A Body of Practical Divinity, Sermon 83 · Part 6
Mat. 6.12.
And forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors.
BEfore I speak strictly to the Words, I shall take notice, 1. That in this Prayer there is but One Petition for the Body, Give us our daily Bread, but two Petitions for the Soul. Forgive us our Trespasses, lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil; Hence observe, that we are to be more careful for our Souls, than for our Bodies. More careful for Grace, than daily Bread, more desirous to have our Souls saved, than our Bodies fed: in the Law, the Weight of the Sanctuary was twice as big as the common weight: to typify, that Spiritual Things must be of far greater Weight with us than Earthly. The Excellency of the Soul, may challenge our Chief Care about it.
1. The Soul is an immaterial Substance, it is an heavenly Spark, lighted by the Breath of God. It is the more refined spiritual Part of Man, it is of an Angelical Nature; it hath some faint resemblance of God. The Body is the more dreggish part, it is but the Cabinet which (though curiously wrought) the Soul is the Jewel; the Soul is near a-kin to Angels, it is Capax beatitudinis, capable of Communion with God in Glory.
2. It is immortal; it doth never expire. It can act without the Body, tho' the Body dissolve into Dust, the Soul lives, Luk. 12.4. The Essence of the Soul is Eternal, it hath a beginning, but no end: It is a Blossom of Eternity. Sure then if the Soul be so Ennobled and Dignifi'd, more care should be taken about the Soul than the Body. We make but One Petition for the Body, but Two Petitions for the Soul.
Vse. 1. It reproves them that take more care for their Bodies, than their Souls. The Body is but the brutish part, yet they take more care, 1. about dressing their Bodies, than their Souls. They put on their best Cloaths, are dressed in the Richest Garb, but care not how naked or undrest their Souls are; they do not get the Jewels of Grace, to adorn their inner Man. 2. About feeding their Bodies, than their Souls, they are Caterers for the Flesh, they do foreign, make Provision for the Flesh, Rom. 13.14. they have the best Diet, but let their Souls starve. As if one should feed his Hawk, but let his Child starve. The Body must sit in the Chair of State, but the Soul, that princely thing, is made a Lacky to run on the Devil's Errand.
Vse 2. Let us be more careful for our Souls. —Omnia si perdas animam servare memento. If it be well with the Soul, it shall be well with the Body. If the Soul be gracious, the Body shall be glorious, for it shall shine like Christ's Body. Therefore 'tis Wisdom to look chiefly to the Soul, because in saving the Soul, we secure the Happiness of the Body. And, we cannot shew our Care for the Soul more, than in taking all Seasons for our Souls, Reading, Praying, Hearing, Meditating. O look to the Main Chance, let the Soul be chiefly tended, the loss of the Soul would be fatal, other Losses may be made up again. If one loseth his Health, he may recover it again, if he lose his Estate, he may get it up again, but if he lose his Soul, this Loss can never be made up again. The Merchant that ventures all he hath in one ship if that ship be lost, he is quite broken.
2. From the Connexion in the Text, assoon as Christ had said, Give us daily Bread, he adds, and forgive us. Christ joyns this Petition of Forgiveness of Sin immediately to the other of Daily Bread, to shew us, that tho' we have daily Bread, yet all is nothing without Forgiveness. If our sins be not pardoned, we can take but little comfort in our Food. As it is with a man that is condemned, tho' you bring him meat in Prison, yet he takes little comfort in it without a pardon. So tho' we have Daily Bread, yet it will do us no good, unless Sin be forgiven. What tho' we should have Manna, which was call'd Angels Food, tho' the Rock should pour out Rivers of Oyl, Iob 29.6. all is nothing unless sin be done away. When Christ had said, give us our Daily Bread, he presently adds, and forgive us our Trespasses. Daily Bread may satisfie the Appetite, but forgiveness of sin▪ satisfies the Conscience.
Vse 1. It condemns the Folly of most People: If they have Daily Bread, the delicious things of this Life, they look no further, they are not sollicitous for the pardon of sin. If they have that which feeds them, they look not after that which should Crown them. Alas, you may have Daily Bread, and yet perish. The Rich man in the Gospel had Daily Bread, nay, he had Dainties, he fared deliciously every day, but in Hell he lift up his Eyes, Luk. 16.19.
