CHAP.

II.

B

OTH Repentance and Prayer, ever fince Man found out many Devices for parting with the Uprightness he was created in, inftantly became Means neceffary to that State of Sin, Disorder, and Need, both in Body and Mind, which Mankind feel themselves labour under; for putting fome Stop to Proclivity to Evil, and fuccefsfully improving the Struggle of the Law of the Mind againft the Law of the Members, to the Approbation of God and Ourfelves, in the Mastery of the former over the latter. This being the true State of Things, by the Confeffion of all Flesh, that we are Sinners, and that we are Liars if we difown it: Juft as Prayer as often as we want; fo Repentance as foon as we fin, appears to be our Means, and our bounden Duty, in Reason, as well as Revelation.

BUT though Repentance and Prayer became the constant Medicines for the Sins and Disorders of Man against God, and his own Reafon; yet the Virtue and Efficacy of both of them, was owing to the unknown Mediator and Guardian of them, before he was manifefted in the Flesh;

and

and where he is not as yet revealed: as, where- CHAB. ever he is, their Virtue is wholly to be derived,, II. and applied through him. Repentance was no Part of the Religion of our primitive Constitution, but came in after, as the trembling Attendant upon Guilt. As foon as our Nature was fallen into a Proneness and a Liableness to that, and Sin, the first Effort of the human Mind for Recovery of itself to Wisdom and better Conduct, upon every wilful Tranfgreffion, when the Mind recoils upon itself with Penance, for having done amifs; Repentance is the only natural Confolation, and the beft, after Senfe, Reason can dictate, towards undoing what was wrong; and therefore the first Wisdom and Stand for endeavouring to do fo no more. Hierocles, who was beholden to Christianity for many good Sentiments, fays, "When we have fallen from Goodness or Pro

66

bity, we recover it again by an ingenuous Re"pentance, fubmitting to the Divine Correction. "For this Repentance is the very Beginning of "Wifdom (Philofophy;) and the Avoidance of "foolish Words and Works is the first Prepara"tion to that Life which is not to be repented "of*" And confequently, in the natural Religion of finful Man, it must be reckoned the first leading Means for redintigrating our unconftant broken Obedience in thofe Particulars, which are the Religion of the End. For though God is a Rewarder of fuch as diligently feek him, ftill Repentance on Man's Part, in Company with Faith that He is, and is a Rewarder, must be the pre

· Ἐπεὶ γὰς τὸ εἶναι ἀγαθὸς ἐκπεπτώκαμεν, τι γίνεται γεν ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα, μεταμελεία συγνώμμι, ἢ θείαν ἐπα νόρθωσιν εἰσδεχόωροι. Η ή μετάνοια αυτη φιλοσοφίας αρχ γίνεται, καὶ τῶν ἀνοήτων ἔργων τε καὶ λόγων φυγή, καὶ τ' ἀμετα μελήτες ζωής ή πρώτη βρασκευή. Carm. Pyth. 7. 167.

CHAP. vious Foundation of coming to him, and of diligently feeking to please him: Inafmuch as he regards not to bear, much less reward the impenitent Sinner; another Dictate of natural Reason.

II.

Now, because Guilt naturally intimidates the Mind, and makes it diffident of the future Favour of the Party offended; that Change of Mind (MeTavola) returning from Evil to Good, and that after Care (MeTauéλea) to do better, fpringing from Sorrow for what is paft, (the meaning of Repentance in Scripture) both grow heartless and unactive, without an effectual Perfuafion of Reconcilement and Forgiveness of Sin; therefore Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator of Reconciliation, prefents itself, to improve, move, and infpire it with lively Powers, and an actual fetting about it.

