A Guide to Go to God, Petition 5 · Section 154
§. 154. Of the aſſurance which our forgiuing giueth of Gods forgiuing vsus.
Q. The firſt end was A motiue to forgiue. §. 152.VVHat doctrine doth the other end of the condition annexed to the fift Petition afford?
A. Mans forgiuing his Brother giueth aſſurance of Gods forgiuing him. This is one maine end of adding this condition of our forgiuing our brother, to our deſire of Gods forgiuing vsus: as is euident by that cauſall Particle, FOR, which Saint Luke ſetteth before it,Luke 11. 4. thus, For wee alſo forgiue. The reference which Chriſt maketh immediately after this prayer doth make the point moſt cleare.Math. 6. 14. His inference is this, If yee forgiue men their treſpaſſes, your heauenly Father will alſo forgiue you. Doth he not thereby imply that by forgiuing men, we gaine aſſurance of Gods forgiuing vsus? On this ground did Nehemiah in his prayer to God plead the kindneſſe which hee had ſhewed to the people of God.Neh. 5. 19. & 13, 14, 22.
Obiect. Many Heathen, and other meere carnall men, who could hauehave no aſſurance of the forgiueneſſe of their ſinnes, hauehave forgiuen many wrongs done to them.
Anſw. Carnall mens forgiuing is on bie reſpects.Their forgiuing is no true forgiuing, becauſe it ariſeth from bie-reſpects to themſelues, and not from his brotherly louelove: much leſſe from conſcience and due reſpect to God. For if their kinde of forgiuing bee duely weighed it will bee found to be
1. Either in ſome ſleight matters which doe not much prouoke wrath, nor greatly need forgiueneſſe.
2. Or to ſome friend, kinſman, or ſuch like perſon, whom in ſome outward reſpect they like and louelove.Math. 5. 47.
3.Act. 24. 27. Or for hope of ſome recompence, and aduantage to themſelues.
4.Math. 14. 5. Or for feare of greater miſchiefe which might enſue if they ſhould manifeſt any thought of reuenge.
5. Or it may be, by reaſon of an heauy and dull diſpoſition, which maketh them vnſenſible of wrongs: like him that is brought in thus ſpeaking,Pro. 23. 35. They hauehave ſtricken me, and I was not ſicke: they hauehave beaten me, and I felt it not.
True Chriſtian forgiuing,Iam. 3. 17. is a part or branch of that wiſedome which commeth from aboue, a fruit of that ſpirit that reſideth in Chriſt,I…eſt nobis quaſi a natura, magis autem ab extermineo naturae, affectio quaedam peſſima, libids nocendi, vt inextinguibilis inueniatur in miſeris animabus noſtris malitiae delectatio. Bern. in Quadr. Serm. 6. an effect of Gods forgiuing vsus. For ſonnes of men are by nature wrathfull and reuengefull. Wrathfull, in that they are very ſoone vponupon eueryevery ſmall and ſleight occaſion prouoked to wrath, as dry Tinder is ready to be fiered by the leaſt ſparke. Reuengefull, in that being prouoked, they are as it were on fire with reuenge: like Gunpowder, which ſo ſoone as it hath taken any fire is inſtantly all on a flame. The Apoſtle among other properties of a naturall man reckoneth theſe, maliciouſneſſe, enuie, debate, malignitie (whereby all things are taken in an euill part) implacableneſſe, and vnmercifulneſſe. And in another place to the ſame purpoſe he ſaith, wee are hatefull, and hating one another. Rom. 1. 29, 30.In regard of this wrathfull and reuengefull diſpoſition,Tit. 3 3. men are reſembled to Wolues, Leopards, Beares, Lyons, Iſa. 11. 6, 7, 8.Aſpes and Cockatrices. Vnleſſe this nature be altered it is no more poſſible for a man in true brotherly louelove to forgiue, then for one of the forenamed ſauage creatures to bee quiet, and doe no hurt, when they are ſtirred vp and prouoked. Nature muſt be altered before a wrong can be thorowly & rightly paſſed by and forgiuen. This alteration of nature proceedeth from an apprehenſion of Gods louelove to vsus in Chriſt, and that in pardoning our ſinnes. For the louelove of God ſhed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghoſt, is as fire that warmeth our hearts thaughing out the hard froſt of hatred and reuenge, and making them plyable to Gods heart and affection to vsus, mercifull as he is mercifull, kinde, gentle and patient as hee is, forbearing wrongs, and forgiuing debts as hee doth. Hence then it followeth, that if our diſpoſition be inclinable to forgiue, and if according to that inclinableneſſe we doe in truth actually forgiue, we may be aſſured that God hath forgiuen vsus: euen as when we finde a cold thing hot, we may inferre it hath been heated.