Vse 2. Let us pray that God would not give us our Portion in this Life, that he would not put us off with daily Bread, but that he would give us Forgiveness. This is the sawce that would make our Bread Relish the sweeter. A Speech of Luther, Valde protestatus sum me nolle si… satiari ab illo. I did solemnly protest, that God should not put me off with outward things. Be not content with that which is common to the bruit Creatures, the Dog or Elephant to have your Hunger satisfi'd, but besides daily Bread, get pardon of Sin. A drop of Christ's Blood, a dram of forgiving Mercy, is infinitely more valuable, than all the Delights under the Sun. Daily Bread may make us live comfortably, but forgiveness of Sin will make us die comfortably. So I come to the words of the Petition, Forgive us our Debts, &c.
1. Here is a Term given to Sin, it is a Debt. 2. The confessing the Debt, Our Debts. 3. A Prayer, forgive us. 4. A Condition on which we desire Forgiveness, as we forgive our Debtors.
I shall speak of the Term given to Sin, it is foreign, a Debt, that which is here called a Debt, is called Sin▪ Luk. 11.4. forgive us our sins. So then sin is a Debt, and every sinner is a Debtor. Sin is compar'd to a Debt of ten thousand Talents, Mat. 18.24
1. Why is sin call'd a Debt? 2. Wherein sin is worse than other Debts we contract? 3. Wherein sinners have the property of bad Debtors?
Q. 1. Why is Sin call'd a Debt?
Answ. Because it so fitly resembles it.
1. A Debt ariseth upon non-payment of Money, or the not paying that which is ones due. So we owe to God exact Obedience, and not paying what is due, thus we come to be in debt. 2. As in case of non-payment, the Debtor goes to Prison. So by our sin, we become guilty, and stand oblig'd to God's Curse and Damnation. Tho' God doth a while grant a sinner a Reprieve, yet he stands bound to eternal Death, if the Debt be not forgiven.
2. In what sence sin is the worst Debt?
Answ. 1. Because we have nothing to pay; if we could pay the Debt, what need we pray, forgive us? We can't say, as he in the Gospel, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all, we can pay neither Principal nor Interest. Adam made us all Bankrupts; in Innocency Adam had a stock of Original Righteousness to begin the world with, he could give God personal and perfect Obedience; but by his sin, he is quite broke, and hath beggar'd all his Posterity. We have nothing to pay, all our Duties are mixed with sin, and so we cannot pay God in currant Coyn.
2. Sin is the worst Debt, because it is against an Infinite Majesty. An Offence against the Person of a King, is Crimen laesae Mojestatis, it doth inhance and aggravate the Crime. Sin wrongs God, and so it is an Infinite Offence. The schoolmen say, Omne peccatum contra conscientiam est quasi Deicidium. Every known sin strikes at the God-head. The sinner would not only unthrone God, but un-God him, this makes the Debt infinite.
3. Sin is the worst Debt, because it is not a single, but a multiplied Debt. foreign, forgive us our Debts; we have debt upon debt, Ps. 40 12. Innumerable Evils have compassed me about. We may as well reckon all the drops in the Sea, as reckon all our spiritual Debts; we cannot tell you how much we owe. A man may know his other debts, but we cannot number our spiritual Debts. Every vain Thought is a sin, Prov. 24.9. the thought of Foolishness is sin, and what swarms of vain Thoughts have we? The first rising of Corruption, tho' it never blossom into outward Act, is a sin, then who can understand his Errors? we do not know how much we owe to God.
4. Sin is the worst Debt, because it is an inexcusable Debt in two Respects. 1. There is no denying the Debt. 2. There is no shifting it off.
1. There is no denying the Debt, other debts men may deny, if Money be not paid before Witness, or if the Creditor lose the Bond, the Debtor may say he owes him nothing; but there's no denying this debt of Sin. If we say we have no Sin, God can prove the Debt, Psal. 50.21. I will set thy sins in order before thee. God writes down our Debts in his Book of Remembrance, and God's Book, and the Book of Conscience do exactly agree, so that this Debt cannot be denied.
2. There is no shifting off the Debt: other Debts may be shifted off.
1. We may get Friends to pay them; but neither Man nor Angel can pay this Debt for us. If all the Angels in Heaven should go to make a Purse, they cannot pay one of our Debts.
