Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT763 .B35 1655

ilwasiwwwwwwwwwwitow ,. ( 237) as it is his Legiflativewill de Debito,that muff be here underftood, fo it is as much againft his will, that fuch a perfon do it, as that it be done : He doth not ufe to conftitute the Duenefs of actions, without determining ofthe pet fons from whom they than be due ; Actions are not the fubjects of his Government, fo properly as actors He forbiddeth actions no otherwife , then by forbidding the perfons to commit them. He faithnot, There than be no mur- der, adultery, Sze. but, Thou (bait not kill, Thou fhaltnot com- mit Adultety &c. Moreover, when the fin lyeth in the Act of Reafoning, \Vining, Nilling ; the Elicite Acts of the Rational foul, it is fomewhaz nice diftinguifhing,to fay, God is not pleafed with the Actions,but he is fullypleafed with the Actor : And they that affert fuch curious niceties, fhould do well to prove them plainly,out of Scripture,if they can, and not expect that all men fhould be fo credulous as themfelves, nor too eafily accept them on their bare obtruding, and naked affirmation. My plain opinion is, that though God be moft eminently and principally pleafed with us, in Chrift,and for his Merits, and not at all for our own , yet that hewill not be perfectly pleafed with us in this life,but on- ly in that life, when by Chrift we thall be prefented to him per- fect, blamelefs, without wrinkle or fpot. He that perfectly pleaf- eth God, is himfelf molt perfect, as having attained his end, and therefore is glorified in heaven. 2. But all this that have fpoken, is not very needful : for it is not only unproved that it is only the actions,and not the perfons that the Text fpeaketh of, but the contrary is molt evident in the Text. Forv.2. It was the Elders themfelves,andnot only their A- ions that obtained a good Report by Faith. In v.q.. it was Abel hinnfelf that obtained witnefs that he was righteous, and not only his a&ion 7n v.5. it is faid of fleKoch himfelf,that he had this Te- ftimony that he pleafed God.So that it was Heroch hirrifelf,&not only his a&ion.And then the words of the text in hand are imme.- diately added as an Afiumption, But without Faith it i5 inepoffible to pleare God : whereby it is pall queftion that it fpeaketh of the fame Plealing as the foregoing words do, which is ofthe perfon. And therefore Beza renders it, G4tquifieri non poteP,ut ,ablque fide quifquamDec fit Grattu, applying it to the perfon. And the next wordswhich are given as the reafon of thefe,do further evince this. For he that corned') to Gvd (nrtd to Will te Acce- 1111 3 vted

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