Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

r e 8 Falfe Signr ofGrace. S n c T. III. and power in theOrdinances, yec that this hearer was not hereby regenerate is plain,partly becaufe he is faid tohave no root, partlybecaufe he is oppofed to the good ground, that is, the good and honer! heart ( what is laid by Arminians to there things, hereafter[hall be difeuffed ) fo 70ó.5.35 you havea plain inftanceof fome chat had light and heat in them, yet not godly. Ye did for a feafon rejoyce in ?ohms light and Miniflery, fo that men who 'hall at laft be thrown in utter darkneffe,may yet for a while rejoyce in the light of Gods word : Thus Herodput. tech it alfoout of all quellion, Mar.6.2o. for he heard joha gladly,and the motive was religion, for it's faid he feared or reverenced him, because he was a juft man. I look upon this point asfundamentall in praftice ; and which if true, may Ulrike like an arrow into our hearts, and therefore have brought undeniable places of Scri- pfote to affert this truth ; Affeftions in holy adminiftracions withdelight and joy, maybe in thole who yet haveno true grace : I will inflance only in another affe- Own, and that is forrowand grief about fnne, even this may be in a man unfea- foned with grace, Mas.z7.3. it is exprefly faid of 7adas, herepented himfelf and confeffed I have finned in betraying the innocent blond, w nnSe+e, the word is properly sledof that forow, grief and care, which is in the affeftionate part ofa man : Ahab, humiliation, t King. at. is fo great, that God taketh notice of ic; Seeft thou how Ahab humbleth himfelf? The Ifraelites how often were they in their humiliations and mournings for fin? though there land. flouds w.re dried up again, infomuch that gregory did well compare them to the grafhoppers which makefudden leapsfrom the earth, as if they would fly to heaven, but prefently falldown upon the ground again. Take one place formany,T(al. 78.34. They fought him and they teturned, and theyenquired early after God : Great ex- preffions ! Do you not think God like that Father in the Parable willprefently kiffe them, put robes upon them, prepare a fatted calf for them? No, verf. 36, marreth all. Nevcrtheleffe their hearts werenot ftedfaft within him. Now its remarkable,as the Scripture calsthere allions, repentance, humiliation, returning and lackingafter God, giving the nameofgrace to them, becaufe they have the outward lineaments of grace, fo alfo the Scripture accriburech pardon of fin and forgiveneffe unto them, verf.38. he being full of compaf ion forgave their ini- quities, Numb,t4.zo. Godupon Mofes his praier, faith he had pardoned their in- iquity: now this cannot be a true andproper pardonof fin, for Fleb.3. it is plain, rhefeperifbrd becaufe of their unbelief. Therefore when the Scripture faith, that upon filchhumiliation and repentanceGod dothpardon fn, efpecially fpeak: ingof an whole body of people, ic's to be underltood in a particu`ar fenfe thus, for not punilhing themat that time, but either quite taking away, or at leafs dif- ferring the temporal! affliftion, but is [till abiding them, forno unconverted man, truly and properly everbath any fin pardoned him : fothat as to a godly man re- penting, God takethaway eternall punifhment, but lets a temporal! chaftifement fometime abide, fo to the unconverted repenting, God dothfometirnes cake away the temporal', but caufeth the eternal' punrihment to continue. By all this you fee the Scripture (peakingoffome,as rejoycing in that which is good,and mourning for that which is evil!, whereupontheir fins are faid to be forgiven, that yet all this while aremen whofe hearts are not right within them : and this is nowonder, Pee- ing they arefaid to beleeve, .Ma:.X z. they beleeveforá feafon, yea, j'oh.z.a3, un- converted men are faid tò beleeve in the name ( which (ome make the higheft expreffionofbeleeving) now according to the colluffrationof their underltandingsby faith, futeable are the motions of their affeftions in their heart. As they beleeve, fo they rejoyce, mourn,defire, and delight in things be- lieved. a. Such mo- z. There afelïions we may for diflintiion fkze cati temporary afeîlions in holy dons may be things. Asour Saviour cals it a temporary faith, fo may we a temporary joy, a soiled cenpo- temporary mourning, a temporary delightin good things ; Not as it Were of the es,- cllent of rhefe aftetttons to apoftatize at luR. It is true, faith is called temporary, becaufe

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