Page:The rock of wisdom.djvu/38

 by a free pardon, for as we here pray, forgive us our debts, or as it is elsewhere, forgive us our tresspasses, God will have no compassion; we can make no amends; it is not in taking care to contract a new debt that will discharge an old one, this will not do with our neighbors nor will it do with God's free forgiveness, nor will it prevent our punishment, but though a sinner is justified freely it is only through the redemption that is in Christ; with believing and with penitent hearts we must go to God by Jesus Christ and plead for his mercy for Christ's sake, he will then pardon; at the same time we are here taught the necessity of a forgiving temper, as we forgive our debtors, that is as we forgive those who have injured us in our property, person or name; not that our kindness to another deserves forgiveness at the hand of God, but that we cannot expect pardon from God while we refuse it to others who ask us for it, we may humbly hope that if we are enabled by grace to forgive others, God whose thoughts and ways are infinitely above ours will not reject our prayers for pardon and mercy through Jesus Christ. "And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil" of every kind: Those whose sins are forgiven will be afraid of sinning again, knowing the power of temptation, we pray to be kept from it, temptation is any thing which makes a trial of us and proves what is in our heart; temptation is not a sin, but by yielding to the temptor, there we condemn the word; resist the Devil and he shall flee from you; afflictions are God's trials of us for our good but all Satan's temptations are to lead us to evil; ail who use this prayer are afraid of sin and lie will offer up his petition to God that he would keep him out of the way of such trials as would be too hard for him, and grant him sufficient strength through grace to resist and overcome the Devil, the evil one who goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, not who he can devour, but he must first divide the mind before he can enter; this is well known, but this must be accompanied with watching and avoiding all wilful occasions of sin, or else these words do but mock God. The conclusion of the prayer is, "for thine is the kingdom, (Eccl. 12 c. 13 v.) and the power and the glory forever, amen;" this shows why we should pray to God