Ex Librii 
 C. K. OODEN 
 
 i STc 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 

 
 DEEP 
 
 THINGS OF GOD; 
 
 O R, 
 
 MILK AND STRONG MEAT: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 SPIRITUAL AND EXPERIMENTAL 
 
 REMARKS AND MEDITATIONS, 
 
 3 V 1 T S. O 
 
 TO THE CASES OF BABES, YOUNG MEN', AND 
 FATHERS IN CHRIST : 
 
 JAATICULARLY, 
 
 TO SUCfl A3 ARE UNDER TRIALS AND TEMPTATI- 
 ONS, AND WHO FEEL THE PLAGUE OF THEIR OWN 
 HEARTS. 
 
 I will never leave thee, nor forfakethee. DEUT. xxxi. 5, 8. 
 
 HEB. xiii. 5. 
 
 When thou pa/Teft through the waters, I will be with thee ; 
 and through the rivers, they fliall not overflow thee ; 
 when. thou walkeft through the fire, thou (halt not be 
 burnt j neither fliall the flame kindle upon tliee. 
 
 ISA. xliii. 2. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. MATHEWS, Bookfeller, No. 18, Strand, 
 
 M.DCC.LXXXVIH.
 

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 1 HE following remarks and medita- 
 tions were moft of them written down, 
 when 1 felt the power and fweetnefs of 
 them upon my own foul. 
 
 As they were put to paper without order 
 or connection, fo neither elegance or con- 
 nection muft be expected in the reading of 
 them. 
 
 I am fenfible that" they contain Jlrovg 
 
 and favory meat, and fuch as many, who 
 
 are as yet but babes in Chrift, cannot di- 
 
 gefl ; much lefs will they be relifhed by 
 
 A 3 the
 
 ( vi ) 
 
 the children'of this world; and leaft of all 
 will they go down with the modern Pha- 
 rifee, the ftruttingdaw in Chriftian plumes, 
 who, having the form of godlinefs, but deny- 
 ing the power, can but ill brook any ex- 
 hortations to heavenly-tnindednefs, or clofe 
 walking with God. He tells you " he 
 <c would have every body be good, and 
 " mind their duty ; and all pretenfions 
 " beyond this, he is fare, are the effect of 
 " hypocrify and precifenefs." Then, as 
 to fpiritual defertions and confolations, thefe 
 things, he is certain, are the mere whims 
 of melancholy and enthufiafm : with re- 
 gard to regeneration, we. were all born 
 again in baptifm ; and, for his part, he 
 has no notion of inward feelings. But 
 \vorft of all can he bear the found of 
 Salvation by Grace. His very heart 
 riles at the declaration, when he hears, 
 that the moft profligate and abandoned 
 
 fmners
 
 finners 6f mankind have as free a wel- 
 come to all gofpel bleffings, without wait- 
 ing for any amendment, as the ftridteft 
 moralift upon earth. " Let who will be- 
 " lievefuch extravagant opinions, he makes 
 " no doubt, but piety, virtue, and good 
 " works (offered up through the merits 
 " of Chrift) will recommend us to the fa- 
 ** vor of the Deity ; and he is perfuaded, 
 " that every man of fenfe, and who is pof- 
 " fefTed with goodnefs of heart and libera-* 
 " lity of fentiment, mull be of the fame 
 " mind with himfelf. Indeed he cannot 
 " think otherwife, without profeffing him- 
 <J felf an enemy to morality, and without 
 " harboring the moft injurious notions of 
 (< the Supreme Being." Thus he believesyw/- 
 tblng, he hardly knows what, about the 
 fcriptures ; however he readily perfuades 
 himfelf, that he is a Chriftian, and in the 
 way to heaven, till, in the folemn moment 
 
 of
 
 ( viii ) 
 
 of departure, he lifts up his eyes and cries, 
 bekold it was a dream ! 
 
 But though all the ungodly upon earth 
 fhould feoff; though the multitude of 
 Formalists Ihould rage and fvvell ; yet I 
 am perfuaded, that poor, convinced, hum- 
 bled finners, and efpecially tempted fouls 
 fighting with befetting fins, and groaning 
 for deliverance, will feed on the honey 
 which thefe oofervations will, I truft, be 
 found to contain, and will find them pre- 
 cious to their tqfte', a feajl of fat things, of 
 wine on the lees zvell refined* My wifli, how- 
 ever, is, that they may be taken all to- 
 gether, collectively, and that no judgment 
 may be formed of any of them feparately, 
 In this view, I doubt not, but every experi- 
 enced believer will fet his feal to the truth 
 of every one of them. 
 
 That
 
 That no poor foul, who has received the 
 grace of God in truth, may be tempted to 
 defpair on account of the prevalence of 
 corruption, great care is taken to point 
 out the difference between the falls of a 
 believer and an unbeliever, as well by de- 
 fcribing the actings of mind both of the 
 one and of the other, under fuch circum- 
 ftances, as the flate of their perfons God- 
 ward. The latter (the unbeliever) con- 
 demned by the holy law, and deftitute of 
 a principle of grace, finking by his falls, 
 like lead in the mighty waters : The former, 
 (the believer) fcreened from the curfe of 
 the law, by that divine righteoufnefs, which 
 cannot be fullied by fin, and which is 
 proof againft all the attacks of Satan's 
 malice, refembling wood, which though 
 repeatedly clamed by violence into - the 
 ocean, and immerfed for a time under the 
 waves, as often rifes up again by the pow- 
 er
 
 ( X ) 
 
 cr of its own proper fpecific tendency to 
 mount upwards. 
 
 Various as the trials and temptations of 
 God's children are, according to their cir- 
 cumftances, conflitutions and fituations in 
 life, it is hoped that every one wiU find 
 fomething in the following pages fuited to 
 his own particular ftate ; for though the 
 Lord in his wifdom and love always fits 
 each trial, however fore and grievous, to 
 each believer, and each believer to each 
 trial which is allotted to him, yet there is 
 but one way of deliverance under all, which 
 is by looking to Jefus, and acting faith on 
 the word of promife. 
 
 I am aware, that the fame fentiments and 
 ideas will be found in many of the Num- 
 bers, particularly in thofe which treat of 
 juftification, faith, and repsntance ; but as 
 
 they
 
 they are reprefcnted in different points of 
 view, and ju(l as they occurred ro n 
 
 mind, I hope that whatever there i oi re- 
 petition, inftead of being tirefome, will 
 tend to the greater confirmation of truth, 
 and the more firm eftablifhment of the 
 believer's foul in folid peace, comfort and 
 
 It is now more than thirty years that the 
 Lord has been training me up in the fchool 
 of experience, and it is almoil thofe many 
 years that feveral of the following obfer- 
 vations were put down in different diaries, 
 merely for my own ufe, without the leaft 
 deiign of making them public ; though. 
 the various ftates, temptations, and vicifli- 
 tud.es I have gone through (Jehovah's love 
 Hill remaining unchangeable) has greatly 
 fwelled the volume, A few judicious 
 Chriflians, to whom I communicated a 
 
 part
 
 part of the manufcript, having exprefied 
 much fatisfaftion in the perufal of it, I 
 came to the refolution of printing it, and 
 made fomc confiderable addition to it ; 
 with no other view and defign that what 
 proceeded from the hope, that the whole 
 might be made profitable to that^hurch, 
 which God the Redeemer hath purchafed 
 with his own blood. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 17, line 19, before ivitb add and. 
 
 Page 17, line 26, for atfing read aftings. 
 
 Page x 47, line 20, for will ever rezAJball ever* 
 
 Page 77, line 4, for raifes read rifes, 
 
 Page 114, line 3, for SPIRITUAL read GRADUAL. 
 
 Page 117, line 1 2, for lecome read became. 
 
 Page 127, for there ivbilft read wbilft there. 
 
 REMARKS,
 
 Remarks, Meditations, 
 
 No. I. 
 
 H 
 
 O W" long might one live with fome perfons 
 who are looked upon as very good Chriftians, and 
 not know whether they had any fouls or not ! 
 
 'No. IT. 
 
 THE enmity there is in the fallen heart of 
 man to God, will ever fhew itfelf againft Chrift's 
 faithful people. Self-love and felf-deceit are the 
 parents of this hatred which the world (hews to- 
 wards real Chriflians. 
 
 A No, III.
 
 ( 2 ) 
 
 No. III. 
 
 A S the praife of true religion is not of men 
 but of God, fo there certainly is a thing called 
 Religion which will pleafe the world, whofe praife 
 is pot of God but of men : but the down-right 
 libertine and the real Chriftian will both be difap- 
 proved of, though the latter more than the for- 
 mer. 
 
 No. IV. 
 
 IF a man fhew not what is generally thought 
 too great a conformity to the image of Chrift, nor 
 too little conformity to the ways of the world, 
 that man will be idolized ; but then it muft be ob- 
 ferved, that this love towards him does not arife 
 from what the people of the- world fee in him 
 agreeable to the tempers of Jefus Chrift, but from 
 what they perceive in him correfpondent with their 
 own fentiments and conduct, whilft the holy, wary 
 walk of trie true believer, is as a thorn in the fide 
 fcf every counterfeit profeffor. 
 
 No. V.
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 | . . ^ | i^vw<y 
 
 No. V. 
 
 THAT Religion (if fo it muft be called) 
 which a man keeps to himfelf, or which is con-t 
 fined to acts of kindnefs towards the body, will 
 never caufe the leaft offence ; but in proportion as 
 any perfon is active in furthering the falvation of 
 others, he is fure of making himfelf obnoxious to 
 the eyes of the world. 
 
 No. VI. 
 
 THE image of God, ftamped upon the new- 
 born foul, is what the moft double refined for- 
 malift cannot bear, for as much as a vital Chriftian 
 is a living reproof to all fuch fkeletons of piety. 
 Hence it is that they frequently gainfay, and op- 
 pofe what in their own hearts they dreadfully mif- 
 truft to be right : and though jthey hate the holi- 
 nefs of God's children, yet have they a kind of 
 devilifh and malicious pleafure whenever they can 
 pick out any failings or infirmities to reproach 
 them with. 
 
 A a No. VII.
 
 ( 4 ) 
 
 No. VII. 
 
 I F you will be the world's favorite, you muft 
 neither be too like God, nor too, like the devil. 
 
 No. VIII. 
 
 SOME people are mightily offended at the 
 word faint : a fad proof that they themfelves 
 have no title to the chara&er ; but fure it is, that 
 every perfon living is either a finner or a faint. 
 The former all men are by nature, the latter a 
 chofen few are by grace ; yet a believer is ftill a 
 fmner, though not under condemnation for fin. 
 The word faint, (romfanflus, means nothing but 
 an holy-perfon ; and an holy perfon, in the fcrip- 
 ture account, is a believer and no other. So that 
 whoever difclaims the denomination of a Saint, 
 thereby acknowledges himfelf to be under the curfe 
 of God, and to have no right or title to any of 
 the gofpel bleflings. 
 
 The word of God knows no fuch diftinc- 
 tions as virtuous men and vicious men, moral and 
 immoral, &c. &c. but ranks the whole world into 
 
 two
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 * 
 
 two clafles, viz- believers and unbelievers j children 
 of light, and children of darknefs j regenerate 
 and carnaJ, finners and faints. 
 
 The one accepted in Chrift Jefus : the other 
 having the wrath of God abiding on them. 
 
 No. IX. 
 
 HEAR T-fearching preaching, where it^o'es 
 riot convince, is fure to offend. Nothing is fo 
 cutting to an unrenewed heart, efpecially where 
 there is a decent outfide, as to have it's rottennefs 
 expofed, it's refuge of lies fwept away, and the 
 pillow of forms, whereon it was fleeping, removed 
 from under the head. Whofoever attempts this 
 mud expect to fee the old man rife and fume, fince 
 to approve the real chriftian, and the real truth, 
 would caufe the Pharifee to condemn himfelf. 
 
 No. X. 
 
 THE moft dangerous inrufels are not the 
 moft open infidels. There jpa fet of men, who 
 perfuade themfelves that they believe chrifVianity, 
 whilft in truth they are reafoning chriftianitjLqnite 
 out of doors. 
 
 A 2 No. XI.
 
 No. XI. 
 
 WHAT pains do fome parents take to teach 
 their children the catechifm, to make them repeat 
 prayers night and morning, and to bring them to 
 church, perhaps to facrament, who yet would be 
 veryuneafy and much difpleafed to fee thofe chil- 
 dren become real children of God living by faith 
 above the world. 
 
 No. XII. 
 
 THERE may be a great deal of morality 
 >fvhere there is no true religion ; but there can be 
 no true religion where there is no morality. 
 
 No. XIII. 
 
 WHAT avails it to attend conftantly upon 
 church and facrament, to be liberal in our alms- 
 deeds,.and diligent in reading the fcriptures, if we 
 are not created anew in Chrijl *jffus ? St. Paul 
 makes no difference between the vileft profligate 
 
 and
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 and the faireft moralift, but ranks all without ex- 
 ception under the lift of reprobates who have not 
 Jefus Chrijl in them. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. So alfo the 
 fame apoftle afluresus that if any man (be he ever 
 fo ftrift, devout and decent) have not the fpirit of 
 Ckrijl, be is none of his. Rom. viii. 9. The word 
 of God makes it abfolutely neceflary that Chrijt 
 be formed in us. Gal. iv. 9. and without this fpiri- 
 tual birth, eternal truth repeatedly aflures us that 
 we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. JohA 
 
 3> 4> 5> 6- 
 
 No. XIV. 
 
 THERE is a great deal of difference be- 
 tween praying and faying of prayers. There are 
 many who never omit falling on their knees 
 night and morning, and repeating a certain num- 
 ber of word*, who never prayed in all their lives. 
 They often carry petitions to God that have no 
 reference to their own cafe, and look upon their 
 prayers rather as gifts that they bring to him, 
 than as means in the ufe of which they expert to 
 receive any thing from him. 
 
 The heart may pray where there are no 
 audible words, as in the cafe of Hannah, i Sam. 
 i. 13. and fuch prayer fhall find accefs to the 
 
 throne
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 throne of grace ; and, vice verfa, there may be 
 many words without any tning of the fpirit of 
 prayer accompanying them. 
 
 XV. 
 
 WHEN a poor unawakened foul, who has 
 long lingered under fome bodily difeafe dies, it 
 It is often faid " it is happy for fuch a one that 
 he is releafed." 
 
 No. XVI. 
 
 A S fome things become petrified by the fre- 
 quent dropping of water upon them, fo fome per- 
 fons who have fat long under the word faithfully 
 preached, without being converted, become more 
 and more hardened. 
 
 No. XVII. 
 
 NOMINAL, lukewarm chriftians are per- 
 liaps worfe enemies to religion than profefled in- 
 fidels, and are generally the moft bitter perfecutors 
 that the people of God meet with. 
 
 No, XVIII.
 
 No. XVIII. 
 
 SOME people, efpecially thofe who have a 
 name to live, and are dead, are fo exceedingly 
 averfe to be brought to the knowledge of them- 
 felves, and to lofe the good opinion they have 
 formed of their own excellencies, that they can- 
 not bear to fee the corruption and rottennefs of 
 their own hearts, and are highly offended at the 
 faithfulnefs of any minifter who would ftrip off 
 their varnifh, and fhew them to themfelves in 
 their true colors. 
 
 No. XIX. 
 
 SCARCELY two perfons run the fame 
 road to deftruction ; but there is but one way to 
 happinefs I am the way, faith Chrift. 
 
 No. XX.. 
 
 WHEN it is faid "fuchor fuch perfons have 
 never feen any thing of the world," it generally 
 
 means
 
 means that they have never been led about to 
 play-houfes, balls, routs, &c. and have no ac- 
 quaintance with what is commonly called the bejl 
 company, in other words (too often) the moft 
 
 \vcrt hlefs and the moft profligate part of tl* 
 
 creation. 
 
 No. XXI. 
 
 HOW many people are there whofe hearts 
 re as much glued to the world as poflible, who 
 neverthelefs fancy that they are entirely difen- 
 tangled from it ? 
 
 No. XXII. 
 
 I N moft cafes, we ought to weigh our inten- 
 tions, before we put them into execution, to fee 
 whether we run any rifle in offending God in 
 what we are about to do ; but where our flefhly 
 lufts are concerned, it is quite otherwife : the lefs 
 \ve argue and deliberate, the better. Whilft we 
 are debating, our palfions are kindling, fo that rea- 
 foning with ourfelves here, is like flinging oil up- 
 on fire in order to extinguish it. But flight and 
 prayer are fpecial helps. 
 
 No. XXIII.
 
 ( II ) 
 
 No. XXIII. 
 
 THERE are few iinners but what hope to 
 repent before they die, and neverthelefs continue 
 to fwallow the damnable intoxicating draughts of 
 fin. , The extravagant folly of fuch perfons may 
 be compared to that of a man who ftabs himfelf 
 in order to heal the wound again* 
 
 " - - - - 
 
 No. XXIV. 
 
 THERE are thdfe who .plunge themfelves 
 deeper and deeper into fin, in order to ftifle the 
 thoughts of thofe fins which they have already 
 committed : this is juft as if a man fhould drink 
 one dofe of poifon in order to expel another. 
 
 No. XXV. 
 
 i * jj 
 
 THERE are perhaps more fouls loft through 
 a falfe confidence of falvation^ than by any other 
 deceit the Devil makes ufe of: I mean not 
 
 amongft
 
 ( 12 ] 
 
 among/I notorious fmners, but among the more 
 decent formalifts, who, becaufe they have never 
 fallen into any foul, grofs fins, or becaufe their 
 lives are fomewhat reformed, and they pra&ife 
 fome outward duties, make no doubt of the fafety 
 of their ftate: whereas they have no union with 
 Chrift by faith ; the great renovating change has 
 never been wrought in them ; their natures are 
 fiill unrenewed, their hearts unfandtified j they 
 never faw and bewailed their own vilenefs ; they 
 never felt their real need of a Saviour, in a way 
 of renunciation of their own righteoufnefs ; nor do 
 they pant and labour after higher degrees of grace 
 and holinefs, like a true child of God, w,ho can 
 never reft contented with his prefent attainments ; 
 but they keep plodding on in the fame beaten 
 track, vainly thinking to divide their hearts be- 
 tween God and the world ; and contenting them- 
 felves with a formal, lifelefs, luke-warm religion, 
 which only tends to their greater delufion ; and 
 thus they go on dreaming of heaven till they 
 awake in hell. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 BECAUSE our blefled Lord, his apoftles 
 and prophers have faid fuch and fuch things, 
 
 many
 
 ( 13 ) 
 
 many think they believe them, when in truth 
 they do nothing lefs. The reafon why they fa 
 deceive themfelves, is, that what they read in 
 the fcripture, they readily make bend to their 
 own fancies ; but were they to hear the very 
 fame words from any minifter of the gofpel in a 
 fermcn, .pr to read them in any evangelical au- 
 thor, they would immediately exclaim against 
 them, as Methodifm, Enthufiafm, Calvinifm, 
 Antinomianifm, and what not. 
 
 To make us believe God's word upon its own 
 record, and upon its own authority, requires a 
 power more than human. 
 
 No. XXVII. 
 
 EXHORTATIONS to forfake fin, and 
 to obey God, upon Arminian Principles, never 
 can be attended with any good fuccefs, feeing 
 they neither fhew man the depth of his difeafe, 
 nor the freenefs, fullnefs, and all-fufficiency of 
 the Gofpel falvation ; fo that he neither knows his 
 own utter heJplefihefs, nor where all his ftrength 
 lies, 
 
 B No. XXVIII.
 
 14 
 
 No.. XXVIII. 
 
 WHAT pains do many lukewarm profeflbrs 
 take to keep themfelves faft afleep in carnal fecu- 
 rity ! If they fee their wretched cafe laid open by 
 any Chriftian writer, or faithful Minifter, either 
 they are ready to carp or quarrel with fuch, or to 
 conclude, that they themfelves know better, that 
 the man is miftaken, and that there is no need of 
 fo much ftri&nefs and precifenefs, nor of that 
 wonderful change of heart which only a few en- 
 thufiafts here and there make fo abfolutely necef- 
 fary to falvation ; but on the contrary, when they 
 hear any formal, daubing, unawakened minifter 
 preach, or read any dry lifelcfs (wrongly called 
 religious) book, how eager are they to catch at 
 whatever may footh them in their delufion ! and 
 are as much pleafed with thofe who help to lull 
 them in their fatal dream, as a child is pleafed 
 to be lulled afleep by the fables and tales of its 
 tiurfe. 
 
 No. XXIX.
 
 No. XXIX. 
 
 TJTOITG H the Lord will never remember the 
 Tins of a believer, to his condemnation ; yet the 
 believer himfclf will always remember them to his 
 humiliation. 
 
 No. XXX. 
 
 I T is not uncommon to hear Profeflbrs fay, 
 that " they have done with looking to frames 
 and feelings j and what they depend on is the 
 unchangeable promifeof God." 
 
 This may be the language of found tried faith 
 in the furnace; but I believe it is oftenerjhe lan- 
 guage of a fpiritual decline, or of a loofe, carelefs 
 walk. Whoever wifhes to live near to God, and 
 to have communion and fellowship with him, 
 will put the higheft value upon the fenfible com- 
 forts of his Spirit. 
 
