The Life of Faith. 337 execution ofeternal puni(hment, giving them yet more time and offers of repentance and offurther mercy. And fo he for- gave Ahab and Nineve upon their humiliation, Numb. 14. 19. Pardon Ibefeecb thee the iniquity of thio people, according to the greatneß of thy mercy, and as thou haft forgiven this. peoplefrom Egypt until now. So pfal. 85. 2, 3. Thou haft forgiven the iniquity of thypeople thou ,haft covered of their fins : thou haft taken away all tby wrath Turnus 0Gaol'cur f lvation, and caufe thine anger to ceafe : wilt thoube angry with us for ever ? So that they are two palpable errors here arrested by the objet` ers,viz.thar there ie no degree of pardon to [tech as are not famed ; and that . weare juffiftedwben ever we have any degree ofpardon. We may be fo far pardoned as to have gracegiven us effeaually to be- lieve, and yet our Ju[1ification, or the Covenantforgivcnefs of eternal punithmenr, is in order ofnature after our believing, and not before it, Errour 19. That our natures are as far frombeing able tobe.) lieve in Chriff, as from being able tofulfilthe Law of works, and tobe jujiifted by it; they being equally impoffible to us , andas much help se necelfary to one as to the other. Contr. robe jutfified by the Law ofworks,when we have oncebroken it, is a contradict on, and a natural inipo(lìbility; as it is to be at once a finner, and no (inner. But fo it is not fora tanner to believe in Cbriff : The impoffîbiltry is but uso ral at moll ; which confìffethnot in a want of natural faculties' or power, bat in the want ofa right d f at tioa, us. w:pingneß of mind. And to fulfil the Law of God, and to be perfeul for the fu turc, is Purely a far higher degree of fpiritual grace and excel- lency, than to be a poor, weak, ftntul bel:cvcr, eofsring to fulfil it. Therefore our finfnl natures are much fir:her. off fromperfcE icn than fromfaith. 3. And though the fame Osnnipote,rcp do all Gods works (for all Gods Power is Oninipotency) yet it is not equally put forth,and manifeffed in all his works : The moving of a feather, and the making ofthe world, are both wptks ofQrra" nipotency ; but not equal works or exertions, Of it. 4. And it is certain that in term natrra, there is filch U u thing a^-Gr,,,e,._ M057,127.1
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