H A P. 29. repentance no Condition of 7uflifi cation. 365 before , how faith ac`teth in the matter of Juftification , how it receiveth an imputedRighteoufnefs & faith hold on thisSurety- Righteoufnefs of Chrift applieth it , to the end , the accufed itppeachcd man may have where - wl'thall he may (land before the Triburial of God , & be accepted of as Righteous , in hisCautioner, & through his Cautioners Righteoufnefs im- puted whim , & now received by Faith : & though Mr, Baxter do account Faith's accepting-of Chrifl , e life offe red on that condition , only its aptitude to the office ; & that the firrnal reafon of,¡ts office as to our Juflification, is its being the performed condition of the Covenant , as he there fpeaketh ; yet that will not invalidateour argument :,for (I) Faiths aptitude (as he calleth it ) or rather its work & acting in Juftificatien , is not meetly an accepting of Chrift, & life offered on that condition; but it is the accepting , laying hold on, le& iing to , & applying the Surety- Righreoufnefs of Chrift , pre - fuppofing the accepting of Chrift htrofelf. (z) Though it may be Paid, that the neereft formal Reaton of Faiths office , is the Lord's appointment ; yet this being too too Philofophical here contributeth nothing to the clearingup of the matter , in order to practice , fo neither was Philofophical accuracy the ground whereupon they went , who faid , that Faiths intereftin Juttifi- cation , was as an Inftrument , but rather their end was to cleare the matter in order toPraäice; fo as poor fouls might not fall into miftakes; this I judge to be the belt Theological acuracie , howbeit he should account ma- ny filch (peaches nothing but unintelligible phrafes and fuch doctrine to containe fuch fenfelefnefs & confequents as the opening up of would of- fend , as hethîerefpeaketh. (3)ltiscertaine, that Repentance doth nvitfo at on Chritt , and his Surety- Rightcoufnefs, in order to Tuftification , as Faith doth , Repentance , as filch is no acceptance ofa free gibt , far lefs of a gift of Righteonfnefs , & of an Atonement there- through ; Repentance a&teth not this on Chrift :.Yea the reafon he giveth Confefj: p. 39. why Re- penr nce was made a conditioti of pardon , doth ffiìc'entlk shew , t.hat it can have that intereft , that Faith bath. His reafon is this. Becau fe with out it ( R'penr<<nce ) God d? the Redeemer cannot have their end in pardoning us; Nor can eho R deemer do all his work, for which we do accept_hirn : for his work it , upon the pardoning of us to bring us back in heart e life to God ; from whom we were fallen ìm flrayed. This was Chrt ff's work, Therefore the conditions, which Chrifi maketh, are, ar f he should fay , if you will be faved by me, & are wil- ling that t shall bring you back to God , I will both b, ing you into his favour by Pardon , and into a capacity of per(onal pleating & enjoying of him. NOW , our Repentance is our confent to return to God , d? the change' of our anindes, by turning from former fin, that was our idol , e being willing-by Chrift to be re- flored to obedience. By this , I fay , it is clear , that Repentance hath a more diret`t afped upon , & reference to the confequen.ces of Pard n & ju{tiica- tion itfelf; we grant its neceflìty unto all the ends mentioned , and its ne- ceffary prefence in fuch as are Julhtfied; & that its contrare , or pofitive im penitency, cannot conflit with Faith , in fuch as are to be Juftified : YetJthat will not give ground to inferte, that it bath the fame Intereft, Influence & Confideration, in-Juitification, that Faith hath. Y y Mr, s1" ;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=