Q. 19. What then is the meaning of God's forgiving us, as we forgive others?

A. Not as to the quantity and perfection of forgiveness, but as to the fincerity and quality thereof; Matth. xviii. ult. So likewife shall my heavenly Father do alfo unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trefpaffes.

Q. 20. Are we always bound to manifeft outwardly our love and forgiveness to all our enemies, and to behave ourselves towards them as friends?

A. No, if we have experienced them to be treacherous and false, and fee no change, we are not bound to trust them; if they be, and remain wicked and profane, we must not affociate with them; Pfal. xxvi. I have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not fit with the wicked. Ver. 4. I have not fat with vain perfons, neither will I go in with diffemblers.

Q. 21. What then must we do to fuch?

A. We muft heartily forgive them all their injuries, we must love them with the love of benevolence, pray for them, and be ready and willing to do them all good, both of body and foul; Matth. v. 44, 45. But I fay unto you, Love your enemies; bless them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you and perfecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the juft and on the unjust. Q. 22. If we forgive others, fhall we be forgiven ourselves? A. We fhall, if out of obedience to God, and love to Chrift, we do it.

Q. 23. What is the firft inference from hence?

A. That except our fins be forgiven, we are loft and undone creatures; and therefore we must never be contented, till we are pardoned.

Q. 24. What is a fecond inference ?

A. That God is a God of love, goodness, and pardon; seeing he will not pardon us, if we do not pardon others; but will, if we do fo.

Q. 25. What is a third inference?

A. That if we live in hatred when we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray for our own damnation; Matth. xviii. 22. Jefus faith unto him, I fay not unto thee, Until feven times, but until seventy times feven. Ver. 45. So likewife fhall my heavenly Father do alfo unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trefpaffes.

Queft. 106.

Of God's leading us into temptation.

WH

HAT do we pray for in the fixth petition? . In the fixth petition, which is, [And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil :] we pray, that God

would either keep us from being tempted to fin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

Q. 1. Why is this petition joined to the former with the copulative and?

A. Because it will be but little advantage to have former fins pardoned, and to be left to the power and practice, to the love and trade of fin for the future; Ezek. xviii. 26. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteoufnefs, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done, shall he die.

Q. 2. What is meant by temptation?

A. In general, a trial or probation of what is in us, or of what we will do.

Q3. What is meant by temptation here?

A. Temptation to fin and wickedness.

Q. 4. How may we be faid to be tempted to fin?

4. (1.) Effectually by ourselves, and our own hearts: Jam. i. 14, 15. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. Then when luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth fin; and fin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (2.) Formally, with an intention to draw into fin; and fo we are tempted of the devil; Chron. xxi. 1. And Satan ftood up againft Ifrael, and provoked David to number Ifrael. Matth. iv. 1, 3. Then was Jefus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when the Tempter came to him, he faid, If thou be the Son of God, command that thefe ftones be made bread. (3.) Innocently, and blamelefly; and fo God is faid to tempt; 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ifrael; and he moved David against them to fay, Go number Ifrael and Judah. Q. 5. How many ways may God be faid to tempt evil?

A. (1.) By withdrawing his grace, either common or special; 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. Howbeit, in the bufinefs of the ambaffadors of the princes of Babylon, who fent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land; God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. (2.) By permitting Satan, and wicked men, to tempt; 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. He moved David against them, to say, Go and number Ifreal and Judah. With Chron. xxi. 1. Satan ftood up against Ifrael, and provoked David. Matth. iv. 1. Then was Jefus led up of the Spirit into the wildernefs, to be tempted of the devil. (3.) By prefenting occafions in his providence, which he knows willbe abused to fin; as in the fall of Adam, the hardening of Pharaoh, &c.

Q. 6. What do we beg in this petition?

A. We beg, that we may not any of thefe, or any other ways, whereby the holy God may be faid to lead into temptation, be led thereinto; Pfalm cxli. 1. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not VOL. VI.

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eat of their dainties. Pfalm xix. 13. Keep back thy lervant alfo from prefumptuous fins; let them not have dominion over me: Then shalf I be upright, and I fhall be innocent from the great tranfgreffion. Q. 7. What is meant by evil?

A. Some understand of the devil, but the beft meaning is fin, which is the evil of evils, and makes the devil evil, and is the worst of evils the devil can bring upon us, and is ufually fo understood in fcripture; Pfalm xcvii. 10. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil. Ifa. i. 16. Ceafe to do evil. Amos v. 15. Hate the evil, and love the good. Rom. xii. 9. Abhor that which is evil.

Q. 8. What is meant by deliverance from evil?

A. That if God fees meet to permit us to be tempted by Satan, and the wicked without, or by our own hearts within, to fin; or occafionally, by his providence; that he will not leave us, but undertake for us, that we may not be led into fin thereby, but by his grace be made more than conquerors. Pfalm li. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Pfalm cxix. 133. Order my fteps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. According to his promife; Cor. x. 13. But God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. 2 Cor. xii. 9.` And he faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee; for my ftrength is made perfect in weakness.

Q. 9. What is the first inference?

A. That fin is the worst of evils.

Q. 10. What is the fecond inference?

A. That without God's grace we can never withstand, but fhall be overcome by every temptation; 2 Cor. iii. 5. Not that we are fufficient of ourfelves, to think any thing as of ourselves; but our fufficiency is of God, John xv. 5. For without me ye can do nothing. Q. 11. What is the third inference?

