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sant, or at least very inconsiderate of the whole tenor of the gospel, that think that that repentance by which remission of sins is obtained, can be completed, as to all that is essential to it, without any respect to Christ, or application of the mind to the Mediator, who alone has made atonement for sin. Surely so great a part of salvation as remission of sins, is not to be obtained without looking or com ing to the great and only Saviour. It is true, repentance, in its more general, abstracted nature, is only a sorrow for sin and forsaking of it, which is a duty of natural religion; but evangelical repentance, or repentance for remission of sins, hath more than this essential to it; a dependance of soul on the Mediator for deliverance from sin, is of the essence of it.

That justifying repentance has the nature of faith, seems evident by Acts xix. 4. "Then said Paul, John verily bap ized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." The latter words," saying unto the people, that they should believe on him &c. are evidently exegetical of the former, and explain how he preached repentance for the remission of sin. When it is said, that he preached repentance for the remission of sin, saying, that they should believe on Christ, cannot be supposed but that it is intended this saying, that they should believe in Christ, was as directing them what to do that they might obtain the remis sion of sins. So, 2 Tim. ii. 25. "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." Tha acknowledging of the truth which there is in believing, is here spoken of as what is attained in repentance. on the other hand, that faith includes repentance in its nature, is evident by the apostle's speaking of sin as destroyed in faith, Gal. ii. 18. In the preceding verses the apostle mentions an objection against the doctrine of justification by faith alone, viz. that it tends to encourage men in sin, and so to make Christ the minister of sin. This objection he rejects and refutes with this, " If I build again the things that

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I had destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.". If sin be destroyed by faith, it must be by repentance of sin included in it; for we know that it is our repentance of sin, or the vari or turning of the mind from sin, that is our destroying our sin.

That in justifying faith that directly respects sin, or the evil to be delivered from by the Mediator, is as follows: A sense of our own sinfulness, and the hatefulness of it and an hearty acknowledgment of its desert of the threatened punishment, looking to the free mercy of God in a Redeemer, for de liverance from it and its punishment.

Concerning this here described, three things may be noted, 1. That it is the very same with that evangelical repentance to which remission of sins is promised in scripture. 2, That it is all of it of the essence of justifying faith, and is the same with that faith, so far as it is conversant about the evil to be delivered from by the Mediator. 3. That this is indeed the proper and peculiar condition of remission of sins.

1. All of it is essential to evangelical repentance, and is indeed the very thing meant by that repentance, to which remission of sins is promised in the gospel. As to the former part of the description, viz. a sense of our own sinfulness, and the hatefulness of it, and an hearty acknowledgment of its desert of wrath, none will deny it to be included in repentance: But this does not comprehend the whole essence of evangelical repentance; but what follows does also properly and essentially belong to its nature, looking to the free mercy of God in a Redeemer, for deliverance from it, and from the punishment of it. That repentance to which remission is promised, not only always has this with it, but it is contained in it, as what is of the proper nature and essence of it: And respect is ever had to this in the nature of repentance, whenever remission is promised to it; and it is especially from respect to this in the nature of repentance, that it has that promise made to it. If this latter part be missing, it fails of the nature of that evangelical repentance to which remission of sins is promised. If repentance remains in sorrow for sin, and does not reach to a looking to the free mercy of God in Christ for pardon, it is not that which is the condition of par