 We may fet up diftincYions about walking by 
 
 faith and walking by fight, and there may be times 
 
 and cafes in which this diftin&ion is to be attended" 
 
 to : but I can fee no reafon why the man who is 
 
 B 2 ftrong
 
 ( 16 ) 
 
 rtrong in faith, fhould not alfo be filled with joy 
 and peace in believing. 
 
 That is an unfcriptural notion which would 
 feparate falvation from its effe&s and privileges. 
 Do I undervalue the blood of J'efus, by fceking 
 to abound in hope through the power of the holy 
 Ghoft ? Do I the lefs truft in the Saviour's Righte- 
 oufnefs, becaufe the Spirit itfelf btareth witnefs 
 with my Spirit that I am -a cb'ildjaf God, enabling 
 me to cry atba Father ? Do I give the lefs credit 
 to the written word, becaufe I feek to rejoice with 
 jtj unfpeakable and full of Glory ? To have accefs 
 with boldnefs and confidence is a fruit of divine 
 faith. To \>e fealed with the bolyfpirit of prcmife 
 is alfo the confequence of believing. And if the 
 love of God is Jked abroad in my heart by the Ho'y 
 Ghojl it is becaufe I ^\r\juJJifiedby faitb^ and have 
 peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift. 
 
 I fay therefore that there is much mifchief done 
 by telling God's people that they are to fit down 
 contented without aflurance and without comfort. 
 Thefe are the bleffings which accompany Salva- 
 tion, though not Salvation itfelf. Thefe are the 
 privileges of all true believers, though pot the lot 
 of all, efpecially at all feafons. Comfort and 
 aflurance muft be fought in the ufe of the ap- 
 pointed means j they are incompatible with a 
 caielefs, prayerlefs walk, or with the indulgence 
 
 of
 
 ( 17 ) 
 
 of any one known fin, however fmall it may be 
 thought. VVhofoever would enjoy the confola- 
 tions of the Spirit, muft be afraid to grieve that 
 blefled gueft, or to quench his holy motions. 
 The Chriftian, who moft rejoiceth in the Lord, 
 will be he who walks moft humbly and moft 
 clofely with his God. 
 
 Whoever woufd examine his comforts, to fee 
 from what fource they are derived, would do well 
 to pay attention to the following method of trial ; 
 for though hypocrites feldom fufpedl their comforts, 
 yet the fincere foul will often be queftioning th 
 truth of them, and will be anxious to know from 
 what fountain they flow. 
 
 Fir ft. If comforts proceed from Satan trans- 
 formed into an Angel of light, they lead to fin and 
 prefumption ; if from the Lord, they are always 
 accompanied with a hatred of (HI, (efpecially the 
 fin which does moft eafily befet the foul) 'with a 
 longing defire to obtain victory over it* 
 
 Secondly. The comforts which proceed from 
 God are always accompanied with a fpirit of 
 .prayer and of praife. A praying, thankful frame 
 of mind is the very temper which a foul enjoying 
 the fenfible prefence of its Saviour naturally (for 
 the new nature has its a&ingjas well as the old) 
 falls into. Whereas falfe comfort begets negli- 
 gence in drawing near to God. 
 
 Thirdly.
 
 C '8 ) 
 
 Thirdly. Where comforts really proceed from 
 the holy Ghoft, they make Chrift mere and more 
 precious 'in all his offices ; and caufe fdf to be 
 fcbafed, and to fink into nothing. Whereas falfe 
 comfort always puffeth up, and makes the foul 
 think itfelf fomething when it is nothing. 
 
 a- 
 
 No. XXXI. 
 
 I T may happen, that when a believer has been 
 flattering himfelf that he has mattered all his cor- 
 ruptions, the old fore may break out again, and 
 mafter him worfe than ever, to his own grief 
 and fhame, and (if his falls be known) to the 
 triumph of the Devil's children. 
 
 No. XXXII. 
 
 FAITH and Converfion are the 
 Uve evidences of that love which God had to his 
 people from everlafting, and when they were dead 
 in trefpafles and fins. Faith is that meflenger 
 -which brings to the foul the knowledge of its re- 
 conciliation with God, and union with Chrift, 
 and Converjjon proves the truth of faith j a great 
 
 number
 
 ( 19 ) 
 
 number believed and turned unto the Lord. 
 xi. 21. No one grace can exift before Faith. 
 Faith purifies the heart. Faith worketb by love. 
 Faith overcometb the world. 
 
 NO. xxxnr. 
 
 THERE is a text in St. Paul's Epiftle to the 
 Ephefians, which lofes much of its marrow and 
 fatnefs as it is commonly taken and read. The 
 words areth.efe, Chap. ii. 4, 5. " But God, who 
 is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he 
 loved us even when we were dead in fins." 
 
 Thus the paflage ought to be read ; and here 
 the ftop ought to be put, and not where it ufually 
 is put, viz : after the words ** hath quickened us 
 together with Chrift/' which is a fort of tautology, 
 and only {hews an aft of power, but by no means 
 fets forth that aft of free love to man as a finner, 
 yea in his fins, which the right fenfe of this fcrip- 
 ture elucidates. 
 
 No. XXXIV. 
 
 THERE never was nor ever will be any 
 variance between God and man but on account of 
 
 fin.
 
 ( 20 ) 
 
 fin. But fm is taken away by Chrift, therefore 
 thofe who truly, believe in him have no fin at all to 
 anfwer for. The Law will often be charging fin 
 on their confciences, but Chrift hath redeemed 
 them from all its curfes. When they commit fin, 
 they are apt to think, O now this fin is laid to my 
 charge ! God will impute it unto me, forgetting 
 the Apoftles challenge, who Jhall lay any thing to 
 the charge of Gods Eleft ? and that God was in 
 Chrift reconciling the world unto bimfelf, not im- 
 puting their trejfpaffes unto them. David does not 
 fay, blefled is the man who has no fin, he knew 
 well that no fuch man could have been found, 
 but he fays, blejfid is the man unto whom the Lord 
 quill not impute Jin. 
 
 No. XXXV. 
 
 T O a carnal man it muft appear to be a very 
 flrange difluafive from fin, that though a believer 
 commit fin, that fin which he commits (hall not 
 bring him under any condemnation, but that God 
 the Father will be propitious and favourable to 
 him on account of the advocacy of Chrift : yet 
 this is the very argument which the beloved difci- 
 ple makes ufe of, and every real chriftian feels its 
 force, to reftrain from fin ; for fays he, / write 
 
 unit
 
 ( 21 } 
 
 tin to you that you fin not, and if any manfm^ we 
 lave an advocate wttfTtbe Father , Jefus Cbriji the 
 rigbieoin j and be is tbe propitiation f 01 our fins. 
 
 No. XXXVI. 
 
 There is not a moment in which every believef 
 does not appear before Gcd as pure and fpotlefs 
 as the blood of Chrift can make him, yea as pure 
 as the immaculate Lamb hhnfelf ; nor is there a 
 moment in which the holy law can find the fmalleft 
 fault with him ; feeing that the righteoufnefs in 
 which heftands, was as much wrought out by him 
 in Chrift, his fecond and fpiritual head and reprefen- 
 tarive, as the commandment was broken by him in 
 Adam, his firft and natural head and reprefentative. 
 The righteoufnefs of Chrift therefore is as much 
 his, as the fin of Adam was his, and this righteouf- 
 nefs always remains the fame under all the various 
 cafes, dates, and circumftances a believer can 
 be in. 
 
 NO. xxxvir. 
 
 THERE is not one gofpel truth which na- 
 ture doth not kick at with all her might. Even 
 
 awakened
 
 ( 22 ) 
 
 awakened fouls cannot receive them 'but as the 
 Lord is pleafed to teacli them little by little in a 
 yray of Experience ; and whoever gets them in 
 any other manner had better be without them. 
 Nature knows nothing of any Religion but that 6f 
 works Even after the foul is married to Chrift, 
 fhe is hankering after her firft hufband the Law, 
 and notwithftanding an Apoftle tells her he is dead, 
 fhe can hardly give full credit to him, though at 
 therifk of being thought an Adulterefs. Rom. vii. 
 2, 3, 4. Nay, there are fome truths which na- 
 ture kicks at with both legs, and fhe kicks con-> 
 trary ways, till fhe even kicks herfelf in the face. 
 For Inftance : when fhe hears of Salvation by 
 faith only, the haughty dame kicks this away as 
 licentious doctrine ; but when Ihe hears of vital 
 holinefs, and clofe walking with God, Oh ! this 
 (he kicks at as unneceflary precifenefs, and being 
 righteous overmuch. 
 
 No. XXXVIII. 
 
 THERE are fome minifters, who, if they 
 have given their hearers a fip of pure gufpel wine, 
 and brought their fouls into a glowing ardor, im- 
 mediately
 
 mediately throw a gallon of cold water upon them 
 whereby all the flame is quenched, or to vary the 
 metaphor (fince the fcripture makes ufe of both) 
 (Ifa. Iv. i.) if they have given them a tafte of 
 gofpel milk, they cannot be fatisfied till they have 
 curdled it with a pailfuJ of legal vinegar. Such mi- 
 nifters may mean well, but it wont do, the heart 
 gets hard, guilt cankers the confidence, and the 
 obedience which is produced, (if there be any at 
 all) is at beft flavifli, never filial ; they would guard 
 againft antinomianiim, whilft in truth they produce 
 it, by drawing the flaming fword of the Law, and 
 thereby guarding the poor guilty rinners free ap- 
 proach to Chrilt the tree of life, from whom alone 
 fruit unto holinefsls to be found. 
 
 No. XXXIX. 
 
 DOES an Apoftle fay, < Pray without 
 ceafing ?" Then what a condition muft thofe fouls 
 be in who never pray at "all ? But what is meant 
 by the exhortation ? certainly it does not fuppofe 
 that we mould be always on our knees, yet it un- 
 doubtedly fuppofes that whatever be the pofture 
 of the body, the heart be conftantly kept in a 
 praying frame; and that in every thing we be 
 ready to give thanks , or fupplicate as circum- 
 
 ftances
 
 fiances may require. I would boldly pronounce 
 that man to be a ftrangcr to the fpirit of prajcr, 
 who confines it merely to times and places : for 
 fure I am, that whofocver is made fenfible of his 
 own weaknefs, and of Chrift's all-fufficiency, as 
 well as of the continual blefllngs which he has 
 received, is receiving, and hopes to receive from 
 above, can never be long without a filent mental 
 ejaculation at leaft, and fuch will find its way to 
 the throne of grace, be the pofture of the body 
 what it may. 
 
 Every real chriftian knows well what it is to 
 lift up his heart to God whilft he is walking, 
 travelling, working, lying on his bed, and even 
 when he is in company ; and often is he holding 
 an intercourfe with Heaven, whilft thofe about 
 him are bufied only with the world. 
 
 Every believer's prayer muft be anfwered, not 
 always agreeably to his own wiflies, but always 
 in the way which (hall be beft for him. When 
 Paul had the thorn in his fle/h^ the mejfenger of 
 Satan fent to buffet him^ he prayed the Lord thrice 
 that it might depart from him. But the Lord's 
 anfwer was, " my Grace is fuffictent for thee." 
 
 But a poor foul may fay, Oh ! prayer to me is 
 all lip labour. I am only a fpeaking carcafs before 
 the Lord ; I am wholly dead ; I have no fpirit of 
 prayer ; no accefs with boldnefs and confidence 
 
 te
 
 ( 25 ) 
 
 to the majefty on high. Thefe very complaints 
 are proofs, that thou knowcft what no one but a 
 believer can know, viz : the difference jpf ad- 
 
 drdling God from behind the cloud, and when 
 he unveils his face, and (limes Vvj'.h full luilre upon 
 the foul. Prefs on then, though it be in the dark. 
 Soon fliall the fun of 1 righteoufnefs arife with 
 healing under his wings. 
 
 XL. 
 
 SAINT PAUL fays, God was In Chrijt re- 
 conciling the world unto limfelf^ yea that he hath 
 reconciled us unto hi mf elf by Jefus Cbrijt. After 
 which he adds : we pray you in Chrijl's flead be 
 ye reconciled t9 God, 2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 2O. ,But 
 if reconciliation took place, when the God-head 
 was in the manhood of Chrift crucified, if the 
 Church of Corinth was already pardoned and 
 juftified, why does he now befeech any, much 
 lefs why does he intreat believers to be reconciled 
 to God ? Can they at the fame time be reconciled 
 and unreconciled ? Is not this a contradiction. 
 
 There is no contradiclion, but much beauty 
 
 and more comfort in the p'afTage. Although 
 
 reconciliation, pardon and juftification be one and 
 
 only one cornpleat ad, yet in fcripture it bears a 
 
 C kind
 
 ( 26 ) 
 
 kind of threefold afpecfc. Firft, from all Eternity, as 
 theele6l were chofen in Chrift from before the foun - 
 elation of the world. Secondly, when Chrift hung 
 upon the crofs, and cried // is finijhed. Thirdly , 
 when the pardon and reconciliation which Chrift 
 hath obtained, are applied to the believing finner's 
 heart and confcience by the Holy Ghoft. It is in 
 this latter fenfe that thofe who already have recon- 
 ciliation are prayed to be reconciled. And in the 
 fame fenfe it is that our Lord teaches thofe to whom 
 he has forgiven all trefpafles, to pray " forgive us 
 ourtrefpafles as we forgive them that trefpafs againft 
 us :" fo that a believer is always reconciled, yea 
 always perfectly reconciled, and not lefs fo at one 
 time than another, as he may be apt to fuppofe, 
 when his corruptions mew their ugly gigantic 
 heads : yet he ftands in continual need of frefti 
 applications of the blood of fprinkling to comfort 
 his confcience, and to draw out his heart in a 
 way of love and holy obedience. 
 
 *= > Tffff '. * 
 
 XLI. 
 
 SANCTIFICATION is more to be 
 judged of by inward workings of oppofuion to fin, 
 and longings after grace, than by any external ads 
 
 either
 
 either good or bad. This is meant of a man's own 
 judgment of himfelf j for as others cannot fee 
 the heart, they can judge only by outward actions. 
 
 ^.^ '-<n 
 Q^^^^^^*^^^^^^^>Tli tKi - - ^^^^i ~"~- ]J' 
 
 No. XLH. 
 
 WHAT is the caufe that the foul, tthich has 
 been long converted, fometimes falls by the very 
 fin which it feemed to have gotten a complete 
 victory over ? The plain fimple reafon is, that 
 the foul is off its guard. Even the wife virgins, 
 though they had oil in their lamps, all (lumbered 
 and flept. 
 
 The young convert in his battles againft fin, 
 is like a man righting with a ferpent, which he 
 levels to the ground upon it's firft attack, and fo 
 every time the venemous animal raifes itfelf up 
 againft him, till the man leaves it, in his opinion, 
 breathlefs upon the earth. But it foon appears, 
 that the creature was only ftunned, not killed j 
 for recovering its force, it feizes the man una- 
 wares, and perhaps bites him worfe than ever. 
 Arife, my foul, and trim thy lamp, left not fin 
 only, but death furprife thee in a ftate of flumber, 
 
 C a No. XLIII.
 
 ( 28 ) 
 
 No. XLIII. 
 
 THE moft pure in heart, are ufually thofe who 
 moft lament their heart impurity. It is by the 
 light of grace wily "that the fihhinefs of nature is 
 difcovered. 
 
 No. XL1V. 
 
 THOUGH a child of God glorfct in thi, 
 that vtkwijin hath abounded* greet doth much nun 
 hnxd\ yet no child of God can fin that grace 
 may abound* 
 
 No. XLV, 
 
 WHENEVER Luther. was afked, what 
 made the beft Divine, he anfwered, temptation j 
 and what makes the beft Divine makes the beft 
 Chriftian. 
 
 No. XLVI.
 
 No. XL VI. 
 
 . . 
 
 EVERY Child of God knows it to be 
 found do&rine, that we arejuftified by faith only; 
 and that true faith neceflarily begets holinefs and 
 good works. Yet in the knowledge of this truth, 
 many a gracious foul goes to work quite at the 
 wrong end, and thereby lofes both the privilege 
 and comfort of looking diredly at Chrift as a 
 finner : by this means faith flags, and unbelief 
 getting in, guilt and hardnefs fret and canker the 
 confcience. The foul in fuch a ftate reafons thus : 
 "Jf victory over fin, if holinefs and fruitfulnefs 
 44 be the certain evidences of faith, I fear I have 
 44 them not. I know well what I ought to be, 
 44 and what I would be j but alas ! I am 
 44 fuch a poor, iinful, barren cumberer of tlie 
 " ground, fuch an ungrateful backflider, that I 
 4< think the root of the matter is not in me," 
 This is the ufual language of grace (and true 
 gracious language it is} behind the cloud. The 
 man only who knows the law, fees how far he 
 falls fhort of its demands : The fcripture exhor- 
 tations (hew us more what we ought to be, than 
 what any attain to, But try the fecret workings 
 C 3 of
 
 C 30 ) 
 
 of thy heart. Doeft thou confent unto the law 
 that it is good ? Is fin thy grief and burden, 
 and though it prevail again and again, doeft 
 thou ftrive and pray againft it? doeft thou love 
 thofe that are born of God ? doeft thou try, at 
 leaft, to clothe thyfelf with the whole armour of 
 God ? doeft thou relifti favory experimental 
 preaching ? doeft thou endeavour to fortify thy- 
 felf under thy fore temptations by fuch promifes 
 as thefe : No "weapon formed againjl thee Jhali 
 profper. When thou pajfcji through the fires, and 
 through the waters., I will be with thee, &c, I 
 will never leave thee, nor for fake thee. All thing* 
 jhall work together for good to thofe who love 
 Gody to thofe who are the called after his pur- 
 pofe ? And when thou prayeft, though thy prayer 
 feem to be fhut out, and to meet with no an- 
 fwer, doeft thou ftrengthen thy plea by the exam- 
 ples of the Syro-phenician woman, the importu- 
 nate .widow,, the deliverance of Peter out of pri- 
 fon, the man who requefted the .three loaves, and 
 many other fcripture examples ? Though thefe 
 examples and thefe promifes may not all have oc- 
 curred, yet they will be of fpccial ufe in time of 
 need, and are recorded wholly that they may be 
 <b. 
 
 If fuch be the workings of thy heart, be af- 
 fured that they proceed from the blowings of the 
 
 fweet
 
 ( 3' ) 
 
 fweet fpirit of grace upon thy garden, which, 
 though it may have many foul weeds in it, yet is 
 not without its flowers ; the rofe of Sharon, and 
 lily of the valley is there : and though the fruits and 
 bloflbms may be blown off by the nipping blafts 
 of fin and temptation, yet there is life in the 
 root, which will furely fprout out again, and en- 
 dure unto everlafting life. 
 
 Look now at the heart or garden of the natural 
 man, and however decent, formal and moral he 
 may be, it will be juft like the artificial flower- 
 garden, which was exhibited at Weftmiruler- 
 bridge. It is only to be feen of men ; beauti- 
 ful without, in trees, flowers, and fruit; but the 
 trees have no roofc, the flowers no fcent nor fra- 
 grance, and the fruit is all hollow. As this gar- 
 den, however, may look more fair to a behold - 
 der's eye than a real garden, fo may the artificial, 
 felf-made chriftian appear to have fewer blemifhes, 
 more duties, and more outward works of righte- 
 oufnefs, than the foul which is really God's 
 hufbandry A man may do a great deal in reli- 
 gion from wrong ends and wrong motives ; and 
 where a placid natural difpofition, with a free- 
 dom from temptations concur, he may be a fa-' 
 mous Chriftian in his own eyes, and in the eyes 
 of the world ; but all this while, he may be an 
 utter ftr anger to the faith of G+J- elect; his 
 
 heart
 
 ( 32 ) 
 
 heart may be quite unrenewed, and all his fan- 
 cied goodnefs, in God's fight, meer pride and 
 felf-righteoufnefs, proceeding only from igno- 
 rance and felf-love. 
 
 No. XLVJI. 
 
 W E fliould account him but an indifferent 
 Shepherd who fliould lead his flocks to Tandy de- 
 ferts and muddled waters, whilft there were 
 green paftures and clear dreams at hand for their 
 lefrcfhment. Yet there are fome minifters, who 
 under the idea of being, what they call, guarded, 
 are unwilling to truft God with his own truths, 
 or to give his children their proper bread, for fear 
 the dogs mould fnap at it. 
 
 Moft certainly we cannot be too much on our 
 guard againft fin, provided our weapons are taken 
 from God's own arfenal. But fure it is, that 
 whenfoever the gofpel is fo hafhed and cooked up 
 that it becomes palatable to the tafte of human 
 wifdom, it ceafes to be that gofpel which Sr. 
 Paul preached. 
 
 Two objections efpecially were brought againft 
 the doctrines of that apoftle. Thefe he Mates, 
 and after giving them their full force, puts in his 
 reply to each. 
 
 The
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 The firft was againft the doflrine of unc2Qdi- 
 tlonal particular election, as making God cruel and 
 un/uft. 
 
 ObjeifHon. Thou wilt fay then, why doth he 
 yet find fault ; for who hath refifted ,his will ? 
 
