A Guide to Go to God, Petition 5 · Section 137 – Section 138
§. 137. Of ſpeedy forgiueneſſe.
Q. VVHat time is limited for forgiuing?
A. The Time preſent. The word is of the preſent Tenſe,aforeign wee doe forgiue, which implyeth a preſent performance, and a conſtant continuance. The time preſent hath an Oppoſition both to the time to come, and alſo to the time paſt. Hee that in the preſent doth a thing putteth it not off to the future, contenting himſelfe with a purpoſe to doe it afterwards, as if it were enough to ſay, I will forgiue: neither doth hee leaue off to doe it, contenting himſelfe that heretofore he hath done it, as if it were enough to ſay, I hauehave forgiuen. But ſo ſoone as occaſion of doing it is offered, he doth it: and ſo long as the occaſion continueth, he continueth to doe it.
Q. What doctrine may be gathered from the profeſſion of forgiueneſſe in the time preſent?
A. We muſt preſently forgiue. So ſoone as occaſion of exerciſing this duty is offered, it muſt be put in practiſe. As the ſhadow ſheweth it ſelfe ſo ſoone as a body appeareth in ſunſhine, ſo muſt forgiueneſſe as ſoone as a wrong is diſcerned. When ye ſtand praying, forgiue. Mar. 11. 25.Wee may not dare to ſtand vp to pray, vnleſſe we forgiue. Is it not then requiſite that wee forgiue inſtantly. To this purpoſe tendeth this prohibition, Let not the Sunne goe downe vponupon your wrath. Epheſ 4. 26.His meaning is that we ſhould not harbour heart-burning any whit at all.Non debuit occidere Sol ſuper iracundiam veſtram, & multi ſoles occiderunt. Aug. hom. 42. in lib. 50. Hom. The phraſe of not ſuffering the Sunne to goe downe on a thing, is prouerbiall, and implyeth a ſpeedy redreſſe. Contrary hereunto doe they who ſuffer many ſunnes to ſet on their wrath.
Reuenge is a kinde of fire, which if it bee not preſently quenched,Danger of delaying to forgiue. will ſoone proue vnquenchable. Nay it is a deadly poiſon, which if it once ceaze on the ſoule will ſoone deſtroy it. No fire, no poiſon of a more encreaſing nature then reuenge. InſtancecGen 4. 5, 8. the reuenge and wrath incenſed in Cain againſt Abel, and in thedMath. 26. 4. Scribes and Phariſes againſt Chriſt▪ It encreaſed to bloud. Reuenge the longer it laſteth, the ſtronger it waxeth. But forgiueneſſe is the onelyonly meanes to quench that fire, to expell that poiſon. Can then forgiueneſſe with ſafety bee put off?
Aſſuredly Satan will take great aduantage from the leaſt delay.Triall of one fitted to forgiue Whereupon the Apoſtle aduiſeth to giuegive no place to the diuell. But by putting off reuenge, wee giuegive much place to him.
Hereby tryall may be made of a mind rightly fitted and prepared for this duty of forgiueneſſe. It manifeſteth it ſelfe ſo ſoone as occaſion is offered. So ſoone as the Lord had ſtriken Miriam with Leproſie for the wrong ſhe did to Moſes, Moſes to ſhew how ready he was to paſſe it by,Numb. 12. 13. and to forgiue it, preſently prayed for her.
