A guide to go to GodA guide to goe to God

True Christian forgiving,¹ is a part or branch of that wisdom which cometh from above, a fruit of that spirit that resideth in Christ,² an effect of Gods forgiving us. For sons of men are by nature wrathful and revengeful. Wrathful, in that they are very soon upon every small and sleight occasion provoked to wrath, as dry Tinder is ready to be fired by the least spark. Revengeful, in that being provoked, they are as it were on fire with revenge: like Gunpowder, which so soon as it hath taken any fire is instantly all on a flame. The Apostle among other properties of a natural man reckoneth these, maliciousness, envy, debate, malignity (whereby all things are taken in an evil part) implacableness, and unmercifulness. And in another place to the same purpose he saith, we are hateful, and hating one another. ³In regard of this wrathful and revengeful disposition,⁴ men are resembled to Wolves, Leopards, Bears, Lyons, ⁵Asps and Cockatrices. Unless this nature be altered it is no more possible for a man in true brotherly love to forgive, then for one of the forenamed savage creatures to be quiet, and do no hurt, when they are stirred up and provoked. Nature must be altered before a wrong can be thoroughly & rightly passed by and forgiven. This alteration of nature proceedeth from an apprehension of Gods love to us in Christ, and that in pardoning our sins. For the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, is as fire that warmeth our hearts thawing out the hard frost of hatred and revenge, and making them pliable to Gods heart and affection to us, merciful as he is merciful, kind, gentle and patient as he is, forbearing wrongs, and forgiving debts as he doth. Hence then it followeth, that if our disposition be inclinable to forgive, and if according to that inclinableness we do in truth actually forgive, we may be assured that God hath forgiven us: even as when we find a cold thing hot, we may infer it hath been heated.

True Christian forgiuing,¹