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SERM rable to have feen this glorious inftrument of GOD, CLIX. who did fuch wonders in the world, to have heard that plain and powerful eloquence of his, which was fo " mighty through GOD, for the cafting down of "ftrong holds, and the fubduing of men to the "obedience of the gofpel;" to have beheld the zeal of this holy man, who was all on fire for God, with what ardency of affection, and earneftnefs of expreffion, he perfuaded men to come in to CHRIST, and entertain the gofpel. This were very defirable; but feeing it is a thing we cannot hope for, it fhould be fome fatisfaction to our curiofity, to know what St. Paul preached, what was the main subject of his fermons, whither he referred all his difcourfes, and

what they tended to.

This he tells us in the words

that I have read to you, that the main fubftance of all his fermons was "repentance toward GOD, and "faith toward our LORD JESUS CHRIST.,

The occafion of the words was briefly this; St. Paul being in his journey to Jerufalem, and intending to be there by the day of Penticoft, that he might not be hindered in his journey, he refolves to pafs by Ephefus, and only to call to him the elders of the church to charge them with their duty, and the care of the church; and to engage them hereto, he tells them how he had carried and demeaned himself among them, v. 18. with what diligence and vigilance he had watched over them, with what affection and earnestnefs he had preached to them, v. 19, And here in the text he tells them, what had been the fum of his doctrine, and the fubftance of those many fermons he had preached among them, and what was the end and defign of all his difcourfes, viz. To perfuade men to "repentance toward GOD, "and faith toward our LORD JESUS CHRIST teftifying both to the Jews and Greeks," &c. I fhall

20.

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I fhall explain the words a little, and then fix SERM. on the observations which I intend to speak to, be- CLIX. cause I defign this only as a preface to fome larger

difcourfes of faith and repentance.

"But one

For explication. Teftifying, the word is diapap Túpo, which fignifies to teftify, to prove a thing by teftimony; fo it is ufed, Heb. ii. 6. " in a certain place teftifieth, faying." In heathen writers the word is often used in a law fenfe, for contesting by law, and pleading in a cause; and from hence it fignifies, earnestly to contend or perfuade by arguments and threatnings. In the ufe of the LXX. it fignifies to proteft, to convince, to press earnestly, to perfuade. It is ufed most frequently by St. Luke in a very intenfe fignification, and is fometimes joined with exhorting, which is an earnest perfuading to a thing, Acts ii. 40. "And with 66 many other words did he testify and exhort, fay"ing, fave yourselves from this untoward genera"tion ;" and with preaching, Acts viii. 25. 66 And “when they had testified and preached the word of "the LORD;" and fo Acts xviii, 5. "Being prefied "in spirit, he teftified to the Jews, that Jesus was "the CHRIST." Being preffed in fpirit, fignifies intention and vehemency in teftifying to them, that he did vehemently endeavour to convince them; it feems to be equivalent to the expreffion, v. 28. where it is faid, Apollos did mightily convince the Jews that "JESUS was the CHRIST;" that is, did ufe fuch perfuafions and arguments as were fufficient to convince; and to mention no more, Acts xxviii. 23. "He "expounded and teftified the kingdom of God, "perfuading them concerning JESUS."

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St. Paul in his epiftle to Timothy ufeth these words in a most vehement fenfe, for giving a folemn charge,

CLIX.

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SERM. 1 Tim. v. 21. "I charge thee before GoD and the "LORD JESUS CHRIST;" the word is dataprópaMai; and fo 2 Tim. ii. 14. "charging them before the LORD, that they strive not about Words;" and fo 2 Tim. iv. 1. "I charge thee before GoD "and the LORD JESUS CHRIST;" and here in the text the word feems to be of a very high and intense fignification, because of the circumstances mentioned before and after; he tells us before, that he taught them " at all seasons," v. 18. "publickly and from "houfe to houfe," v. 20. And afterwards at the 31ft. v. that he warned them day and night "with tears." So that " testifying to the Jews repentance and faith," muft fignify his preffing and perfuading of them with the greatest vehemency, to turn from their fins, and believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST; his charging on them these things as their duty, his pleading with them the neceffity of faith and repentance, and earnestly endeavouring to convince them thereof.

