'418 Repentance no Condition of Pardon. C H A P. 261, don of fins, committed after Juftification : or not ? And when we fpeakof Repentance here, we confider it by itfelf, & not as being the fenfible figni- fication & expreffion of Faith ; for the Qiteftion is not , whether Faith a- Fting in & through Repentance , or working the foul up unto unfeigned Re- pentance, be the Condition ofRemiflìon; for that is not Repentance , but Faith , accompanied with , & a &ing the foul ro Repentance ; but the Que- ftion is of Repentance confrdered in itfelf , & as a diitin& grace from Faith And fpeaking of Repentance , as filch , &confidered in itfelf, I fay , that it is not the Conditionof Remifon of after fins; bnt faith only , a&ingin a. Gofpel manner , on Jefas Chrift , & his Blond & Merites. And the reafons are. i. Becaufe it is Faith & not Repentance , that car - rieth the firmer away to the Blond of lefus Chrift , & to his Merites, through whom , & by which alone Remiffion is had Ephef. is 7. Col. is t4. zach.I3 . a. Heb. 9: 14, 22. Revel. t: 5. Repentance as facia, layeth not hold on Chrift; grippeth not his Merites, maketh no application of there; but is wholly exercif d about another obje &, about fin. 2. This would'give man too great:ground of boafting in himfelf : if upon- his Mourning; Sorrow & Repentance , Pardori were to be had ; and would give occafion to think , that there &were force merite 8t worth in that work,. & force thing fatisfying or appealing to God for the man hereby is keeper within himfelf : & upon the account of fomething within himfelf; or done by himfelf, is he pardoned , as he might fuppofe. 3.. This should be derogatorie to the Blond & Merites of Chrift, by which alone we have pardon fart & laft and the Gofpel is fo contrived , as that Chrift muff have all the Glory ; and all the methodes , meanes & order of the Gofpel and new Covenant , are in like manner framed , fo that matt may be abated , free grace exalted , Chrift acknowledged the only Redee- mer; But if our Repentance were made fuch a Condition , there should be no application made of Chrift & of his bloud bythefinner; Noa&ingon- him, & on his merites, in order to the obtaining of Pardon; and fo, no occafion of exalting free grace, and Love in Chrift ;. no occafion of wonde- ring at the wife contrivance of the Covenant of Grace , in all points : If it be faid , There is no derogating from Chrift & his Merites here; becaufe it is by vertue of his Merites , that Repentance is made fuch a Condition : I. 4nf. This is not cleared from the Scripture; nor is it futable to the frame of theGofpel-Covenant; for the whole of it isfocontrived, as that Chrift is immediatly to be made ufe of : But this way keepeth the ford off all imme -- diat goingto, applying of , and refting upon Chrift, in order to Remiflion of new finnes ;. & fetteth them only upon the exercifeof Sorrow & Repen- tance within themfelves. 4. The Apoitle John:pointeth out the way to beleevers of obtaining Re- mrtlïon -of fins 1. job. 2: I,.2. - And if any man fin , we have 411 Advocat with the Father., y'efus Chrift the r-ightèous. And he is the Propitiation for our f nr.Now, Repentance doth not make ufe of Chrift , as an Advocat , & as ai Propitia- tion ; but Faith doch. And it isthe proper work of Faith, in order to mid
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