240 Evangelical Repentance. vale to the Text, ye fhall finde the interpretation of this Repentance : Repentye : for this is he that was #oke.,n of by the Prophet Efaias,faying, The voice ofone crying in the wildernef?, Prepareye tbe way ofthe Lord,m4 his paths ftraight. So that preparing the way of the. Lord , and making his paths itraight ; is all one with that which is going before. Now is any one able to make hispaths ftraight before hedo come to Chrift? why then do we come to Chrift if we be: able to make our paths firaight before we do come unto him ? And befides, As the Motive is, Inch is the Repentance that is founded on it. Themotive here is Evangelical : pentye : for the Kingdom ofHeaven isat hand.. The motive is Evangelical, Purely therefore, the Repentance here requi- red, isnot a Legal, but an Evangelical Repentance. But what is it then ? what is heremeant by theKingdom ofHeaven ? and the KingdomofHeaven.beingat hand, or. approaching ? In thelenguageof thenewTeilament, the Kingdom of Heaven is fometimes put for the. Kingdom ofGlory: Some- times it is put for the Church ofChrift under thenewTe. ftament : Sometimes it is put for the Gofpel, and theprea- ching of the Gofpel : Sometimes for the whole Kingdom ofGrace. I take it here for the whole Efate of the Meiliah : the Kingdomof grace, the preaching of the Gofpel, and the difpenfations thereof. And he faies here, That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't : therefore do you turn, thereforedo ye repent. There are thefe TwoNotes that lie before ye, FIra, The KingdomofHeaven does approach unto as, before we do come unto it. Repentye : or turnye : becaufe the King- dom of Heaven bath approach't unto you So in= the begin- ning. Secondly, That the appropinlitation, approaching, or draw- ing neer of the KingdomofHeaven, is the highefi, and the greatefi motive in the world unto true Repentance. I have fpoken to the former in a Congregation not far diftapt
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