 Anfwer. Nay, but O man, who art thou that 
 replieft againft God ? Shall the thing formed fay 
 unto to him that formed it, why hath he made 
 me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the 
 clay to make one veflel unto honor, another un- 
 to difhonor ? 
 
 Objeclion. Is there unrighteoufnefs with God ? ' 
 
 Anfwer. God forbid j for how then (hould 
 God judge the world ? 
 
 The fecond obje&ion was levelled againft that 
 grand pillar of a tinner's hope, juftification by faith 
 only, as if it were a dodlrine tending 10 licenti- 
 oufnefs, and to the overthrow of moiality and 
 good works. 
 
 This, the apoftie fays, fome d;d not fcruple to 
 affirm ; but he adds, that the report was ilander- 
 ous, Rom. iii. 8. 
 
 Obje&ion. Shall we fin then that grace may- 
 abound ? 
 
 Anfwer. God forbid. How fhall we that are 
 dead to fin, live any longer therein ? 
 
 A ain. Objection. Do we then make void 
 the law by faith ? 
 
 Anfwer.
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 Anfwer. Nay, we eftablifh the law. 
 
 Now nothing can be more clear than that if I 
 preach fuch doftrine as is not liable to thefe ca- 
 vils of the obj.edor, St. Paul's do&rine and mine 
 are not one and the famej and that we cannot 
 both be in the right, is no lefs evident. 
 
 But the modern fyftem of divinity is not liable 
 t thefe objections ; on the contrary, modern di- 
 vinity is the mother that nouriflies them againft 
 the apoftle's do&rine : Ergo> either St. Paul's 
 fyftem, or that of modem divinity, mull be 
 grofsly erroneous. 
 
 No. XLVIII. 
 
 WHAT will that religion do for me that 
 will not teach me to face death, and to meet that 
 king of terrors with confidence ? As a (inner, I 
 am under condemnation ; but, as a believing fin- 
 ner, there is no condemnation for me. I am as 
 much out of the reach of the law's curfe as if I 
 had never broken it. Sin can no more hurt me 
 (penally) than if it had never entered into the 
 world. Death has no more fting for me, even 
 when I pafs through it's dark vale, than it had 
 for Adam in innocence. The grave has no more 
 power aver me than it had over Chrift himfelf. 
 
 Can
 
 ( 35 ) 
 
 Can this be true ? Read, believe, and fuck the 
 honey of thefe fcriptures. 
 
 There is no condemnation to them that are in 
 Chrijl Jefus. Chrijl hath redeemed ur from the 
 curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us. 
 
 He hath put away Jin by the facrijice of him- 
 felf. He hath abolijhed death. Yea, he bath de- 
 Jtroyed him that had the power of death, that is the 
 Devil. 
 
 O death, I will be thy plagues. O grave ! I will 
 be thy dejlruftion, death! where is thyjling ? 
 O grave where is thy viflory ? 
 
 Thejling of death is fin, andthejlretigth of fin 
 is the law ; but thanks be to God who giveth us 
 the viftory through our Lord' Jefus Chrijl. 
 
 No. XLIX. 
 
 ALTHOUGH a believer may commit the 
 fame fins as an unbeliever, yea greater for the 
 matter of them, as the cafes of Lot, Sampfon, 
 David, Peter, the inc,eftuous Corinthian, and 
 others, do awfully evince ; yet the believer's per- 
 fon, being fcreened from the curfe of the law, can- 
 not come under condemnation, even though the 
 a&ings of repentance fhould be for a time fufpend- 
 
 cd.
 
 ( 36 ) 
 
 ed. But though liis perfon cannot be arrefted by the 
 law, on account of (Thrift s having borne all the pe- 
 nalty due to the breach of it, yet is his fin equally 
 difpleafingto God j yea, much morefo, as having 
 been committed againft light, grace, and love. 
 
 Though this confideration is of very great ufs 
 to lift up a believer after a fall, it by no means 
 affords him any encouragement to continue in fin ; 
 fo far from it, that the more he fees of the par- 
 doning love of Chriil, fo much the more odious 
 v/ill fui appear unto him. ^Yhercas to f:n tlat 
 grace may abound ^ as it is the doctrine of hell, 
 -fo none but Satan's firiUrate pupils will ever 
 adopt it. 
 
 L. 
 
 THE apoflle bore this teftlmony to the be- 
 lievers of the church of Corinth, that they gave 
 to the poor, not only to the uunoftof their power, 
 but even beyond their power. But there is a cer- 
 tain clofe-fijhdnefs (if I may be allowed the ex- 
 preflion) among too many profelTors of our day, 
 who feem frightened out of their wits when any 
 poor objects are recommended to their notice, in- 
 fomuch that their niggardlinefs is even feen 
 
 through
 
 ( 37 ) 
 
 through the mufcks of the countenance, though 
 'they generally ftielter their covetoufnefs under 
 the fear of giving amifs. It is true, we are not to 
 encourage idlenefs, and it well becomes us to fee 
 that our benevolence be not ill-placed ; and yet 
 I have frequently thought that if the Lord were 
 to deal with us, and were to beftow his favors up- 
 on us only according to our deferts, the heft of 
 us would be very badly off indeed. But he is 
 God and not man. 
 
 But Oh ! the fubterfuges which the avarice of 
 the heart will fly too, whilft yet it is anxious to 
 fave appearances : " It is peculiarly inconvenient 
 at this time." " Nobody knows how many calls 
 I have lately had." Then a hint {hall be thrown 
 out, (with a feeming wifh to conceal it) how 
 much has been given upon other occafions. 
 
 After all, it is certain every man is beft ju-lge 
 of his own abilities to give, as welj as of th^ tem- 
 per of his own heart in giving : therefore to his 
 own matter he muft ftand or fall. But let none 
 be unmindful of the command given by one 
 apoftle, nor of the queftion put by another. Da 
 food unto all, efpecially to thofe wht are of the 
 houfehold of faith. If any man fee his brother have 
 need and Jhutteth up his bowels of compajfion 
 again/I him, how dwelUth the love of God in him ? 
 In a word, we are ftewards of all we poffefs, and 
 D the
 
 ( 38 ) 
 
 the Lord will require an account of every talent 
 committed to our charge. May grace enable us 
 
 to ufe them aright ! 
 
 LI. 
 
 THE key of prayer opens the gate of heaven, 
 and-there is not a ftate which a believer can be 
 in, that there is not deliverance treafured up for 
 him in Chrift, which deliverance (hall be given 
 in the very moment that it is beft for the believer 
 it mould be given. In the mean while, how 
 earneftly will the foul plead with God ! How will it 
 fearch for fcripture promifes and fcripture examples, 
 and bring them to the throne of grace! though 
 perhaps after all it will be faying " Surely there 
 never was fuch a cafe as mine - t " " never fuch a 
 temptation as I am exercifed with." Granted. 
 Yet it muft be included in the general promife ; 
 there hath no temptation, taken you but what is com- 
 mon to man ; but God is faithful, who will not 
 fuffer you to be tempted above that you are able to 
 bear, but will, with the temptation alfo, make 
 a way for you to efcape, that you may be able /. 
 bear it. 
 
 " Oh ! (fays the foul) but this promife is come 
 to an end with regard to me, I have fallen by 
 
 the
 
 ( 39 > 
 
 the temptation j I have not been able to bear It j 
 God hath not made a way for me to efcape." 
 Not perhaps by removing the temptation, nor by 
 preferving thee altogether from being overcome by 
 if; ftill the promife is fure; and though thou 
 may'ft not efcape a fall, yea many grievous foul 
 falls, yet thou (halt certainly efcape ruin ; as the 
 veflel which is toffed and batterecTby ftorms may 
 ftill efcape fhipwreck. But remember that fincere 
 prayer is abfolutely incompatible with known fin, 
 yea with any the leaft allowed evil. Far be it 
 from me, however, to fay that the foul who prays 
 fmcerely, may not be overcome by the very fm 
 againft which he prays ; but this I fay, that he 
 cannot approve the fin by which he is over- 
 come ; his will cannot confent to ir. The evil 
 that I would not, that J do> is his language; 
 asd when victory over a bofom idol is given, 
 he rejoices and is thankful. 
 
 No. LII. 
 
 I T is the diftinguiming character of a believer, 
 that he has fellowship with the Father and the 
 Son, through the indwelling of the Spirit. Who- 
 foever has not thus fellowfhip with God, hath 
 fellowfhip with fm ; and fellowfhip with God 
 and fellowship with fin are incompatible. Yet a 
 D 2 believer
 
 ( 40 ) 
 
 believer may have many fad falls into fin, with- 
 out having fellowfhip with it. Grace and na- 
 ture are inmates in the heart of a renewed man ; 
 yet they are juft like two perfons who dwell un- 
 der the jfnme roof, and are always at variance, 
 they have no fcl'oivjl>it> at all, the one with the 
 other. The regenerate part cannot fin, becanfe it 
 is born of God; the divine feed remaineth in the 
 believer uncorrupt and immaculate. // is no more 
 /, fays the apoftle, but fin which dweileth in me. 
 Whereas the carnal mind, the unregenerate part 
 it not fubjetf to the law of God, neither Indeed 
 can be. On the contrary, // is enmity again/I 
 him. It hates holincfs, as being his image. It 
 loves fin, and nothing but fin ; fin is not only 
 its law, but itfelf is a law of fin in the abftra<h 
 It is ileeplefs, reftlefs, implacable, ever bent up- 
 on the ruin of the foul in which it dwells; and 
 in the hour of temptation is particularly watch- 
 ful to fide with Satan, and to improve the advan- 
 tage. Such a gueft, rather fuch a defperate foe, 
 does every believer carry in his bofom, which 
 makes him fo frequently cry out with St. Paul, 
 O wretched man that I am ; though at the very 
 fame time it is his privilege to exult with the 
 fame apoftle and fay, / thank Gcdy. through Jefus 
 Cbriji our Lord. 
 
 No. LIII.
 
 ( 41 ') 
 
 No. LIII. 
 
 THERE is not a believer in the -world, who 
 does not wifh to have the government to remain in 
 the Lord's hands, and who cannot at all times fay, 
 ** thy will be done j" I fay at all iimes^ for even 
 at thofe feafons, when felf-will istnoft at work, the 
 believer wifhes felf to be dethroned, and acknow- 
 ledges it to be right, that fo it fhould be. Now fin 
 dire&Iy ftrikes at the moraf government of God, 
 therefore, in the very nature of things, fin and the 
 believer muft be at continual war ; and though 
 the poor believer may get many a, deep wound 
 in his various battles againft that curfed triple 
 alliance, the world, the flefii and the devil ; (as 
 often the braveft and moft faithful foldier fhall get 
 the moft bloody fears) yet the combat is fure to 
 end glorionfly, and he- fhall not only be conque- 
 ror, but more than conqueror \ through him that hath 
 loved him. 
 
 No. LIV. 
 
 A S T A T E of fin and a ftate of faith are 
 
 dire&ly oppoiite ; wtiere fin reigns, unbelief is at 
 
 the
 
 ( 4* ) 
 
 the root ; and where fin's dominion is broken, 
 Chrift dwells in the heart by faith : neverthelefs 
 fin may reign where there is a very fine outfide, 
 and grace may reign where there is much corrup- 
 tion, yea, many out-breakings of ir. 
 
 No. LV. 
 
 NOTHING tends to lay the foul fo towjas 
 believing views of Chrift ; confequently fo far is 
 afTurance from begetting pride, that the moft af- 
 fured Chriftian is the moft humble Chriftian. 
 
 Nothing tends to promote holinefs and good 
 v/orks but faith, therefore the Chriftian who has 
 moft afTurance, will always be the moft holy and 
 the moft fruitful Chriftian. 
 
 No LVI. 
 
 I T is the glory of the Gofpel, that it fets the 
 believer free from all condemnation, whether from 
 the law, fin, death, hell or the grave : and that 
 none of his tranfgreflions, however great and 
 aggravated, or whether before or after his conver- 
 fion, (hall ever be laid to his charge j feeing that they 
 
 were
 
 ( 43 ) 
 
 were all laid upon Chrift in the everlafting cove- 
 nant, and blotted out by him even before they 
 were committed. Let thofe who would cavil 
 at this aflertion, firft try the truth of it ; and 
 let them confider how they will get peace to> 
 their troubled confciences any other way : per- 
 haps there may come a time when they will 
 be glad to embrace it. If they feek to obtain 
 peace more or lefs in proportion as they keep 
 or break the law, they are quite out of God's way 
 of arriving at it, for he has ordained that peace 
 (hall never come by doing but by believing ; for 
 the law> as a mini/lratign of condemnation worketh 
 wrath ; but, being justified by faith, we have peace 
 with God, through our Lordjefus Chriji; acid the 
 God of hope fills his people with joy and peace in 
 believing : but if the fins of all the elect were not 
 laid upon Chrift at once, tf they were not all 
 blotted out at once, if they were not all pardoned 
 at once (whether part, prefent, or to come) how 
 or when will they be taken away and pardoned ? 
 Is Chrift again to defcend from Heaven for this 
 purpofe ? Or, does he difpenfe his pardons, one 
 by one, like the Pope of Rome ? The knowledge 
 of forgivenefs of fins, it is true, is brought to the 
 foul by believing ; but pardon itfelf (at leaft the 
 ground of pardon) is of the fame date with the 
 grace and love of Jehovah to his people 3 It has no 
 
 depen-
 
 4 44 ) 
 
 iependance whatever on any thing in the creature, 
 or that ever would be in the creature, whether of 
 good to procure it, or of evil to prevent it. The 
 motives of the eternal mind are in itfelf : He order- 
 tth all things after the counfelof his own -iy/7/, this 
 will is immutable ; it knoweth neither obftacle 
 nor controul. / will work y and who Jhall let ? 
 With him is no variablenefs, nor Jbadow of turning. 
 J the Lord change not, therefore^ the fons of "Jacob 
 are not confumcd. 
 
 When the werlajling covenant was planned be- 
 tween the three perfons in the glorious and coequal 
 Trinity, it was ordered in all things andfure ; all 
 the fpiritual feed were then chofen in Chrift their 
 heaJ, and grace was given them in him as mem- 
 bers of his myftical body : all the fins that ever 
 they fhould commit, with every aggravation with 
 which they fhould be fwelled, were taken into the 
 account j payment was then virtually made, and, 
 it was aflu.i\j made when Jefus hung on the 
 accurfed tree ; and all the powers of earth and 
 hell combined can never charge one fin upon 
 the foul for whom it was fo paid and accepted : 
 for who Jhall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
 eleft ? Still the poor awakened (inner will be crying, 
 44 Oh ! if I had not gone fuch lengths in fin ; Oh 1 
 44 if I had but turned a little foonerj Oh ! if I had 
 f 4 not fallen fo and fo, I might then have hoped 
 
 "for
 
 " 
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 for acceptance. But now I am fo vile, furety 
 " the Lord will have no mercy on me." 
 
 How contrary is all this to God's method of 
 Salvation, by Grace ! but the Lord, in his due 
 time, will beat the poor foul oft from thefe legal 
 felf-righteous reafonings ; and teach it to live by the 
 faith of tbt fn of GW, a life hid with Chrijl iff 
 God ; and this is the only way to be crucified unto 
 the world, and to get victory over fin, and to make 
 holinefs the delight and element of the foul ; nor 
 can the believer have accsfs with boldneff to thd 
 throne of grace, but as he fees every impediment 
 and bar to his approach, removed by Chrift Jcfus, 
 and all his enemies under the feet of the captain 
 of his falvation. 
 
 No. LVII. 
 
 MANY fmcere fou!s are diftrefled becaufe they 
 think they have let the day of grace flip ; thefe 
 fears are good marks of that grace which they 
 think they have not ; but the idea itfelf has no 
 foundation in fcripture j for, jP/r/?, reprobates_hav 
 no day of grace, which, if improved, they would 
 be faved j if negledted, they are loft. Secondly^ 
 the ele&, however long they may have refuted, 
 are afluredly brought to God in his own time, and 
 
 in
 
 ( 46 ) 
 
 In his own way ; or, as the jyth article of the 
 church of England, on predeftination and eleftion, 
 well exprefles it, by his fpirit working in due feajon. 
 Their refiftance is no bar to the arm of omnipo- 
 tence, nor can it for a moment retard the time of 
 love. They fhall be a willing people in the day of 
 bis power. 
 
 No. LVIIL 
 
 SOME well-meaning miniftcrs of Chrift are 
 too apt to tell poor weak, tofied, tempted chriftians, 
 that their doubts and fears are finful, and that they 
 dishonor God. This is bruiftng the broken reed y 
 end quenching the fmoaking flame. Unbelief is 
 certainly a fin, a ftate of fin, yea it is the fin of 
 fins, for it is that which alone can damn the foul ; 
 but this is, by no means, the kind of unbelief 
 that heavy leaden, afflicted fouls complain of, and 
 groan under, when convinced of fin by the fpirit, 
 whofe very doubts and fears evidence that they 
 
 are in covenant with God, and have already the 
 
 - , a ^ ii 
 
 faith of his own elc^t, though they want fuch a de- 
 gree of it as to make them comfortable in their own 
 confciences ; but if there was no faith, there would 
 be no doubting, for thefe two are at once working 
 in the heart, the one oppofing the a&ings of the 
 
 other,
 
 ( 47 ) 
 
 ther, fo that my very fears that I have not 
 faith, prove that I have it, as much as the bub- 
 blings and boiling of water in a furnace, prove the 
 exigence and the acting of the fire that is under 
 
 jtT~ 
 
 To fay, that doubts and fears are finful, is not 
 the way to remove them, but to increafe them, 
 inafmuch as the fmcere foul will fear more and 
 more by thinking it has more fin to anfwer for : 
 Befides, did any chriftian ever arrive at the funfhine 
 of folid peace and afTurance, but through clouds 
 of doubts and fears ? Tell me, ye that give 
 vinegar and gall to bruifed fouls, by reprefenting 
 their doubts and fears, as adding to their guilt ; 
 did our Blefied Saviour ever hold this language ? 
 view him all the while he was upon earth, and you 
 (hall never hear him fpeak a difcouraging word to 
 the weak in faith, but always the contrary. 
 
 Lajtiy. If doubts and fears are traced to 
 their origin, , no, culpable unbelief, no c .nfent 
 of the will < evef be found at the bottom 
 of them, but real faith will always be difco- 
 vered at their root ; for why does the foul 
 fear at all ? but becaufe it believes the truth of 
 God's word, as threatning punifhment and con- 
 demnation on account of its tranfgreifions of the 
 law. And why does the foul doubt ? Not becaufe 
 it difbelieves the promifes therein contained ; bur, 
 
 . becaufe
 
 ( 4? ) 
 
 becaufekeingitsown fin and depravity, and God's 
 holinefs and purity, and not having clear views of 
 the Lord's method of juftifying the ungodly, 
 without money, and without price, it diftrefles and 
 perplexes itfelf, with the notion, that its great 
 vilenefs is a bar to the mercy of God. Nature 
 muft, in a manner, be reverfed, and turned topfy 
 turvy before this great fcriptural truth will be re- 
 ceived, viz: thatyfo, not goodntfs t qualifies every 
 per f on for the Gofyef &&wt]0n 
 
 The verity of the promifes then is not queftion- 
 ed by the feeble doubting Chriftian j but what he 
 doubts and fears is, that he himfelf has no intereft 
 in them ; and fo far is Chrift from being difpleafed 
 with fuch weaklings, that his bowels yearn with 
 a more than common tendernefs over them ; as a 
 -good fhepherd, he carries fuch lambs in his bofom^ 
 and gently leads thofe that are with young. 
 
 Is this pleading for unbelief? Is it apologizing 
 for doubts and fears ? By no means : but the 
 plea or apology is for that grain of true faith, 
 which, like a living fpark in the afhes, often lies 
 finothered under the clog of unbelief, and under 
 the weight of many fufpicions and mifgivings as to 
 its ftate Godwards. Lord I believe? help tkou 
 m:ne unbelief ", Should be the Chriftian's cry in fuck 
 a a ate. 
 
 No. LIX.
 
 ( 49 ) 
 
 No. LIX. 
 
 EVERY believer generally fees in the courfe 
 of his experience, that thofe very trials or tempta- 
 tions which he moft feared, and perhaps which 
 he moft prayed againft, are thofe very bleffings in 
 God's over-ruling hand, which he will be thank- 
 ful for throughout eternity. 
 
 No. LX. 
 
 I T is not to be wondered that Hazael, 
 knew nothing of his own heart, mould fay, " Is 
 thy fervant a dog that he mould do this thing j'* 1 
 but the felf-confidence of Peter was extraordi- 
 nary, when lie faid " Lord though all men fhall 
 deny thee, yet will not I." Oh how little do 
 many of the Lord's deareft people knov what 
 will befall them before they reach the end of their 
 pilgrimage! When temptation is at a diftance, 
 and all goes on fmoothly, we are too apt to think 
 more highly of ourfelves than we ought to think ; 
 but let a ftrong temptation work upon a fuitable 
 corruption in the heart, (Satan and opportunity 
 - E blowing
 
 blowing up the flame,) and there is no faying 
 what may happen. It was well obferved by that 
 evangelical divine, Mr. John Hill, that " heed 
 ought to be taken by the beft of faints ngainft the 
 vvorft offins." Watch and pray therefore that 
 fe enter net into temptation. And let him that 
 thinketh hejiandetb take heed left he fall. But if 
 thou haft fallen, let not thy fin drive thee to de- 
 fpair, but to Chrift/that thou may'fil>e delivered 
 both from its guilt and power. 
 
