Burroughs - Houston-Packer Collection BT750 .B945 1674

Go j] el (Reim .1 conciled : 'tis J fruit of his pardoning grace and favour, and becaufe he has uftited thee, he fends his Spirit to work for- row and repentance : Many think Juftificationflows from for- row ; hit thou muff come to forrow and repentance another way : know that all true forrow flows from Juftification ; all that forrow before Jtftification, it is but Legal forrow , and reveals fomething that may hinder the foul from Chrift , fin, and the terrors of the Law, and the wrath of God ; but, it dots. not intereft the foul in Chrift ; this I affirm as molt certain Divinity, that there is no forrow whereby any foul is interefted and planted in Chrift ; the forrow that is wrought in them before Juftifcation, in order of nature, may be a means to bring them to God , and make them enquire after Chrift, and flir up their hearts to take away thofe things that do binder from Chrift ; but it does not intereft the.fóul in Chrit} : youdo not underifiand the way of the Gofpel, if you think that forrow interefts the foul in Chrift ; fio, that mull be by faith laying hold on him for Juftification , and then comes forrow of repentance after ; thou may 'ft fee thy felfan undone wretch for fin, and loft for ever, and nothing ,a in the world can quiet thee ; alI this may be by the work of the Law : but then God comes and Thews thee his grace in Chrift, and enables thee to clofe with it for Juftification, and then comes in Evangelical forrow, mourning and melting forrow more than ever before : but now it comes in another way from the Spirit of God melting the foul, becaufe it bath finned againII jefus Chrift, who bath fo graciouflyappeared to it in his pardoning mercy to the foul ; fo that now you forrow becaufe you are pardoned , for it comes as a fruit of faith lay- ing hold ofthe pardoning graceofGod ; and then there is no fuck argument in the world to melt the heart with forrow as when faith tells the foul that fin is pardoned ; and though thy forrowwas little before, and now is greater, thou need'ft not be troubled, ifGod make thy humiliations greater for fin after the knowledge ofthy pardon ; for the revelation of Gods grace in the pardon of thy fin, is the molt excellent means to hum- ble the foul in the world : the forrows of Gods Children after pardon, as they work on their own hearts, fo on Gods heart

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