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"Repentance toward GoD, and faith toward our "LORD JESUS CHRIST:" what is the reafon of this appropriation of repentance and faith, the one as properly refpecting GoD, and the other our LORD. JESUS CHRIST? I anfwer. Repentance doth properly refpect GOD, because he is the party offended, and to whom we are to be reconciled; the faith of the Gospel doth properly refer to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, as the chief and principle object of it; fo that by testifying to them repentance toward "GOD," &c. we are to understand that the apostle did earnestly prefs and perfuade them to repent of their fins whereby they had offended GoD, and to believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, as the Meffias, the perfon that was ordained of GOD, and fent to be the SAVIOUR of the world. From

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From the Words thus explained, this is the obfer- SERM vation that doth naturally arise,

That Repentance and faith are the fum and fubftance of the gofpel; and that ministers ought with all earnestnefs and vehemency to prefs people to repent and believe, to charge them with these as their duty, and by all means to endeavour to convince them of the neceffity of them.

In the handling of this I fhall do these two things. First, fhew you what is included in repentance and faith, that you may fee that they are the fum of the gofpel. And,

Secondly, fhew you the neceffity of them.

Firft, what is included in these.

I. Repentance; this properly fignifies a change of mind, a conviction that we have done amifs, fo as to be truly forry for what we have done and heartily to wish that we had not done it. To repent, is to alter our mind, to have other apprehensions of things than we had, to look upon that now as evil, which we did not before; from whence follows forrow for what we have done, and a refolution of mind for the future not to do again that which appears now to us to be fo evil, that we are afhamed of it, and troubled for it, and wish we had never done it. So that repentance implies a conviction that we have done fomething that is evil and finful, contrary to the law we are under, and those obligations of duty and gratitude that lie upon us, whereby GOD is highly provoked and incenfed' against us, and we in danger of his wrath, and the fad effects of his displeasure; upon which we are troubled, and grieved, and afhamed for what we have done, and wifh we had been wifer, and had done otherwife; hereupon we refolve never to do any thing that is finful, that is con

trary

CLIX.

CLIX.

SERM. trary to our duty and obligations to GOD, and by which we may provoke him against us. Thefe two things are contained in a true repentance, a deep fense of, and forrow for the evils that are past, and the fins that we have committed; and a firm purpofe and refolution of obedience for the future, of abstaining from all fin, and doing whatever is our duty; the true effect of which refolution, is the breaking off the practice of fin, and the course of a wicked life, and a conftant courfe of obedience.

II. Faith in CHRIST is an effectual believing the revelation of the gospel, the history and the doctrine of it; the hiftory of it, that there was fuch a perfon as JESUS CHRIST, that he was the true Meffias prophefied of and promifed in the Old Teftament, that he was born and lived and preached, and wrought the miracles that are recorded, that he was crucified and rose again, and ascended into heaven, that he was "the Son of GOD," and fent by him into the world, by his doctrine to inftruct, and by the example of his life to go before us in the way to happiness, and by the merit and fatisfaction of his death and fufferings, to appeafe and reconcile GOD to us, and to purchase for us the pardon of our fins and eternal life, upon the conditions of faith and repentance and fincere obedience; and that to enable us to the performance of thefe conditions, he promised, and afterward fent his holy Spirit, to accompany the preaching of his gospel, and to affift all Christians to the doing of that which God requires of them; this is the hiftory of the gospel.

Now the doctrine of it contains the precepts and promifes and threatnings of it, and faith in CHRIST includes a firm belief of all thefe; of the precepts of the gospel as the matter of our duty, and the

rule

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