Gentiles GRANTED Repentance unto Life. Acts 11. 18. Repentance, therefore, fuch as the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift fets forth, for Remiffion of Sins, is Part of a Divine Gift or Grant to Man, the other fubfequent Part of which is (as the laft cited Text expreffes) what it is also plain God alone can Give, even LIFE. And this fame Confeffion St. Peter and the other Apoftles freely did Confefs before the High-Prieft and Sanhedrim of the Jews.---The God of our Fathers, faid they, raised up Fefus, whom ye flew, and hanged on a Tree: Him hath God exalted with his Right-Hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour: Literally, according to the Original, Him being Prince and Saviour bath God exalted, for to GIVE Repentance to Ifrael, and Forgiveness of Sins. Acts 5. 30, 31. This Grace of Repentance offered to the Whole Nation or People of the Ifrael of God, for Remission of Sins, was no Act of their own, nor a Benefit they could in any Refpect have procured for Themfelves, It was, and Is, the fpecial Grant, and Gift of our Great Prince and Saviour Fefus Chrift. To the fame Effect again was our Lord's own exprefs Commiffion to St. Paul, conftituting him Apostle to the Gentiles---To open their Eyes, and to turn them from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God, that they might receive Remission of Sins and Inheritance among them that are Sanctified by Faith, faid our Lord, that is in ME. Acts 26. 18. Here I fay, it is again declared, that Men are not fimply to Repent, or Turn from fome bad Acts ar Habits, as from Theft or Drunkenness to Ho

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nefty or Sobriety (supposing That to be in their Power) but they are to Repent and Turn to God, from the Power of Satan to the Power of God, from being carried away with the Suggestions of the Devil, to receive the Influences of the Holy Ghoft By what Way and Means? By having their Eyes opened, being Illuminated, being turned from Darkness to Light. To what End and Effect? To obtain Remiffion of Sins, not by Virtue of their own Performances, but by Faith of the Operation of God in Chrift Fefus: by which alone we have Forgiveness of Sins, and Inheritance among them that are Sanctified, or made Holy; as being feparated, or cleanfed, from their natural Pollutions; not by their own fimple Repentances, as aforefaid, but by that Faith which is in Him, and not otherwise. And for this Reason we find, that

All, both Jews and Gentiles, not only the Immoral Livers among them, but the Nations in Grofs, without Diftinction of Persons on any other Accounts, were Univerfally call'd to This Repentance: that is, the Jews were call'd to forfake their New-forg'd Traditions; the Heathens, in general, their Idols; and the pretended Wife-Men among them, their Philofophy, Reasoning, and Worldly Rudiments; and All, to be Baptized into the Faith of Chrift: even as the Exhortation in the Text is conceiv'd Univerfally---Repent, and be Baptized e very one of you. So, in another Place-God hath commanded all Nations every where to Repent; that is, to Turn from their own Vanities and imagined Privileges and Perfections of every

Sort,

Sort, to the Chriftian Religion, to Faith in the Redemption by Chrift Jefus. There were doubtlefs among both Jews and Gentiles, at the first Publication of the Gofpel, fome good Honeft, Moral Livers; who, if Morality had been Sufficient without a Chrift to Redeem them, had needed no Call to Repentance, and fo that Call fhould not have been General. But, as this Call was General; and that, not barely to Repent, but to Repent and turn to God by Chrift; This is a plain Proof from Scripture (where the whole Procedure of this Tranfaction is recorded) that no Man in any State, nor by any Repentance merely from any State, without allo applying Himfelf by Faith to the Redemption by Chrift Fefus, is, or can be, within the ordinary Terms of Salvation. Of this Cornelius was an Illuftrious Example: he had been a Convert from Paganifm to the Worfhip of the One True God, and to the Obfervance at least of Thofe called the Moral Precepts of Noah; and was in all Respects else a Pious and Good Man: yet ftill one thing he wanted to Intitle him to Salvation, viz. to be a Chriftian. For, thus the Angel that appeared to him, faid unto him---Send Men to Foppa, and call for Simon, whofe Sir-Name is Peter, who fhall tell thee Words whereby thou, and all thy Houfe, fhall be SAVED. Aus 11. 14. And,

This is that which the Apostle gloried in, and for which he gladly fuffered the Lofs of all Temporal Advantages of Honour or Riches among his Country-men, viz. that He might be found in Chrift, with Diveftment of all other PriviC leges

leges and Pretenfions, not having his own Rightcoufnefs, the Righteoufnefs which is of the Law; (that is, in doing Simply any of the Works, whether Moral or Ceremonial, of the Law;) but having that Righteoufnefs which is by the Faith of Fefus Chrift, that which is of God by Faith. Phil. 3. 8, 9. Can any devifeable Words be more clear and full to express, that we cannot become Righteous by any Performances of our own, but are made fo, being even Created anew to good Works by God, through Faith in Chrift. But,

Secondly, Repentance must not only be with a Turning to God by Faith in the Redemption by Chrift, generally; but it must also be Attefted and Signed by the outward Sacrament of Baptifm, fpecially, with the inward Co-operation of the Holy Ghoft Changing and Rectifying, at the fame Time, our Heart and Mind. These are Means neceffary to render us, in our Converfion and Repentance, acceptable to the Deity: So our Lord told Nicodemus---Except a Man be Born anew of Water and the Holy Ghoft, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And, fo St. Paul told Titus---After the Kindness and Love of God our Saviour towards Man appeared, not by Works of Righteousness which we have done, but according to His Mercy He faved us, by the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He fhed on Us abundantly through Jefus Chrift our Saviour; that being juftified by His Grace, we should be made Heirs according to the Hope of Eternal Life. Tit. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7. Nay, He is exprefs to the

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Corinthians, that the Co-operation and Influence of the Holy Ghoft gives to Baptifm (Inftantly, and in the Act of it) it's Efficacy and Validity, to Incorporate Us into the Body of Chrift :--- For, by one Spirit, fays He, are me all Baptized into one Body. 1 Cor. 12. 13. So, to the Galations, --- As many as are Baptized into Chrift, have put on Chrift. And, without this Spiritual Infertion into Chrift, we are no Chriftians. For, if any Man have not the Spirit of Chrift, He is none of His. Rom. 8. 9. And,

All this, in the Nature of Things, was Neceffary in our Circumstances, to effect our Salvation: For, the Spiritual Faculties which at Our Creation we received, were Impaired and Decayed by Our Fall; and the Support by the Irradiation, and Impulse of the Divine Light and Spirit, Forfeited. Whence being now Born every one of Us deftitute of thofe Faculties, and of that Divine Support, we are Born Spiritually Dead. Holy Scripture hath revealed the Manner of this fad Catastrophe,---Our first Father finned; And, having fo finned did Beget or Propagate; How? In his own corrupt Image, after his own vitiated Likeness: So that by Him Sin and Death entered into the World, and passed upon all Mankind; And, therefore, now, to have these Decays and Forfeitures repaired, and reftored, we must be Spiritually Changed or Renewed: And this our Spiritual Change or Renewal, which (by Ideas taken from what we do receive Naturally at our first Formation and Birth, as Life, Motion, Senfe, Reason though depraved) is called in Holy Scripture, our Re

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