Ball - BT770 B3 1637

86 Faith air itju'ifees is arollingon Chrififor pardon. Era.'.i6,17,/8. Ezek.t8 zr P1ov.28.73. Matth.6. r4215'. AdS76.3o,3r. J011.6.29. and tr.2S. Ads 10.43. Aas t6.r8. Climesbee pardoned, followes thiswitneffe of the Spirit, as the fruit and effeEt thereof. In which it is moll manifell, that faith in Chriflis before jufiification in order of na- ture, though not intime ; and juitification is precedent to the fenfeand feeling of remifsion : and therefore that be- leefe, which is required on our part to jufiificat ion, cannot bean affurance that our fins bepardoned already; unleffe the fame thingbe before and after it felfe, and a manbepar- doned before heèbeleeve, oraffured that hee is pardoned beforeit bee granted, or that aei offaith which cannot bee but in a perfonalready jullified, muff goe beforethepardon of finne. Thepromifeof remifsionof finnes is conditional],: and becommethnot abfolute, until] the condition bee fulfilled, eitheraólually, orin deliire and preparationof mind. This is theword of grace,Beleeve in the LordJejauChrift,and thou (halt beraved : whendoth this conditional) ;propofi- don become abfolute ? when wee beleeve. What? that our firmes are pardoned ? No : but whenwee beleeve in Chrifi toobtaine pardon, which is the thing promifed up- on condition ofbeleefe. Affurance that our finnes be par- doned is concluded in a praticall Syllogifine thus ; Hee that truly beleeveth in Chrifi bath obtained pardon of his finnes : But I beleeve : Therefore my firmes are pardoned: where affurance of the pardon of finne is a conclufion drawne from a two-fold ground, the one expreffed in Scripture, the other evident (if true) by the teliimony of the renewed confcience ; and prefuppofeth that hee belee- veth, and is affured that he dóth beleeve. Nav ifaffurance of remifsion be concluded from this ground, that he belee- verb, and knoweth certainly that hee beleeveth ; then the beleefe which is requiredon our parts tojufiification, can- not beeanaffurance that our finsbee walkedaway already. For if wee take the word Beleeve for a perfvafion that our finnes are done away, then the Syllogifine runneth thus ; Hee that isaffured of' the pardonof his firmes, his finnes are pardoned. But -I am affured of the pardon of my finnes :

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