But the deceitfulneſſe of their heart is euidently diſcouered,Delayed forgiueneſſe deceitfull. whoſe forgiueneſſe conſiſteth onelyonly in a purpoſe to doe it afterwards. That which is truely purpoſed, will not alwayes remaine a meere purpoſe: but, ſo ſoone as occaſion is giuen, proue a practiſe. Many thinke it time enough to forgiue when they goe to the Lords Table: yet it may be that ſuch goe to that holy board but once a yeare.Si in domibus veſtris ſcorpiones eſſent aut aſpides, quantum laboraretis vt domus veſtras purgaretis & ſecuri habitare poſſetis? Iraſcimini, inueterantur irae in cordibus veſtris, fiunt tot odia, tot ſcorpij tot ſerpentes, & domum Dei, id eſt, cor vestrum, purgare non vul…is? Aug. Hom. 42. in lib. 50. Ham. Surely that forgiueneſſe which is then intended cannot be ſound.Reuenge retained diuelliſh. It may iuſtly be ſuſpected to bee more on vaine ſuperſtition, then true deuotion. What if they die ſuddenly before that time, and hauehave no time, no thought to forgiue, can they thinke it ſafe to depart out of this worſd with a reuengefull minde? I would gladly know of ſuch whether they intend to pray before that time ſet for receiuing the holy Communion. If they doe intend ſo to doe, can they thinke it well to pray in wrath? Did men know what a Wolfe, what a Tyger, what a Viper wrath and reuenge were, they would at the firſt ſight thereof be ſtartled, and get themſelues as farre from it, as they could. If Scorpions and Aſpes were in mens houſes, what paines would they take to cleanſe their houſes, that they might dwell ſecurely? But they keepe anger, wrath, malice, hatred, reuenge, which are ſo many Scorpions, and Serpents, and cleanſe not the houſe of God, which is their heart. Yea ſuch a peruerſe diſpoſition hauehave many, as they vſe all the meanes they can to retaine, and nouriſh reuenge, and to keepe it in minde and memory. By oath, by imprecation, and other wayes they will binde themſelues, not to forgiue. They forbeare not to ſay, I may forget the wrong, but I will neuer forgiue it. Hereby they prouoke God to keepe their ſins in perpetuall memory, and to binde himſelfe to execute vengeance on them.
§. 138. Of conſtant forgiuing.
Q. VVHat other doctrine may bee gathered from the profeſſion of forgiueneſſe in the time preſent?
A. Forgiueneſſe muſt bee a continued act. It muſt not, ſo long as we liue, be reckoned among the things vtterly paſt, and no more to be performed. The time paſt hath his date. The time to come may hauehave no date at all. The time preſent is alwayes in being. God therefore ſetteth out his eternall being and abiding by the time preſent, in this Title, I AM THAT I AM.Exod. 3. 14. foreign. LXX. Interpr. Hee therefore that in truth ſaith, I doe forgiue, muſt neuer bee of another minde: hee muſt neuer thinke of recalling what he hath forgiuen, or of waxing wearie of forgiuing, though neuer ſo many wrongs from time to time be offered.Mar. 11. 25. Chriſt ſaith, when yee ſtand praying, forgiue. 1. Theſ. 5. 17.And his Apoſtle ſaith, Pray continually. If we muſt pray continually, and praying forgiue, them muſt we forgiue continually.Math. 18. 22. Where Chriſt enioyneth to forgiue vntounto ſeuenty times ſeuen, he intendeth a readineſſe to forgiue ſo oft as wee are wronged,Synecdoche. be we wronged neuer ſo oft. A ſet and definite number is put for an indefinite.
Conſtant continuance in a good thing is that which ſetteth the crowne vponupon it, and maketh it not to bee in vaine. But intermitting, and omitting that which is well begun, taketh away the glory thereof. Reuenging after-wrongs, prouoketh God to paſſe by without reward or regard our forgigiuing of former wrongs.
Let vsus not therefore bee ouercome of euill: Be not ouercome of wrong Rom. 12. 21.but rather ouercome euill with goodneſſe. Wee hauehave need, in regard of that extent of duty here required, to take vntounto our ſelues an inuincible reſolution. For while wee liue in this world, it cannot be but that we ſhall hauehave wrongs offered vntounto vsus. It is not without cauſe that the Apoſtle aduiſeth to Let patience hauehave her perfect worke. Iam. 1. 4.The perfect worke of patience conſiſteth, as in the truth of it, whereby it is ſound, not fained, ſo in the extent of it, that it reach to all kinds of wrongs and offences, and in the continuance of it, that it endure to the end. Theaforeign. notation of the word which the Apoſtle vſeth, implyeth this laſt branch of perfection, which is a perſiſting to the end, euen to the end of this mortall life wherein wee ſhall hauehave vſe and need of exerciſing this duty of forgiueneſſe. We may not therefore ſo much conſider what wrongs and offences we hauehave forgiuen, as how many more we may hereafter take occaſion to forgiue: that by our continuall practiſe of this duty, wee may day after day ſay, I doe forgiue.
Thus much of the Duty required. The Parties tyed thereto, are next to be conſidered.