O let not our iniquity be our ruin a; but let the Lord take away our sin that we may not dieb, not die eternally; that we may not be hurt of the second death c.

Blot out as a cloud our transgressions, and as a thick cloud our sins; for we return unto thee, because thou hast redeemed us d.

Enter not into judgment with thy servants, O Lord, for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified e.

Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; heal our backslidings, and love us freely, and let thine anger be turned away from us; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy g.

Though our sins have been as scarlet, let them be as white as snow, and though they have been red like crimson, let them be as wool, that being willing and obedient, we may eat the good of the land h.

We will say unto God, Do not condemn us i, but deliver us from going down to the pit, for thou hast found the ransom k.

For the encouragement of our faith, and the exciting of our fervency in this petition for the pardon of sin we may plead with God.

(1.) The infinite goodness of his nature, his readiness to forgive sin, and his glorying in it.

Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and rich in mercy to all them that call upon thee. Thou art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth 7.

Thou art a God of pardon, merciful, slow to chide, and of great kindness m; that dost not always chide nor keep thine anger for ever n.

Thou, even thou art he that blottest out our transgressions for thine own sake, and wilt not remember our sins, which we are here to put thee in remembrance of, to plead with thee, and to declare that we may be justified a.

And now, we beseech thee, let the power of our Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, the Lord is long suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Pardon we beseech thee, the iniquity of thy people according unto the greatness of thy mercy: and as thou hast forgiven even unto now b.

For who is a God like unto thee, that pardonest iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of thine heritage; who retainest not thine anger for ever, because thou delightest in mercy. O that thou wouldst have compassion upon us, and subdue our iniquities, and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea c.

(2.) The merit and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we rely upon as our main plea in our petition for the pardon of sin.

We know that as thou art gracious and merciful, so thou art the righteous God that loveth righteousness d, and wilt by no means clear the guilty e. We cannot say, Have patience with us and we will pay thee all g; for we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags h. But Jesus Christ is made of God, to us righteousness i; being made sin for us, though he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him k.

We have sinned, but we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitia

a Isa xliii. 25, 26.

d Psal. xi. 7.

h Isa. lxiv. 6.

b Numb. xiv. 17, 18, 19. e Mic. vii. 18, 19,

tion for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world a.

It is God that justifieth, who is he that shall condemn? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, and now is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us b, and whose blood speaks better things than that of Abel c.

We desire to count every thing loss for Christ, and dung that we may win Christ, and be found in him, not having any righteousness of our own, but that which is through the faith of Christ d.

This is the name whereby we will call him, The Lord our righteousness. In him, Lord, we believe, help thou our own unbeliefe.

Lord, remember David and all his troubles; the son of David g, remember all his offerings, and accept his burnt sacrifice; and turn not away the face of thine anointed h, who by his own blood is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us i.

Hast not thou thyself set forth thy Son Christ Jesus, to be a propitiation for sin through faith in his blood, to declare thy righteousness for the remission of sins, to declare at this time thy righteousness, that thou mayest be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus k. And we now receive the atonement l.

(3.) The promises God hath made in his word to pardon and absolve all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel.

Lord, is not this the word which thou hast spoken, That if the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return unto the Lord, even to

a 1 John ii. 1, 2.
d Phil. iii. 7, 8, 9.
h Psal. xx. 3.
/ Rom. v. 11.

b Rom. viii. 33, 34. c Heb. xii. 24.

e Jer. xxiii. 6.

i Heb.ix. 24.

Psal. cxxxii. 1, 2,
Rom. iii. 25, 26.

our God, that thou wilt abundantly pardon, wilt multiply to pardon a?

To thee, the Lord our God, belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against thee b.

Is not this the covenant which thou hast made with the house of Israel c, that thou wilt take away their sins; that thou wilt forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more; that the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none d; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found?

Hast thou not said, that if the wicked will turn from all his sins which he hath committed, and keep thy statutes, he shall live, he shall not die, all his transgressions shall not be mentioned unto him e.

Hast thou not appointed that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name, unto all nations g?

Didst thou not promise that when the sins of Israel were put upon the head of the scape-goat, they should be sent away into the wilderness, into a land not inhabited h? And as far as the east is from the west, so far dost thou remove our transgressions from us i.

O remember those words unto thy servants, upon which thou hast caused us to hope k.

(4.) Our own misery and danger because of sin.

For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon our iniquity, for it is great l; for innumerable evils have compassed us about, our iniquities have taken hold upon us, so that we are not able to look up. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver us; O Lord, make haste to help us m.

O remember not against us former iniquities, let thy tender mercy speedily prevent us, for we are brought

a Isa. lv. 7.

d Jer. 1. 20.

h Lev. xvi. 22, 23. / Psal. xxv. 11.

b Dan. ix. 8.

e Ezekiel xviii. 21, 22.
i Psal. ciii. 12.

m Psal. xl. 12, 13.

c Rom. xi. 27.

Luke xxiv. 47. k Psal. cxix. 49..

very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; deliver us and purge away our sins for thy name's sake a.

Remember not the sins of our youth, nor our transgressions, according to thy mercy remember thou us, for thy goodness sake, O Lord b.

(5.) The blessed condition which they are in, whose sins are pardoned.

O let us have the blessedness of those whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered; of that man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile c.

O let us have redemption through Christ's blood even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of thy grace, wherein thou hast abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence d. That being in Christ Jesus, there may be no condemnation to us e.

I

That our sins, which are many, being forgiven us, we may go in peace g: and the inhabitant shall not say, am sick, if the people that dwell therein be forgiven their iniquity h.

2. We must likewise pray that God will be reconciled to us, that we may obtain his favour and blessing, and gracious acceptance.

(1.) That we may be at peace with God, and his anger may be turned away from us.

Being justified by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through him let us have access into that grace wherein believers stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God i.

Be not thou a terror to us, for thou art our hope in the day of evilk.