and Manner-" but this must be done by "Faith for fith that God is a Spirit, he can "by no other Means be apprehended and taken "hold upon. Wherefore, firft, they do great<6 ly err, which do not return unto God, but "unto the Creatures, or unto the Inventions "of Men, or unto their own Merits: Se"condly, they which do begin to return to the "Lord, and do faint in the mid-way. Third

ly, because we have of ourselves nothing to "present us to GOD, and do no less flee from "him after our Fall, than our first Father "Adam did; who, when he had finned, did "feek to hide himself from the Sight of "GOD: We have need of a Mediator for to

bring, and reconcile us, unto him, who for our Sins is angry with us: The fame is Jefus Chrift, who being true and natural "GOD, equal, and one of Subftance with the "Father, did take upon him our frail Nature, "that he might be a Mediator betwixt GOD "and us, and pacify his Wrath. Of him "doth the Father himself speak from Heaven,

faying, this is my well beloved Son, in whom "I am well pleafed. And he himself in his "Gofpel doth fay, I am the Way, the Truth, " and the Life; no Man cometh unto the Fa"ther but by me. For he alone did with the "Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, make Sa"tisfaction unto the Juftice of God for our "Sins. The Apoftles do teftify, that he was "exalted for to give Repentance and Remiffion

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of Sins unto Ifrael. Both which things he "himfelf did command to be preach'd in his "Name. Therefore are they greatly deceived "that preach Repentance without Chrift, and "teach the Simple and Ignorant that it con

fifteth only in the Works of Men. They

may indeed fpeak many things of good "Works, and of amendment of Life and "Manners; but without Chrift they be all "vain and unprofitable; they that think they "have done much of themfelves towards Re

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pentance, are fo much more the farther from "GOD, becaufe they do feek thofe things in "their own Works and Merits, which ought

only to be fought in our Saviour Jefus "Chrift, and in the Merits of his Death, "Paffion and Blood-fhedding." Again,

That Simple Sorrowing is not true or availing Repentance, they are exprefs, in the fecond Part of the Sermon of Repentance, p. 267. where they say, "The third Part of Repentance is Faith, whereby we do appre"hend and take hold upon the Promites of "GOD touching the free Pardon and For"giveness of our Sins: Which Promifes are "fealed up unto us, with the Death and "Blood-fhedding of his Son Jefus Chrift. For, "what fhould it avail and profit us to be "forry for our Sins, and to lament and bewail "that we have offended our most bounteous "and merciful Father, or to confefs and ac"knowledge our Offences and Trefpaffes,

i

G

"tho'

"tho' it be done never fo earneftly, unless we 'do ftedfaftly believe, and be fully perfuaded, that GOD for his Son Jefus Chrift's fake will forgive us all our Sins, and put them out of his Remembrance, and from his Sight! "Therefore they that teach Repentance with16 out a lively Faith in our Saviour Jefus "Chrift, do teach none other but Judas Repentance: For Judas was forrowful and heavy, yea was filled with fuch Anguifh and Vexa"tion of Mind for what he had done, that he "cou'd not abide to live any longer: But he <. was caft away, because he wanted Faith,

whereby he did despair of the Mercy and "Goodness of God. It is evident and plain "then, that although we be never so earnest

ly forry for our Sins, acknowledge and "confefs them; yet all these things fhall be "but means to bring us to utter Defparation,

except we do ftedfaftly believe, that God our "Heavenly Father will for his Son Jefus "Chrift's fake, pardon and forgive us our Of"fences, &c. Therefore, as we faid before, "they that teach Repentance without Chrift, "and a lively Faith in the Mercy of GOD, "do only teach Cain's or Judas Repentance." Moreover,

That our Repentance, to make it effectual, must be by our becoming New Creatures, they add a little lower, "They that do truly Repent, must be clean altered and changed,

they

"they must become new Creatures, &c." And, in the next Page,

"The Penance that Chrift enjoyn'd Sinners, was, Go thy way and Sin no more. Which "Penance we fhall never be able to fulfil, "without the special Grace of him that doth "fay, Without me ye can do nothing.

It is

"therefore our Parts, if at leaft we be defi"rous of the Health and Salvation of our own "Souls, moft earnestly to pray unto our Hea

venly Father, to affift us with his Holy "Spirit, that we may be able to hearken unto "the Voice of the true Shepherd, and with "due Obedience to follow the fame." Furthermore,

That it is not in our Power of ourselves to Repent, they fay further, in the third Part of the Sermon on Repentance, p. 273. "When "thou art either by the preaching of God's "Word, or by fome inward Motion of his "Holy Spirit, or else by fome other Means, "call'd to Repentance, neglect not the good "Occafion that is miniftred unto thee, left "when thou wouldft Repent, thou have not "the Grace for to do it. For, to Repent is a "good Gift of God, which he will never grant unto them, who living in carnal Security, do make a Mock of his Threatning, or feek to rule his Spirit as they lift, as "though his Working and Gifts were tyed unto their Will." And, above, at the "Conclufion of the firft Sermon on the fame, G 2 P. 263.

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p. 263. We must beware, that we do in no "wife think in our Hearts, that we are able to repent aright, or to turn effectually unto "the Lord by our own Might and Strength. "For this must be verified in all Men: "Without me ye can do nothing. And, of "ourfelves we are not able fo much as "to think a good Thought. And, it is "God that worketh in us both the Will "and the Deed. For this Caufe, though "Jeremy had faid before, If thou wilt return "O Ifrael, return unto me, faith the Lord: "Yet afterwards he faith, Turn thou me, O

0

Lord, and I fhall be turned, for thou art "the Lord my God. And therefore, that Holy "Writer and ancient Father Ambrofe doth "plainly affirm, that the turning of the Heart "unto GOD, is of GOD; as the Lord him"felf doth teftifie by his Prophet, faying, And "I will give thee an Heart to know me, that "I am the Lord, and they fhall be my People, “and I will be their GOD; for they hall

return unto me with their whole Heart. "Thefe things being confider'd, let us earneftly pray unto the living God our Heavenly "Father, that he will vouchfafe by his Holy Spirit, to work a true and unfeigned Repen"tance in us, that after the painful Labours "and Travels of this Life, we may live eternally with his Son Jefus Chrift."

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Neither have they omitted to mention the good Influence which this Doctrine of our Ac

ceptance