ye do Eat, Ye fball furely Die. But the Devil faid, Ye may Eat, and yet fhall not furely Die. But ye fball even be as Gods, as one of the Divine Perfons, knowing Good and Evil. So the Divine Grace fays to us now---Have Faith, and ye fball fee the Salvation of God: But, thefe Children of their Father the Devil fay---Faith is Infignificant, Childish, Superftitious; and Salvation by Grace Unreasonable, against Nature, Impoffible; only Repent, Undo, as far as in you lies, what you have done Wrong, and refolve to do no more likewife; and This fhall be Sufficient, neither can you need any Helps or Means whatsoever: The only material Difference I think, is, that in the firft Temptation the Devil was the Seducer; But these New Reafoners Study to be their own Tempters, to Seduce and Deftroy Themselves. But,

Of This enough at prefent; What Arguments they pretend to Offer in Support of thofe monftrous Tenets, may be confider'd and refuted another Opportunity.

Now, To God the Father, &c.

D

SERMON II.

I

SERMON II.

ACTS II. 38.

•Repent, and be Baptized every one of you in the Name of Jefus Chrift, for the Remiffion of Sins, and ye fhall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghoft.

N my former Difcourfe on these Words, I fhewed you, that Repentance (I mean that Full and Perfect Repentance by which we are faid to obtain the Divine Favour and Forgiveness of our Sins) is a Complex or Mixt Virtue, and fuppofes Faith in the Redemption by Chrift, with Purification and Support by the Holy Sacraments, and the Co-operation of the Holy Ghoft; that Repentance, abftractedly confidered, has no intrinfic Worth; It is in Itself but a Fruit and Evidence of Faith; And, upon the Whole, is abfolutely a Nullity without that Faith, that Purification and Support, and that Co-operation of the Holy Ghoft. I come now to confider,

In the Second Place, What kind of Arguments the Adverfaries of our Faith do pretend to offer in Support of their strange Doctrine of the Sufficiency of Simple Repentance to Salvation. Now, thofe Arguments are chiefly Thefe.

First, That "Man has Abilities and Powers "given Him to carry on Each a general End of "BEING, that is, a general Happiness to Him"felf and Fellow-Creatures in this State; that, "by Abusing thefe Abilities in pursuing not a "General and Common, but a Private and Selfish "Happiness, Men do become Vicious or Wicked, and the Objects of the Divine Displeasure ; and, confequently, that by Repenting or "Changing from this Abufe, and fo Undoing, "as much as in them lies, the Injury they "have fo done to their Fellow Creatures, by "Attempting, as aforefaid, to Ingrofs the "Common Happiness to Themfelves, they do again render Themselves the proper Objects of "God's Mercy and Forgiveness." For that,

1

Secondly, "The Deity, in being the Creator, "is alfo (as they imagine) the Common Father "of all His Creatures; and therefore, when"loever Men, as Brethren, do Well, or ceafe "to do Ill by one Another, He, (being no "otherwife concerned with their Actions, than "as those Actions of theirs do affect themselves "Or others, merely, as fociable Creatures) has "no more to do with them, in Cafe of any "thing Criminally or Wrong done by them, "but to Love and Pardon them, fo often as

"they

"they have by that Repentance and Change, "as aforefaid, made up Matters with one a"nother?'

Another Set of Arguments of a Piece with, or rather Dependent upon, the Foregoing, they fetch from the Nature of Repentance itfelf, and from the Righteoufnefs of Chrift.

For Repentance itself, They prefume, "It is "the only proper Ground for the Deity to "Pardon Sinners upon; for that, They are "fure, His Favour muft needs follow the Per "fonal Worthiness of Each of His Creatures; "And, They fay, each Perfon Is what He Is "in Himself, nor can be made Other than He' "Is in Himself by any thing External or Ad"ventitious to Him; And they prefume, It is "Abfurd to fuppofe, that the Deity can be "Pleafed or Difpleafed with One Agent for what "is Pleafing or Difpleafing in the Perfon or Alti"ons of Another: For this, as they have Re"folved, would be to Crofs Nature, and to Act upon Improper Motives, and fo would be a "Manifeft, Moral Imperfection in the Deity." Hereto they add,

"That with respect of Chrift Himself, or of "any Other Agent, Repentance alfo Is what it "is in Itfelf, nor can poffibly be made Other "or More Valuable than It is in Itself by any "thing External or Adventitious to It. They "are pleafed indeed (but for their own Sinifter "Ends) to allow, that Chrift did perform an "Exalt Obedience to His Father's Will; to which "they add, that He Suffered Greatly in the Exe"cution of His Office as a Minifter fent to

"Preach