The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

2. We herein also acknowledge God to be the author of our forgiveness. This he expecteth of us. It was one clause in his Prayer, Dan. 9. 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses. And if we do not believe and acknowledge it to come from him, why do we ask it of him? and here is a double exercise of faith: we believe that he can forgive, and we believe that if ever we be forgiven, it must come from him, Psal. 130. 4. Dan. 9. 9. When we go no whither else but to him for it, we give him the glory of it.

3. We herein declare that he is a free Agent when he forgiveth us. The very asking a pardon, if sincere, implies that we acknowledge our Guilt; otherwise we could not know what we want a pardon for. And when we seek to have Guilt removed in way of a pardon, we signify by it; that we have no satisfaction of our own to make for the offence, but it must come from the benignity and compassion of him whom we have offended. So that Gods free Grace is fully asserted in our Praying for forgiveness, and that it is at his liberty; It is therefore asked in his Name, Psal. 25. 11.

4. Hence this puts us into the best posture to receive it. God will magnify his mercy in pardoning our Sin, and what posture better becomes us to take it ⟨p. 293⟩of him, than lying prostrate at his feet, resigning to his mercy, sensible of our own unworthiness, Justifying him in his severity against us, imploring him to look upon us in tender pity? and all this belongs to the very frame of a right praying to God. God is most honoured by taking us off from the ground, where we lie before him in our shame; thus is the Prodigal represented,