."

2. It was Christ, as God Redeemer, that gave the law of Moses, and as it is a transcript of the common law of nature, he doth not revoke it, but suppose it.

Exod. xx., and xxxiv. 28; Deut. v.

¶ Luke i. 6.

Matt. v. 18, 19, and xxiv. 40; Mark x. 19, and xii. 29, 30; John xiv. 21. 1 Cor. vii. 19, and xiv. 37; 1 John ii. 4; iii. 24, and v. 3; John xv. 12.