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vour of the cause I am pleading. Thefe things are foretold in the fcriptures. By these things Satan is endea vouring to fupport his own kingdom, as we may reasofonably expect he would do. He knows that he is most likely to play the fureft game, when he transforms himfelf into an angel of light. And thefe falfe appearances ferve for a foil, to difcover the greatest lustre in a true and real work of divine grace.

The only objection against all this, which I can forefee, is, that I am philofophizing upon the golden tooth, and that the perfons I am characterizing, exiit no where, fave in my descriptions of them. But I need add no more to what I have faid upon this already, than my attestation, that I have the comfort of an inward and intimate acquaintance with confiderable numbers of fuch as those whom I have described. And if you, Sir, would feek out fuch for your chofen companions, your objections would die of themfelves; and the argument I have: infifted upon, would appear in its proper light and strength.

I know not what more can be needful to be added upon this subject, but my hearty prayers, that the Spirit of truth would lead us both into all truth; and that we may know by fenfible experience, what is the hope of Chrift's calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints, which has been juftly, tho' but weakly and very imperfectly reprefented, in these let ters, from

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER VII. Wherein the doctrine of GOD's SOVEREIGN GRACE is vindicated; and fome EXCEPTIONS against it confidered and anfwered.

SIR,

OU cannot imagine how much comfort you have

You miniftred to me by your laít. I greatly rejoice to

hear, that the more strictly you examine the cause, the ⚫ greater evidence you find of the undoubted truth and

⚫ certainty of the Chriftian religion:” But that

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you are filled with confufion, to think how long you have • lived at a distance from that bleffed Saviour, who has • wrought out fuch a glorious redemption for us.' And I am not at all forprifed, to hear you complain, that you cannot entertain clear apprehenfions of my dif• courfe of experimental religion : that though your laft objections are filenced, there are others which fill your mind with greater difficulty; and are of much greater importance, if I have given you a juft view of the cafe. And that you cannot tell how you can ever be brought to a feeling fenfe of the doctrines of ⚫ fovereign grace, which I fo much infift on, while they · appear to you fo inconfiftent with truth, and fo unreafonable. I am not (I fay) furptifed at this; for we are naturally prejudiced against thefe doctrines; and are not easily brought to receive them, by reafon of the ftrong bias there is upon our minds to the contrary principles. I fhall therefore endeavour to confider your feveral objections; and how ftrong and plaufible foever they may appear, I do not defpair of giving you fatisfaction.

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You object, that if we are of ourfelves capable of no qualifying conditions for the divine favour, or (to ⚫ufe my own words) if we muft feel that we lie at mer· cy, and that all our own refuges, and all our endeavours in our own ftrength to relieve our diftreffed ⚫ fouls, are fruitles and vain, you cannot tell to what purpose any of our endeavours are; or what good it will do us to ufe any means at all for our falvation.'

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In order to a clear folution of this difficulty, it seems needful to convince you, that this loft, impotent, deplorable state, is the cafe in fact of every unrenewed finner, whatever objections we may frame in our minds against it: and therefore it is neceflary, that he fhould fenfibly perceive the cafe to be as it truly is. And then, it will be proper to fhew you, that the confequence you draw from this doctrine is unjuft; and even directly contrary to the improvement you ought to make of it.

I begin with the first of thefe: and fhall endeavour to convince you that man is indeed in fuch a loft and helplefs ftate, that he lies at mere mercy; and cannot bring

himself into a claim to the divine favour, by any power or ability of his own. I fhall not run into the fcholaftick controverfies and fubtile diftinctions, with which this doctrine has been clouded by many of our wrangling difputers: but shall endeavour to fet it in the most plain, eafy, and practical light, that I am able.