 LXI. 
 
 I H A V E often been grieved to perceive fo 
 very little of the chriftian fpirit and temper in 
 many perfons, of whofe. converfion we cannot 
 well doubt. Envy, malice, hatred, uncharita- 
 blenefs, evil furmifmgs, fwellings, whifperings, 
 backbitings, &c. are ranked by infpiration itfelf, 
 in the catalogue of the fouleft offences ; and yet 
 we often fee foaring profeffors too much, alas ! 
 under the power of thefe evils, fitting in judg- 
 ment perhaps upon a poor fallen believer, who 
 may have been overtaken with a fault, or rafhly 
 cenfuring their brethren, even for things in them- 
 felves indifferent, 
 
 It
 
 It would be well if fuch perfons would read 
 the 1 3th chapter of St. Paul's firft epiflle to the 
 Corinthians, and afk themfelves, Have I this 
 divine grace of charity or love, which enviethi 
 not, which thinketh no evil, which is not eafily 
 provoked, which vaunteth not herfelf, which feek- 
 eth not her own, which is not puffed up, but like 
 the wifdom which cometh from above, is gentle 
 and eafy to be intreated ? Without this I am 
 nothing but founding brafs, or a tinkling cymbal. 
 
 Lord, evermore give me this grace ! O let me 
 be much at home ! Let me fearch and ranfack. 
 every corner' of my deceitful heart, left after all 
 my profeflion, I fall fhort and come to nothing. 
 
 O my foul, is this thy prayer ? yea, is it thy 
 carneft wifh and endeavor to know, feel and ex- 
 perience the full extent of the apoftle's words, 
 when he fays, now abideth thefe three, faith, hope 
 and charity ; but the greatejl of thefe is charity ! 
 
 Still, under a mifta'ien notion of charity, I am 
 not to put out my eyes, and to call evil good, 
 and good evil. Jblut 1 am to judge favorably when- 
 ever 1 can ; and I am alfo to remember that he 
 who (lands to-day may fall to-morrow, and that 
 who falls to-day may rife to-morrow. 
 
 E 2 No. LXII.
 
 No, LXII. 
 
 WHEN an impertinent, troublefome vifiter 
 
 ' , knocks at the door and craves admiffion, the good 
 
 man of the houfe ufually denieshimfclf. He is 
 
 not at home to fuch company : the fellow may 
 
 go about his bufinefs. 
 
 So mould the believer always deal with fin 
 when it ftands knocking at the door of the heart. 
 He muft not begin parlying, but give it a flat de- 
 nial : he muft be at home to no fuch gueft. To 
 ftand and argue is to let it halfway in. 
 
 But when Jefus knocks and fays " Open to 
 me, my beloved," it muft be juft the contrary. 
 
 No. LXni. 
 
 THERE is no time of a believer's experience 
 in which he does not look upon fin as the greateft 
 evil, and God as his greateft good. Even in the 
 moment that he is fo overborne by temptation as. 
 to choofe the evil and refufe the good, ftiU his 
 judgment is not changed ; and he fays " the good 
 tint I would, I do not, but the evil which I would 
 not, that I do." 
 
 No. LXIV.
 
 No. LXIV. 
 
 T H E R E are thofe who cry out, O I don't 
 trouble myfelf about abftrufe and difputed points 
 of do&rine, give me our Saviour's fermon upon 
 the mount !" yet bring them to the teft of this fer- 
 mon, and you will hear them call poverty of" fplrit, 
 rneannefs ; mourning for fin, folly and weaknefs; 
 hungering and thirfling after righteoufnefs, en- 
 thufiafm and being righteous overmuch ; yea they 
 will tell you that all perfecution for righteoufnefs 
 fake was confined to primitive times j and that it 
 is uncharitable to affirm that ftrait is the gate 
 and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and 
 that there are but few that find it. 
 
 <=- Tffff it- 
 
 A No. LXV. 
 
 THOSE perfons and thofe things which we 
 have made our idols, God very frequently makes 
 our plagues and our crofTes. 
 
 No. LXVI. 
 
 WHOSOEVER knows what fin Is, and 
 what Chrift is, ffiat man is wife in God's account, 
 whatfoever elfe he may be ignorant of. 
 
 E 3 Who-
 
 C 54 ) 
 
 Whofoever knows not himfelfas a (inner, nor 
 Chrift as a Savior, is a fool in God's account, 
 whatever elfe he may be acquainted with, and 
 however wife he may be in the world's eftrmation. 
 No human fcience car. teach a foul the evil of fin. 
 Nor can all the learning in the world comfort a 
 diftrefled con fcience. 
 
 No. LXVII. 
 
 WATCHFULNESS will not avail with- 
 out prayer, nor prayer without watchfulnefs, 
 Watch and pray> fahh our Lord. 
 
 yg 7 - 
 
 No. LXVIII. 
 
 IT is a good obfervation of the worthy Doctor 
 Fuller, in his Church HHlory, that " thofe are the 
 beft Chriftians who are more careful to reform 
 themfelves thanjo cenfure others." 1 
 
 ' It is however a fmall thing to be judged cf 
 man's judgment. The world, it muft be ex- 
 pe&ed, will be void of charity towards God's 
 people, and judge them as fools, hypocrites, 
 enthufiafts, evil-defigning, turbulent perfons, and 
 what not ; but it is much to be lamented that the 
 
 children of grace mould judge one another fo 
 rafhly as we often fee them do ; and this unhappy 
 
 fpirit
 
 ( 55 ) 
 
 {pirit of cenfure is very apt to vent itfelf froraf 
 perfons in a lower ftation of life towards thofe 
 whom it may have pleafed God to place in a 
 fituation and fphere of life quite different front or 
 above their own, which renders them very incom- 
 petent judges of thofe things of which they fet 
 themfelves up to be cenfurers. I would not fay 
 that envy or fpiritual pride, nor even a narrow, 
 illiberal way of thinking are always the parents of 
 this temper ; I have feen itinhoneft fimple- hearted 
 fouls, who are too apt to run away with appear- 
 ances without examining things to the bottom ; 
 and I know how to make allowances for it : 
 however, if fuch perfons would turn their eyes 
 within, they would there perhaps find much more 
 caufe for humiliation and condemnation than 
 there is in a chearful countenance, or in living ac- 
 cordingtothe rankand ftation which a gracious and 
 wife Providence has appointed us ; by which 
 means multitudes are fupported, employed and 
 kept from idlenefs, who otherwife muft fteal, 
 ftarve, or become burdenfome to parifhes. 
 
 But let thofe highly favoured few among the 
 great or rich, whom grace has diftinguifhed from 
 others, always remember" i/?. That the life of 
 abundance, without the abufeof it, is an hard but 
 needful leiTon. 'idly. That fin in any ftation is 
 alike diipleafmg to God . And %dly. That he who 
 
 ventures
 
 ( 56 ) 
 
 ventures to the utmoft brink of his liberty, will be 
 in danger of going beyond it. Let their moderation 
 therefore be knnvn nntz all men. Let them remem- 
 ber too, that though feeding the hungry, clothing 
 the naked, vifiting the tick, and employing the 
 poor to work, are diftinguifhing branches of real 
 charity, yet that the caufe of Chrift, and the 
 faithful minifters of the gofpel, (efpecially thofe 
 with fcanty pay and large families) have the firft 
 claim on their abundance : and that although in 
 cafes of public charities our works muft needs be 
 feen before men, and indeed ought to be fo, yet 
 here there is no occafion that even the left hand 
 fhould know what the right hand doeth, much 
 lefs mould it be blazoned abroad in the world : 
 feafonable donations to poor godly labourers in the 
 Lord's vineyard (and truly fuch are commonly 
 poor enough) efpecially when thofe donations 
 come unexpected, are often received as boons 
 from above, and indeed are fo when given for the 
 gofpel's fake, and mall in no wife lofe their reward. 
 
 Here then a Chriftian may be often doing that 
 very liberally, which an uncharitable profeflbr 
 may be cenfunng mm for not doing at all. But 
 God knoweth ti e heart, and knoweth all things. 
 
 I fay therefore both to high and low, to rich 
 and poor : 'Judge not that ye be not judged. 
 
 Rather
 
 ( 57 ) - 
 
 Rather put on that charity which hopeth all 
 things, and which thinketh no tvil. 
 
 Lord, evermore give thy children this temper 
 one towards another. 
 
 No. LXIX. 
 
 A TRUE Saint may be a grievous back- 
 flider in practice, but he cannot be a back- 
 ilider in principle. He would do good accord- 
 cording to the law in his mind, even when evil is 
 prefent with him through the law of fin which is 
 in his members : but the force of corruption is fo 
 violent, that he is brought into captivity to that 
 law of fin, and by its tyranny holden down in 
 fpightof all his groans and ftruggles for deliverance, 
 which however in the ufe of the appointed means 
 he mail moft afluredly obtain in the Lord's own 
 time. Yea, though a troop may overcome him (like 
 Gad) he Jhall overcome at the la ft. 
 
 It is not fo with the backflider ia heart. His falls 
 into fin caufe him to depart from the appearances 
 he might have of grace, till at 3t laft he falls from 
 all profeflion. The fin that he commits he even 
 approves in his heart, though natural confcience, 
 till quite feared, may at times give him fome un* 
 eafy-fenfations. All his falls into fin drive him fur r 
 ther and further from God, whereas thofe of true 
 
 believers
 
 C 58 ) 
 
 believers caufe them to flee to Chrift for ftrength, 
 and to walk more warily for the future. 
 
 No. LXX. 
 
 TO a believing foul there is fomething won- 
 derfully fweet in viewing all his trials, troubles, 
 afflictions, temptations, defertions, fpiritual con- 
 fli&s, ups and downs of every kind as ordered of 
 God for his good ; decreed to come upon him 
 juft at fuch a time and place as his heavenly father's 
 wifdom fees fit and meet ; to remain with him 
 juft fo long and not a fingle moment longer than till 
 they fhall have anfwered fome falutary purpofe 
 for his foul's good ; that however fore and griev- 
 ous thefe things may be to flefli and blood, 
 however thwarting to his own will and wifhes, yea 
 however contrary to what he would judge to be 
 for his fpiritual welfare; yet he who oiclereth all 
 things after the counfel of his own will, caufeth 
 them to work together for his good, and that 
 they are all the effects and emanations of infinite 
 wifdom, infinite love, and infinite power united 
 to accomplifh his falvation in the way that mall 
 be bed: for him, and moft for his heavenly father's 
 glory. 
 
 No. LXXI.
 
 ( 59 ) 
 
 No. LXXI. 
 
 THE fcripture hath given feven reafons 
 (which in the facred writings is a perfect and 
 compleat number) for the practice of good 
 works. Yet fuch is the pride and ignorance of 
 man that he will needs add an eighth,, though this 
 eighth reafon turns all good works into bad ones, 
 impeaches God's wifdom, and makes the blood 
 of Chrift of none effect. 
 
 The fcripture reafons for the performance of 
 good works are the following : 
 
 i. 
 
 THEY are commanded by God himfelf. Tit. 
 iii. 8. This is a faithful faying, and thefe things 
 I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which 
 have believed in God might be careful to main- 
 tain good works. 
 
 2. 
 
 God's people are predeftinated, chofen and born 
 again in Chrift Jefus for this very purpofe. Kph. 
 ii. 10. We are his workmanfnip, created anew 
 in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath 
 before ordained that we Ihould walk in them. 
 
 3. Good
 
 Good works are the external evidences of true 
 living faith here, and will be fo at the day of 
 judgment ; according to which a reward of grace 
 will be given. Faith, if it hath not works, is 
 dead, being alone. I will (hew thee my faith by 
 my works. Jam. ii. 17, 18, &c. For the Son 
 of Man mall come in the glory of his Father, with 
 his angels j and then fliall he reward every man 
 according to his works. Mat. xvi 27. 
 
 See alfo Mat. xxv. from v. 31 to the end of the 
 chapter. 
 
 4- 
 
 The love of Chrift to us as fmners excites us to 
 the prafUce of them, yea to be zealous for them. 
 2 Cor. v. 14. For the love of Chrift conftrain* 
 eth us. 
 
 John, xvi. 15. If ye love me, keep my com-, 
 mandmsnts. 
 
 'Tit. ii. 14. He gave himfelf fof us to purify 
 to himfelf a peculiar people zealous of good 
 works, 
 
 5- 
 
 The example of Chrift and his apoftles teacheth 
 and euforceth them.
 
 ( 61 ) 
 
 Ads, x. 38. Jefus of Nazareth went about 
 doing good. 
 
 i Cor. xi. i. Be ye followers of me, even as 
 I alfo am of Chrift. 
 
 6. 
 
 When performed from right motives and to 
 right ends, they tend to glorify God. 
 
 Mat. v. 1 6. I^et your light fo mine before 
 men that they may fee your good works, and glo- 
 rify your father which is in heaven. 
 
 7 
 
 They are for the profit and advantage of our 
 fellow creatures, and of our fellow Chriftians. 
 
 Gal. vi. 10. Do good unto all, efpecially to thofe 
 who are of the houfehold of faith. 
 
 Tit. iii. 8. Thefe things (good works) are 
 good and profitable unto men. See alfo Jam. ii. 
 14, 15, 16. 
 
 i John ifi. 17. Whofo hath this world's good, 
 and feeth his brother have need, how dwelleth the 
 love of God in him ? 
 
 Thefe are the fcripture reafons for the praHce 
 of good works, yet vain man who would fet up to 
 be wifer than his maker, would be thrufling in 
 another ufe for good works which he thinks pre- 
 ferable to all the reft, though in fad it tends to 
 F fubvert
 
 ( 62 ) 
 
 fubvert and defeat the whole gofpel plan of falva- 
 tion, namely, to recommend us to the favor of 
 God, either in whole or in part, or at leail to ferve 
 as conditions of our juftification and acceptance. 
 Thus teach all the Papifts. Thus teach too 
 many who are called Proteftants, in direct oppo- 
 fition to the word of God, and to the confeflions 
 of all the reformed churches, particulary to the 
 qth, loth, nth, i2th, and i3th articles of the 
 church of England. 
 
 No. LXXII. 
 
 I N order that no poor convinced Tinner may 
 defpair of mercy, .there is no fin that ever was, or 
 can be commited (the fin againft the Holy Ghoft 
 excepted, which none have committed who are 
 willing to be faved in the gofpel way) which 
 fome that are now in glory have not been guilty 
 of. Murderers, adulterers, inceftuous perfons, 
 abufers of themfelves with mankind, drunkards 
 thieves, extortioners, revilers and deniers of 
 Chrift, fwell the lift of thofe who are warned, 
 fanftified and juftified in the name of our Lord 
 Jefus, and by the fpirit ef our God. 
 
 Nay more, there is perhaps not a fin which 
 can be thought of, that fome of God's eminent 
 
 fcripture
 
 ( 63 ) 
 
 fcriprure faints have not fallen into after their 
 converfion, though through grace they have 
 been enabled to renew the a&ings of their faith 
 and repentance, and are now fingirtg before the 
 throne " unto him that hath loved and redeemed 
 them, and that hath wafhed them from their fin* 
 in his own blood." 
 
 And for fear any fhould ftill object againft 
 themfelves, " oh but my fins are of fuch a nature, 
 that furely no faved foul was- ever guilty of the 
 like ;" our Lord himfelf fays that all manner of 
 fin and wickednrfs fliall be forgiven. And the 
 beloved John aflures us that the blood of Jefus 
 Cbrift cleanfetb from all fin. 
 
 Now let the whole felf-righteous tribe of for- 
 malifts murmur at thefe glorious difplays of in- 
 vincible grace, as their forefather Simon the Pha- 
 rifee did of old, when the poor, {inful, penitent. 
 Mary wafhed our Savior's feet with her tears, and 
 wiped them with the hairs of her head ; ftill it muft 
 ever ftand upon record, that the debtor to whom 
 five hundred pence was forgiven, loved more than 
 he did to whom only fifty peftce was forgiven ; and 
 that publicans and harlots go into the kingdom 
 of heaven before the generation of thofe who are 
 pure in their own eyes, and yet are not cleanfed 
 from their filthinefs. 
 
 F a No. LXXIH.
 
 No. LXXIII. 
 
 MANY fincere fouls, who are truly convert- 
 ed to God, are apt to think that furely perfons 
 who have run fuch lengths in fin as they have, 
 ought never to expect the fame degrees of fenfible 
 comfort and communion with God, as others 
 may enjoy, who have not refifted fo many calls 
 of love, nor finned with fo high an hand as thcm- 
 felves ; efpecially if they have been notorious 
 backfliders, although now through grace re- 
 newed again unto repentance, are they apt to 
 cherifti thefe legal reafonings, fo contrary to the 
 whole gofpel plan, fo derogatory to the honor of 
 Chrift, and fo definitive to the foul's peace. 
 Their language is juft this : 
 
 Had I owed only fifty pence, Jefus would have 
 forgiven me more frankly^ and I might have ex- 
 pected more manifeftations of his love than I can 
 hope for, who am a .poor five hundred pence 
 debtor, and who have nothing at all to pay." 
 Again : " I have contracted great and heavy debts 
 fince my converfion. I am a grievous backllider; 
 and though I now defire to repent of my fins, 
 and turn to th Lord with all my heart, I fear 
 LevsUl not receive me gracioufly. At leafl, if 
 
 he
 
 I 65 ). 
 
 he does reflore me to his favor, I muft go halting, 
 and walk in darknefs all my days, without ever 
 feeling his fweet fenfible prefence in my foul.'* 
 Alas, poor creature ! has the Lord faid that he 
 is married to his backfliding children, and doth 
 he urge his relationmip of an huflband to them as 
 the motive of their return to him ; (Jer. iii. 14.) 
 and will he not receive them when they do re- 
 turn ? Has he promifed to heal their kackjlidingti 
 and to love them freely? (Hofea, xiv. 4.) and 
 will he be worfe than his word ? Has he told us to 
 forgive a repenting brother not only until feven 
 times, but until fevcnty times feven; and wijljie 
 who is God, andjipt majn, do lefs ? Did the 
 long forfaken father fall upon the returning 
 prodigal fon's neck and kifs him j and will not 
 thy heavenly Father and bridegroom, whofecom- 
 paflions are infinite, embrace thee in the arms of 
 his love, and kifi thee with the kiffes of his mouth ? 
 Cant. i. 2. ii. 6. Yea, he will, he will. Seek 
 him then, though thick dark clouds of defertion, 
 and though mountains of fin and corruption 
 would impede thy way. Seek him in the life of 
 all means, yet trading to none. 
 
 Whate'er's thy hufband at thy befr, 
 
 He's at thy worft the fame ; 
 And in his love will ever reft* 
 '. | Jehovah is his name. 
 
 GOSPEL SONNETS. 
 , F 3 LXXIV.
 
 
 ( 65 ) 
 
 No. LXXIV. 
 
 SIN is the the difcafc of the renewed foul 
 but it is the element of the natural man. 
 
 No. LXXV. 
 
 THOUGH Chrift has reconciled finners to 
 himfelf, yet it is abfolutely impofTible for any 
 Cliriftiar* to be reconciled to fin. 
 
 No. LXXVI. 
 
 IT is not poffible for a believer to be con- 
 tented with his prefent attainments. It is the 
 grand proof of a renewed mind that it fights vi- 
 goroufly againft all fin inward as well as outward, 
 that it defires, yea pants to grow in grace and in 
 the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jefus 
 Chrift 5 that it hungers and thirfts after righte- 
 oufnefs ; .that it longs to lay itfelf out for the 
 glory of God, and to abound more and more ia 
 every good word and work* 
 
 Where
 
 ( 6? ) 
 
 Where this is not the cafe, faith is not : aritt 
 where faith is not, Chrift is not ; and where 
 Chrift is not, Satan muft be. 
 
 No. LXXVII. 
 
 WHEN God elefted his people in Chrift and 
 reconciled them to himfelf in him, he forefaw all 
 the evil that would be in them both before and 
 after their converfion ; and if this did not prevent 
 his choofing them and calling them, it never can 
 be the caufe of his calling them off. 
 
 No. LXXVIIL. 
 
 THOUGH affurance be the privilege of all 
 God's people, it is by no means the lot of all, 
 Neverthelefe it is the duty of all to prefe after it. 
 
 Affurance is the higheft degree of faith, and 
 faith being the root of holinefs, as faith prevails 
 hoiinefs and deadnefs to the world will prevail; 
 for this is the victory that overcometh the world, 
 even our faith. 
 
 Peter's affurance gave way, and he fell foully. 
 But Chrift prayed that his faith might not fail, 
 and he fell not finally.
 
 ( 68 ) 
 
 If, as fome affirm, aflurance^bcgetsji carelefs 
 walk, then the moft defirable fiate a Chriftian 
 can be in would be that of defpair, as being the 
 direct oppofite to aflurancej and the prayer of 
 the apoftles " Lord increafe our faith," mould be 
 turned into " Lord increafe our unbelief, and di- 
 minifh our faith," left it grow into aflurance, and 
 we mould thereby be emboldened to commit ini- 
 quity with greedinefs." 
 
