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But, "Pause a little, my foul," faith the convinced finner," what tidings are here? What faith the fcripture, "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? "Unanfwerable indeed! Happy, happy, thrice happy "they, who are the objects of God's everlafting, diftinguifhing and electing love. But how can I be fure that "this includes, or rather does not exclude me? Can I "ever hope to read my name written in the Lamb's "book of life?" No. But when you confefs you cannot read any thing there in your favor, who hath authorized you to fuppofe any thing there to your prejudice? Secret things belong only to God. We are not permitted to fearch, and we are not able to comprehend or explain the infinite depth of the divine councils. But do not things that are revealed belong to us? And how fhall we prefume to fet at variance the fecret and revealed will of God? Is not the commiffion fufficiently extenfive!" And he "faid unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature; he that believeth and is bap"tized, fhall be faved; and he that believeth not, fhall be "damned."* Is not the call unlimited and univerfal? "Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, "and I will give you reft."t "And Jefus faid unto

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them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me fhall "never hunger, and he that believeth on me fhall never "thirft." "And in the laft day, that great day of the feaft, Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If any man thirst, "let him come unto me and drink."||

Can you then entertain any doubt of the call reaching to you, or question your title to reft upon this rock of ages? Behold, we preach unto you Christ crucified, a defpifed Saviour, indeed, " to the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to "the Greeks foolishness;" but the "power of God, and "the wifdom of God for falvation to every one that be"lieveth." There is no guilt fo deep, but this precious blood will wash it out. No gift fo great, but infinite merit is fufficient to procure it. No nature fo polluted, but in

Mark xvi. 15, 16.

† Matth. xi. 28.

John vi. 35.

|| John vii. 37.

finite power is fufficient to renew it. Shall we then any more with-hold our approbation, or refufe our confent? Shall not every finner, burdened with a fenfe of guilt or danger, intimate his compliance and urge his claim, and fay, "Thanks, thanks be to God for his unfpeakable gift. "It is falvation by the death of Chrift, and therefore "becoming a holy and a jealous God, with whom evil "cannot dwell. It is the fame unchangeable God, who "enacted the holy law, and who publishes this glorious gospel.—It is falvation by grace, otherwife no child of "Adam could have had any claim; and it is meet that "the lofty looks of man fhould be humbled, and the Lord "alone exalted in that day.It is falvation to the chief "of finners: I am the man. I hear my character clearly defcribed in the word of God. I can read my name “in the general and gracious invitation. I will accept of "the offer, I will receive and embrace this bleffed Saviour "as my Lord and my God, as my life and my all."

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Once more, perhaps the believer is still staggered, and his faith begins to fail. Astonished at the greatness of the mercy," he believeth not for joy, and wondereth." He is ready to fay, "Might I but hold faft this beginning of "my confidence, I would not envy the greateft monarch " on earth his throne, his purple, or his fceptre, but would fing the new fong put into my mouth, Unto him that "loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, “and hath made us kings and priefts to God and his Fa“ther, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. "But alas! are not all the promises of falvation only in "favor of them that believe? Here then the conclufion

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may fail. I am fenfible of a lamentable weakness and "backwardness of mind; and whilft I think I have no "doubt of any of the truths of God, I greatly distrust the "reality of my own confent and compliance with his "will." Do you then really give credit to all the truths of God refpecting your own loft condition, and the only way of deliverance from it? May the Lord himself increafe your faith; for if it be fo indeed, you are happy and fafe. These truths, thefe alone, are the fure foundation of hope. I am afraid we have all too ftrong a ten

dency to look for fome encouraging qualification in ourfelves, on which we might more fecurely reft. What is faith? Is it any more than receiving the record which God hath given of his Son, believing the teftimony of the Amen, the true and faithful witnefs? Is not your peace and reconciliation with God, and the fanctification of your natures, exprefsly provided for in the all-fufficiency of Chrift, and to him you are affured that you must be indebted for both? What ftandeth in the way of your comfort then, but either that you do not give credit to the promife he hath made, or that you are not willing that he fhould do it for you? and this I acknowledge is both un. belief and impenitence.

