have an especial intereft in the precious blood of the Son of God, whereby atonement is made for him, and that all these things be teftified unto his confcience in a word of promife mixed with faith. These things he came for, this way alone he would be faved, and no other. It fees fuch a glory of wifdom, love, and grace in forgiveness, fuch an exaltation of the love of Chrift in all his offices, in all his undertakings, especially in his death, facrifice, and blood-fheding, whereby he procured or made reconciliation for us, that it exceedingly longs after the participation of them.

All these things, in their feveral degrees, will this difcovery of forgiveness in God, without an evidence of an especial intereft therein, produce. And these will affuredly maintain the fpiritual life of the foul, and keep it unto fuch an obedience as fhall be accepted of God in Chrift. Darkness, forrow, ftorms, they in whom it is, may meet withal, but their eternal condition is fecured in the covenant of God, their fouls are bound up in the bundle of life.

From what hath been spoken, we may make fome inferences in our paffage concerning the true notion of believing. For,

First, Thefe effects afcribed to this faith of forgivenefs in God, and always produced by it, make it evident that the most of them who pretend unto it, who pretend to believe that there is forgiveness with God, do indeed believe no fuch thing. Although I fhall, on fet purpose, afterwards evince this, yet I cannot here utterly pafs it by. I fhall then only demand of them who are fo forward in the profeffion of this faith, that they think it almoft impoffible that any one fhould not believe it; what effects it hath produced in them, and whether they have been by it enabled to the performance of the duties before-mentioned? I fear, with many, things on the account of their pretended faith are quite otherwife. They love fin the more for it, and God never the better; fuppofing that a few barren words will iffue the controverfy about their fins, they become infenfibly

fenfibly to have flight thoughts of fin, and of God alfo. This perfuafion is not of him that calls us. Poor fouls, your faith is the devil's greatest engine for your ruin; the highest contempt of God and Chrift, and forgiveness alfo, that you can be guilty of; a means to let you down quietly to hell; the Pharifees trusted in Mofes, and will condemn you: As none is faved but by faith, so you, if it were not for your faith, as you call it, might poffibly be faved. If a man's gold prove counterfeit, his jewel's painted glafs, his filver lead or drofs, he will not only be found poor when he comes to be tried, and want the benefit of riches, but have withal a fearful aggravation of his poverty, by his disappointment and furprizal. If a man's faith, which fhould be more precious than gold, be found rotten and corrupt, if his light be darknefs, how vile is that faith, how great is that darkness? Such it is evident will the faith of too many be found in this business.

Secondly, The work we are carrying on, is the rifing of a fin-intangled foul out of its depths, and this we have spoken unto, is that which must give him his first relief. Commonly when fouls are in diftrefs, that which they look after is confolation. What is it that they intend thereby? that they may have affurance that their fins are forgiven them, and fo be freed from their prefent perplexities. What is the iffue? Some of them continue complaining all their days, and never come to reft or peace; fo far do they fall short of confolation and joy. And fome are utterly difcouraged from attempt ing any progrefs in the ways of God. What is the reafon hereof? Is it not, that they would fain be finishing their building, when they have not laid the foundation. They have not yet made thorough work in believing forgiveness with God, and they would immediately be at affurance in themfelves. Now, God delights not in fuch a frame of fpirit; For,

1t, It is felfifh. The great defign of faith is to give glory to God, Rom. iv. 20. The end of God's giving out forgiveness, is the praife of his glorious grace, Eph. i. 6,

But

But let a foul in this frame have peace in itself, it is very little folicitous about giving glory unto God. He cries like Rachel, Give me children or I die; give me peace or 1 perish. That God may be honoured, and the forgiveness he feeks after be rendered glorious, it is cared for in the second place, if at all. This felfifh earnestness, at firft to be thrufting our hand in the fide of Chrift, is that which he will pardon in many, but accepts in none.

