2 The Neceffity of Vol. II. they had teflified andpreached the Word of the Lord; and fo Afír 18.5. Beingpref. fed in Spirit, be teftified to the Jews, that jefuswas the Cñrift. Being preldin Spi- rit, fignifiesIntention and Vehemency in teltifying to them, that he did vehe- mently endeavour to convince them ; it teems tobe equivalent to the Expreffion, v. 28. where it is faid, Apollo, did mightily convince the Yew, that fefus was the Chrifl ; that is, did ufe fuch Perfwafions and Argumentsas were fufficient to con- vince ; and to mention no more, Al#s 28. 23. He expounded and teffled the Kingdom ofGod, perfwadingthem concerning Jefu,. St. Paul in his Epiffle to Timothy ufeth this Word in a molt vehement Senfe, for giving a folemn Charge, r. Tim. 5. z r. I charge thee before God and the Lord yefus Chrifi, the Word is 'txua;zv;occxi ; and fo 2 Tim. 2. 14. charging, them before the Lord, that they firive not data Words; and fo z Dm. 4.1. I charge thee before God and the Lord refus Chriji and here in the Text the Word foetus to be of a very high and intenfe Signification, becaufe of the Circumftances mentioned be- fore and after ; he tells us before, that he taught them at all Seafons, v. i8. pub- licklyand from Houfe to Houfe, sr. 20. and afterwardsat the 31. v. that he warned tht'mDay and Night withTears. So that teflifying to the 7ews Repentance andFaith, muff lignifie his prefling and perfwading of them with the greateft Vehemency, to turn from their Sins, and believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift ; his charging on them thefe things as their Duty, his pleading with them the Neceflìty of Faith and Repentance, and earneítly endeavouring to convince them thereof. Repentance toward God, and Faith toward our Lord Jefus Chrifi: What is the Reafon of this appropriationof Repentance and Faith, the one as properly refpe- éting God, and the other our Lord 7efus Chrift 1 I anfwer. Repentance doth properly, refpeet God, becaufe he is the Party offended, and to whom we are to be reconciled ; the Faith of the Gofpel doth properly refer to the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the chiefand principal Objet.t of it , fo that by teflifyingto them Repen- tance toward God, &c. we are to underftand that theApoffle did earneftly prefs and perfwade them to repent of their Sins, whereby they hadoffended God, and to believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the llleas, thePerfon that was ordained of God, and fent tobe the Saviour ofthe World. From the Words thus explained, this is the Obfervation that doth natural- ly arife, That Repentance and Faith are theSum and Subftanceof the Gofpel ; and that Miniflers ought with all Earneftnefs and Vehemency toprefs People to repent and believe, tocharge themwith thefe as their Duty, and by all means to endeavour to convince them oftheNeceffity of them. In the handling ofthis I fhall do thefe Two things. Firft, Shew you what is included in Repentance and Faith, that you may fee that they arethe Sumof the Gofpel. And, Secondly, Shew you the Necef ity of them. Firfi, What is included in thefe. L Repentance; this properly 6gnifiesa Change ofMind, aConvietion that we have done amifs, foas to be truly forry for what we have done, and heartily to with that we had not done it. To repent, is to alter our Mind, to have other Apprehenfions ofthings thanwe had, to look upon that now as evil, which we did not before; from whencefollows Sorrow for what we have done, anda re- folution of Mind for the future not to do again that which appearsnow to us to be fo evil, that we are afhamedof it, and troubled for it, and with we had never done it. So that Repentance implies a Convi&ion that we have done fomething that isevil and finful, contrary to the Lawwe areunder, and thofe Obligations ofDuty and Gratitude that lie upon us, whereby God is highly provoked and in= cenfed againft us, and we in dangerof his Wrath, and the fad Effe&s of his Dif pleafure; upon which we are troubled, and grieved, and afhamed for what we have done, and with we had been wifer, and had done otherwife ; hereupon we refolve never to do any thing that is finful, that is contrary to our Duty and Ob- ligations to God, and by which we may provoke him againft us. Thefe two things are contained in a true Repentance, a deep Senfe of, and Sorrow for the Evils "MI
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