I think, you must readily grant, that you cannot make an atonement for your fins, by any performances within your power. You are, Sir, to confider yourself as a finser, as a criminal and delinquent in the fight of God. Your nature is corrupt and defiled. Your actual tranfgreffions of the law of God have been very numerous ; and perhaps fome of them attended with fpecial aggra. vations. All your fins are directly repugnant to the perfections of the divine nature; and confequently offenfive to a pure and holy God. And what greatly increases the difficulty and danger of your cafe, is, that you are still continuing to act contrary to God in all you do, while your nature is unrenewed; and while you are without a principle of love to God. (I am fure, you will pardon this freedom; for it is neceffary you should know the difeafe, in order to the cure) Judge then yourfelf, whether it can be fuppofed, that an omnifcient heart-fearching God can be pleafed with any, even the moft devout of your overt actions, when he knows that your heart is estranged from him, and your nature has no conformity to him; but your affections are glewed to your feveral idols. How then can you be reconciled to God, by virtue of your performances and attainments? Can you pay ten thoufand talents, with less than nothing? Can you pleafe God by offending him, as you do by the obliquity of all your duties, the defects of your best devotions, and the finful affections from whence they all flow? Or can you have thofe unworthy thoughts of an infinite, unchangeable God, as to hope you can make fuch impreffions upon his affections, by acknowledging your offences, and imploring his mercy, as to excite his compaflion and fympathy; and to make your impure and unholy nature agreeable to his infinite purity and holinefs Can your infincere and hypocritical duties (for fuch they are all at beft, while they procced from an unfanctified heart) bring the glorious God to take

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complacency in what is directly contrary to his own nature? You cannot but fee, that these proposals are most unreasonable and abfurd. One of these things muft certainly be true; either first, that you have naturally, whilst in an unrenewed ftate, a principle of holiness and love to God: or fecondly, that works flowing from an impure fountain, and from a principle of oppofition and alienation to God, are yet pleafing to God, will ferve to appease him, and will entitle you to his favour: or thirdly, that you cannot, by any thing vou do, haye a claim to God's favour, until your nature is renewed, and you can act from a principle of holinefs and love to God. I think every man's experience will confute the first of thefe, who gives any attention at all to the natural dif pofitions of his own foul: the fecond is altogether inconfiftent both with the nature of things and with the nature of an infinitely pure and holy God: and therefore the third is neceffarily true. It won't at all help the case, to alledge in bar of what is here faid, that Chrift Jefus has made an atonement for us. For what is that to you, while you remain without an interest in him? Did Christ purchase for you a capacity to make an atonement for yourself? Did he die, that God might be, pleaffed with what is contrary to his own nature; and paci. fied with fuch duties as can be no better than impure ftreams from a corrupt fountain?

Let reafon fit judge in the cafe before us; and you must allow your cafe to be as I have described it. And it is equally evident, that you have no power to change your own heart, and to produce in yourself a new prin, ciple of love to God and conformity to him, by any endeavours of your own. It is vifible from what has been already faid, that our hearts and affections must be re. newed and fanctified, before either our perfons or fervices can be acceptable in the fight of God. And which way can this be compaffed? If you take up refolutions, thefe will no longer ftand you in ftead than the principle of fear, from which they proceed, is kept in action. If you execute thefe refolutions in fome external reforma tions, this is but lopping off the branches, while the ftock and the root of the tree are ftill alive; the affections and difpofitions of the foul being ftill the fame. If by

fear, or other felfish motives, you fomething reftrain the prefent more feasible exercife of your finful appetites or paffions, this is but damming up the ftream, and forcing it into another channel; pull down the dam, and it will run where it did before. Certain it is, that every man naturally loves the world, and the things of the world, the objects of his fenfual appetites; and loves his lufts and idols, more than God: and it is equally cer tain, that whatever restraints he may fometimes put u pon these difpofitions, an omnifcient eye beholds the fame principle in him notwithstanding: and confequent ly he can never please God, till there be in this refpect a real and thorough change wrought in all the powers of his foul; fuch a change as the fcriptures defcribe by a tranflation from darkness unto light, from death to life, and from the power of Satan unto God. And to fuppofe, that any but he who first gave being to our fouls, can give them a new being in all fpiritual and moral re fpects; and make their difpofitions, appetites, pallions, contemplations, defires, and delights, not only differing from, but directly and laftingly contrary to what they were, is to ascribe to the creature what is the peculiar property and prerogative of the glorious God himself. Do you (Sir) but make the trial, and you will find, after all your endeavours, that the violation of your promises and refolutions, the deadness and hypocrify of your du ties, the prevalence of your fins, and the continued ef trangement of your affections from God and godlinefs, will give you more fenfible conviction, than any me thods of reafoning can do, that there is a greater power needful than your own, to make you a new creature.

It must therefore neceffarily follow, that there is no. thing you are able to do, can give you a claim to the re newing influences of the Holy Spirit. If any thing you can do, can give you a claim to the renewing and fanc tifying influences of the divine grace, your claim must be either from merit or promife-Not of merit ; when you can't of yourfelf fo much as leave off finning, and thereby running further into debt to the justice of God; and this, even in and by the best of your duties. Your bighest attainments therefore can merit nothing but the divine displeasure. Not of promife; for where I be

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