2dly, It is impatient. Men do thus deport themfelves, because they will not wait. They do not care for standing afar off, for any feafon, with the publican. They love not to fubmit their fouls to ly at the foot of God, to give him the glory of his goodness, mercy, wisdom, and love, in the difpofal of them, and their concern. ments. This waiting comprizeth the universal subjection of the foul unto God, with a refolved judgment that it is meet and right that we, and all we defire and aim at, fhould be at his fovereign difpofal. This gives glory to God; a duty which the impatience of these poor fouls will not admit them to the performance of; and both these arise,

3dly, From weaknefs. It is weak. It is weakness in any condition that makes men restless and weary. The ftate of adherence is as fafe a condition, as the ftate of affurance; only it hath more combats and wrestling attending it. It is not then fear of the event, but weakness and wearinefs of the combat that makes men anxiously folicitous about a deliverance from that ftate, before they are well entered into it.

Let then the fin-intangled foul remember always this way, method, and order of the gofpel, that we have under confideration. Firft, Exercife faith on forgivenefs in God; and when the foul is fixed therein, it will have a ground and foundation whereon it may ftand fecurely, in making application of it unto itself., Drive this principle in the first place unto a stable iffue, upon gofpel evidences; anfwer the objections that ly against it, and then you may proceed. In believing, the foul

makes

makes a conqueft upon Satan's territories. Do then as they do, who are entring on an enemy's country, fecure the paffages, fortify the ftrong holds as you go on, that you be not cut off in your progrefs. Be not as a fhip at fea, which paffeth on, and is no more poffeffed or master of the water it hath gone through, than of that whereunto it is not yet arrived. But fo it is with a foul, that fixeth not on these foundation-principles; he preffeth forwards, and the ground crumbles away under his feet, and fo he wilders away all his days in uncertainties. Would men but lay this principle well in their fouls, and fecure it againft affaults, they might proceed, though not with fo much speed as fome do, yet with more fafety. Some pretend at once to fall into full affurance, I wish it prove not a broad prefumption in the most. It is to no purpofe for him to ftrive to fly, who cannot yet go; to labour to come to affurance in himself, who never well believed forgivenefs in God. Now, that we may be enabled to fix this perfuafion against all oppofition, that which in the next place I shall do, is to give out fuch unquestionable evidences of this gofpel truth, as the foul may fafely build and reft upon: And these contain the confirmation of the principle propofition before laid down.

Evidences of forgivenefs in God.----No inbred notions of any free acts of God's will.----Forgiveness not revealed by the works of nature, nor the law.

FIRST,The things that are spoken, or to be known of God are of two forts; natural and neceffary: Such as are his effential properties,or the attributes of his nature, his goodness, holiness, righteoufnefs, omnipotency, eternity, and the like. Thefe are called Toys, γνωσὸν θεῷ, Rom. i. 19, That which may be known of God. And there are two ways as the apoftle there declares, whereby that which he there intimates of God may be known.

.

First, By the inbred light of nature; pavepovi i autoïs, ver. 19. It is manifeft in themfelves, in their own hearts; they are taught it by the common conceptions and prefumptions which they have of God by the light of nature. From hence do all mankind know concerning God, that he is, that he is eternal, infinitely powerful, good, righteous, holy, omnipotent. There needs no fpecial revelation of these things that men may know them; that indeed they may be known favingly, there is, and therefore they that know these things by nature, do alfo believe them on revelation, Heb. xi. 6. He that COMETH unto God, muft BELIEVE that he is, and that he is a rewarder. Though men KNOW God, by the light of nature, yet they cannot cOME to God by that knowledge.

Secondly, Thefe effential properties of the nature of God are revealed by his works. So the apoftle in the fame place, ver. 20. The invisible things of God from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead: See alfo, Pfal. xix. 1, 2, 3, And this is the first fort of things that may be known of God.

Again, there are the free acts of his will and power; or his free eternal purposes, with the temporal difpenfations that flow from them. Now of this fort is the forgiveness that we are enquiring after; it is not a property of the nature of God, but an act of his will, and a work of his grace. Although it hath its rife and fpring in the infinite goodness of his nature, yet it proceeds from him, and is not exercised but by an abfolute free and fovereign act of his will. Now, there is nothing of God, or with him, of this fort, that can be any ways known, but only by efpecial revelation: For,

First, There is no inbred notion of the acts of God's will in the heart of man, which is the firft way whereby we come to the knowledge of any thing of God. Forgiveness is not revealed by the right of nature; flesh and blood, which nature is, declares it not: By that means, No man bath feen God at any time, John i. 8. S

that

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