*

ACCORDINGLY the first Knowledge of a Saviour or Jefus, is revealed for that very purpofe, He shall fave his People from their Sins and the Knowledge of Salvation given to them is for the Remiffion of their Sinst; the Word, the Way, the Gospel of Salvation, all mean the + fame Thing. The true Notion of the Blessing of a Saviour, preaching Peace or Remiffion of Sins, confifts in turning away every one of us from our Iniquities. This is the Peace of God which paffeth all Understanding; or furpaffeth, and is better than all other Understanding and Knowledge; the

* Mat. i. 21.

+ Luke i. 77.

† Ευαγγέλιον ἢ λέγεται, διότι ἀγγέλλει ἡμῖν πράγματα ὧν καὶ καλῶς ἔχοντα, τετέςιν ἀγαθά, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, δι καίωσιν, ἔνδον εἰς ἐρανὸς, καὶ υἱοθεσίαν Θεῖ. Theophylat's Pref. to St. Mat. apud Mill. T Gofpel-God's Word, or good Saying. Aats iii. 26.

Grace

II.

Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Love of God. CHAP. This is the Kingdom of God, of Chrift, of Heaven, i. e. for bringing us thither; a Kingdom of Reconciliation, and Restoration of Mankind, or Sinners to eternal Life, by taking away Sin, which was the Bar to the Entrance into it; bringing Glory to God in the Highest, on Earth, Peace, good Will towards Men: This is the mediatorial Kingdom, not of this World, in which Chrift is King; the Way, the Truth, and the Life: for this Caufe, he tells Pilate, he came into the World to bear Witness of that Truth, that he was the fent of God, and came from him, to be the Kingly Mediator and Saviour of the World; a good Confeffion as the Apoftle calls it.

THE Laws of which Kingdom are not the old Law of Works, of abfolute perfect Obedience to the Law of the Mind, of God, and Reafon; but the Law of the Righteousness of Faith; accounting that Obedience, which is fincere, zealous of good Works, to the utmost of our Power, though mixed with Frailties and Defects, to be equivalent to an exact adequate Performance. And therefore that Kingdom is faid to confift in that Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghoft, which flow from that practical Belief of Forgiveness of Sins through Chrift. The Holy Ghoft bedding abroad the Love of God, and the Knowledge of the Lord Jefus the Mediator, upon the Hearts of the firft Converts, confirmed the Truth of it by divers Miracles. And they being purpofely wrought for afcertaining the Truth of the glad Tidings of Salvation, that Remiffion of Sins was to be had in Chrift Jefus only, to fay

deliberately,

II.

50 CHAP. deliberately, that those undeniable Miracles were Imposture, or that That great Sinner Belzebub had any Hand in them, was the fame Thing as to fay, the Thing proved, viz. the faving Grace and Favour of God promulged to the World, for remitting Sins in that Method, was a Cheat and Imposture. That made the Sin, but more properly Blafphemy against the Holy Ghost; and made it alfo irremiffible, not to be forgiven in this World, nor that which is to come*; because it amounts to the denial of the Remiffion of Sins, or Man's Salvation. And if any fall away after they have received that Belief which accompanies Salvation, and were illuminated (as at the first in Baptifm) by the Holy Ghoft, and have tafted of that Heavenly Gift, as well as Remiffion of Sins, they not only tread under foot the Son of God, and put him to an open Shame, as being a Deceiver; but do defpite unto the Spirit of Grace. And it is as impaffible to renew them again to Repentance t, as it is to induce a Man to repent of his Sins, who does not believe the Remiffion of them.

So long and fo firmly, by the way, was this capital Bleffing of the Gospel received in Belief, that it was as needless to make it an Article of a Chriftian Creed, as to have made the Gospel itself an Article of it: Nor was it inferted, till it was denied in fome Refpects by the Bafilidians, Montanifts, but efpecially the Novations. See Crit. Hift. of the Creed, pag. 361, 380. Novatian allowed of no Remiffion of Sins committed after Baptifm; for which he defervedly got the Character of an Enemy of Mercy, a Murtherer of Repentance, a Doctor of Pride, a Corrupter of Truth,