don, neither shall pardon be obtained by it. Evangelical repentance is an humiliation for sin before God; but the sinner never comes and humbles himself before God in any other repentance, but that which includes an hoping in his mercy for remission: If his sorrow be not accompanied with that, there will be no coming to God in it, but a flying further from him. There is some worship of God in justifying repentance; but that there is not in any other repentance, but that which has a sense of, and faith in the divine mercy to forgive sin; Psalm cxxx. 4. "There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." The promise of mercy to a true penitent, in Prov. xxviii. 13, is expressed in these terms. "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins, shall have mercy." But there is faith in God's mercy in that confessing. The Psalmist, in Psalm xxxii. speaking of the blessedness of the man whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered, to whom the Lord imputes not sin, says, that he acknowledged his sin unto God, his iniquity he did not hide; he said he would confess his trangression to the Lord, and then God forgave the iniquity of his sin. The manner of expression plainly holds forth, that then while he kept silence his bones waxed old, but then he began to encourage himself in the mercy of God, when before his bones waxed old, while he kept silence; and therefore the Apostle Paul, in the 4th of Romans, brings this instance to confirm the doctrine of justification by faith alone that he had been insisting on. When sin is aright confessed to God, there is always faith in that act: That confessing of sin that is joined with despair such as was in Judas, is not the confession to which the promise is made. In Acts ii. 38, the direction that was given to those that were pricked in their heart with a sense of the guilt of sin, was to repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. A being baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins, implied faith in Christ for the remission of sins. Repentance for the remission of sins was typified of old by the priest's confessing the sins of the people over the scape goat, laying his hands on him, Lev. xvi. 21, denoting that it is that repent

ance and confession of sin only that obtains remission, that.. is made over the scape goat, over Christ, the great sacrifice, and with dependance on him. Many other things might be produced from the scripture, that do in like manner confirm this point; but these may be sufficient.

2. All the forementioned description is of the essence of justifying faith, and not different from it, so far as it is conver sant about sin, or the evil to be delivered from by the Mediator. For it is doubtless of the essence of justifying faith, to embrace Christ as a Saviour from sin and its punishment; and all that is contained in that act is contained in the nature of faith itself: But in the act of embracing Christ as a Saviour from our sin and its punishment, is implied a sense of our sinfulness, and a hatred of our sins, or a rejecting them with abhorrence, and a sense of our desert of their punishment. An embracing Christ as a Saviour from sin, implies the contrary act towards sin, viz. rejecting of sin. If we fly to the light to be delivered from darkness, the same is contrary towards darkness, viz. a rejecting of it. In proportion to the earnestness or appetite with which we embrace Christ as a Saviour from sin, in the same proportion is the abhorrence with which we reject sin, in the same act. Yea, if we suppose there to be in the nature of faith as conversant about sin, no more than the hearty embracing Christ as a Saviour from the punishment of sin, this act will imply in it the whole of the abovementioned description. It implies a sense of our own sinfulness. Certainly in the hearty embracing a Saviour from the punishment of our sinfulness, there is the exercise of a sense of our sinfulness, or that we be sinful: We cannot heartily embrace Christ as a Saviour from the punishment of that which we are not sensible we are guilty of. There is also in the same act, a sense of our desert of the threatened punishment: We cannot heartily embrace Christ as a Saviour from that which we be not sensible that we have deserved: For if we are not sensible that we have deserved the punishment, we shall not be sensible that we have any need of a Saviour from it, or, at least shall not be convinced but that the God that offers the Saviour, unjust

takes him needful; and we cannot heartily embrace such an offer. And further, there is implied in a hearty embracing Christ as a Saviour from punishment, not only a conviction of conscience that we have deserved the punishment, such as the devils and damned have; but there is a hearty acknowledgment of it, with the submission of the soul, so as with the accord of the heart, to own that God might be just and worthy in the punishment. If the heart rises against the act or judg ment of God, in holding us obliged to the punishment, when he offers us his Son as a Saviour from the punishment, we cannot with the consent of the heart receive him in that character: But if persons thus submit to the righteousness of so dreadful a punishment of sin, this carries in it an hatred of sin.

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That such a sense of our sinfulness, and utter unworthiness, and desert of punishment, belongs to the nature of saving faith, is what the scripture from time to time seems to hold forth; as particularly in Matth. xv. 26....28. "But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth Lord: Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered, and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith." And Luke vii. 6....9. "The centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee; but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed: For I also am

man set under authority," &c..... When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." And also ver. 37, 38. "And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet, with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." Together with

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