 But the foul that really enjoys aflurance knows 
 how to prize that precious jewel, and will walk as 
 humbly and as warily, as he who being clearly 
 and richly attired would pick his way upon a 
 plank over fome dirty road, left he fhould flip 
 afide, and defile his garments. 
 
 No. LXXIX. 
 
 THE dead finner partakes of two natures; 
 or at leaft of two parts of one nature. Half 
 beaft, half devil. 
 
 The glorified faint partakes only of one nature, 
 viz. the divine. 
 
 A regenerate believer partakes of all the three ; 
 but though the remnants of the beaft and devil 
 are yet in him, he is denominated by that which 
 bears the rule and afcendeacy j and therefore the 
 
 apoftle
 
 apoftle addrefles fuch as being partakers of tht 
 divine nature only. 
 
 No. LXXX. 
 
 IT is one of the firft and cleareft truths in the 
 Bible that a believer hates fin, and becaufe he 
 hates fin, he muft love the Jaw. But it is no 
 lefs true, that the moft advanced believer knows, 
 feels and laments that he loves fin, and that he 
 continually carries that about with him which" is 
 not fubjeft to the law of God, neither indeed can 
 be. 
 
 It is not fcriptural to fay that he hates fin fo 
 far as he is regenerate, though the phrafe be a 
 common one: that expreflion fofar feems rather 
 to imply an amendment of the old man than a, 
 putting on the new. The trutbTlsT^that every 
 believer has a perfect old nature, and a perfe& 
 new nature, both fighting together within him. 
 When he commits fin, it is not becaufe his new 
 nature is not yet compleat, nor becaufe his old 
 nature is but in part deftroyed, but becaufe the 
 old man is forever reftlefs, and ftriving to recover 
 the entire maftery he once had over the believer : 
 but in the end he muft yield, and even now though 
 he never ceafes to fight, yet he never gains the do- 
 minion.
 
 ( 70 ) 
 
 minion. The renewed will is an impregnable cafile 
 which almighty grace enables to hold out againft 
 the combined afTaults of fin, Satan and the world. 
 The believer then is always compleatly holy in 
 his new nature, for God's workmanfhip muft be 
 perfeS. He is compleatly unholy in his old 
 nature, for in him, that in b'n fitjh there dwe'ktb 
 no good thing. Thefe two are waging perpetual 
 war in the foul, feeing what the -one loves the 
 other hates, and vice versa. But the law of 
 grace muft finally triumph over the law of fin : 
 during this defperate combat, all the believer's 
 confidence is in Chrift, in whom he is always 
 compleat, and in whom he has fuch a righteouf- 
 nefs, as neither the law, fin, death, hell or the 
 grave can fully or find fault with. 
 
 No. LXXXI. 
 
 THE man that has leaft fin has not always 
 
 moft gpc^. Great grace is ufiully given to fight 
 againft great corruptions. Few have known more 
 fin or more grace than David. 
 
 No. XCII.
 
 No. LXXXII. 
 
 ST. PAUL, like a wife mafter-builder, hav- 
 ing laid the foundation of a guilty finner's hope 
 on Chrift alone, raifes thereon the fuperftruure 
 of holinefs and walking with God; and, at the 
 clofe of his epiftles, gives the warmeft exhorta- 
 tions to the pra&ice of every relative and focial 
 du-y : it has therefore often been matter of afto- 
 nifhment to me to behold fo many golden, or 
 perhaps I ought rather to fay gilded profeflbrs pay- 
 ing fo little attention to thefe exhortations. One 
 has very unfubdued tempers ; another is a rigid 
 cruel parent j a third is a ftubborn undutiful child ; 
 a fourth is a furly Nabal of an hulband ; a fifth an 
 idle, gofliping, tatling wifej afixthanhard tyran- 
 nical matter or peevifh miftrefs, never pleafed and 
 always changing his or her fervants ; a feventh is a 
 negligent, wafteful, eye fervant, faucy, pert anfwer- 
 ing again, running about from one profeflbr to an- 
 other to carry about family news, and to expofe 
 the real and imaginary faults of thofe with whom 
 they live. Laftly, and which is \vorft of all, an 
 eighth, is a minifter that ought never to be feen 
 but in the pulpit. 
 
 ' Oh, my foul, how grievous, and yet how com- 
 mon
 
 ( 7* ) 
 
 raon are thefe things ! furely fuch perfons have 
 much reafon to queftion the reality of their con- 
 verfion,fince lying, dealing, fabbath-breaking, and 
 all manner of profanenefs cannot be more oppofite 
 to the true fpirit of Chriftianity than fuch difpofi- 
 tions and fuch practices. I know indeed it is too 
 much the manner of fome to run down all exhor- 
 tations to obedience and to holy walking as legal, 
 but 1 would always wifh to proclaim as on the 
 
 houfe top, that he only who liveth near to God 
 
 __, , f *^* 
 
 and keepeth his conicience tender and void of of- 
 fence, has any folid proof of his intereft in Chriftj 
 and that the man who is not watchful in life, 
 has awful reafon to tremble at the approach of 
 death, left the hope with which he has buoyed 
 himfelfup, (perhaps under a towering profeflion, 
 and a critical knowledge of gofpel do&iines,) 
 ihould after all turn out only the hope of the 
 hypocrite which fhall perifh. 
 
 IRC*/ Jff, 
 
 No. LXXXIII, 
 
 W H E N a believer reads the chara&er of a true 
 Chriftian in the facred pages, he fees his own fhort 
 comings in every grace j and is deeply humbled 
 under the fenfe of them. This is right. But
 
 ( 73 ) 
 
 he fliould remember that the fcripture exhorta- 
 tions rather call believers to what they ought 
 to be than what any arrive to. There can 
 be no rule of right or wrong but the will of A 
 God ; therefore, when believers are excited to 
 holinefs, it muft be to that which is perfect, elfe 
 the law immediately gives way to the frailty of 
 the creature. The language of fcripture is in 
 this wife, be ye holy, for I am holy : be perfeff as 
 your Father which is in heaven is perfeft. And 
 indeed it could not be otherwife, without run-* 
 ning in the following ftrain, which it would be 
 almoft blafphemous to fuppofe ; " be ye a little 
 holy and a little finful :" " be like your Father 
 which is in heaven, but not too like." 
 
 Hence we fee the abfurdity and impiety of 
 what fome call a remedial law of grace. We fee 
 alfo that a believer in view of his imperfections 
 and (hort comings, will at once find caufe both 
 for humiliation and for confolation j for humili~ 
 ation, in that he feels that iin cleaves to, and 
 poifons all his beft actions ; the flefh lufteth againft 
 the fpirit, and the fpirit againft the flefti, fo that he 
 cannot do the things that he would ; and his lan- 
 guage in his beft ftate muft be, not as though I had 
 a/ready attained, or were already perfeft. For 
 confolation^ in that God views him more accord- 
 ing to what he wtuld be, than what he is ; and 
 G that
 
 ( 74 ) 
 
 that though he is nothing but fin and imperfec- 
 tion in himfelf, he is always compleat in Chrift, 
 who of God is made unto him wifdom, righteouf- 
 ncfs, fanctification and redemption. 
 
 No. LXXXIV. 
 
 ! 
 
 THE true meaning of the word repentance is 
 a change of mind j and how can this be accom- 
 plifhed without faith ? and how can faith exift 
 without justification ? Genuine repentance then 
 with its meet fruits flowing from Chrift, and be- 
 ing the effect of the foul's union with and intereft 
 in him, is the certain proof that the foul has re- 
 ceived mercy, though neither repentance .nor any 
 other grace, but, on the contrary, only fmfulnefs, 
 fits and preparerT6r~rnercy. To place repentance 
 before reconciliation, or to affirm that it is pre- 
 paratory thereto, is (as already noticed) to put 
 the effect before the caufe, and to look for fruit 
 on the tree before it is either planted or ingrafted. 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^** *** M ^ l *' 1 *^MMM*WP* l ****"' > **^w 
 
 Jt is moreover to eftabliih the Romilh doctrine of 
 grace of congruity, which our Reformers, in the 
 1 3th article of religion, have fo exprefsly borne 
 their teftimony againft, Indeed it is to preach 
 another gofpel than what Paul preached. Yet it 
 i* amazing how incautioufly fome pious and good 
 
 men
 
 ( 75 ) 
 
 men have exprefled themfelves on this point* 
 Again. Repentance, being a change of mind, 
 cannot be eradicated from the believer by any falls 
 into fin, fmce the renewed mind hates the fin 
 which the believer falls into. His ftate God-ward 
 is not affe&ed by his falls, though his peace will be 
 much affected ; feeing he as much is out of his pro- 
 per element under the prevalence and out-breakings 
 of corruption, as a fifti would be out of its element 
 if you were to take it out of the fea and lay it in 
 the fun-beams : the poor nlh jumps and floun- 
 ders about, and is wretched till it get into the wa- 
 ter again ; fo will the poor fallen believer ftrive 
 and ftruggle hard till he finds himfelf brought in- 
 to his own element, which is holinefs. An ani- 
 mal, whofe nature is cleanly, a meep for inftance, 
 may undoubtedly fall into the mire ; but a fheep 
 cannot delight himfelf in the mjre into which he 
 falls, but will pant, bleat "and ftruggle till the 
 fhepherd come and help him out. One of Chrift'a 
 fheep may fall foully into dirt and filth, but the 
 cleanly nature will mew itfelf by inceffant cry- 
 ings and exertions till deliverance be obtained. 
 
 It is not fo with a fwine. Its nature being filthy, 
 it delights in filth ; and though you may \vafh it 
 again and again, it has no real enjoyment but 
 what it finds in mud and naftinefs. This is juft 
 the cafe with every natural man. 
 
 G 2 It
 
 C 7 ) 
 
 It may be objected that repentance in fcripturc 
 is put before faith " Repent ye and believe the 
 gofpel." But when both are neceflary, the order 
 in which they are mentioned is no proof at all 
 which of thefe bleffings firft takes place in th 
 foul. Sanctification is mentioned by St. Paul 
 previous to juftification, " but ye are fanctified, ye 
 are juftified ;"* yet no one (I mean none but a 
 blind Formaliil, or a Papift) will affirm that any 
 foul is made holy before it has pardon through 
 blood of Chrift. In like manner, in the Revela- 
 tion, calling is placed before choice, "called an'd 
 chofen j" yet every Chriflian knows that we are 
 called becaufe we are elected, and not called firft 
 and elected afterwards. 
 
 But whenever the fcripture fpeaks of repentance 
 as a turning of the heart to God, then it is always 
 placed fubfequent to faith " Many believed and 
 turned to the Lord." By faith in the exceeding 
 great and precious promifes, we are made par- 
 takers of a divine nature. However, if we con- 
 der repentance in a double point of view, viz. 
 as legal and evangelical, it will readily be granted 
 that the firft of thefe, which is more properly at- 
 trition than contrition, precedes faith, or rathe* 
 the foul's own knowledge of faith, for there mull 
 
 * > Cor. vi. ii. See alfo 9 ThefT. ii. 13. Where fanilificatisa 
 of the Spirit it placed before belief of the truth. 
 
 be
 
 ( 77 ) 
 
 be a degree of faith to put the foul on flight to 
 Chrift. But true, ingenuous, melting repentance 
 is the fruit of advanced faith ; and even the high- 
 er the foul rlifes towards full unclouded afTurance, 
 and towards that love that cafteth out fear, fa 
 much the more genuine will its humiliations be 
 OR account of fin. 
 
 No. LXXXV. 
 
 IF the whole body of the elect were chofen in 
 Chrift from eternity, and if grace was given them 
 in him before the foundations of the world, then 
 all the fpiritual feed muft have been confidered as 
 members of Chrift, the fecond Adam, and one 
 with him, when the eternal counfel of peace was 
 made with him their glorious head, (as much as 
 they were confidered in Adam at the time of his 
 apoftacy in Paradife ; ) and every bleffing which 
 they fhould enjoy in time, was then made fure to 
 all the feed, without any refpecl to good or evil 
 in them ; or whether viewed in the pure or in 
 the corrupt mafs, which feems a needkfs diftinc- 
 tion, though much contefted by feme great and 
 good men, feeing all things are prefent with the 
 eternal mind of Jehovah : and every event which 
 concerns God's Church and people from the 
 creation of the world to the end of it, etreni 
 G 3 that
 
 that greateft of all transactions, the crucifixion 
 of Chrift, is but the manifeftation of the glory of 
 that wonderful covenant, which is ordered in all 
 things and fure ; and which will have its final ac- 
 complifhment when the number of the elect (hall 
 be called in, and every member of the church 
 militant join thofe of the church triumphant in 
 finging " Worthy is the Lamb," &c. &c. 
 
 No. LXXXVI. 
 
 THE belief of final perfeverance is an excel- 
 lent four to make a believer humble, holy, aflive, 
 as well as to raife him up after falls and back- 
 flidings, and this upon the apoftolic principle, 
 knowing that bis labor Jball not be In vain in the 
 Lord. Whereas the man who knows himfelf, 
 and fees the ftrength of his enemies, would lie 
 downjmd defpair if he did not believe the pro- 
 mife that be who batb begun tbe go&d work in him 
 willperfeft it unto tbe day of Jefus Chrift. 
 
 No. LXXXVII. 
 
 I T frequently happens that when a child of 
 God has experienced the fwectnefs of any pro- 
 Knife, or fccn and tailed fomething of the glory 
 
 of
 
 ( 79 ) 
 
 of Chrift in any particular text of fcripture, that 
 afterwards he will be turning to the fame promife, 
 or to the fame portion of holy writ, the tafte of 
 which he had found fo precious to his foul ; but 
 alas ! the favour may be evaporated, and he him- 
 felf may have no more relifh for what he fo lately 
 found as honey and the honeycomb. Now what 
 is the reafon of this, fince the promife is the fame; 
 Chrift is the fame ; and the believer's intereft in 
 both is always the fame ? It is certainly owing 
 to the fovereignty of God the Spirit, who blow- 
 eth when and where be liftetb* 
 
 No. LXXXVIII. 
 
 P A R D O N of fin is one thing ; knowledge of 
 pardon another. The foul that under a fenfe of 
 guilt applies itfelf to the Redeemer for mercy is 
 furely already pardoned. Such an one is recon- 
 ciled to God by virtue of the everlafting covenant. 
 This pardon and reconciliation though eternal and 
 immutable by that covenant, was ratified when 
 Jefus hung on the crofs, and it is pafied over to 
 the finner in his fins, and In his blood, whilft he is 
 an enemy and ungodly, rebellious and without 
 Strength, confequently whilft he is an unbeliever ; 
 but the knowledge of this is often for a long 
 
 while
 
 ( 80 ) 
 
 vhile with-holden from the foul, yea thefe may be 
 thofe who all their lifetime are fubjtfl to bondage^ 
 and yet (hall get fafe home at laft. Though the 
 covenant be ordered In all things and fur *, yea as 
 fure as the immutable oath and promife of God 
 can make it, to all the ektt feed of grace, yet 
 in order that God's faints may know the value of 
 k, they are all made to feel the plague of their 
 nun hearts, and the bitternefs of fin : they are 
 therefore made weary and heavy laden by thefpirii 
 if bondage to fear ', before they receive thejpirit 
 of ad opt ion > manifefting to them the relationship in 
 which they (land as reconciled finncrs, and ena- 
 bling them to cry Alba Father. 
 
 The Law as a miniftration of condemnation, 
 muft do its office on the foul before it will wel- 
 come the gofpel as glad tidings, and clofe with it 
 as a covenant of free grace and peace, and therefore 
 the prince of peace bears this record of himfelf. 
 'The fpirit of the Lord is upon me, becaufe he hath 
 anointed me to prtach the gofpel to the poor^ he hath 
 feat me to heal the broken-hearted y to preach deli- 
 verance to the captives* and recovering of fight to 
 tbt blituly tofet at liberty them that art bruifed.
 
 8i 
 
 No. LXXXIX. 
 
 SOULS under faving awakenings and con- 
 victions of fin have no idea how much legality, 
 felf-righteoufnefs and cleaving to the law of works 
 is in them j nay, though they will acknowledge 
 falvation to be by faith only in Chrift and though 
 they attend clear gofpel preaching, yet they are 
 apt to reafon thus with themfelves j " Oh that I 
 *< had not gone fuch lengths in fin ! Oh that I 
 ** had but taken up fooner ! Oh if I had not re- 
 " belled fo much againft light and confcience and 
 " foletnn refolutions to the contrary ! If my 
 " tranfgreflions were not of fuch and fuch a na- 
 " ture, I could then venture to believe in Chrift 
 "for pardon and falvation j but now I fear he f 
 " willcaft me out if I comeunto him." According / 
 to all this reafoning Mofes not Chrift has the pre- j 
 eminence, and in truth it all comes to this iflue, 
 " God will be favorable to me or not in proponion , 
 as I have kept or broken the law." But though ) 
 Pharifees fhould rage and formalifts (hould ftortn 
 at the blefled t/uth, yet it is the glorious declara- 
 tion of the gofpel, that the man who has gone as, 
 far as fin can go to his damnation, has not gone 
 fo far as Chrift can go, or rather has gone, for his 
 
 falva-
 
 ( 82 ) 
 
 falvation : [fee Rom. v. throughout.] And though 
 one fingle offence and that only in thought will 
 fhut up the foul under condemnation without the 
 blood of Chrjft, yet whofoever flies as a periQiing 
 finner to that preciousy*0r//<7/ opened for fin and 
 for uncleannefs^ though 'his fins be as fear let , they 
 jball be as wool \ though they le red like crimfon, 
 they Jhall be white as fnow. 
 
 It is certain that no man can ever view fin in 
 too deteftable a light j but if he vifws it in fuch a 
 manner as to eclipfe his views of Chrift, he can- 
 not feel any kindly ingenuous Borrow on account 
 of it. Sin viewed in the law begets terror and 
 
 ^^^MMMM*MI^BMM* 
 
 bardnefs. Viewed in the gofpel it begets fweet 
 relentings of foul. 
 
 No. XC. 
 
 EVERY believer is. fanaifiedjfra two-fold 
 fenfe. 
 
 iy7. In himfelf, by the mortification of fin, 
 and by the renewal of his foul in holinefs, after 
 the image of God. This fan&ifkation is often 
 fadly difturbed by fin, and is at beft always im- 
 perfea. 
 
 o.dly. He is completely fantified by his myfti* 
 cal union with Chrift, his glorious head, and as 
 
 a mem-
 
 a member of his body ; in whom his old man is 
 Crucified and dead, and thus as part of Chrift, 
 whatever Chrift is, he is. The more the 
 believer fees this, the more he longs for deli- 
 verance from all fin in himfelf, afliamed and 
 humbled that he mould be fo very unlike, not 
 only to his head, but tc* what he himfelf is in 
 his head. 
 
 No. XCI. 
 
 A POOR child of God may for a time 
 (there is no faying how long) be holden down by 
 the tyranny of fome accurfed befetting luft, whilft 
 the inmoft language of his foul is, wretched 
 man that I am, who Jhall deliver me, fcrV. ( very 
 different from thofe who offend of malicious 
 voickednefs.) The ftreams of grace are all the 
 while ftriving to clear the way, though running 
 through a muddy, dirty channel ; and at the 
 very feafons, perhaps, when fin (hall have pre- 
 vailed the moft fadly, and the poor creature mall 
 be faying, " Surely where there is fo much fin 
 there can be no grace ;" the Lord Jefus comes 
 in with a tafte of pardoning love, and melts down 
 the heart into filial contrition, faying as it were, 
 ** Ungrateful foul, I am ftill thy falvation j thy 
 
 " finfullnefs
 
 { 84 ) 
 
 ** finfullnefs can make no difference in my love ; 
 ** filthy and polluted as thou art in thyfelf, in me 
 " thou haft no fm at all ; thy debts are all paid 
 " and cancelled, and nothing can be laid to thy 
 4< charge. The (ling of death was taken out by me, 
 " when I purchafed thee with my own precious 
 ** blood j and none (neither law, fin, death, hell, 
 " or the grave) have any demands upon thee, 
 ** but what I have fully anfvvered." 
 
 *' O, replies the poor foul, but I muft not yet 
 *< venture to lay hold on Chrift by faith, I muft get 
 ** theviftoryover my fin; I muft repent and hum- 
 " ble myfelf; yea, and bring forth fruits meet 
 " for repentance, before I may conclude that I 
 ** am interefted in Chrift, that God Joves me, 
 and that I am fit to die." 
 
 Such legal workings are fad enemies to peace, 
 and tend tofilencethe voice of truth itfelf, yet they 
 are what the moft gracious fouls are well acquaint- 
 ed with. Let us fift them a little, and we mall 
 foou fee that they ftrongly militate againft the 
 fcripture method of falvation. 
 
 The grand miftake in thefe reafonings is, that 
 they would thruft in fomething between fin and 
 Chrift, and find out : feme other remedy fora 
 tranlgrcfiion of the law, Defides^thejgoipel . 
 
 it Is a tiuth clear as the fun, that no foul mall 
 be faved without repentance ; but then the na- 
 ture of repentance is grievouily miftaken. Real 
 
 repentance
 
 repentance evidences a ftate of pardon and grace 
 in a foul reconciled to God, and taken into cove- 
 nant with him as an ungodly fmner ; and thus 
 being a ftate, and not confirming in any particular 
 acts of humiliation (though fuch acts will always 
 evidence fuch a ftate) it remains the fame under all 
 circumftances, as much : as the grace and love of 
 God which caufed it, remain the fame. 
 