2. In other Debts, men may get a Protection, so that none can touch their Persons, or sue them for the Debt; but who shall give us a Protection from God's Justice? Iob 10.7. there is none that can deliver out of thine Hand. Indeed the Pope pretends, that his Pardon shall be mens Protection, and now God's Justice shall not sue them, but that is only a Forgery, and cannot be pleaded at God's Tribunal.
3. Other Debts, if the Debtor dies in Prison, cannot be recovered, death frees them from debt. But if we die in debt to God, He knows how to recover it; as long as we have Souls to strain on, God will not lose his Debt. Not the death of the Debtor, but the death of the Surety pays a sinners Debt.
4. In other debts, men may fly from their Creditor, leave their Countrey, and go into forrain Parts, and the Creditor cannot find them: but we cannot fly from God. God knows where to find all his Debtors▪ Ps. 139.7. Whether shall I fly from thy Presence? If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utmost parts of the Sea, there shall thy right hand hold me.
5. Sin is the worst debt, because it carries men in case of non-payment, to a worse Prison than any upon Earth, to a fiery Prison, and the sinner is laid in worse Chains, Chains of Darkness, where the sinner is bound under Wrath for ever.
Quest. 3. Wherein we have the properties of bad Debtors?
1. A bad debtor doth not love to be called to Account. There's a day comeing, when God will call all his Debtors to Account, Rom. 14.12. so then every man shall give an Account for himself to God, but we play away the time, and do not love to hear of the day of Judgment. We love not that Ministers should put us in mind of our debts, or speak of the day of Reckoning. What a confounding Word will that be to a secure sinner, redde Rationem, Give an Account of your Stewardship.
2. A bad debtor is unwilling to confess his debt, he will put it off, or make less of it. So we are more willing to excuse sin, than confess it.Aristot. How hardly was Saul brought to Confession, 1 Sam. 15.20. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, but the People took of the spoil. He rather excuseth his sin,Rom. 1.30. than confesseth it.
3. A bad debtor is apt to hate his Creditor. foreign. Debtors wish their Creditors dead. So wicked men naturally hate God, because they think he is a just Judge, and will call them to Account, foreign, God-Haters The debtor doth not love to see his Creditor.
Vse 1. It reproves them who are loth to be in debt, but make no reckoning of sin, which is the greatest Debt; they use no means to get out of it, but run still further in debt to God. We would think it strange, if Writs or Warrants were out against a man, or a Iudgment granted to seize his Body and Estate, yet he is secure and regardless, as if he were unconcerned. God hath a Writ out against a sinner, nay many Writs, for Swearing, Drunkenness, Sabbath-breaking, yet the sinner eats and drinks, and is quiet, as if he were not in debt; what Opium hath Satan given men?
Vse 2. Exh. If Sin be a Debt, 1. Let us be humbled. The name of Debt (saith St. Ambrose) is Grave Vocabulum, grievous.
Men in debt are full of Shame, they lie hid, and do not care to be seen. A Debtor is ever in fear of Arrest. Canis latrat, & Cor palpitat. O let us blush and tremble, who are so deeply indebted to God. A Roman dying in debt, Augustus the Emperour sent to buy his Pillow, because (saith he) I hope it hath some Vertue in it, to make me sleep, on which a man so much in debt could take his Ease: we that have so many spiritual Debts lying upon us, how can we be at rest, till we have some hope that they are discharged.
2. Let us Confess our Debt. Let us acknowledge that we are run in Arrears with God, and deserve that he should follow the Law upon us, and throw us into Hell-Prison. By Confession we give Glory to God, Iosh. 7.19. My Son, give Glory to the God of Israel, and make Confession to him. Say that God were Righteous, if he should strain upon all we have; If we confess the debt, God will forgive it. 1 Ioh. 1.9. If we confess our sins, he is just to forgive; do but confess the Debt, and God will cross the Book, Ps. 32.5. I said I will confess my Transgression to the Lord, and thou forgavest me.
3. Labour to get our spiritual Debts paid, that is, by our Surety Christ. Say, Lord, have patience with me, and Christ shall pay thee all. He hath laid down an infinite Price. The Covenant of Works would not admit of a Surety, it demanded Personal Obedience. But this Priviledge we have by the Gospel, which is a Court of Chancery to relieve us, that if we have nothing to pay, God will accept of a Surety. Believe in Christ's Blood, and the debt is paid.