48 g The Condit-ton of the qefpet (ovendnt, Vol. H. 'and confequently, he that is thus perfwaded, need not take any farther care of his Salvation, but may live as he lift, And I do not fee how this can be avoided ; efpecially if this be true, which our Divines univerfally affert, That whatever puts a Man into a jultified flare, puts him into a flare of Salvation ; I fay, I 'de not fee how this Charge can be avoided, unlefs we own Holinefsand Obedience to be Conditions of our Juftification, as well as Trutt in Chriff. I know no other middle way between Popery and Antinomianifm. But, 2. Which is more confiderable, Without this we can give no fatisfa&ory and reafonable account of our Religion to a Heathen. Suppofe a Heathen fhould fay thus, Your Religion gives a very good account ;of the Corruption and frnfulnefs. of Mankind and bath provided a very probable Remedy for the expiation of ir, by the death of the Sonof God . but this feems to me very unreafonable. and to con- undid the moil natural notions that we have of God's Juftice and Holinefs; that he Ihould pardon men, as you fay he does, tho' they do not repent of their fins, nor are refolved to leave them, nay, tho' they be refolved to go on in a wicked courfe., Did ever any wife Prince pardon a Traitor upon thefe terms ? But who- ever lays that repentance, and a fincere purpofe and Refolution of Obedience, are not the Condition of our pardon, lays that God will pardonmen without Repen- tance, rho' they are not at ill forty for What they have done, nor refolved to change their courfe: for that is a Condition without which a thing cannot be; and if Repentance be not a Condition of pardon, a Man may be pardoned without it. And if this be true, Chtiftianity is the molt lewd and fenfelefs Do&vine in the World. For what can bea greater Encouragement to fin than this, to tell men that they may be pardoned without Repentance ? That is, tho' they live in fin, and continue fo to do. Paganifm never taught any fuch thing. Nay, they may add farther, That this which you teach as the Doctrine of your Religion, feems ex prefly contraryto your own Books, which you fay contain your Religion. Does not the Bible fay, that he that confeffeth and forfaketb hisfin, fhall findmercy ? And Both not this plainly imply, that Repentànce is a Condition of pardon? Let the wicked for fake his war, and the unrighteousmanhis thoughts, and let him returnunto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly par- don. Doth it not fay, that if you forgive not men their trefpafs, neither mill your heavenly Father forgive you ? Can any words moreplainly exprefs a condition than thefe do f How thould we be able to defend our Religion againft loch an affault, nnlefs we difclaim this Charge, and tell them plainly, and without a diflin&ion, That our Religion teacheth that Repentance.and Refolution of Holinefsand Obe- dience are Conditions of our Pardon and Juftification ? I would to God men would confult the honour of Chriflianity, and when they hold any opinion, they would confider not the intereft of a Party, but the univerfal Concernment of Chriftian Religion. If we had to deal with lubrile Heathens, as the primitive Fa- thers of the Church had, we Ihouid lee a neceffìtyof laying afide fuch unreafonable opinions I would fain have any Man Chew any one clear pafl'age out of any of the ancient Fathers and Writers concerning Chriftian Religion, which Jays, That Trutt in Chrift for Salvation is the only Condition o£ our Juftification, and that Repentance and Obedience are nor; or that explains Juftification by Faith alone, in this Senfe. i know it is ufually hid, the ancient fathers and Chriftian were Ignorant of the Doctrine of Juftification in a great meafure, and knew very little of the Myftery of the Gofpel. 1 know not what they mean by Mytlery : but I am Pure they defined Chriftian Religion 'better, and gave a more reafonable and fatisfa&ory account of 'it, than any of thole do, who are fo apt to flight them. The Vie of this Do&nine is as follows. Firfi, To perfwade men to place all their hope and confidence of Salvation in 3ce(ua Chrifl the Son of God ; that is, to believe that through the alone ,merit áf his Death and Sufferings, God is reconciled "to us, and that only upon the account of the Satisfa&ion which he bath made to Divine Juftice, we are reflored to the :favour of God, and our 'fins are pardon'd to us; and we have a title to eternal life. Not but that there are Conditions required on our part, to make us capable of there Benefits, Faith and Repentance and fincere Obedience and Holinefs of-iff,
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