of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a finner, and confequently not fit to come fo near an holy man.

Now our Lord, to convince the pharifee that he was that very prophet, lets him know, that he not only knew what manner of woman fhe was, but even what paffed in his breast, which none but God could know. And to make him in a more lively manner fenfible of a great mistake he laboured under, in a very friendly and affecting way, he repeats this parable, and leaves it to him to make the inference. There was, faith he, a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed him a very great fum, ten times as much as the other: and when they had nothing to pay, be frankly forgave them both.Which of them will love him most? The pharifee answered, I fuppofe he to whom he forgave moft.--In this, faith our Lord, thou haft rightly judged.

And now hear this woman's cafe:-She was indeed a great finner;-she became a fincere penitent; and one, who she knows has power to forgive fins, has pardoned her. This makes her express her concern, her love, and gratitude, after fo uncommon a manner. For the language of all these tears, and this humility, is plainly this:-My fins were fo many and great, that I had been for ever undone, had not God touched my heart with a sense of the danger I was in:-By his grace, I fee the evil, the folly, and the ingratitude, of finning

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against

against so good and gracious a God and Father:-by his Son, who fees the fincerity of my heart and repentance, I am fure that all my past offences are forgiven; and my heart is full of love and gratitude for fo mighty a favour, which I cannot but express by all ways which I can hope will be acceptable to

God.

This was the occafion of this parable.

And the reafon on which our Lord founded this fentence, Thy fins are forgiven thee, was this:-She fhewed that fhe was a true penitent, by works meet for repentance;-fuch works as were most proper upon that occafion to fhew her fincerity. Our Lord knew the fecrets of her heart, and fo could pass a pofitive fentence; and yet he did not think fit to do fo, until, by her behaviour, fhe did that which might convince every charitable observer that she was seriously refolved to lead a new life.

And this, no doubt, was to direct the minifters of his kingdom how to behave themfelves upon the like occafion. He purposed to inveft his minifters, to the end of the world, with a power of binding and loofing,-of fpeaking peace to dejected penitents,—and of giving them fuch affurances of pardon and forgiveness, as their repentance might warrant them to do. He, in his infinite wisdom, forefaw what ill ufe proud man might make of this power;-he would therefore, by this inftance, teach his faithful stewards not rafhly.

to

to pronounce any fentence in his name; but to wait till God, by the powerful working of his grace, fhould fo effectually convince the finner of the error of his ways, that he fhould give proofs of his repentance by works anfwerable to amendment of life. Then his ministers need not fear paffing a righteous sentence, nor the fincere penitent doubt of the truth and comfortable effects thereof.

For this is a certain truth, That the grace of God evermore accompanies the miniftrations of his fervants, and attends his own ordinances, if there be nothing to hinder it on the part of thofe that expect benefit by the ufe of them. And therefore it is no fmall comfort and advantage (how much foever it has been flighted) for fuch as are under afflictions of mind, to have the judgment of God's minifter upon their cafe, and the benefit of abfolution; for though none but God, the searcher of hearts, can pronounce this fentence, Thy fins are forgiven thee; yet his minifters, who have carefully ftudied his holy word, can affure finners of God's pardon, and can pronounce a righteous fentence upon what appears;-which fentence a penitent may depend on to his great peace and comfort, provided he knows he has been fincere in difcovering his malady, and in following the advice of his fpiritual guide.

It is true, there are people who have abused this power, to the ruin, it is to be feared, of

an

an infinite number of fouls. When men rashly pronounce a sentence of pardon, upon a bare confeffion of fins, and upon a promise of better obedience, without waiting to fee whether fuch promises are like to be followed by works meet for repentance, without which the pardon is rafh, and the finner deluded: This is indeed an ufurped authority; but ought not to depreciate thofe true powers with which Chrift has invefted his faithful minifters of pronouncing the fentence of truth on earth, which he will ratify in heaven. But to return to the parable, upon which we may make these following obfervations:

ift. That all mankind are in the condition and circumstances of one of these two debtors: We have all of us offended God more or lefs, and are all accountable to his juftice.

2dly. That the beft of men have nothing wherewith to fatisfy for their offences, or to appease the justice of God:-We have nothing · to pay.

3dly. Notwithstanding this, God is fo gracious and merciful, as to forgive all fuch as are fenfible of their own inability, forry for the debt they owe, apply to him for his compaffion and forgiveness, and will strive to regain and to deferve his favour. He frankly forgave them both.

Laftly. We have here a rule given us, whereby we may judge of the fincerity of our faith and repentance, and confequently of the certainty

certainty that our fins are forgiven. For if we love God, so as to do what will please him, then are we fure our fins will never rife up in judgment against us. Her fins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much.

I. Let us first confider, that we are all in the condition of one of these two debtors; that is, we have all offended God, and, without his favour and goodnefs, we are all undone. Hear what the holy fcripture teacheth us upon this head:-We are by nature the children of wrath; -a generation of evil-doers; we love darkness rather than light, because our deeds are evil, and will not bear the light;-and the imaginations of our hearts are evil continually; that is, this is the way they naturally bend.

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And though we should hope that God may overlook this untowardness of our nature, entailed upon us by the fin of our first parents, yet what a debt do we all owe for the many, very many actual trafgreffions of our lives? the effects either of base principles, or a loose education, or evil cuftom; or from a love of the world, or fenfual pleasures; by which God has been dishonoured, his laws defpifed, his infinite love abused, and his power and justice, as it were, defied.

And though we should any of us efcape (as many, no doubt, have) those fins which lay waste the confcience, and are by all acknowledged to be damnable in their nature; yet we are still accountable, the very best of

us,