 Thefirft fruit of election, and union withChrift, 
 is conviction of fin by the fpirit i 'the fecond fruit, 
 faith^ by the fame fpirit ; (though a degree of 
 faith perhaps juft fufficient to keep the foul from 
 quite finking, always accompanies conviction, in 
 which fenfe they may be faid to go together) ; 
 the third, holinefs, by the fame fpirit. All thefe 
 worketh one and the larffe Ipint ; and they all, 
 with every other privilege and blefling of the new- 
 covenant are included in the general expreflion of 
 REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 
 
 Repentance, then, any more than its conco- 
 mitant grace, faith, is not one day in the foul, 
 and another day out of it ; according as corrup- 
 tions are more or lefs fubdued, or according as 
 forrow for fin is more or lefs lively, but being a 
 fruit of union with Chrift, and of faith in him, 
 as well as being of the very eflence of converfion 
 and regeneration, its habits remain ever the fame 
 H in
 
 ( 86 ) 
 
 in a child of God, however its agings may vary 
 and be obfcured ; fo that there is not a moment 
 in which a believer is not a penitent, and vice 
 verfd in which a penitent is not a believer : nei- 
 ther is there a moment in which the root and 
 principle of fanctirication is not alive in him, 
 though the bloflbms may feem to wither, or the 
 fruit be blown offbyfome nipping wind of temp- 
 tation. 
 
 Though thefe are moft comfortable truths, 
 which cannot be given up, without giving up the 
 ground of gofpel hope, yet are they far from, 
 giving encouragement to carnal fecurity, or to a 
 licentious walk. A true penitent, from the very 
 nature of the grace that is in him, muft feel him- 
 felf a miferable creature under the prevalence of 
 fin and corruption j his cry will be that of the 
 Plalmift " my mtfdeedi prevail again/I me" " O 
 " wretched man that I am ! when I would do 
 " good, evil is prefent with me : I hate the fin 
 * 4 which I commit, and I hate myfelf becaufe of 
 " it. I approve of the law which would reltrain 
 ** me, and I confent unto its holinefs, as well as to 
 '* the juft right it has over me, but alas the torrent 
 " of corruption bears down all my efforts and re- 
 " foluiions, and I am led captive by the law of 
 " fin which is in my members." 
 
 In this condition the believer's aflurance will 
 
 be
 
 be clouded. The fear of death will haunt him. 
 He will be ready to conclude that he is deceiving 
 his own foul : and that all his part experience was 
 a delufion. He will pray and ftrive, and ftrive 
 and pray for viclory, and in God's due time he 
 (hall be fure to have it. He will plead fcripture 
 prom lies, and will fearch for fcripture examples of 
 faints in his own condition/ Thus though the 
 current of grace may appear to the poor foul itftlf 
 to be clogged and flopped by the rubbifli of cor- 
 ruption, and fin may have broken down all the 
 dams of vows, refolutions and endeavours : yet all 
 this while grace continues to flow, and t^at moft 
 freely too, by taking another channel, inftrudting 
 the foul in deep feif-knowledge and humility, and 
 thereby defeating and over-ruling the malice of 
 Satan in tempting him to fin. 
 
 XCII. 
 
 THE man who ftrives and fights againft fin, 
 though fin may often be fuffered to overmatch 
 him, is more afiuredly a child of God, than he 
 who never felt the plague of his own heart, or 
 who thinks he has no fin to ftrive and fight 
 againft. 
 
 H 2 '" No. XCIII.
 
 c) 88 ) 
 
 * Tflf ' v 
 
 No. XCIII. 
 i 
 
 IT is a great proof of divine faith to believe 
 God's aflertions. in fpight of inward darknefs ; in 
 fpight of ftrong corruptions ; in fpight of Satan's 
 temptations j and in fpight of the world's lies; 
 
 No. XCIV. 
 
 WHAT reafon can be given, but that of 
 God's fovereignty in election, why the moft 
 abandoned finners of mankind are often called to 
 the knowledge of the gofpel, and made partakers 
 of precious faith in the Son of God, whilft mul- 
 titudes of the decent and moral are left to perifh 
 in their own deceivings, as dead to all fpiritual 
 concerns as the very ftones they tread upon ? 
 
 Again, What other reafon can be given, why 
 of two people in the fame pew, and hearing the 
 fame fermon, the one flial! be favingly wrought 
 upon, and the other perhaps go away contradict- 
 ing and blafpheming ? 
 
 3<//y. For what other reafon were the apoftles 
 forbidden of the Holy Gbo/l to preach the word 
 
 in
 
 in Afia ; and when they ej/ayed to go to 
 were not fuffered by the Spirit to accomplish their 
 purpofe ; whilft a vifion appeared to Paul in the 
 n ; ght, faying, tome over unto Macedonia and help 
 us ? Were there not fouls in dfia and Bithynia> 
 as well as in Macedonia ? Undoubtedly there were. 
 But the minifters of the gofpel are fent forth to 
 labor there, and there only, where the lord of the 
 harveft has work for them to do in calling in his 
 own people. 
 
 Oh! the depths both of the wifdom and mercy 
 of God ! How unfearchable are his ways, and 
 his judgments paft rinding out J 
 
 No. XCV. 
 
 WERE I to receive fome great gueft into 
 my houfe, particularly one from whofe company 
 1 hoped to gain much happinefs, much benefit", 
 and much comfort, I fhould be careful to make 
 my habitation as clean as poffible, and to do 
 nothing which might grieve, or offer infult to my 
 welcome ami profitable inmate. 
 
 But is this my conduct with regard to the 
 
 blefled fpirit of God ? As a believer, rny body is 
 
 the tempk of the Holy GhoJ} which is in me. Am 
 
 I then careful not to denle that temple ? not to in- 
 
 H 3
 
 ( 90 ) 
 
 fult and grieve the glorious inhabitant by fin, noi* 
 to quench the holy flame by a carelefs, negligent 
 walk ? Thou knoweft, my foul, that the hea- 
 venly dove will take "its" flight ffom the manfions 
 ofimpurity, and will not make its abode among 
 the thorns of carking worldly cares. Oh! then 
 walk humbly, wariTy7 watchfully ; keep thy con- 
 fcience tender and void of offence ; left thou 
 provoke the divine paraclete to withdraw himfelf, 
 and left thou lofe the fenfible prefence of him 
 whofe favour is better than life. 
 
 No. XCVI. . 
 
 I F we might form a judgment from the con- 
 duft of fome high profeflbrs, we mould be led to 
 fuppofe that fafting, prayers, and alms-deeds of 
 which fuch great things are fpoken in fcripture 
 (not as meritorious, but as concomitants of the 
 juftified foul) are only fit trumpery for legalifts 
 and papifts. 
 
 Again, If to vifit the fatherlefs and widows in 
 their affliction, and to keep ourfelves unfpotted 
 from the world, be (as faith St. James) the diftin- 
 guifliing chara6teriftic of pure and undefiled reli- 
 gion, we may well afk, where then is this genuine 
 primitive Chriftianity to be found ? 
 
 No, XCVII.
 
 No. XCVII. 
 
 WHY does a believer fo often find a weari- 
 nefs in God's fervice, and fo much deadnefs and 
 indifpofition of heart in holy ordinances ? The 
 reafon is, that man's nature and God's law are 
 ever at variance. The fault is not in the law. 
 God forbid. But through the weaknefs and fin- 
 fulnefs of the flefli, that becomes a burden, which 
 is the believer's duty and privilege. 
 
 Still the believer's ftate in Chrift is the fame; 
 and the obedience which he wants in himfelf is 
 ever complete in his glorious head and furety. 
 He will however pray and ftrive againft this indif- 
 pofednefs of heart ; and will be deeply humbled 
 under his manifold fhort-comings ; evenwhilfthe 
 takes Chrift as his all and in all. 
 
 No. XCVIII. 
 
 HOW little is the fin of felfijbnefs attended 
 ,to, though it includes in it the breach of the 
 whole fecond table at once.
 
 No. XCIX. 
 
 THERE are but two fights which the Spirit 
 fhews to all the cleft, as neceflary to falvation ; 
 thefe are, 
 
 i/. The evil of fin. 
 
 zdly. The glory of Chrift. 
 
 No. C. 
 
 THEY v/ho place conviction of fin before 
 pardon of fin, muft thereby invert the order of the 
 gofpel, and place fan&ification (in a meafure) be- 
 fore juftifkation. For it cannot be fuppofed that 
 the Spirit dwells in my heart as a reprover or con- 
 vincer of fin, and does nor at the fame time a6t as 
 a fan&ifier. Yet the common error teaches that 
 I may be at the fame moment convinced of fin, 
 praying and ftriving againftit,and yet unpardoned 
 and under the law's eurfe. 
 
 But if conviction of fin is to precede the pardon 
 of it, I fhoukl be glad to know how long the foul 
 is to be under thefe convictions before it may cx- 
 pecl pardoru 
 
 'idly,.
 
 ( 93 ) 
 
 idly. What degree of conviction is neceiTary to 
 prepare or qualify the foul for pardon. 
 
 %dly. If the convinced perfon mould die before 
 pardon, what would become of him in another 
 world. 
 
 tfthly. If conviction be previous to pardon, how 
 comes it to pafs that the apoftles always addrefs 
 their new converts, as having received the atone- 
 ment, as being reconciled when they were ene- 
 mies, as thofe to whom God has already forgiven 
 all trefpafTes. If not before, at leaft when they 
 were firft quickened ? Ep. ii. 4. 5. 32. Col. i. 
 14. 21. Col. ii. 13. Col. iii. 13. 
 
 $tkly. Is the convinced (inner at enmity with 
 God? if he be not at enmity with him, he muft be 
 juftified, fmce there is no middle ftate between 
 wrath and pardon. If it be faid that he is at 
 enmity with God, then how can the fpirit of grace 
 be in him, and how can that fpirit have (hewn him 
 the evil of fin, and how can he be longing after 
 Chrift and the bleffings of falvation, which every 
 convinced (inner moil certainly does ? 
 
 All thefe queftions muft neeeflarily arife, (and 
 folve them who can) from that popular miftake, fo 
 baneful to the foul's comfort, and fo clogging to 
 the wheels of filial obedience, of placing conviction 
 of fin or repentance before reconciliation, thereby 
 making thefe to be fomething which we bring to 
 
 Chrift,
 
 ( 94 ) 
 
 Chrift, inftead of bleflings we receive out of his 
 fulnefs. And here I muft obferve, that tliis mif- 
 take itfelf arifes from confounding pardon with 
 the knowledge and fenfe of it, which it is the 
 office of faith to draw from Chrift, in whom the 
 coming, weary", bruifed firmer has already redemp- 
 tion and forgivenefs, as much a the inert advanced 
 believer, though both at his firft coming, as well 
 as all his life afterwards, he ftands in need of frerti 
 application of atoning blood to the confcience ; 
 and frefh adlings of icpentance, on account of his 
 continual tranigrefTions of God's holy law, which 
 the moft exalted faint never keeps perfectly for a 
 fingle moment. 
 
 No. CI. 
 
 FAITH and repentance can in no found 
 fenfe be called conjjjiions of the new covenant; 
 but they are thofe gifts and graces which the 
 Lord works by his fpirit in all thofe whom he 
 has already taken into covenant with himfelf. 
 
 The very firft motion of the foul towards God 
 is the effecl: of his having loved, chofen and re- 
 conciled that foul unt himfelf in Chfift Jefus. 
 Even the day of the foul's efpoufals is when (he 
 is dead in trefpafles and fins ; and all her wed- 
 ding ornaments are what (he receives from her 
 
 hufband
 
 ( 95 ) 
 
 hufband after marriage ; feeing fhe brings nothing 
 to him but rags, yea, fltby rags, which cannot 
 cover her nakednefs. . . 
 
 All the foul's after-advancements in the diyine 
 life, are but fteps whereby (he "rifes up to the 
 knowledge of -thofe blefllngs which are treafured 
 up for her in Ch.rift, . and which me receives out 
 of his inexhauftible fullnefs. The firft of thefe 
 bleflings, which the awakened, convinced foul is 
 moft particularly defirous of obtaining, is a fenfe 
 of the forgivenefs of fin. The life-giving Spirit 
 having made the foul feel the burden of fin, (he be- 
 comes weary and heavy laden ; and through the 
 weaknefs of her faith, not feeing her intereft in 
 Chrift, fhe is ready to fink under the mighty load, 
 and cannot be fatisfied till the fame Spirit proclaim 
 and witnefs peace within her, and enable her to cry 
 4'uba Father, as the earneft, feal and pledge of 
 her falvation. Various ftill are the foul's wants. 
 She complains of her weaknefs, her ignorance, 
 her deadnefs, her averfion to duty, her broken 
 vows and refolutions, her ftrong corruptions, 
 her manifold temptations, her fad defertions, 
 worldly perfecutions, &c. &c. Under all thefe, 
 however, the Lord fuftains her and brings her 
 fafe through every trial, till at laft, in fpight of 
 all the efforts of fin, Satan and hell, he brings her 
 where forrow and fighing flee away ; where the 
 wicked ceafe from troubling, and where the wea- 
 ry are at reft. 
 
 No. CII,
 
 No. CII. 
 
 THE moft advanced faint knows not the thou- 
 fandth part of the depths of fin that are in him- 
 feTF, nor the thoufandth part of the depths of that 
 love that are in Chrift. 
 
 NO. cm. 
 
 OUR not feeling fin is no proof that we have 
 it not. The non-fenfation of fin muft be from 
 fpiritual death ; the quick fenfation thereof from 
 fpiritual life. 
 
 No. CIV. 
 
 THE felf-fufficiency, felf-righteoufnefs and 
 pride of the Pharifee, efpecially of a Pharifee un- 
 der a Chriftian name, though he may be free 
 from external offences, are more deteftable in the 
 eyes of God, and have more of the nature of 
 Satan in them, (for that fien3~'CannOi"c<nhmjt 
 bo3lTy"irns7"fucb "as gluttony, drunkennefs, un- 
 cleaniufs, &c.) than any outward abominations 
 
 vrhatever. 
 
 No. CV.
 
 ( 97 ) 
 
 No. CV. 
 
 THE man who goes about to humble himfelf 
 and to amend after a fall into fin, before he looks 
 to Ch/ift, only gets hardnefs into his heart, and 
 attempts to purge away fin by fin. 
 
 Nothing muft ftand between the fmner and the 
 Savior. It is the believer's privilege and duty at 
 all times to behold the Lamb of God, as having 
 put away his fin ; and thus looking to him the 
 heart will be melted into fweet contrition. 
 
 Sin is the tranfgreflion of the law ; and who- 
 foever attempts to amend his life or to repent of 
 his fins before he will claim his intereft in Chrift, 
 not only perverts the defign of the gofpel, which 
 holds forth Chrift to finners,- merely as finners, but 
 tries to piece the law which he has broken, by 
 giving -it another rent ; the law however curfesthe 
 attempt to patch it up, as much as the firft breach 
 of it. If then you would have peace in your 
 confcience, and holinefs in your life, look to 
 Jefus as having redeemed you from the curfe of 
 the law ; and then you will obey the law from a 
 principle of love and gratitude ; yea, you will 
 delight in it after the inner man ; but it is im- 
 poffible you can love that which is always laming 
 you, and which you fear in the end will damn 
 you for your tranfgreflions agaihft it. 
 
 I No. CVI.
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 =^^= 
 
 No. CVI. 
 
 EITHER take Chriff or Mofes for your huf- 
 band ; for you cannot have both. If you are 
 married to Chrift, you are divorced from the law ; 
 (that is as a covenant by which you are to be faved, 
 but not as a rule of life) : but if you are wedded 
 to Mofes, you have no part in Chrift ; and you 
 will find Mofes to be as bloody a.n hufband as 
 Zipporah did of old. 
 
 No. CVII. 
 
 A CHILD of God may perhaps be involved 
 and entangled in fuch a manner, by fome parti- 
 cular temptation, as to be almoft at his wit's end. 
 He may try to get away from it, but circumitances 
 may be fo ordered that he cannot. He may ftrive 
 and pray againft it, and yet may be permitted to be 
 overcome by it. He may refolve and fall, and fall 
 and refolve ; and dill may feem to be no nearer de- 
 liverance. Nay, he may feem for a feafon to have 
 obtained deliverance ; and yet Satan may foil him 
 worfe than ever. ( Oh ! the diftrefs of a poor foul in 
 
 fuch
 
 ( 99 ) 
 
 fucK depths.) He concludes himfelf caft out of 
 God's remembrance. Cruel and raih profeflbrs, 
 unacquainted with Satan's temptations, and igno- 
 rant of the power of fin in themfelves, put him 
 down as having no grace ; but the Lord all 
 the while fuftains him, and feals inflrudion 
 upon his heart ; teaching him many humbling 
 leflbns, difcovering to him his own weak- 
 nefs, (hewing him where all his ftrength lies, and 
 framing his fpirit to bear with his brethren in like 
 circumftances, and never to open the Pharifaic 
 lip of pride and uncharitablenefs againft them. 
 
 When thefe and any other ufeful ends, for 
 which the temptation is fuffered to remain, are 
 anfwered, the Lord will mercifully remove it ; and 
 the foul mail know and tafte more than ever it did 
 before of the fweetnefs and extent of that graci- 
 ous promife, all things Jhall work together for 
 good to thofe who love GW, to thofe who are the 
 called after his purpofe. 
 
 No. CVIII. 
 
 A STATE of fpiritual life is not always to 
 
 be known by a freedom from fin, nor by any 
 
 external works of righteoufnefs. Neither ought 
 
 we to pronounce any man to be in a ftate of fpiri- 
 
 I 2 tual
 
 tual Heath, becaufe he may have fallen into fin ; 
 feeing that this would be to condemn many of the 
 moft eminent fcripture faints. 
 
 No. CIX. 
 
 GRACE and nature both a& in a regenerate 
 man ; and both at once. Nature" only a&s in an 
 unregenerate man. So that though fin be directly 
 contrary to the Chriftian's walk, and as regene- 
 rate he hates it, and cannot commit it j yet the 
 old nature in a believer can never love holinefs, 
 but is at perpetual enmity with it, and can only 
 be reconciled to fin. Hence that continual, 
 never- ceafing war, in a child of God, between 
 fiefh and fpirit, fin and grace, the law in the 
 members and the law in the mind. 
 
 No. CX. 
 
 THE man who is not watchful in his life and 
 converfation, and who is not humble in his heart 
 and deportment, as much defpifes Chrift in his 
 kingly office, as the felf-righteousPharifee defpifes 
 hutTm his prjeftfy office j or as he that is wife in 
 his own 'cfifticti, lllght's him in his prophetical 
 office. 
 
 No. CXL
 
 No. CXI. 
 
 OF all the abfurd cavils that ever were raifed 
 againft the do&rines of grace, the moft fo is that of 
 their being inimical to holinefs and to good works. 
 
 Surely the boafted Tons of reafon murt here have 
 grievoufly deferted their own ftandard, and have 
 fled for refuge to arguments which even a child 
 might juftly be afhamed of. Let us however give 
 them their full force, and a patient hearing. 
 
 " If man (fay they) be taken into covenant with 
 God as a guilty helplefs fmner, if (as fome enthu-* 
 fiafts affirm) he hath redemption through the 
 blood of Chrift, even the forgivenefs of his fins ? 
 according to the riches of God's grace, without 
 any merit or works of his own previous to his 
 acceptance, or as conditions thereof; the confe- 
 quence muft needs be, that having his heavy debt 
 of fin freely remitted without money and without 
 frke^ the fenfe of fo much mercy and love will 
 necefiarily caufe him to difobey the commands of 
 his heavenly Father, who hath done fuch great 
 things for him, and inftead of abounding in good 
 works, he will delight only in the practice of aid 
 manner of iniquity." -V 
 
 It may be faid that I have drefled up the objec- 
 tion in a fool's coat ill order to- laugh at it. But 
 13 in
 
 C 
 
 in very deed it can wear no other, for turn the 
 argument, and view it which way you will, it ftill 
 comes round to this, viz. *' The doctrine of 
 " falvation by grace is unfriendly to morality and 
 44 to good works, it teaches men to live after their 
 '* own hearts lufts, and to wallow in ungodlinefs." 
 
 Thus cries many a grave, learned, dignified 
 fcribe, pleading for morality [which he perhaps 
 cares little about] and being an advocate for good 
 works [which 'tis more than probable he never 
 practifes.j 
 
 Let us now hear St. Paul's judgment of this 
 matter ; and let one text fuffice, inftead of a mul- 
 titude which might be brought. 
 
 The grace of God which bringetb falvation? 
 teacheth us that denying ungodlinefs and worldly 
 lufts, we Jhould live fober 7y, righteoujly^ and godly 
 in this prefent world. See now thefe two opinions 
 in contraft. 
 
 Fajhionable Divinity. 
 
