( 136) and then in himfelf acceptable whin he believed]. To which I Reply ; If by in himfelf, they mean Oe".,:eCtiv.e, that Chrift, and not he himfelf is the Object of Gods Acceptation, or that God is well pleafed with them, &tam- prop.firn,-, they grant what I de- fire : It is not the Unbeliever, but Chrift that is righteous too therefore let Chrift be the fubject denominated only, if he be the only Object of Acceptation : fay not then that men are Abfol- ved, Pardoned , &c. If by in himfelf, they mean cemfalitr , by way of Merit, i hope they will not Band to it, that the Regene- rate do meritorioufly pleafe God in themfelves ( no more then theunregenerate) but only in Chrift. 3. Or if another way be found of pleafing God , yet it is here a general denyal of our pleafing God ; andif youwill limit it to any one kind, it muff be to that pleafingwhich is proper to the Regenerate, which is to be Adopted, Reconciled, Abfolved, &c. 4. To fay that we pleafe God in Chrift before we believe but to contradict the text, which faithwe pleafe him not : and fuppofeth that we are in him before we believe, which is againft the Scripture. The fecondAnfwer I remember in Mr.Pemble and its themoil' common, viz. that They cannot pleafe God with their Actions, or their Actions are not fuch as pleafe God, but their perfons do : therefore this text fpealcs not of their perfons, but their actions. To which I Reply, I. That this is a contradiction : for the per- fon topleafe God,and all his future fins bepardoned before hand, and efpecially in the Antinomian fenfe , fo as for God to feeno iniquity in them, andyet to be difpleafed with his Actions. As nothing but imputed fin can make God difpleafea, fo the Act and the Actor are foneerly related, that if the act difpleafe God, the Actor muff needs,in fomemeafure,or fo far, difpleafe him. Ifdif- pleaftire be taken for diflike, or difapproving then God loth fo far diflike or difapprove of the perfons, even- of Believers as he difapproveth their actions : that is, He difliketh them as evil actors; or as finners, at the fame time when he is pleaf- ed with them, and loveth them as Redeemed , Reconciled , Pardoned finners in Chrift. But ifdifpleafure be taken for an- ger, or Caftigatory pnnithing difpleafure, then this cannot be ul- timately terminated on the fin, but the finner : It is not actions that are punifhed, but men for actions. God was difpleafed with David himfelf, and not with his actions only. 1fdifp/eartore figni- fie, that It is againft Gods will that full actions are, then I fay , a
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