The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin…

But whether may a godly man that is pardoned pray for pardon of sin? Antinomians account this to be needless; they account all prayer for pardon to be only in this sense; to wit, of pardon, and a manifestation of pardon.

But whether may a godly man that is pardoned pray for pardon of sin? Antinomians account this to be needless; they account all prayer for pardon to be onely in this sense; to wit, of pardon, and a manifestation of pardon.

Answ. First, though it be true, that God doth not call a man to pray for those things that are perfectly done so as never to be done again, as election and creation; yet God doth command us to pray for those things that are still a doing, I am not to pray to God to create the world, it is perfectly done, I am not to pray for Election, it is so done as never to be done more. I am not to pray for the incarnation of Christ, Christ is come into the flesh, but though I am not to pray for these things that are so fully and perfectly done; yet I am to pray for those things that are still adoing, pardon of sin is an act of God that is still in doing, therefore the Apostle refers pardon, Rom, 3. 24, 25. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. And as sin is remitted and repented of, it is pardoned; therefore that reason is not valid to take off men from praying for pardon of sin, the Scripture doth express it, I acknowledged my transgression and thou forgavest. Math. 6. 12. and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. That Plot-form according to which we are to model our prayers, the Antinomians would evade the Text and pretend, that in that Text and such Scriptures we only pray for a sense and manifestation of pardon in the conscience, and not for actual exhibition of pardon in regard of God.

Answ. First, though it be true, that God doth not call a man to pray for those things that are perfectly done so as never to be done again, as election and creation; yet God doth command us to pray for those things that are still a doing, I am not to pray to God to create the world, it is perfectly done, I am not to pray for Election, it is so done as never to be done more. I am not to pray for the incarnation of Christ, Christ is come into the flesh, but though I am not to pray for these things that are so fully and perfectly done; yet I am to pray for those things that are still adoing, pardon of sin is an act of God that is still in doing, therefore the Apostle referrs pardon, Rom, 3. 24, 25. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his bloud, to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. And as sin is remitted and repented of, it is pardoned; therefore that reason is not valid to take off men from praying for pardon of sin, the Scripture doth express it, I acknowledged my transgression and thou forgavest.