A Beam of Light Darted Through the Clouds, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Whether a juſtified perſon may pray for the pardon of ſin.
THis queſtion not rightly underſtood, makes a difference of judgements amongſt men, ſome ſaying, we ought to pray for pardon, others we ought not.
And it may ſeem ſtrange, that one juſtified, pardoned, ſhould after this pray for pardon of thoſe ſins that are already pardoned; this may ſuppoſe Chriſt hath not fully ſatisfied, ſo then the queſtion will be, whether we may pray for pardon of ſuch ſins as are done away by Chriſts death? For I ſay, this is undeniably true, that the Father is fully ſatisfied for all the ſinnes of thoſe which believe on him.
To underſtand this then, I underſtand pardon with this diſtinction, that there is a two-fold praying for the pardon of ſin.
The one is as to a Judge.
The other is as to a Father.
Now the right apprehending theſe two will reſolve the ſcruples.
1. Firſt then as to a Judge, I may after the manner of men, give this alluſion; God ſits as a Judge upon the Bench to execute Malefactors: Now for a believer to pray unto God for pardon under this notion, is not according to truth; for I am not now to ſuppoſe God ſits as a Judge to me, and ſo pray, this is only for unbelievers, as I may demonſtrate it by this inſtance.
The Judge that ſits in the ſeat of Judicature hath many malefactors brought before him, he condemns them according to Law.
Now ſuppoſe it lies in the Judges breaſt to acquit whom he will; he clearing any from the puniſhment, the priſoner is cleared from that fact; now he knowing himſelf freed ſayes no more, Good my Lord forgive me, if he doth the Bench will tell him, he is already pardoned, and ſo bid him hold his peace.
Now under this notion all men ſtand before God as guilty; now it lies in the heart of the Father to pardon whom he will, when he in Chriſt manifeſts this ſalvation, then the penalty is taken off as to finall Judgement, you will then plainly judge it at leaſt weakneſſe in ſuch a man to ſay, Lord forgive me, when he knowes his ſin is pardoned: For this is only a prayer of unbelief at beſt, as Paul teſtifies, Say not in thy heart, who ſhall aſcend into Heaven? this is to bring Chriſt down from above; that is to ſay, this denies that Chriſt hath not performed what the Father ſent him to finiſh, this is derogatory to Gods love manifeſted in his Son.
But I muſt confeſſe a converted man at firſt by reaſon of miſapprehenſions may pray for a further aſſurance of that pardon, for few men at firſt have full aſſurance.
Object. But it may be objected, that David after converted, prayed, Pſal. 51.9. Blot out mine iniquities; it ſeems David by theſe words thought his fins not all cancelled.
I anſwer, David might thus pray, as not thinking all his ſin was pardoned, but it was father his want of Faith, then that they were not pardoned; and in that Pſalm we may read, when Nathan the Prophet came and told him he was the man that killed Ʋriah, the ſuddenneſs of the word ſtruck to his heart, and ſo from thence he thought God had not forgiven all his ſin: He ought to have ſorrowed for his going aſide, but not deſpaire.
Now we are not to ſuppoſe a change in God concerning this act, but onelyonly in our ſelves, as David deſcribes the bleſſedneſſe of the man to whom God imputes not ſin, Rom. 4.7. And whoſe ſinnes are forgiven and covered: This word covering is a metaphoricall ſpeech, ſhewing that God looks not now upon us as ſinners, in reſpect of condemnation, but only in Chriſt, and ſo hath fully pardoned and acquitted us from that condemnation that might fall upon us; for we are not to conſider God in this ſenſe, one while forgiving ſin, and another while imputing it to us: And indeed where ever any man that truly believes ſo prayes for ſin to be pardoned, is but a deceit of the Serpent to keep us in continuall fears to think God at one time ſits over us as a Father, another time as a Judge: For, it is not neceſſary for a Believer to doubt, as many ſay, though I know God hath many ends for our good in that alſo.
I conclude this particular with this affertion, as before is cleared; That for any Believer once juſtified (in foro conſcientiae) to pray for pardon, as to a Judge, not onelyonly makes Chriſts death imperfect, but ſavors ſomthing of Popery, as if I could not be fully ſaved by that ſatisfaction; and I adviſe all that truly beare the name of the Lord, to take heed of Prayers made thus in unbeliefe, for they hereby bring themſelves under the Law of Workes, and hinder the progreſſe of much ſpirituall good in their ſouls.
