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And that it is so, that God in that Act of final Justification that he passes at the Sinner's Conversion, has Respect to Perseverance in Faith, and future Acts of Faith, as being virtually implied in that first Act, is further manifest by this, viz. That in a Sinner's Justification at his Conversion, there is virtually contained a Forgiveness as to eternal, and deserved Punishment, not only of all past Sins, but also of all future Infirmities and Acts of Sin, that they shall be guilty of; because that first Justification is decisive and final. And yet Pardon, in the Order of Nature, properly follows the Crime, and also follows those Acts of Repentance and Faith that respect the Crime pardoned, as is manifest both from Reason and Scripture. David in the beginning of Psalm 32. speaks of the Forgiveness of Sins of his, that were doubtless committed long after he was first godly, as being consequent on those Sins, and on his Repentance and Faith with Respect to them; and yet this Forgiveness is spoken of by the Apostle in the 4th of Romans, as an Instance of Justification by Faith. Probably the Sin David there speaks of is the same that he committed in the Matter of Uriah, and so the Pardon the same with that Release from Death, or eternal Punishment, that the Prophet Nathan speaks of, 2 Sam 12. 13. The Lord also hath put away thy Sin; thou shalt not die. Not only does the Manifestation of this Pardon follow the Sin in the Order of Time, but the Pardon it self, in the Order of Nature, follows David's Repentance and Faith with Respect to this Sin; for it is spoken of in the 32nd Psalm as depending on it.

And besides, if no other Act of Faith could be concerned in Justification but the first Act, it will then follow that Christians ought never to seek Justification by any other Act of Faith. For if Justification is not to be ⟨p. 79⟩obtained by after Acts of Faith, then surely it is not a Duty to seek it by such Acts: And so it can never be a Duty for Persons after they are once converted, by Faith to seek to God; or believingly to look to him for the Remission of Sin, or Deliverance from the Guilt of it, because Deliverance from the Guilt of Sin is Part of what belongs to Justification. And if it ben't proper for Converts by Faith to look to God through Christ for it, then it will follow that it is not proper for them to pray for it, for christian Prayer to God for a Blessing is but an Expression of Faith in God for that Blessing; Prayer is only the Voice of Faith. But if these Things are so, it will follow that that Petition of the Lord's Prayer, for give us our Debts, is not proper to be put up by Disciples of Christ, or to be used in christian Assemblies, and that Christ improperly directed his Disciples to use that Petition, when they were all of them, except Judas, converted before. The Debt that Christ directs his Disciples to pray for the Forgiveness of, can mean nothing else, but the Punishment that Sin deserves, or the Debt that we owe to divine Justice, the ten thousand Talents we owe our Lord. To pray that God would forgive our Debts, is undoubtedly the same Thing as to pray that God would release us from Obligation to due Punishment; but releasing from Obligation to the Punishment due to Sin, and forgiving the Debt that we owe to divine Justice, is what appertains to Justification.