A. That we must do all we can to keep ourselves from temptation, and to engage the grace of God with us in temptation, by prayer, by pleafing the Spirit of God, by looking to Jefus, &c.

Queft. 107.

Of the Conclufion.

THAT doth the conclufion of the Lord's prayer teach us?

WHAT

A. The conclufion of the Lord's prayer, which is, [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever; Amen.] teacheth us, to take our encouragement in prayer from God only; and in our prayers to praise him; afcribing kingdom, power, and glory to him; and in teftimony of our defire, and affurance, to be heard, we fay, Amen.

Q1. Why is the conclufion joined to the particle For?

A. To teach us, that therein are included arguments, or reafons to prefs God withal, and to prevail with him for audience.

Q. 2. But is it lawful to argue with God, and to urge him with reafons in prayer?

4. It is not only lawful, but expedient, yea, highly commendable; as is feen in the faints prayer. In Mofes' Numb. xiv. 13. And Mofes faid unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians fhall hear it, (for thou broughteft up this people in thy might from among them.) Ver. 19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou haft forgiven this people from Egypt, even until now. In Jofhua's, chap. vii. 7. And Joshua faid, Alas? O Lord God; wherefore haft thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to deftroy us? Would to God we had been content. and dwelt on the other fide Jordan, Ver. 9. For the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land fhall hear of it, and fhall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: And what wilt thou do unto thy great name? In Afa's; 2 Chron. xiv. 11. And Afa cried unto the Lord his God, and laid, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we reft on thee; and in thy name we go against this great multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee. In Jeho fhaphat's, 2 Chron. xx. 6.And faid, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? And ruleft not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might, fo that none is able to withstand thee? And Hezekiah's, 2 Kings xix. 15. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Ifrael, which dwelleft between the cherubims; thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou haft made heaven and earth, Ver, 19. Now therefore, O Lord our God, &c.

Q. 3. But to what purpofe, can we think to prevail with God, by our arguments and importunities?

A. They are not used, as though we would put God in remembrance of any thing, or would prevail with God to do that for us, which he is unwilling to give,

Q. 4. Why then?

A. For our own profit, for the enlarging of our own hearts, for the exciting of our fervency, for the exerting of faith, hope, zeal, charity, &c. in prayer; and fo to prepare ourselves for the mercy, that we may the more gratefully receive it, and the more fruitfully employ it.

Q5. How many arguments are in this conclufion?

A. Three.

Q. 6. From whence are they taken?

A. From God's kingdom, from his power, and from his glory.
Q. 7. What kingdom is here meant ?

4. God's univerfal, effential, and abfolute kingdom; wherein may

be, and is involved, his fpecial kingdom over the church.

Q. 8. What are the arguments from hence?

4. Because all that we can pray for in this prayer, is for the ad

vancement and perfecting of this his kingdom, by the deftruction of all perfons and things that oppofe it, and the completion of his dominion over all his fubjects; therefore he would grant all these requests.

Q. 9. What is another?

A. Because he being fuch an abfolute Lord and fovereign, has an undeniable right, and unquestionable authority, to give and grant all we afk, and to effect and bring to pass all we beg: For all perfons and things are his own, and at his difpofal. Mat. xx. 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?

Q. 10. What is meant by power?

A. God's effential, infinite, irrefiftible power, whereby he can do what he pleates; Pfalm cxxxv. 6. Whatfoever the Lord pleased, &c. Q. 11. What is the argument from hence?

A That we afk nothing from God, but what we can do with infinite eafe, in defpite of all the oppofition that hell, earth and heart can make to the contrary; Philip. iii. ult. According to the working, &c. Eph. iii. 20. Now unto him that is able, &c.

Q. 12. What is meant by glory?

A. Not his effential glory, which no man, or angel, can ever ap prehend.

Q. 13. What glory then?

A. His declared and acknowledged glory, even the accomplishment of all his decrees by his providence; and then the love, the adoration, and the praises, the self-dedications of angels and faints, returned to him for the fame.

14. What is the argument or motive from hence?

A. That feeing the substance of every request does directly tend to, and will perfectly end in, this glory of God, when they are fully anfwered; therefore he would gradually anfwer them while we are here, and perfectly at laft, to the advancement of his glory now, and the completion of it then. 1 Chron. xxix. 11. Thine, O Lord, is the greatnefs, and the power, and the glory, &c. Jofh. vii. 9. And what wilt thou do unto thy great name? Ifa. xlii. 8. I am the Lord, that is my name, &c. Ifa. xlviii. 11. For my own fake, even for my own fake, will I do it, &c.

Q. 15. Why is Amen added ?

A. Because it is the ufual conclufion of prayers and praises; Pfalm xli. 13. Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael, &c. Pfalm lxxii. 19. And bleffed be his glorious naine for ever, &c. 2 Cor. xiii. ult. The grace of the Lord Jefus, and the love of God, &c. Rom. xvi. 20. The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with you. Amen.

Q. 16. But what doth this word here fignify?

A. It fignifies, (1.) The reality and ardency of our defires to be granted in what we pray for: Rev. xxii. 20. He which teftifieth thefe things, faith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even fo come, Lord Jefus.