.Of Pardon and Foriven.eft. if Stjn. 455 Firfi For m1 own fake : That if, becaufo it is my Pleafi,re : I will do ir, becaufe 1 will d~ it. And indeed this is rhe ROyal Prerogative 0f God ~lone, eo ren~ der his Will for his Rer~fon; for becaufe his Will is alcogerher Sovereigh., and lndependant, rh:1t mufl needs.be mofl rea(onable that he wills. If any fhould queflion Why the Lord pafl by fallen Angels, and floop'd (o low as tp take upfallen'Man? And why among Men hehat!i rejetted tnany Wife and Noble, and hath chofcn tho(e that are Mean and Contemptible ? Why he lmh gathered up, and lodged in his own Bofom, rhofe char wallowed in the Filth and Defilement of rhe wodl; Sif1s, wheri others are left to perifh unde,1· far lefs Guilt?· The mort reafonable Anfwer that can b:C given of all, i's this, I hav~ done it for my own fake; [ have done ir, becau1C iris my Will and Pleafure eo du it· even the fame Rearon that God g:tve unto Mofos ; I 'JP ill be graciow, becaufe [wilt be graciotu; a11d I 1vilt ff1ew mercy, ~ecaufe lwi/1 p,~v Mercy, Exod.; ; . 1 9. Which was the C.tme An(wer our Savwur gave to lumfelf, Luk. 10. :u•. E'Venjo, F:ttber, bwmfo fo it feemed Good in thy fight. Secondly, For my own fake, 7Ve may take it in a final Senfe; That is, I will do it, becaufe of that great Honour and Glory that will accrue eo my great N11me by it. The ultimate and chief End o\God in all his.Actions, is his o~n G_Iory. God bellows PardOn and SalvatiOn upon us chtefty for the Mantfeftatwn of his own Glory, even the Glory of his Iv1ercy and Free Gra"cc. Our Salvation is thel-eforc accompli fhed, chat ir.. might be a t\!feans tO declare to the World how mercifulandgra.cious God is; nor fo much for our Good,as for his Glory; not for our f.1 kes, but for his own fake. Such a parallel Place we have in Ezek. ;6. I2. I do not this for your fake, faith the Lortl, but for rnr hol.J Name fake, that you have prophaned amonK the HeaJh~n : I will fhe"'':' Mercy unco you, not fo much that you may be delivered, as that my Holy Name, that you ha\·e pro- ,phancd, may be redeemed from chat Difhonour that you have call: upon it, and may be glorified among the Heathen. And thus we have the full Inrerpre.ration of the \Vords, and from them I .!hall x:aife and profccllte this Obfervarion. J)o<-'l:rine. That the Grace of God, whereby he blots out and forgive; Sin, is abfoluitly free, an<J i11ji11itely glorious; - I, even .I am he tba~ biotteth out thy Tranfgreffion; for my 01pn [afu, aml wi/J not rem.ember thy Sin;. ." Nowtho' thisDotttine of Free Gra.ce hath defervcd well of all, as being the beft T enfJre of our prefenc EnJoyment, and the beft Prop for our fu~ure Hopes; yet hath ic iJl all Ages found bitter Enemies, ·.ahd..Of old, like the . ·.Ptocurer of it; been Crucified between nvo Thieves, thd Gnofticks and .the Pelagiau Hereticki: Tl1e Pelagimis deprive it of its Freedom, and enfiave ic tO ..the Will of Man, affirming, "That God rhe!:Cfor,e Pardons and fa\'Cs fqine,. be- -.ca:Ufe they wj!J , by rbe Power of their own Nature, work Eaich in themfelves ; wJ;tereas, the Tr,1,1th is, rhece£or~ God works Fairh "in them, beca ufe ~~ :;wjll .>pa.rdon and fave them. ~(hus rhcy make Free Grace a Hapdmaid to wairt.ipnn rhe Motions of Free 1-Vilt. Now rh is is :greatly deroga.c.0r.y t0 Fret · Grace, for 'Men toboqom their fa ith and Pardon upon th.e Arbirradnefs of Frtt-WitJ.-, and JJO.t upon cbe Almighty Sovereigp G.rqce of:.God, chac .fu·Q: mo,•cs th~ ~WlHl .to fhelieve, and thCrJ. pardons it liJ?On b.e \ieviog, .;'· ) ~· -·-; · ·r· "Now as th.e[e deprefs the Free, Grace of Go;l, fo.rherc areo.thCrs that afc.dhe.tqo rrtmch unto it: Of old, Jjlrbit1s, in Lutber's ::Cimt, who w~s .thevfuft RingleadeC; Of latter Days, the.A.nti,Mmiam; an.d tbc(C xrhi.mk the Gr.acc ciLGod i ~~fo (rq ·~ tp fupe·rkdc :1U Necefficy of working ' foNt, or wirh ir; and Ghat ~it is e~" : _'i ....oough for us- tQ: lit jtiJI and. )<ldm.ire jt, and fo. .ro be hw:tjed a1Wfi.y t0 Hea..V.Ut.'i 1 1. 1..~ :,,_ ~ Ja. .Dream: ~ay,_..fom~; even in our Day.s,Jluv.e upon ·t~S P nincipie',ar,riv..id ·~\.;·"~{~ ·t.<>~ba c heighc o.t Blafphemy, >s to ; lflinn, That we never fo mttclLgl~<iiie .'&st-Grace, as when we ma.ke ·WQri:<:fo.r it by:. ll.o.u.cfm..niug.; Now theJ·efo[.eTHiar we may avoid both rhefC Excreams, it wi.Jl b.e very nec.dfary to fiace ~i gLl{ ..bClw the Grace o( God i:; free, and hd-1Y it is not free. , . ' ~ow ch.ere arc many fOrts of ~recdoros; ~ Fr.eedom _fromcUa tural Nccellit!):, .a. £reedoo1 from violem Co-;tCbo)l, aOd Jr.o.rn _engagmg '.Promifes, and. tjl:e J.i:ke; bu.t~befe are noc pcr-tinenc_co ourp.re-fem Bufitt..ef$. . Wbeu Grace ...clie r.eJP.u: is fa. id to. be free, i~ mufi be raken in a twofo/tl Scnfc. Fidt,
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