 THE do&rine of fal- 
 vation by grace is un- 
 friendly to morality and 
 to good works. It 
 teaches men to Jive af- 
 ter their own hearts 
 Jufts, and to wallow in 
 ungodlinefs. 
 
 St. Paul.^ 
 
 THE grace of God 
 which bringeth falvati- 
 on, teaches us that de- 
 nying ungodlinefs and 
 worldly lufts, we mould 
 live foberly, righteoufly 
 and godly in this pre- 
 fent world* 
 
 But
 
 But behold, a greater than Paul is here ! 
 
 Our bleffed Lord when he propounded the pa- 
 rable of the creditor and the two debtors (who 
 were both frankly forgiven} to Simon the Phari- 
 fee, concluded the converfation with faying that to 
 whom, much is forgiven, the fame loveth much ; 
 but, to whom little is forgiven, the fame lovetb 
 little. 
 
 From fcripture let us proceed to matter of facl: 
 both among clergy and laity. 
 
 Where is licentioufnefs curbed ? where is pure 
 practical religion to be found ? In the pulpits and 
 congregations where works are infifted on as me- 
 ritorious or conditional to juftification ? Or where 
 we are told that by grace we are faved through 
 faith, and that not of ourfelves, it is the gift of 
 God ; not of works, left any man Jhould boaft ; 
 for we are his workmanfoip created in Chriji 
 Jefus unto good works, which God hath before 
 erdained that we Jhould walk in them. 
 
 Alas ! Is it not evident that multitudes of mo- 
 qL/ermons produce nothing but multitudes''^ 
 immoral actions ! But where the glail tidingaoC 
 ialvation by grace, through faith alone in Chrift 
 Jefus are founded, there the effeds of that grace, 
 and the fruits of that faith are to be feen in fin- 
 ners hearts being changed, and their lives and 
 
 conver-
 
 ( 104 ) 
 
 converfations being regulated according to God's 
 holy word. 
 
 Let one ftriking example conclude our prefent 
 meditation. 
 
 When that faithful minifter of Chrift, Miy 
 
 V n, was vicar of H d in Yorkshire, he 
 
 told me that a neighbouring clergyman, the Rev. 
 
 Do&or L , then vicar of H x, one day 
 
 addrefied him nearly in the following words : 
 
 " Mr. V n, I don't know how it is, but I 
 
 ' fhould really think, that your doctrines of grace 
 " and faith were calculated to make all your 
 *' hearers live in fin ; and yet I muft cwn that 
 " there is an aftoniming reformation wrought in 
 " your parilh ; whereas I don't believe I evejL 
 " made IphTToul the' b'eltef^ " though I have been? 
 " telfingftliem' flieir duty To 'ma'riy years." 
 
 Mr. V n frniled at the Doctor's ingenuous 
 
 confeflion, and frankly told him, " he would do 
 well to burn all his old fermons, and try what 
 preaching Chrift would do." But it is to be fear- 
 ed the advice was never followed. 
 
 I only add, that if all the (merely) moral fer- 
 mons in the kingdom were to undergo the fame 
 operation, though it would perhaps be the great- 
 eft, it would be one of the moft pleafmg bonfires to 
 Cod that ever wa kindied, " 
 
 No. CXIL
 
 No. CXII. 
 
 THERE can be'no rule of right and wrong */ 
 but the will of God ; this will is contained in the 
 law of Ood, which is the written tranfcript of 
 his mind, and is revealed to man in the ten com- 
 mandments. Every believer in Chrift acknow- 
 ledges that he is dead to this law, and that ,this 
 Jaw is dead to him, as a covenant of works by 
 which he is to hope for juftification and falvation. 
 But it is amazing that any believers mould deny 
 that the moral law remains in full force, as a rule 
 of life to every one that is ingrafted into Chrift by 
 faith : and yet when they come to explain them- 
 felves, it fhall be found, that this manner of 
 fpeaking is by no means defigned to caft difhonor 
 on the law, or to fet afide any of its commands. 
 
 Their language is, that being the freemen of 
 Chrift, they are no longer under the bondage of 
 the law ; and that the love of God is the grand 
 principle and fpring of all holy obedience. 
 
 It is agreed on all hands, that every believer is 
 as much delivered from the Jaw, as a covenant 
 of works whereby he is to expect life, as a wo- 
 man who is married a fecond time is freed 
 
 from
 
 ( 106 ) 
 
 from obedience to her ftrft hufband, who is 
 dead. 
 
 It is alfo agreed, that love is the grand motive 
 of all holy obedience. 
 
 Wherein now is die difference ? One Chriftian 
 fays that the law is a believer's rule of life ; ano- 
 ther fays the law is not a believer's rule of life. 
 Yet both fay that they 'are no longer under the 
 law, as a covenant of works; and both fay that 
 the love of God is the Chriftian's grand prin- 
 ciple of obedience. Surely the difpute is merely 
 about words. 
 
 To affirm that the law of love is my rule, and 
 not the moral law, is not Id's a j^jtinffion with- 
 ouFa difference. For what is the moral law but 
 the law of luve ? The fum and fubiiunce of it is 
 love. Love to God, and love to our neighbor. 
 It may be objecled, how can that be the law of 
 love which fhuts up every foul under wrath, and 
 is itfelf a miniftration of wrath, death, and con- 
 demnation ? It may as reafonably be afked, how 
 can God be love^ and yet a confumlng fire ? He 
 is neverthelefs both. And as He is, fo is his 
 law. It levels all the curTes, thijnderings and 
 firings of Sinai, againft every foul that is under 
 it. But it is a law of love to the believer in 
 Chriil; his language (whether under the Old Tef- 
 tamcnt or under theNew) is, Obovj Hove thy law! 
 
 I delight
 
 ( 107 ) 
 
 delight in the law after the Inward 'man. 
 the mind, I fcrve the law of God, pointing parti- 
 cularly to that law which faith, Thoujkait nit co~ 
 vet. ^ bis is the love of God, that we keep his 
 commandments. 
 
 Again, to make a diftinion between the royal 
 law of love, and the moral law, is to jump into 
 the very error it tries to avoid ; tor it tends to the 
 , eftablifhment of that Arminian whim, _ called a 
 remedial law of grace, and caufes the eternal im- 
 mutable law ot JenovaK^ to ttooptcTthe TTraTfty of 
 the creature. 
 
 Can any thing be plainer than the following 
 texts to prove that the moral law and the law of 
 love are one and the fame ? 
 
 Our Savior faith, Thou Jhalt love the Lord thy 
 God with all thy heart and mind, and fcul and 
 Jlrengtb. This is the firjl and great commandment. 
 And the fecond is like unto it, viz. Thou Jhalt 
 love thy neighbor as .tbyfelf* On thefe two com- 
 mandments hang all the law and the prophets. 
 Thus fp^ke he who came to refcue the moral 
 law from the falfe gloffes which the Scribes and 
 Pharifees had put upon it, and to enforce it in its 
 extent, and fpirituality, both for conviction of 
 fin, and as a rule of life. 
 
 Let us hear now the language of his apoftles. 
 Ows no man any thing, but to love one another ; 
 
 for
 
 ( io8 ) 
 
 for be that lovetb another^ bath fulfilled the law. 
 For this, tbou foalt not commit adultery \ thou 
 Jbalt not kill ; thou Jbalt not Jleal j thou jhalt not 
 bear falfe witnefs ; tbou Jhalt not covet : and If 
 there be any other commandment, it is briefly com- 
 prehended in this faying^ namely, tbou Jb a it love thy 
 neig'.bor as thyfelf. Love worketh no ill to his 
 neighbor \ therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 
 Rom. xiii. 8,9, 10. Hear now another witnefs. 
 If ye fulfil the royal law, according tothefcripture y 
 Thou Jhalt love thy neigbour as thyfelf, ye do ^ueU. 
 For he that faid thou Jhalt not commit adultery, 
 faid a/ft da not kill^ &c. &c. Jam. ii. 8, q, 
 10, II, 12. 
 
 Where now is the difference between the mo- 
 ral law and the law of love ? and how can one 
 be a believer's rule of life without the other, fince 
 in reality they are one and the fame ? 
 
 If it be faid, that a believer takes the whole 
 book of God to be his rule of life; and not the 
 twentieth chapter of Exodus only ; 
 
 I anfwer, that by taking the Jaw to be my 
 rule of life, I by no means reject, but on the 
 contrary I adopt every other part of the facred 
 volume, (thofe fhadows and ceremonies, which 
 are pafTcd away, excepted) as nothing is enjoined 
 or forbidden therein which is not comprehended 
 in the decalogue. Perfect Jove to God is the rule 
 
 of
 
 of the firft table. Love to our neighbor as to our- 
 felves, the rule of the fecond table. 
 
 Let it now be conddered, that this moral law, 
 or law of lovt, or law of liberty to man in inno- 
 cence, and to man redeemed, (being a law of 
 wrath and terror only to man fallen) is that very 
 fame law which was written on Adam's heart in 
 Paradife : the fame which continued from. 
 Adam unto Mofes, when it was more diftin&ly 
 promulgated from Mount Siriai : the fame which 
 accufed or excufed the conferences of the Gen- 
 tiles : the feme which brings in the whole world 
 guilty before its precepts : the fame which our 
 Lord in his firft fermon on the Mount, enforces 
 and reftores to its purity : the fame which the 
 apoftles hold forth as the fteady ru!e by which 
 bdievers, under the influence of faith and love, 
 are to walk, 
 
 Let thefe things be duly confidered ; and then 
 let us briefly examine what mifchiefs will arife 
 from rejecting the moral law as a believer's rule 
 of life. 
 
 i/#. By fo doing, I fet afide the immutable 
 eternal nature of the law, and make void the ever- 
 lafting obligation there is upon all reafonable crea- 
 tures to obey it. 
 
 idly. Take away the law (as the ftandard of 
 
 good and evil, by which all adlions are to be 
 
 K tried),
 
 ( no ) 
 
 tried), and with it we take away fin alfo ; for 
 where no law is, there is no tranfgrejjion. 
 
 3#/y. Take away the law, -as the tell and crite- 
 rion of right and wrong, and no believer on earth 
 can tell^when he offends PocT; for / bad not 
 known fin, (faith St. Paul) except the law had 
 faid thou Jhalt not covet. 
 
 ^thly. Take away the law, as a believer's rule 
 of life, and he ceafes to fee the continual need he 
 ftands in of Chrift, to fave him 
 
 hourly tranfgreflions againft it. 
 
 $thly. Take away the law, as that by which a 
 believer is to fquare his conduct ; and what other 
 rule will you eftablifh in 'its ftead ? Does faith in 
 Chrift teach us any other obedience than what 
 is briefly comprehended in thefe words, Thou Jhalt 
 love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. and 
 thy neighbor as thyfelf. 
 
 Now, Chriftian, let me afk thee, Is not the 
 law thy rule of life ? thou wilt anfwer, Yes, 
 through grace I take the law as fuch j but alas ! 
 I fall fadly fhort in my obedience to it. Be hum- 
 bled then for thy tranfgrefiions, and rejoice in 
 this ; viz. that Chrijt is the end of the law for 
 righteoufnefs to every one that believeth ; fcr what 
 the law could not do, in that it was weak through the 
 flcjh, God fending his own Son in. the likenefs of fin- 
 ful jlejh, and for fin condemned fin in the fejh, tha,t 
 
 the
 
 ( III ) 
 
 the righteoufnef; of the law might be fulfilled In us 
 who walk not after the flej))^ but after the fpirit. 
 
 Let us conclude this number by lamenting 
 that any worthy laborious minifters fhould get 
 themfelves branded with the name of Anti- 
 nomians, and greatly hurt their own ufefulnefs, 
 by denying the law to be a believer's rule of life, 
 whilft in reality they are zealous for good works, 
 and ftrenuous advocates for vital godlinefs, as well 
 as crucified to the world, and exemplary in their 
 own lives and converfations. 
 
 No. CXIIL 
 
 THOUGH the fins and backfliding of a be- 
 liever cannot deftroy his intereft in Chrift, yet 
 they may fo far deftroy his comfort (efpecially, if 
 long perfifted in againft light and love, and of a 
 foul nature), that even after he is delivered from, 
 the power of them, he may for a long time go 
 bleeding under the wounds he has received from 
 the commiflion of them. 
 
 The promife indeed is fure that God will not 
 UTTERLY take away his loving kindnefs from one 
 individual of the feed of grace, yet the threat is no 
 lefs certain, that he will vifit their iniquity with 
 * rod t and their fin with fcourges y not in a way of 
 K 2, vin-
 
 vindictive wrath, for that was all fpent upon 
 Chrift, but in a way of mercy and fatherly chaf- 
 tifement. And, they only who know what it i 
 to lofe the light of God's countenance after hav- 
 ing enjoyed it for any time, can tell how fad and 
 bitter a thing it is to be without the fenfible pre- 
 fence of him whofe favor is better than life. 
 
 In fuch a flate, however, it is a good fign 
 when the foul is very earneft and importunate at 
 the throne of grace to recover its former frames 
 and feelings, and a very bad fign when fenfible- 
 confolations are looked upon as nothing worth. 
 
 The language of grace in thefe ftraits will be 
 " O Lord, let me regain, yea more than regain my 
 " firft love, and do my firft works. O let me 
 *' be zealous and repent ; and remember from 
 " whence I am fallen. O let thy love be again 
 " (hed abroad in my poor difconfolatc barren 
 " heart by the Holy Ghoft. Do thou enable 
 " me to cry Alia Father ; and let thy fpirit bear 
 " witnefs with my fpirit that -I am a child of 
 " Gcd." If fuch be the cry of thy heart, thy 
 prayer will be heard, and anfwered, only wait 
 patiently the Lord's leifure. 
 
 No. CXIV.
 
 ( "3 ) 
 
 No. CXIV. 
 
 HE was delivered for our offence^ and raifed 
 4 gain for our j unification. 
 
 The justification here mentioned is certaMy 
 .not of our perfons before God j becaufe this was 
 effected by a work of Chrift, previous to his re- 
 furrc&ion, viz. by his obedience unto death $ in- 
 cluding his a&ive and pafUve righteoufhefs. But 
 the juftification in this place means a declarative 
 ^acquittal before angels and men ; in the fame 
 fenfe as good works juftify our faith and profef- 
 iion : Jam. ii. 24. or as good words juftify the 
 foundnefs and integrity of the heart. By thy 
 words thou Jbalt be jujiijied. Mat. xii. 27. Or 
 as wifdom is juflified of her children. Luke, vii. 
 ^5. In this view of the text, it is animating, and 
 full of confolation. 
 
 No. CXV. 
 
 A N healthy man may fall down and breaJt 
 
 a bone, (efpecially if he venture upon flippery 
 
 places), which yet may be fet again, and the 
 
 K 3 limb
 
 C "4 ) 
 
 lunb be ftronger than before, without Impairing 
 his conftitution. But there is lefs hope of him 
 who is in a fpintuardecline, or in an atrophy. 
 
 As it is in temporals, fo in fpirituals : a ftrong 
 Chriftian, by venturing too much on the flippery 
 borders of temptation, may get a fearful tumble 
 into the mire, and complain of broken bones as 
 David did j but by grace he will rife again, and 
 walk more warily : whereas fpiritual declenfions 
 (at the root of which the canker worm of worldly- 
 mindednefs ufually lies concealed) eat up the 
 very vitals of religion ; and are the more danger- 
 ous as they advance more imperceptibly. 
 
 No. CXVI. '., 
 
 THE moft advanced Chriftians little fufpe& 
 how much felf-confidence and cleaving to the law 
 of works ftill remains In them* wfrco they 
 would loar ileaven wards, and enjoy communion 
 and fellowfhip with their Lord, they find that the 
 wings of faith and love are clipped j they have 
 no liberty in their confciences, no accefs with 
 boldnefs to the throne or grace : They feel not the 
 lov? of Godjbed abroad in their hearts by the Holy 
 Ghoft ; obedience of courfe flags, duty is irkfome, 
 and they cry my ltunnefs y my Uannefs. Alas ! my 
 
 foul,
 
 C us ) 
 
 foul, what doft thou lofe by not living more by 
 the faith of the Son of God ? Examine thyfelf 
 well, and thou wilt find that all thy dry barren, 
 frames and all thy unfruitfulnefs is owing to thy 
 looking too much at felf, and not enough to 
 Chrift. Pray then for an increafe of the preci- N , 
 ous faith of God's elett. Lean lefs, rather not 7 
 at all, on thyfelf, more on Chrift. Then (halt 
 thou foon find that bis Jlrength Jhall be made 
 ferfeft in thy weaknefs ; yea, that though of thy- 
 felf thou can'Jl do nothing, yet that thou can'Jl do 
 all things through Chrift who ftrengthenetb thee: 
 then (halt thou run with an enlarged heart the 
 way of God's commandments j thy language 
 (hall be, Oh ! how I love thy law : mortification, 
 felf-denial, and taking up the crofs, though im- 
 poffible to flefh and blood, mail even be delight, 
 ful to thee : nay, thou (halt riot only be ready 
 to fujfer, but, if need be, to die for the Lord 
 Jefus. 
 
 Thus (hall the fenfe of thy own weaknefs, fin- 
 fulnefs and nothingnefs bring glory to God and 
 profit to thyfelf. 
 
 Ko. CXVII*
 
 ( 1X6 ) 
 
 re- 
 
 No. CXVII. 
 
 THERE are thofe who think they ought 
 never to pray but when they find their hearts 
 <drawn out by the fpirit of grace and fupplication, 
 inviting them as it were to that holy exercife. 
 
 This notion appears to have no foundation in 
 fcripture ; yea, it feems dire&ly contrary to fcrip- 
 ture, and if given way to, may in the end leave 
 the foul totally prayerlefs, if not gracelefs, 
 
 I would rather follow the example of Luther, 
 \vhoalways haftened to tfie throne of grace, whea 
 lie found the greateft indifpofition to go thither ; 
 and by that means often warmed a cold heart at 
 the fire of God's altar. 
 
 Under the law if the facrifice would not go 
 willingly, it was to be dragged. And under the 
 ^ .gofpcl, tie kingdom of heaven fufferetb vislence y 
 violent take it by foru. 
 
 No. CXVIIL 
 
 1 HAVE often been aftonifhed that any good 
 wen fhould be againit making a general tender of 
 the gofpel to finners, 
 
 It
 
 ( H7 ) 
 
 It will be faid, that none have intereft in gofpef 
 bleflings but believers. Granted, But ftill their 
 right and title to the gofpel is not founded on their 
 being believers; but merely on their being finners, 
 deftitute of every fpark of faith, grace, or goodnefs- 
 
 But if the gofpel is to be preached only to be- 
 lievers, or to a gathered church, to whom did the 
 apotfles preach it before any fouls were converted 
 to the faith ? certainly not to believers, non? of 
 which were perhaps before them in the multitudes 
 they addrefTed, but to finners as fuch, who by be- 
 Jieving the gofpel report became interefted in the 
 felvation it holds forth. 
 
 It iy tnfling to fay that a general offer fuppofea 
 a power in the finner to believe and to accept that 
 offer. This is by no means the cafe ; but it 
 fuppofes that God accompanies his own word 
 with his own power. And that he dire&s that 
 arrow to the hearts of his own people, which the 
 preacher fhoots by drawing the bow at a venture. 
 The almighty fiat originally fpake the world out 
 of nothing : and furely he who gives the com- 
 mand to believe and to arife from the dead, can 
 clothe that mandate with a quickening efficacy, fo 
 that ele& fouls fhall come out of the grave of un- 
 belief and live. " Thus (faith Bp. Beveridge) 
 
 " we find in Ifrael's return from Babylon to 
 " Jerufalem j though Cyrus made proclama- 
 
 " tion
 
 ** tion that whoever would might go up to wor- 
 * fhip at the holy city, Ezra i. 3. yet there were 
 *** none that accepted the offer but thofe whofe 
 "fpirit God had raifed to go uj>. V. 5. 5O here, 
 " though God Hoth as it "vfere" proclaim to all the 
 " world, that whofoever will come to Chrift fhall 
 ** certainly be faved, yet it is certain none can will 
 " to come unlefs God enable them." 
 
 Bp. Beveridge's Private Thoughts. 
 
 Under the law, the prophets made the general 
 offer to Tinners : Ezekiel particularly addrefled 
 himfelf to the dry bones, O ye dry bones, bear yt 
 the word of the Lord. And under the gofpel, 
 our Lord and his apoftles frequently called to the 
 dead in fin, to repent and to believe the gofpel : nay 
 St. Peter actually excites Simon Magus, (though 
 then in the gall of bitternefs and bind of iniquity) 
 both to repentance and to prayer. In a word, 
 they made the general tender to finners, whofo- 
 fver will let him come and take of the water of 
 life freely, though only as many as were ordained 
 to eternal life believed, 
 
 It was ihe departing command of our bleffed 
 Lord tohis difciples. Preach the gofpglto every crea- 
 ture. In which command, certainly, no one crea- 
 ture is excepted. Much lefs millions and millions of 
 creatures, which would be the cafe, if the offer of 
 Chrift were to be made only to believers, who 
 
 arc
 
 C "9 ) 
 
 are already interested in him. So that the com- 
 mand feems worded in fuch a manner as ex- 
 preflly to take in the unconverted. 
 
 Befides, how could any be left without excufe 
 at the great day for rejecting the gofpel offer, if 
 that offvr never were made to them ? 
 
