40. 20 The Inítitution and Government The,Anfwer was, If thou believefl with all thy Heart, thaw mayefl. The contrary that fairly offers itfelf is this : If thou dolt not believe with all thy Heart, thou mayelt not. When Peter exhorted them to repent and be baptized, it was not a mock Repentance that he exhorted them to, but a real Repentance. Secondly, They are not within the Compafs of the Lord's Prefcription, unlefs they are fincere : They are not Hy- pocrites, but Saints, that are defcribed to be meet Sub - jeéts, fuch as have clean Hands, and a pure Heart, Pfal. xxiv. 3. And loch are wide from Hypocrites. Thirdly, Such as are not really Sanctified, can expe& no fpiritual Meiling in ftanding in a Church - State, becaufe there is no Promife that they can Poffibly take hold of. It is he that is really pure in Heart that hath the Promife, Pfal. xxiv. 3. It is he that (hall receive the BUing from the Lord, and Righteoz fnefs from the God of his Salvation. Fourthly, Such as are not really Holy, though they are outwardly joined to the Church, and are with them going in and coming out, yet in fome Senfe they are not of them. i John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not all of us ; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went f gamo us, ,rsthat he might be made manifefl that they f T y were the Sons of llagar, not of Sarah, the Sons of the Bond Woman not of the Free. Fifthly, Churches can receive Members under no other Consideration, but as really Godly. 1 am perfzvaded, faith the Apoftle, that he that hath begun a good Work in you, will not ceafe to perfect the fame unto the coming of the Lord fetus, as it is meet for me to think f of you all, Püil. i. b, 7. if Perlons are not judged to be fincere, they cannot be look'd on as meet Matter for a Church. Sixthly, Churches having not a Judgment oflnfallibility, though fuch as are really Sanctified are in the itrieteft Senfe the only meet Matter to be joined to cn instituted Church, yet they may warrantably receive filch as in ;fuagment of Charity arefncere: They can no otherwife judge of the Sia- cerity of theHeart, but by the outward Appearance. That filch may be received, appears by the primitive Pra61 ten
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