The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

To the first part of the Objection from promises of forgiveness made to Obedience: I Answer, 1. That forgiveness is not always taken in Scripture for the act of Justification, whereby God does take off the sentence of eternal condemnation: but many times it is taken for Gods overlooking sin so as not to bring that temporal calamity that he might have done: so when God removes a temporal judgment, he is said to forgive their sins, Mich. 7.18. so when he forbears to destroy a people that have deserved it, and only brings some less judgments on them, he is said to forgive them, Psal. 99.8. Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance on their inventions: Psal. 78.38. He forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not: Numb 14.20, 21, 22, 23. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word, &c. but they shall not see the Land that I sware unto their Fathers: and sometimes he bestows this pardon upon them, whom he does not deliver from the sentence of condemnation, and sometimes he denies this unto them, whom he does deliver from a sentence of condemnation: Moses's sin shall not be so forgiven but that he must dye in the Wilderness for his trespass at the waters of Meribah: Eli shall not be so forgiven but that sore judgment shall come upon his Family: the preventing or removing of temporal calamities, whether in ward or outward is called forgiveness: and this is the very thing is intended by forgiveness, sometimes ⟨p. 154⟩when God makes promises of forgiveness unto obedience and reformation: the meaning is, that God will prosper them and bless, and not pursue them with Judgments and calamities: this is evident because sometimes God promises forgiveness to a Nation in a way of obedience, it is promised as a National blessing: so in that Isai. 1.16, 17, 18. therefore it does not intend deliverance from eternal condemnation: for God does not promise that as a public blessing, depending upon public reformation. 2. Sometimes when God promises forgiveness unto Obedience, the meaning is, that if the soul do return unto God by a true work of conversion he shall be justified: when men are converted they are brought into a state of acceptance with God: God is reconciled unto them: so that place is to be understood,