ledge fome Faults and Failings in their Obedience; yet where they cannot Stretch out their Righteoufneß, to hold Measure with the Command, that is exceeding Broad; There they'll Contract the Command; fo as to make it ftand Commenfurate, and even no more than Equal to their Righteoufnefs; By their worthy Doctrine of Acceptilation: That Counterfeit Coin Stampt in the Socinian Mint without any Royal Authority of Heaven Not upon the foundation of holy Scripture; but their own fond Conjecture: And all on purpose, to Evacuate and Superfede the Merit and Satisfaction of our Lord Jesus Christ. That there may be no Need of this or any other Compenfation, ever to be made, to the Justice of Heaven; But only the Sinners own Repentance: Which they take a deal of pains to prove Sufficient; without Faith in the Son of God. But ftill all their Reafonings are without Book; and run only on fuch a bare Prefumption, as that of the Ninivites; Jon. 3.9. Who can tell, if God will Turn and Repent; and turn away from his Anger; that we perish not? q. d. We do not know, but God may Abfolve and Juftify us; upon our bare Repentance: But we have no Affurance, that he will. For to all the plaufible Allegations that raife our Hopes; There are Startling Replications; to ftrike us down with Fears: And no Certainty ever to be had, but only from the Divine Revelation: And That

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(we are fure, does require, not only Re pentance towards God; but alfo Faith towards our Lord Jefus Christ. Acts 20. 21. And whereever Repentance is fingly named; yet Faith must be fuppofed. For no true Repentance, without Godly Sorrow: And no Godly Sor row, but what flows from the fenfe of God's Love: And what fenfe of his Love, but through Faith in the Beloved of his Soul? For whofe fake alone it is, that the holy Righteous God is Friends with Believing Sinners: and not only Kind, but Just, to Juftify the Believers on Jefus. Rom. 3. 26. The Juft Judge of all the earth was not to be Inftructed by thefe Wife men; upon what Terms to take. Sinners into Favour. No, He has taken that way of Satisfaction; which does not at all like them. Their Master (who declares, He would not Believe a thing, because God fays it; but because his own Reafon difcerns the Truth of it;) is bold to give out, That though this were exprefly faid, over and over in Scripture, Chrift Jefus Satisfied God for our Sins; He would not Believe it, How then can we expect that they should be Determined, by the Tantamount Terms, of Propitiation, Atonement, Ranfom, Redemption through his Blood: (Auleov,) The Price given for our Freedom: (ArTinuter,) Undergoing a like Infliction, as was to light on the Delivered: And the Just Suffering for the Unjust? But whether they be pleas'd with

it, or no; God has better Confulted the Honour of his Law; And taken more Care: to keep up the Authority of his Government; By an Inexorable Juftice done upon the Surety, that ftood in the Sinners ftead: Though that Surety were no Lefs, than the Dear Son of his Eternal Love.

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And though they that Judge of God's Ways without God's Word, are of Opinion, That there was no need of a Propitiation for their Sins: Yet he has declared himfelf to be otherwise minded: That without Shedding of Blood there is no Remiffion. Heb. 9.22. Nor is it any manner of Blood, that will ferve the turn neither: For it is not poffible the Blood of Bulls and of Goats Should take away Sins. Chap. 10. 4. No, nor any fort of Human Blood; (Not the Fruit of our Body, for the Sin of our Soul;) But it must be the Precious Blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb without Blemish, and without Spot. 1 Pet. 1. 19. The Blood of Chrift, through the Eternal Spirit, fo Offering himself to God. Heb. 9. 14. And by that Offering, he has Perfected for ever them that are Sanctified, Heb. X. 14. Tis not their own Sanctification; but his Oblation, that gives them the Perfection. For God is well pleafed in his Holy Son, that never did displease him; and Pleafed with the of fending Children of the Meffiah, only for his fake.

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It's true, He does Accept the Willing Mind, according to what they have; where the Power of Performing is wanting. 2 Cor. 8. 12. But then that Acceptance must be under. ftood, to be ever in the Beloved; Through his Merits, and upon his Account. And good is the Advice which S. Cyprian gives to all, (Nec quifquam fic fibi blandiatur, de puro & immaculato Corde; ut Innocentiâ fuâ fretus medicinam non putet effe adhibendum vulneri bus.) Let no one entertain fuch a high Conceit, of the Gleanness of his Heart; nor fo Value himself upon his Integrity; as to imagine, that he has no Need of Cure for his Wounds; To be Healed with the Stripes of his Saviour. But to this Refuge the Hight and Lofty Socinians, and fome of their Allociates think there's no Neceffity to have Recourfe. No, They expect their own Righreousness shall do greater Feats for 'em? than all the Righteoufnefs of Chrift. They'll dare to plead their Caufe, and Defend themfelves, without Him. As he faid, the Pharifees did; Luke 16. 15. Te are they, which Fuftify your felves before men. They will have it ftill, That all's done well enough by them; to make up a Righteousness, fufficient, to do their business. And might not one then expect fome Superexcellent Virtue in their Righteousness, above other mens; In which they have fuch high Confidence, to do fuch mighty. matters? When, alas, it is not a jot Better,

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for all the Confidence. Only themselves are ftill much the Worfe; fo to Contend and Struggle it out, even with God himfelf, in their own Juftification. When thus they fwell their Mole-bills into Mountains; They shall be Mountains, indeed, Big enough, to ftand in their way, to keep 'em from Chrift. Though not High enough to Raife 'em to Heaven. No, He told fuch Juftifiers of themselves that were so opinion'd of their own Worth and Goodness; Matth. 21. 31. That Publicans and Harlots went into the Kingdom of Heaven before them. For fuch noted Sinners will fooner be Convinced, and come to Repentance, and to Faith in Chrift, and fo to Heaven: But Pride destroys even all that Good which the others pretend to; and they are nothing Sincere in it: For, behold, his Soul which is Lifted up, is not Upright in him. Hab. 2. 4. Such as ftand so much upon their own Endowments and Abilities, will hardly ever Submit to the Righteoufneß of Faith. How can ye Believe, (faith our Bleffed Lord, who receive Honour one of ano◄ ther? Joh. V. 44. And nothing hinders for much, as the Honour, which men think be longs to 'em, for their Righteousness. For 'tis not fo much, Wealth, or Parentage or Parts, that Commends a man, as Goodnefs does. This they look therefore most to be Praised for; As Owing all to Themselves. (Propter Virtutem jure Laudamur, & in Vir

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