Learne hereby how to know,Vſes. 1. Tryall of Gods minde to vsus. Gods minde towards thee, Thou needeſt not to climbe vp to heauen there to behold the face of God whether he frowne or ſmile, whether louelove or anger be ſeated in his eyes, but diue into thine owne heart, and there obſerue what is thy minde towards thy brother. No looking Glaſſe can giuegive a truer repreſentation of thy face, then thine owne heart a demonſtration of Gods heart towards thee. Wee louelove, 1. Ioh 4. 19.becauſe hee firſt loued vsus: and we forgiue becauſe he firſt forgaue vsus.
Well may we hereby comfort our ſoules in the day of temptation,2. Comfort in time of temptation. when the conſcience is perplexed with doubting of pardon. If thou findeſt in thy ſelfe a readineſſe to forgiue thy brother, thou maiſt conclude that God hath forgiuen thee. To ſtrengthen thy faith herein duely weigh the infinite diſparity betwixt Gods goodneſſe and thine. This is as an Ocean that hath no bottome, no bounds: thine but as a drop. If then thou for his ſake out of thy drop of goodneſſe canſt afford forgiueneſſe anſwerable to the wrongs done to thee,Exiguam humanitatem ego exhibui. Non enim amplius capicbat natura. Tua vero munificentia exiguitate potentiae non prohibetur, quin quantum velis tantum largiaris Greg, Nyſſ. lib. de Orat. maiſt thou not inferre that God out of his bottomeleſſe Ocean will affoord forgiueneſſe anſwerable to the ſinnes which thou haſt committed againſt him? When thy conſcience is burdened with the heauy weight of thy ſinnes, thinke of thy willingneſſe to forgiue thy brother, and from thence as from a ſigne, or effect, or euidence learne to quiet thy conſcience, and ſettle thy faith, and in faith ſay, Forgiue mee as I forgiue: or forgiue mee, for I forgiue. It is indeed but little mercy that I hauehave ſhewed: for my nature was capable of no more. But thy bounty is not hindred by want of power. 3. Motiue to forgiue.Thou canſt grant as much as thou wilt. Thus may the heart be enlarged in crauing pardon,Si D…o pro miſericordia atque venia preces oblaturi ſimus, co… ſcientia fiduciam nobis paremus, vt vitam noſtram aduoca…am & patronam huic voci praeficiamus, & verè dicamus Et nos remiſimus debentibus nobis. Greg. Nyſſ. loc. citat. and faith ſetled in obtaining it.
And becauſe this is ſuch an eſpeciall meanes to reſolue thy ſoule of the pardon of thy ſinnes, bee the rather moued to ſubdue thy paſſion, when thou art prouoked to caſt out wrath and readily to forgiue. Seeing it is requiſite that wee offer vp prayers to God for mercy and pardon, let vsus by the teſtimonie of our conſcience get to our ſelues, that we may make our cariage an Aduocate to our prayers, and truely ſay, We alſo forgiue our debters. They who feele the weight of ſinne would giuegive all they hauehave, and doe what poſſibly they could to bee eaſed thereof. If thou neuer felt'ſt the burden of ſinne on thine owne ſoule, enquire after ſuch as are wounded in conſcience: and, becauſe things ſeene are more ſenſible, and make a deeper impreſſion, got to them, marke their agonies and their outcries; thereby iudge what an heauy burden ſinne is, when the ſoule feeles the burden of it. If once thou feeleſt the weight of it, I make no queſtion, but that, if Chriſt ſhould aske thee, as once he asked a blind man,Mar. 10. 51. What wilt thou that I ſhould doe to thee, thou wouldeſt anſwer, Lord, that I may be eaſed of the burden of ſinne. Behold here how thou maiſt be eaſed. As any occaſion is offered, Forgiue. Thus in doing goodneſſe to man, thou doeſt the beſt and greateſt goodneſſe to thy ſelfe, in that God (whoſe goodneſſe infinitely ſurpaſſeth thine) is moued thereby to doe good to thee. This is a great encouragement, a ground of much comfort to ſuch as can and doe forgiue men. Though they hauehave no recompence from man, though they be laughed at for it: yea though they be worſe dealt withall (as aPſal. 35. 12.—120. 7.Dauid was) and more wronged becauſe they are ſo ready to forgiue, yet Gods gracious acceptation thereof, his mercifull dealing with them for it, is recompence enough.