146 Forgivene íi withGod, nranifeftzedby Pfal. i 3 o. tò that he comes ( 3 ) To a full and open confeffion of his tin ( 4.) He makes Rctlituti©n.of what he was advantaged by his fin, he brought agaittthe thirty pieces of Per, v. 3. all tetlifying an hearty forrow that f irited the whole. Methinks now Ju- das his Repentance looks like the young mans obedience , who çrycd out, all thtt'e things have I done ; Is there any thing yet Mackin; ? Yea, one thing was, wanting to that young man,he had no trite pith nor love toGod all this while, avhich vitiated and fpoylcd all the ref of his performances. One thing alibis wanting to this Repentance of Judas ; he had nofaith offorgive- asrßin God; that he could not believe ; and therefore after all this forrow inflead of coming to him , he bids him the utmoti defiance, and goes away and hangs him)'elf. Indeed faith of forgivenefr, as hath been ¡hewed, path many degrees. THere is of them, that which is indifpentibly ne- ceffary to render Repentance acceptable. What it is in particu- lar, I do not difpute. It is not an Affurance of the Acceptance of our perfons in general. It is not that the particularfin wherewith it may be, the foul is perplexed , is forgiven. A general, fo it be a Goffel difcovery that there is forgiveneff in God, will fuflìce. The Church expreffeth it, Hof: 14.3. In thee the fatherirß ftndcth mercy, and Joel 2. 14. Who knows but he mill return and repent. I have this ground, faith the foul ; God is in hionfelf gracious and merciful; thefatherlefi,the detlitute and helplefs that come to him by Chriti, find mercy in him. None in Heaven and earth can evince but that he may return to me alto. Now let a mans convieiionr be never fo great, ¡harp, wounding, his f rrowv never fo abundant, overflowing, abiding, his confeffion never fo full, free or open, if this one thing be wanting, all is nothing but what tends to death. 2. Toprefcribe Repentance as a duty unto (inners, without a foundation of pardon and forgivenefr in hìmfelf ; is incon- W ent with the Wifdom, Holinefs, Goodnefs, Paithfulnefs, and all other glorious Excellencies and Perfections of the na- ture ofGod ; for, i. TheApoíile layes thisas the great foundation of all con- folation , that God cannot lye or deceive, Heb. 6. 18. And again, he engageth the faithfulnefs and veracity of God to the fame purpofe*
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