But ſecondly, there is a praying for the pardon of ſin as to a Father: Now in this ſenſe my judgement is, that a believer ought to pray for pardon.
For want of this diſtinction that is laid down, many (though otherwiſe godly) think they ought not to pray for pardon, and all that they have for it is onelyonly taking pardon but in one ſenſe, and do not diſtinguiſh it.
But ſome ſuppoſe God ſeeth not ſin in his people, becauſe he is fully well pleaſed and reconciled to us in Chriſt, and ſo if he takes no notice of ſin, then it is our weakneſſe to ask forgiveneſſe of that which God ſeeth not; and for this opinion that place of Scripture ſeems in the letter to favour, Numb. 23.21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor tranſgreſſion in Iſrael; now we muſt underſtand the ground of this ſpeech, Balaam had received command from God to bleſſe his people, and Balaak thought that curſing ſhould be pronounced againſt them, therefore this place onelyonly teſtifies that God ſeeth not ſin in his people, ſo as to condemne them, nothing ſhall proſper againſt them, God doth not ſo ſee ſin in them as to cauſe the fruit of ſin to take hold upon them, for there is no inchantment againſt Iſrael, they are covered with his garments, therefore freed from all ſuch ſorceries.
But I hope none will deny God to be a Father, and though ſin is ſaid to be covered, yet it is abſurd for any to conceive ſin can be carried out of Gods ſight, for he is every where, and ſuch an opinion makes God not omniſcient, and conſequently not God.
Further, I would ask whether that place be true, 2 Sam. 11.27. the ſin David committed was evill in the ſight of the Lord, now David was a Saint in as true a ſenſe as any are, yet God ſaw his evill, and we cannot believe but if man may ſee ſinne, God much more.
But ſome ſay, God may ſee it, but in reſpect of his will, he hath bound himſelf not to ſee it by aboliſhing it out of his ſight, and cloathing us with his righteouſneſſe.
I anſwer, God hath in his will determined not to ſee ſinne, ſo as to condemnation and puniſhment: he will not ſo ſtrictly take notice of ſinne in them as in the wicked, in ſuch a capacity, Hebr. 4.13. all things are naked and open in his ſight, that is, not the leaſt things, but the moſt inward and ſecret things of the heart, they are diſſected or anatomized, (foreign) cut up as Chyrurgians doe a creature, to find every vein, or muſcle; thus if God ſeeth ſin, then it makes way to prove that pardon of ſin may be prayed for: Now Chriſt hath not taken away the relation of God as our Father by his death, none will judge that true.
What then is the relation of a Father, may not he chaſtiſe his ſon? yea, ſure; as for inſtance, A father that hath one only ſon that is ſole heire to his lands, the ſon ſometimes may croſſe his fathers command, and he may correct him for it, yet he bids ask him forgiveneſſe, and I will not chaſtiſe you, yet the ſon knowes his father cannot diſinherit him for his untowardneſſe.
Thus God is a father to a believer, who ſomtimes may diſobey a command; now may not God in this relation of a Father in love chaſtiſe his child for good? and though a Saint knowes God will not diſinherit him, yet he will ask forgiveneſſe in this ſenſe; as Auguſtine ſaith, Abyſſus peccati invocat abyſſum poenae, one deep calls upon another, the deep of ſin on the deep of puniſhment; but to a Saint I judge that all puniſhment for ſin, according to the terme of the word, is taken away, only a loving correction, whether God caſtigates for ſin, or from ſin, I have a latitude in my judgement to ſuppoſe both may be true; and I believe that Chriſt never ſo ſatisfied God, as that he ſhould not correct his people; for Chriſts death did not at all extend to that particular, when Chriſt bad his Diſciples pray, he exhorts them to ſay, forgive us our treſpaſſes.
Now if they need not to ask pardon in this ſenſe, why was this Petition included? ſo it is ſpoken to Saints by the firſt words, ſay, Our Father; now in what ſenſe this Prayer may meane we ſhould aske pardon? I anſwer, onelyonly as to a Father, and no otherwiſe; ſo John, If we confeſſe our ſins, he is faithfull and juſt to forgive us our ſins, 1 John 1.9. why, was not ſinne forgiven before? Yea, in reſpect of juſtification; but this confeſſion and pardon is only under a fatherly relation: Yet hereby I doe not underſtand, that our Prayers make any change in Gods Will, but rather in praying God doth manifeſt what he will do to us and for us; ſo then I judge that a Chriſtian ought not to pray to God as a Judge for pardon, but may conſider him as a Father.