Boston - BT155 B677 1755

't8o ·. ·The Promife of, &c. ·after the pardon of fin in ju{tification ; yet not orily faith, but repentance alfo, goes before the pardons given fo thefe already juilified,. 1 John i. 7. ' If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fel- . lowfhip one ' with another, and the · blood of Jefus · Chrifi· his Son cleanfeth us from all fin • . Ver. 8. If ( we cor~fefs our fins, he is faithful, and jufi to forgi ve us ~ur fins, and to cleanfe us.' Therefore, we are ordered to pray thus, ' Our Father, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,' Matth. vi. 9, 12. to teach all the children of God, that, if they would have t he.ir Father's forgivenefs, they mufi in the firfi: place forgive others ; V4hich i~ yet more clearly inti- · n1ated , Luke xi. 4 : 'And forgive. us our fins; for, we ~Jfo forgiv 1 e every on~ that is indeb ted to us.' But the matter is not fo fiated, with refpeB: to the pardon of fin in ju!Hfication ;' but that pardon is the fpring of our f9rgiving others, Matth. xviii. 32, 33· For our hearty and acce ptable forgiving of others, pro" ceeds from true chrifrian love to _our neighbour; and that flows from love to God ; the which-is kindled in our hearts by God·s pardoning grace to us, Luke vii . 47'· Eph. iv. . 32· The reafon of the difference lies here, The unj ufiified finner lies under the guilt' of re· venging wrath, which feeks not the amendment, but the defirJ,lction of the ·guilty ·: wherefote till once it is removed, there can be no true evangelical re· pentance, no acceptable amendment, ' in the finner; thefe being reallY' a re!loration of.hi m to life, in cam· patible witH a legal defiination of him to defi'rucrion . . But the jufl-ified fainr is only und<ir the guilt of father· ; ly anger, which feeks not the defirllction; but the re– covery and amendment of the guilty : and therefore it is not removed, until he repent, turning from his fin 'bmto God in an acceptable manner ; and that is the very amen dment, God feeketh in· /hewing hi s anger againfi him, as in the cafe -of David, and of PeNr. ·And

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=