fame Time, a Tendency fo prejudicial to the Caufe of Learning and Religi on, that I thought myself concern'd to draw up an Account of the whole Affair, by way of Cafe, to be publish'd with this Supplement: But, not knowing how far the World might, in a Complaint of this kind, be induced to diftinguifh, with me, betwixt one or two Perfons only concern'd herein, from your whole Body; and having no Mind to carry the least Appearance of a Mifunderstanding with you (for many of whom I have a great Respect) I refolv'd at length to postpone, and, if no new Occafion of Complaint be given me, wholly to drop, that Defign. One Thing only I defire, and hope I may expect from your Candor, viz. that you neither be prejudic'd againft Me, on a Supposition merely of my having Read, or Recommended, the Writings of another Author, nor Censure of Condemn, either Me, or fuch Author unread.

THE

THE TRUE

Doctrine of Repentance

VINDICATED,

From certain falfe Gloffes on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, &c.

T

HE Difcourfes, in this Title referr'd to, were Compos'd, and, in Subftance deliver'd, on Occafion of a Pamphlet a little before Publish'd ; in which the Author had undertaken to fhew the Sufficiency of Simple Repen tance to reconcile Sinner's to God, without Faith in the Redemption by Jefus Chrift. And, I truft, the chief Arguments offer'd in that Pamphlet, are in those Difcourfes refuted, to the Satisfaction of the judicious and fincere Christian Reader. Nevertheless, because there are in the faid Pamphlet fome Comments devised to fupport this ftrange Hypothefis of Simple Re pentances

B

pentance, and feveral opprobrious Affertions and Infinuations thrown in, which cou'd not be fo commodiously animadverted on in the Difcourfes; therefore, that nothing may seem to have been neglected, which might have deferv'd Notice; I have judg'd it proper, here to confider thofe Comments, in a few Notes or Obfervations added by way of Supplement to the faid Difcourses. And,

ift. I obferve, that the faid Author, intending to carry his Reader into his Doctrine of Simple Repentance, takes his Rife from a jejune and diftorted Commentary of his own, on the Parable of the Prodigal Son: In which he fuppofes our Lord's Defign was to represent, or exemplify, the Cafe, indifferently, of any Sinner, in what Inftance foever, returning to his Duty, and being received to Pardon and Forgiveness by God, the Common Father of all his Creatures, merely for his Simple Repenance, as aforefaid. But,

This Parable was not defign'd by our Lord to represent or exemplify the Cafe, Indifferently, of any Sinner, as aforefaid, returning to his Duty: Much lefs was it to fignify, that each Sinner fhall be received to the Divine Pardon and Forgiveness, on his own Simple Repentance, by undoing (as this Author expreffes it) as far as in him lies, what he has done Wrong. But, contrariwife, by the two Sons here treated of, the two feveral People of the Jews and Gentiles are understood; the Jews being reprefented

prefented by the Elder, who had all along liv'd in his Father's House, and had, in Comparifon, ordinarily done his Will; and, the Gentiles, by the Younger,-the Prodigal, who had gone into a far Country, and had spent his Subftance with Harlots, in riotous Living; that is, who had Apoftatiz'd from the true God, and given himself up to commit Spiritual Whoredom with Idols ; in which abominable Course, finding, after all, no Satisfaction to his Soul, he defired to return to his Father, to the Faith and Worship of the true God; and was, accordingly, accepted of him in the Manner as is fymbolically defcrib'd in the Parable. Now, what is all this to the Bufinefs of admitting all forts of Sinners, indifferently, to Pardon and Mercy on their Simple Repentance? But,

Had this Parable been intended to Exemplify the Cafe, indifferently, of any Repenting Sinner; And, had there even been in it, as the Pamphleteer fuppofes, no Expreffions plainly including the Doctrine of Faith in the Redemption by Christ Jesus; yet cou'd not any thing have been concluded to the fubverting of that Doctrine from the filence merely of this Paffage as to that Point. Because,

This Parable, by itself, is to be confider'd but as one short Portion of Holy Scripture, and to have been deliver'd, as moft of our Lord's other Parables were, Occafionally, to illuftrate Lome one particular Cafe, or fome one, or more

B2

Branches

Branches of Duty; and is not, therefore, to be fuppos'd to have taken in all the Circumstances' of the Cafe, or all the Branches of the Duty; but, to have left the Cafe or Duty to be, in fome refpects, fupplied or explain'd out of other Paffages of Holy Scripture, where the fame Cafe or Duty is treated of more fully, and with addition of other Branches or Circumftances. Thus,

For the Purpose, in the prefent Inftance;

Suppofing the Duty of Repentance to be indefinitely treated of in this Parable, yet, if the faid Duty be in the Holy Scriptures altogether defcrib'd as a complex and mixt Virtue, and not available but with Faith in the Re

demption by Jefus Chrift; then tho' Faith be not exprefly mention'd in the Parable, it must however be fuppos'd and understood: As, on the other Hand, Faith itself (tho' it be often mentioned alone, as fufficient to bring Men to Salvation, yet) fince in other Places (to obviate all Miftakes on this Head) Faith is exprefly taught not to be acceptable, when destitute of Repentance and Works; therefore also must Repentance and Works be understood with it, in those other Places where they are not mention'd, as aforefaid. However,

Whether the Converfion of the Gentiles, or the Converfion, indifferently, of any Sinner, of whatsoever Age or Nation, be understood in the Parable; the faid Parable (befides that it can no way be made to fpeak for the ftrange Doctrine