VER. 7. Ephefians,Chap.t. why doth he on his faith and repentance, receive onely forgivenetfeof theeternall punifhment e Is it that Chrift his death isnot as fufficient as before e are there not fufficient meanes ! will not the faine qualifi- cation in faith and repentance ferve, that didbefore! They fay,the firft is all-fufficient in it felfe ; They fay, the Sacrament oftheir penance is perfeél ; they fay, ifa man have fuch confeffion,fatisfattion, contrition, as doe not put any impediment to the Sacrament, then it fufficeth: Then fay I, every man who receiveth pardon oftheeternal! punifhment, by the Sacrament, muff receive pardon of the temporali alfo; for the Sacrament fufficeth to giveboth ; if hecome with fuchcontrition and qualification as Both not put impediment, he receiveth the whole benefit ; ifhe come not with fuch, he receiveth no grace bymeanesof it, no remiffionof the eternal!. Now followeth thethird thing; to which I anfwer: We doebeleeve 3 remiffion of finnes, becaufe thpugh we have it, in regard of Gods fentence, and fede fome effeéls ofit, as peace, joy, &c. yet we fee it not fully executed, nor(hall not, till the time ofrefrefhing. Now then, how fhould this comfort our hearts, that God bathdealt y¡ r; thus richly with us ! Feare not thou repenting beleeving foule, feare not finnes pall, prefent, to come, thy God hath put all fromhis fight, and fo, that he keepeth no backe reckonings for thee ; all the blame, all that is a proper plague or punifhment for finnes removed from thee; What would come to us under còndemnation, more pleafant then this word ofpardon!What can we beleeversreceive moregladly, then this generali acquitance ofall our finnes e This mull makeus feare the Lord ; There is mercy with God, that 17e 2. he maybe feared, mercy reaching to forgiveneffe the word fignifieth. For a Traitour once pardoned in treafon, to be found a fecond time in confpiracie, how unthankful!, how intolerable e So it is with us, &c. Seeing we get this remiffion in Chrift his blond, let us lay it up and Y ¡e 3; keepe it carefully.We keepe all things which teftifieour difcharge from debts; Let us lay up this by faith in our hearts,evea this pardon inChrift his blood, which our Godgiveth us : It is a bleffed thing to exercilè faith in the promife and feales which we have received. Many meafuring themfelves in Gods favour by feelings, when thefe faite, call all in queftion ; Many feekingcomfort no further then the fmart of terrours drive them, and then giving over, at length arediflreffedwith their old feares and doubtings ; for wounds over-haflily skinned, will breakeforth afrefh ; But now a few, never exerciliing theirfenfes in apprehending this benefit, and fo in carefull laying it up, theycaufe Cod to hide that comfortable experience of it, to the end they may feeke it up and keepe ir, receiving it more carefully ; as if one looke loofely to Plate, we will lay a piece afide for a while, and make one thinkehis negligence bath loft it,that thuswe may teach him to keepe it more carefully when it isreturned. Let us maintaine our fpirituall liberty, in which.Chrift bath fet us, 64: K hating 97
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