Firfr, Fret: from anJ Procufement. ·· · ' .-. ·· .,.·' .., Secondly, Free from a•J limiting Cooditions: Anddccordingly I fhall propo~nd the R~folution of rwo Queftions. -·. I' ,., · Firfi, Whether the Grace ofGoJ be fo free, as to exclude all Merit antl De{ert; And then, ·;f._ ~· • · 1 Seaondly, Whether it befo freej ado ieqt,fre no Conditions. . . ·Firfl:, Whether the Grilce ofGod• be fo1reeJ a1 to exclude all Merit anel Defort. Ndw lrti.Anfiver· unto this ~teftion, I fhall lay down three ·Propolitions. God's . Ffrft, That the pardmint Grace ofGodu not fo freely voucbfafed to Man) m tO cxGra~e ~ t!uJe all Merit and De{ert on Chrift's part. There is not the leaft Sin pardoned =~~~{ee unto any, but it firft coft the Price of BloodJ evan the precious Blood of eKe elude the Son of God. le is this :Blood that croffeth God's Debt-Book, and blots oUt Me~its of a.:ll thofe Items that we ftand indebted to him for. ' As Chrift1 noW fues OUt Chrifi, our Pardon by his lnterceffion in Heaven, fo he bought out outl Pardon •by his Sufferings on the Crofs ; for, without fll'edlling ofBlood, ther:e ~ no Rimiffion. Heb. 9· 22. AnJtbts i1 my blood, fays · our Saviour himfelf, ?vhkb il ' 'fl,eJ for the Remiffion of Sim, Match. 26. 2.8 • .And we lire not ottr own, but ?Ve are btmgbt wltb'il price, even with the precious Blood of Jdtf4 Chri/!1 iu of a Lamb ?Vitf~ut blefftij!J, and withottt [pot, as the rwo Great Apoftles (peak, 1 C&r. 6. 1'4. ,:; '-~ Pef. 1 ..21. Some have made bold, and poffibly wich no bad lnt'encion, co caUJefus Chrift the greareft Sinner it:~ the World, · becaufe the .SinS of all God's People meet in him, and were imputed to him. '. Theyrwere •his by a voluntaty Sufcepti6h and Undercaking : And if the .foregoing Expreffion may be altoiv'd, ·dmO:is one in Heaven, the higheft in Glory, whofe Sins \Vere nevcr 'pardoned; for our LordChrift paid do~n tbe,urmoft Farthing thar either rhe ,.f..a:w 9r Jttjlict of God cou\d exact, as a Satisfatl:ion for rhofe Sins that he volnntarily rook upon himfelf: And therefore by lJa'1v and Juj!ice, and not. by free Grace, h~ hath taken Poffeffion of Heaven for himfelf, and is· there preparing Manfion:s for us. In refpetl:: of Chrift we ~ ,receive nothing of fi'ee Grace-, ·or of free Gif!, but all is by Purchafe. And as we .our felves hre bought with a Price, f~ every thing we ~enjo)r; even common and· vdlg.ar Mercies corn'~ flowing in up· on us . inStrearnso~Blood. Our ~ive_s, a_ndall_che· Co~orts1 of_chem, much more our future Ltfe, and all die Means tendmg to u, are p~1d for by the Blood of Chrift: So chat rhe Grace of God is nor fo free, as co exclude.all Merit onChrHfS Parr, who hath ptlrcfiafed all we enjoy, 01~hope for, by , pa-yinl?a full andeq6ioable Price to che]uftice nf,God. . ." · · ,' Go1 s . · Secondly, The mftmte. Grace ofGotftn gr"mg Cln·if! to m, and bd _Blood -for, u}, 0!tlft '{ tbrougb-wbich we- have Pardon mut.Jtdjis abfolt~tely fr'te, and (alisi nfJt under iZg, fbw·'ffr: Merit-; · 'eithtro(iours., 'or.ofbis. ,<") . : ·: :.. • .. ';, l;, ·, .... . · '.'11 if '/rec. w Firjf, It fallS hot under any Mer.it of ~urs '; 1 for; r~Ccrcainlr, ~Ould we have meritedGhrift without Heaven, .we·might as wall have mcrncdHeaven without Ohrift. When God in his' infinite Wifdomiforefaw how'i wt•YJ'ould iejta: ·and•defpifellis Son; firft fpilhhi>BlO'Od, and chen rrampl'e rie,on .ir ~ ' h<;!did..oc '-2:tc;aunt' this .J1>ernean0r of ours-:ro··Qe meritorious of fo great a GifrrJ~- w·rh , rStconYly, Which .nsyet m0r-e itothe Glory of God's free Grace, He beftwtd nCBrijllttpop ru, notonly·withoUt ahyJ ll'V!t~irof~·s, bt~t'u;ithout any Mb-it,iJf bis ·ttlfo. .. ~t is free Grace that .Pardons, that .fan&ities, rh~t f~vos us ;1 yet ·a1l tthis· Glir-ift cpu<ehafed for us b'f a full Pricb'il (lod \vill have a·Price' paid doom' for all o!her min@i 'of a lef;Value, that fo , he · rhight hereby ·fel (orch hiI own •Bouncyrin . ·partiiig with his own ;s·on fo.r us:with<DUtiPricc. · · · : ·' '· .1 .:i. 10 Pardomnz , Thirdly, Pardon and Grace o/Jiai11M ·t*rorlgb· the<B(Oi!d of Chri)h ~;, reffd/ • ofi "! ~race f[/~ Merit! uf ours, is altOgeiher free ttnd uiul.efervtJ. "'. We !-Cann6b bflloUI' feh·ctg- :fc:at~:t ~j;:~e f fo imuch as ask Forgivenefs, mu-&h ::- lt:!fsJ therefore can we I:Jphfif}' ~l~irtg that · Dia:y defervc i~. All that we c'an dOl 'is eitt.:ler fintul or holy; if \V!l}lt we dotbt: :: fulful,0it only encreafeth our*Debts;_): if it be lh0Ty,·1t muftpr'Oc'ee:<i· fl£001 Gmlls . free Grace, that enables us to doJ.C:; Land i:ert'alnl:flit';is free G!'ide ~o pardon ·~s uppn the doing of th~t, whi~h free Grace Ofllf..; ihr..tbles us m :dtt. Far beJ'it :fr.Om us to affirm, aSlhe Pap1ftsf do; e.that Good.....WGFkS•are m6r'HimOu~of ~ar: · dori>: \Vhat are our .Prayers, ~ll't1"t;i~hs, our1I'e:fr5) ? ¥ea, Wl\ar~r.e our -Ll-~'~s - ~n:d' our Blood ic fclf, .!hould ,W.,rfu<-djic for Oh rill'/< All tliil c·l'rlf!OC malre :on~ ',.' '1<,£•.' ' djL·Jii •. d ' , $Jot
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