Complain therefore no more, that you are afraid of yourselves, whilst yet you pretend to have the highest efteem of the bleffings of redemption; on the contrary, fay unto God in a thankful frame of spirit, " Glory to God in "the highest, on earth peace, and good-will towards men. "I praise thee for this meffage of peace. I think I fee, in "fome measure, its neceffity, truth and beauty. I fee it,

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I trust to fuch a degree, that it is the fole foundation of "my hope. I renounce every other claim; nay, I abhor "the thoughts of any other claim: Yea, doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the know"ledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord, for whom I have fuffer"ed the lofs of all things, and do count them but dung "that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having "mine own righteoufnefs, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which is of God by faith.* It grieves me that there is fuch a backwardnefs in me to give glory to thy name, "and to be indebted to the riches of thy grace. Subdue "my obftinacy, and rule by thine own power. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

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SECT. VI.

How the believer recovers peace of conscience.

E have now feen in what way the believer is reconciled to God, and delivered from condemnation. It will not be improper, however, also to confider how he recovers peace of confcience, and how his heart and life are governed in his after walk. This will ferve more fully to illuftrate the influence and operation of the truths of the gospel. There is even a neceffity for doing fo on two different accounts: 1. That, as has been fhewn above at confiderable length, every true penitent is deeply and inwardly fenfible of the evil of fin in itfelf. He is not merely afraid of wrath, but fees the impurity and pollution of his own heart. Suppofing, therefore, will the intelligent reader say, this great distinction thoroughly established, his relief, is but half accomplished. There may be no more condemnation for him in the law of God, for the breach of which fatisfaction has been made and accepted: but he is only so much the more liable to the condemnation of his own confcience. He muft ftill fuffer the reproaches and challenges of his own mind, which make fo great a part of the mifery of a guilty state.

This receives additional ftrength, from a fecond confideration, that as he is juftified by faith, he hath peace only through the blood of Chrift. This is not from himself, and may be thought to leave him, fo to fpeak, in point of ftate and character, in point of pollution and defilement, juft as before; nay, the extraordinary, unfolicited, undeferved grace of God, may be thought to increase his felfcondemnation, and fet the malignity of his rebellion in the strongest light. And, indeed, fo far this is true, that the free grace of God was intended, and does ferve, to produce a growing humiliation of mind and felf-abasement, as well as an admiration of the love of God in Chrift Jefus. As the tenderness of a parent is an image which God hath very frequently made use of, to fhadow forth his own infinite compaffion, I will borrow from it an illuftration of the two remarks juft now made. Suppofe any child has of

fended a parent by a gross instance of undutiful behavior, for which he hath been feverely reproved, and for fome time kept at a diftance: if the parent forgives him, and receives him again into his favor, does not his being thus freed from the fear of fuffering, leave full room for his concern at the offence? And does not a fenfe of his father's love melt his heart more for having grieved fuch a parent, than any terror upon his mind for the punishment of the crime? He is immediately covered with confufion; and if there be in him any spark of ingenuity, he is no fooner forgiven of his father, than the tide of his affections returns back with full force, and he can hardly forgive himself.

But notwithstanding this, as Chrift by his fufferings and death delivered us from the wrath to come, fo by the shedding of his precious blood, the heart is alfo, as the scripture expresses it, fprinkled from an evil conscience. On this important fubject, which leads us to the great principles of the fpiritual life, the following particulars are recommended to the serious attention of the reader.

1. Through Jefus Christ, and the whole of his undertaking as Mediator of the new covenant, the glory and honor of God is most admirably promoted, and a perfect reparation made to his holy law which had been broken. This must needs be highly pleafing to every convinced finner. As the justice of God is thereby fatisfied, fo conscience, which is God's vicegerent, and as it were pleads his caufe, is fatisfied by the fame means. The ground of a finner's diffatisfaction with himself, is the dishonor done to God. Muft it not, therefore, please and satisfy him to fee this difhonor fo perfectly removed, and fo much of the divine glory fhining in the work of redemption. All the divine perfections appear there with diftinguished luftre; and muft not this be highly refreshing to the pardoned criminal? The very holinefs and juftice of God, which before were terrible to him, are now amiable. He also contemplates and adores the divine wifdom, as it is to be seen in the cross of Christ. We are told, that even the celestial hofts have new difcoveries of the wifdom of God in this great design of providence. "To the intent that "now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places,

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