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great condition of our juftification and acceptance with God, is the real renovation of our hearts and lives, is plain, not only from this text, which affirms, that in the Chriftian religion nothing will avail us but the new creature; but likewife from many other clear texts of fcripture; and this, whether by juftification be meant our first justification upon our faith and repentance, or our continuance in this ftate, or our final juftification by our folemn acquittal and abfolution at the great day, which in fcripture is called falvation, and eternal life.

That this is the condition of our first justification, that is, of the forgiveness of our fins, and our being received into the grace and favour of God, is plain from all those texts, where this change is expreft by our repentance and converfion, by our regeneration and renovation, by our purification and fanctification, or by any other terms of the like importance. For under every one of these notions, this change is made the condition of the forgiveness of our fins, and acceptance to the favour of God.

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Under the notion of repentance and converfion, Acts ii. 38. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins. Acts iii. 19. Repent and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out. Upon the fame account, the penitent acknowledgment of our fins, which is an esfential part of repentance, is made a condition of the forgiveness of them, John i. 9. If we confess our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteousness. Under the notion of regeneration and renovation, 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Chrift, that is, become a true Chriftian, which is all one with being in a juftified state, he is a new creature; old things are past away, be-. hold all things are become new. Tit. iii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. where the Apoftle declares at large, what change is required to put us into a juftified ftate, and to intitle us to the inheritance of eternal life, For we ourfelves were alfo fometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But

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after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, that is, not for any precedent righteousness of ours, for we were great finners, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jefus Chrift our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So that the change of our former temper, and converfion and regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, is antecedently neceffary to our juftification, that is, to the pardon of our fins, and our reftitution to the favour of God, and the hope of eternal life. So likewife under the notion of purification and fanctification, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, 11. where the Apostle enumerates feveral fins and vices, which will certainly exclude men from the favour and kingdom of God, from which we must be cleansed, before we can be justified or faved: Know ye not that the unrighteous fhall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of God. And fuch were fome of you: but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified, in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. where the Apostle likewife makes our purification a condition of our being received into the favour of God, and recko... ⚫ed into the number of his children: Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty. And that by not touching the unclean thing, is here certainly meant our fanctification and purification from fin, is evident from what immediately follows in the beginning of the next chapter: Having therefore thefe promiles, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; that is, having this encouragement, that upon this condition we fhall be received to the favour YOL. V. F f

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of God, let us purify ourselves, that we may be capable of this great bleffing.

And our continuance in this ftate of grace and favour with God, depends upon our perfeverance in holinefs; for if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

And lastly, this is alfo the condition of our final juftification, and abfolution by the fentence of the great day, Mat. v. 8. Bleffed are the pure in heart; for they shall fee God. John iii. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot fee the kingdom of God. Heb. xii. 14. Follow holiness, without which no man fhall fee the Lord. 1 John iii. 3. the Apostle there fpeaking of the fight and enjoyment of God, tells us what we must do, if ever we hope to be partakers of it: Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himfelf, even as he is pure.

And this condition here mentioned in the text, of our being new creatures, is the fame in fenfe and fubftance with thofe expreffions which we find in the two parallel texts to this, where faith which is perfected by charity, and keeping the commandments of God, are made the condition of our juftification and acceptance with God. Gal. v. 6. In Chrift Jefus neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion; but faith, which is confummate, or made perfect by charity; and 1 Cor. vii. 19. Circumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God. It is evident that the defign and meaning of these three texts is the fame, and therefore thefe three expreffions of the new creature, and of faith perfected by charity, and of keeping the commandments of God, do certainly fignify the fame thing. That the new creature fignifies the change of our ftate, from a state of difobedience and fin, to a ftate of obedience and holiness of life, I have fhewn at large; and the Apostle explaining this new creation, moft exprefly tells us, Ephef. ii. 10. We are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them; and Col. iii. 10, 12, 13, 14. where the Apostle tells them, that

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they ought to give teftimony of their renovation, and having put on the new man, by all the fruits of obedience and goodness; ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him. Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, bumbleness of mind, meekness, long fuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another and above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection. And the Apoftle St. Peter tells us, that our regeneration, which he calls fanctification of the Spirit, is unto obedience, 1 Pet. i. 2. that our renovation confifteth in the principle and practice of obedience, and a good life; and what is this but faith perfected by charity? And charity, the Apoftle tells us, is the fulfilling of the law; and what is the fulfilling of the law, but keeping the commandments of God? And keeping the commandments of God, or at leaft a fincere refolution of obedience, when there is not time and opportunity for the trial of it, is in fcripture as exprefly made a condition both of our prefent and final juftification and acceptance with God, as faith is, and in truth is the fame with a living and operative faith, and a faith that is confummate, and made perfect by charity. Acts x. 34, 35. Of a truth, I perceive (faith Peter) that God is no respecter of perfons, but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him; which fpeech does, as plainly as words can do any thing, declare to us upon what terms all mankind, of what condition or nation soever, may find acceptance with God, Rom. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, and honour, and immortality; eternal life but to them who are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every foul of man that doth evil; of the Few first, and alfo of the Gentile but glory, honour and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and alfo to the Gentile. As to our acceptance with God, Ff2

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and the rewards of another world, it matters not whether Jew or Gentile, circumcifed or uncircumcifed; that which maketh the difference, is obeying the truth, or obeying unrighteousness; working good, or doing evil; thefe are the things which will avail to our juftification, or condemnation at the great day. To the fame purpofe is that faying of the Apoftle to the Hebrews, chap. v. 9. that Chrift is the author of eternal falvation to them that obey him.

I will conclude this matter with two remarkable fayings, the one towards the beginning, the other towards the end of the Bible, to fatisfy us that this is the tenor of the holy fcriptures, and the constant doctrine of it from the beginning to the end, Gen. iv. 7. It is God's fpeech to Cain, If thou doft well, fhalt thou not be accepted? And Rev. xxii. 14. Blef fed are they who do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

And thus I have done with the fecond thing I propounded, which was to fhew, that according to the terms of the gofpel, and the Chriftian religion, the real renovation of our hearts and lives is the great condition of our juftification and acceptance with God, and that this in fenfe and fubftance is the fame with faith made perfect by charity, and keeping the commandments of God.

The third and laft particular remains to be spoken to, namely, That it is highly reasonable that this fhould be the condition of our juftification, and acceptance to the favour of God; and that upon these

two accounts:

First, For the honour of God's holiness.

Secondly, In order to the qualifying of us for the favour of God, and the enjoyment of him, for the pardon of our fins, and the reward of eternal life.

Firft, For the honour of God's holiness. For fhould God have received men to his favour, and rewarded them with eternal glory and happiness, for the mere belief of the gofpel, or a confident perfuafion that Chrift would fave them without any change of their hearts and lives, without repentance from dead works,

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