 Lajlly. It is a notorious fact that God blefles 
 and owns that preaching in which there are 
 folemn adrefTes to finner$j_:whereas thofe. who 
 only apply themfelves to believers are feldom 
 made inftrumental in adding to their num- 
 ber." 
 
 Much has been faid againft a pious minifter 
 for telling his congregation that " he charged 
 them all to meet him at God's right hand at the 
 great day." The expreffion is a ftrong one. 
 yet furely all he meant was this. " If you perifh, 
 " your blood be on your own heads, I have now 
 " folemnly warned you. I have delivered my 
 *' own mefTage, and my own foul. If you 
 " neglect this warning, you will die eternally. 
 " If you turn to God in confequence of it, I 
 " fhall meet you as my joy and crown of re- 
 " joicing at the right hand of God before an af 
 fembled world." 
 
 In this fenfe, and certainly no other was in. 
 tended, the expreffion was not only allowable, 
 but found, and no objection can, reafonably lie 
 
 againft
 
 againft it, but what will equally lie againft the 
 prophet Ezekiel for his expostulations with the 
 rebellious houfe of Ifrael, to turn THEMSELVES 
 live* 
 
 No. CXIX. 
 
 THE believer carries no worfe enemy about 
 him than (pirttual ftotb. This foe is fo much 
 
 'JM^BpMBHMMMHM 
 
 the more fubtle as it does not make its attack* 
 fuddenly, but creeps upon him unawares ; and 
 the more dangerous, as it afiatilts both foul and 
 bodyj and both foul and body are too ready to 
 fide with it againft themfelves. Other fins are 
 for the moft part either flefhly or fpiritual. 
 Among the former, are gluttony, drunkennefs, 
 uncleannefs, &c. Among the latter, pride, 
 envy, malice, hatred, &c. but Spiritual flqtb 
 affects both body and mind, and whofoever gives 
 way to it deprives hinifelt" of many bit-flings 
 which are promifed to ilriving, diligent, circum- 
 fpecl fouls. 
 
 It may be faid that God in the everlafting 
 
 .covenant has fet down and decreed what degrees 
 
 of grace, knowledge, and fruitrulaefs all his 
 
 people ihould arrive at $ and therefore all their 
 
 driving
 
 driving and praying will not add a tittle thereto, 
 or diminifli an atom therefrom. 
 
 I anfwer, that though this be a fcriptura! truth^ 
 and when rightly taken by a poor feeking ibul 
 complaining of barrennefs, a very comfortable 
 one, yet the language of the objection is totally 
 unfcripfural, and argues only for the abufe, not 
 for the ufe of the dodtrine ; and whofoever can 
 reft fatistied under the notion that he has as 
 much grace and fruitfulnefs as God before or- 
 dained that he mould have, has reafon to fufpecl 
 that he may be in the number of thofe whom 
 God has before ordained to condemnation; fince 
 a regenerate heart cannot exift without its diftin* 
 guimmg charaileTlfUc"," Ufl foltflgTtw flHft* Tfj 
 after 
 
 . 
 
 Moft certain it is, that known unto God are 
 all his works ; and that every the moft minute 
 circumftance which concerns his church, and 
 every individual member thereof, is exa&ly and 
 wifely ordered ; infomuch that as nothing comes 
 by chance, fo nothing can be altered to be cthefc- 
 \vife than, it is. 
 
 But it is equally -certain, that fecret things 
 belong unto God, whofe decrees are all accom- 
 plifhed in the ufe of, appointed "J^ 3 "^ 5 and that X 
 a man may as ^eafonafily expeS to become fober 
 by drinking drams, or to get fat by ftarving himfelf 
 L to
 
 ( 122 ) 
 
 to death, as any foul may fuppofe lie can be ad- 
 mitted into heaven without jlrivlng to enter in at 
 the ftrait gate. 
 
 Thofe whom the Lord in his counfel (fecret to 
 us} hath predeftinated unto eternal life, he hath 
 alfo predejiinated to be confoniml^ to the 'im^gf of 
 his o^un cleat Son, in their way thither -, a id fuch 
 as are~"Branc!TeT ingrahed into Chnll the true 
 vine, are purged by the heavenly bujbandman that 
 they Jhould bring forth much fruit. 
 '"Again, Ihowgh all gofpel bleffings are trea- 
 fured up in Chrift, yet they are promifed to 
 knocking, feeklng, ajking fouls, and whofoevcr 
 calls himfelf a believer, and has not found in the 
 courfe of his experience, that the way to thrive in 
 his foul, is to live near to God, righting againlV 
 fin in the ftrength of Chrift, and in a diligent 
 ufe of the means of grace, may well call in 
 queftion the truth of his faith, and doubt 
 whether the root of the matter, as Jqb fpeaks, was 
 Cv'er really in him. 
 
 But it is in vain to \va.1e words. All the exhor- 
 tations, commands and threats, with which the 
 fcripture abounds, are levelled agairjft this compli- 
 cated evil, fpiriiwl Jloth* O then, my foul, 
 take unto thee the whole armour of God ; and 
 above all, the fhield of faith. Up, up, and be do- 
 ing. Strive earneftly > fight ipanfully j redeem 
 
 the
 
 ( "3 ) 
 
 the time. Death, judgment, eternity are at hand : 
 and who knows what a day may bring forth ? 
 Whatever be out of thy fight, as to the Lord's 
 decrees, his revealed will is before thy eyes ; and 
 this is the will of God, even your fanclificaticn. 
 
 Inftead therefore of perplexing th)felf with 
 vain reafonings, as to the purpofes of God con- 
 cerning thy fpi ritual growth and attainments, be- 
 hold both his defigns and thy duty reconciled, 
 and pointed out by the apoftle. Work out your 
 own falvation with feat and trembling j for it is 
 God that worketb in you of his good pleafure* 
 
 No. CXX. v & 
 
 THOUGH the temptations of God's people 
 are various, according to the refpective circum- 
 fiances and temperament of the parties, yet there 
 are very few, perhaps no real Chriftians, who have 
 not been diftrefied on the three following; ac- 
 
 o 
 
 counts. 
 
 j/?. Great wanderings and great deadnefs in 
 prayer. 
 
 -id'y. Blafphemousand other horrible thoughts, 
 particularly at tlie very feafons when they would 
 widi to be freed from thofe thoughts.
 
 ( "4 ) 
 
 Doubts about the truth of the fcriptures, 
 extendingto queftion even the very being of aGod. 
 Thefe are matters that the vafTals of Satan 
 feldom perplex themfelves about. But if that 
 fiend of darknefs cannot keep one of ChrHVs 
 
 ^^tBt^+^^^^^m**^^^^***^*******^**^**-!***!^.**** >+* i in miu *m^mm*'^* 1 *** 
 
 iheep out of heaven, he will make them go 
 jngThithcr if he caru 
 
 No. CXXI. 
 
 \ 
 
 .IT is abfolutely impoflible that the worjcl 
 
 fhould have any idea either of the joys or for- 
 rows of God's people ; becaufe both the one 
 and the other are peculiar to grace ; and are fuch 
 as nature is totally incapable of taking any part in. 
 
 No. CXXIf. 
 
 EVERY believer, who has attained a right 
 knowledge of himfelf, will acknowledge with 
 blefled Bradford the martyr,' then- Dean of St. 
 Paul's, that the feeds of every fin that ever was 
 or can be committed, are in his own heart and 
 nature, 
 
 This
 
 This knowledge affords the Chriftiari great 
 caufe of humility. But it affords him greater 
 flill, that the Lord hath loved him 'in this ftate 
 of filth, rebellion and apoftacy ; yea hath wafhed 
 him fo pure in the blood of his fon, that the mo- 
 ral law itfelf can find no fpeck of fin upon him. 
 And that, by the power of the Holy Ghoft, he 
 choofes God for his portion, and turns his back 
 on the world, the flefh, and the devil. 
 
 NO. cxxiir. 
 
 WHAT rich food for a believing foul is 
 there in this one promife, " Call upon me In the 
 Jay of trouble i and I will deliver thee?" Bleffed 
 be thy name, O Lord, for the full experience 
 that one poor finner has repeatedly had of the 
 power and efficacy of this promife, even when 
 heart and flefh were ready to fail ; and when his 
 own fin and bafenefs had been the caufe of his dif- 
 trefs ; fo that he could truly adopt the prophet's 
 exclamation : O Ifrael, thou baft defrayed thy- 
 > but in me it thy help. 
 
 No. CXXIV.
 
 ( 126 ) 
 
 No. CXXIV. 
 
 THE man who does not fee that the world rs 
 his enemy, who does not feel his danger from its 
 
 M*v* >^*' 
 
 fnares and entanglements, and even from its 
 allowable comforts ; and who docs not watch and 
 pray againft a worldly mind, is of all others the 
 fafteft boimd with the world's chains. 
 
 Lord, evermore give me that faith which over- 
 cometh the world j that fo I may be crucified unto 
 the world, and the world unto me. 
 
 No. CXXV. 
 
 I T were much to be wifhed, that the minif- 
 ters of the gofpel would not only lift up their 
 .voices againft the outward abominatrons of drunk- 
 cnnefs, profanenefs, fabbath-breaking, unclean- 
 nefs, &c. but that they wou d more frequent- 
 ly mew their hearers the diabolical nature of 
 fpiritual wickednefs; fuch as pnde, envy, ma- 
 lice, hacred, revnige, covetouinefs, fclr- \\iil, un- 
 charitablenefs } with many others which fpring 
 
 from
 
 from the fame infernal root, and under the pow- 
 cr of which multitudes live and die, without ever 
 facing made fenfible or their accurfed quality and 
 heinous gilt. 
 
 But oh ! how fad is it to fee profeflbrs of the 
 religion of the meek and lovely Jefus, under the 
 influence and dominion of thefe Satanical tempers, 
 even whilft the outfide of the platter is made exceed, 
 ingly white and clean, andf there^whilft is an ex- 
 act talkative knowledge of gofpel doctrines j with 
 a running about to hear different preachers, per- 
 three or four times a week ; an hymn book, 
 tfr and a little Biblq, being the ufual poc- 
 ket furniture. Often alas ! have I been witnefs 
 to thefe things. Yet fure I am that it was the 
 conftant practice of our Lord and of his apoftles 
 to bear the fame teftimony againft thefe truly de- 
 vilifh difpofitions, as againft adultery, fornication, 
 drunkennefs, theft and murder. Out of the 
 heart (faith Chrift) proceed evil thoughts, adulte- 
 ries, fornications, murder 'j, thefts, covetoufncfs, 
 deceit, lafciviottfnefi, an evil eye, blafphcmy, pride, 
 foolijhnefs. Mark, vii. 21, 22. So the apoftle 
 Paul, enumerating the works of the flefh, claffes 
 hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, Jlrife % en- 
 vyings, with adulteries, murders, drunkennefs, 
 revellings, and fuch like. Gal. v. 21. And in 
 v. 26. he adds, let us not be defirous of vain
 
 (.128 ) 
 
 glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 
 The Church of England too teaches all her mem- 
 bers to pray againft pride, vain glory and hypo* 
 crify, envy, hatred and malice, with the fame 
 breath that they fupplicate deliverance from for- 
 nication, and all other deadly fin. And in the 
 exhortation before the communion, (he not only 
 ranks malice and envy with blafphemy and adul- 
 tery, but warns all perfons who are under the 
 power of thefe fins, not to approach the Lord's 
 table. However deteftable in God's pure eyes, 
 corporeal fins, fuch as gluttony, drunkennefs, un- 
 cleannefs, &c. may be, yet fpiritual iniquities 
 -are more of the eflenee of the fallen naturej^asjvell 
 of the nature of^Sa^nJihTjfelfjhan thofe are : but 
 both the one and other fpring from the fame 
 poifoned fountain, viz. the original corruption 
 and apoftacy of man, and therefore they are both 
 equally denominated by the ivorks of theflejh ; nay, 
 they are both alike called filthinefs, the fpirit as 
 well as the flerti having its own grofs pollutions ; 
 and the fame remedy is pointed out in fcripture 
 for the cure of one as the other, viz. faith in 
 the word of promife. Having therefore^ d.arly 
 beloved, thefe promifes, let us cleanfe ourfefoes 
 from all FJLTHINESS of the flejh and fpirit, per- 
 fecting holinefs in the fear of God. i Co*, vii. r. 
 wherefore (faith another apoftle) laying afide all 
 
 matitf
 
 ( 129 J 
 
 malice and all guile, and hypocrites, and envy ings ^ 
 <3c. as new birn babes defer e the fen cere milk sf 
 the word, i Pet. xxi. 2. Now, in all this black 
 catalogue there is not a fin named but what 
 the fpiritual, or I fhould rather fay, the Jmma- 
 terul part of UKUI commits, and not one that 
 his material part, the body, can have any 
 (hare in j and yet the exhortation againft them 
 is not at all lefsttrong than againft the outward 
 abominations fpeciiied in the eleventh verfe 
 of that fame chapter. Dearly beloved, I be- 
 feech you asjlrangers and pilgrims, abftain from 
 Jlejhly lufts, which war again/? the foul. ,St. 
 Paul again mentions thefe fpiritual filthinefles as 
 what highly grieve the Holy Spirit of God. 
 Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are fealed 
 unto the day of redemption. Let all bitternefs^ 
 and wrath, and anger, and clamour and evil- 
 fpeaking be put away from you, with all MALICE. 
 Examine thyfelf then, my foul, how it ftands 
 with thee ,in this matter ; fmce I may be a flou- 
 rifhing profeffor outwardly, a-nd yet no better 
 than a painted fepulchre inwardly. Am I hum- 
 bled for my fpiritual filthinefs ? Do I mourn over 
 the heart-rifings of pride, envy, malice, hatred, 
 liypocrify, unbelief, revenge, with the whole 
 train of evil thoughts, which come from within 
 and defile the man ? Have I put on the Lord 
 
 Jefus
 
 Jefus Chrift ? And have I, though but in a finall 
 degree, the mind that was in him ? Am I cloth- 
 ed with humility, and am I bringing forth the 
 fruits of the fpirir, being kind, tender-hearted, 
 forgiving others, even as God for ChrilVs fake bath 
 forgiven me ? If this be my cafe, the humbling 
 fenfe I have of the fpiritual evils with which my 
 nature abounds, is a full proof that they have not 
 the dominion over me ; but that I am in the 
 happy number of thofe whofe felf-knowledge 
 keeps them low in their own eyes, and caufeth 
 diem to take Chrift as their all in all. 
 
 No. CXXVI. 
 
 W H A T E V.E R be left undone, my foul, 
 thefe things muft be thy daily employment ; and 
 unlefs thou art in a bad ftate of fpiritual health, 
 they will be fo. 
 
 To be much in prayer and meditation. 
 
 Never to mifs reading fome portion of God's 
 pure word. 
 
 To ranfack every corner of a deceitful and de- 
 jberately wicked heart. 
 
 To keep a watch over every rifing thought, as 
 well as over every won! and aft ton. 
 
 Ta
 
 To be particularly on thy guard againft any 
 lefetting evil. 
 
 To bring the folernn^ folemn, foiemn hour of 
 departure often before thy eyes. 
 
 In whatever bufinefs thy hands are engaged, 
 this muft be thy daily work, and that of every- 
 one who would be found watching, and who has 
 taken Chrift as his prophet, prieft, and king. 
 
 No. CXXVH. 
 
 THERE is perhaps no part of a minifter's 
 office more arduous than to know how to encou- 
 rage weak faith, and at the fame time to dif- 
 courage unbelief: and yet the difficulty feems to 
 lie in diftinguiniin^b^twejen^that unbelief, which 
 dilhonors God, by rejecting, or rather by doubt- 
 ing the tettirnony ur" his v, uid ; and that which 
 makes the foul queftion its own particular intereft 
 in thepromiles. Of the former kind was that 
 of the difciples, when cur Lord upbraided them 
 with their unbelief and hardnefs of heart, becaufe 
 they believed not them which had feen him after he 
 was rifen. Mark, xvi. 14. Luke, xxiv. 25. Of 
 the latter kind was that of poor Peter, who, 
 when he was ready to fink, cried out Lord fave> 
 } peri/h. Whilft Jefus very gently, if at all, re- 
 buked
 
 feuked his fears and mifgivings, he cherifhed and 
 comforted his weak faith. O thou of iitih faith % 
 wherefore didjl thou doubt? Of the fame kind 
 is that of every humble convinced fmner, weary 
 with doubts, and heavy laden with fears ; and 
 whofoever tells a poor, penitent, awakened foul, 
 that his doubts and fears increafe his guilt, 
 
 . - , ,- ^ j r - -,- ^__i___^ mr^M^*^^**** 1 
 
 which mutt be the cafe if they are finfu!, rubs 
 
 _^p B ^Mwh^^BMMUMi*i^M* l ** >l ^f IIIMMn "*V* l ^*V^MHBMi|MBMHtalM^H*M^W 
 
 fait mtotne wounds, when he mould apply oil ; 
 and acts but too like the unfaithful fnepherds of 
 old, againft whom the Lord thus complains by 
 the mouth of his prophet. The difeafed have ye 
 not Jlrengthencd^ neither have ye healed that "which 
 was fick^ neither have ye bound up that which was 
 broken. Ezek. xxxiv. 4. 
 
 A poor doubting foul ought not (indeed he 
 cannot) reft fatish'ed in fucha ftate, bat ought to 
 be continuaT^T'looIcTng to Jefus to increafe his 
 faith. Compare this No. with No. LVI1I. p. 
 46. 
 
 No. CXXVIII. 
 
 I F thofe who are apt to take things amifc 
 in others, would carefully examine- their own 
 hearts, they would gencially find this temper 
 owing to fomething very much amifs in them- 
 
 ,- ,
 
 ( 133 ) 
 
 fdves. Pride and felf-will are commonly the pa- 
 Vents of it. 
 
 No. CXXIX. 
 
 THERE are fome perfons who, fo long as 
 they fancy that you look upon them to be alt 
 perfection, will be exceedingly pleafed with you ; 
 but if they have let out their corruptions befofe 
 you, and they think you fee them in their true 
 colours, they immediately diilike you. 
 
 When this temper appears, it proves to a cer- 
 tainty, that all their feeming love to you, was 
 only love to themfelvcs'; and that as the pride 
 of" being tKoug&t JTomething ftrft begat it, fo whea 
 they are confcious that you can no longer have 
 the feme opinion of them which you had at itrft, 
 pride meeting with a mortification, they can no 
 longer bear you, merely becaufe you hioiv them* 
 
 iMi~*3&***i**^^. [T .* I^p^^-_ ___ rmtmma* n"' 11 rtf'" i~'"^ II 1 ' ""' ^'imwi ' "^ 
 
 For the very fame reafon it is, that others always 
 diflike thofe whom they tUemfelves have behaved 
 ill to. 
 
 But perhaps the moft dreadful of all fpiritual 
 filthinefs is that^o^ <*g$ ^inlftpr o f Chrift envy- 
 ing another minifter's gifts and ufefulnefs, even 
 to a degree of malice which cannot bear to hear 
 t&em commended. t 
 
 M That
 
 'C 134 ) 
 
 That the human laeart is capable of this, is 
 too certain : But furely thofe who feel any 
 thing of the fort rifing in their bofoms, mould im- 
 mediately retire, and pray for j:hat perfon, or 
 minifter, whom they find to be the object of this 
 Satanical temper. 
 
 And as the whole train of fpiritual evils pro- 
 ceed from within, what need have all to be ear- 
 neft at the throne of grace that they may obtain 
 that pnciouf faith, by which alone the heart can 
 be purified, and be made a fit temple for the fw*:e 
 fpirit of love to dw^ll in. 
 
 No. CXXX. 
 
 T'H E Lord pafles his love over upon a foul, 
 and takes it into covenant with himfelf, whilft it is 
 in a flate of enmity and rebellion againft him, and 
 dead in trefpafTes and fins. But the foul cannot 
 be taken into covenant with God, and yet re- 
 main unpardoned j for if the covenant be not a 
 covenant of peace and reconciliation, and if it 
 do not actually re- inflate the foul into that favor 
 with God, which was forfeited by the fall, it does 
 nothing. 
 
 Every
 
 C 135 ) 
 
 Every elect finner, then, is a partaker of the 
 gofpel falvation, and is- brought into a ftate of re- 
 conciliation, whiKV he is ia bis blood^ totally un- 
 converted, an enemy to God, ungodly^ without 
 Jlrengtb, without faith, without repentance, or 
 any one holy difpofition. Rom. v. 6, 7, 8, 9, 
 10. 
 
 In confequence of the Lord^s having loved",, 
 betrothed and efpoufed to himfelf the elecl: fin- 
 ner in all his enmity and in all his filthinefs,- 
 and having freely forgiven him all trefpafles, the 
 quickening fpint vifits his heart in a way of cort- 
 vi&ion of fin, Col. i. 21, 22. Col. ii. 13, 14. Eph. 
 ii. 4, 5. difcovering to him its exceeding finful- 
 nefs^ filling him with a reftlefs defire to be de- 
 livered from its guilt, punifhment and power ; 
 and caufing him anxioufly to feek out for that re- 
 medy which the fcripture holds forth. 
 
 . Now will any one affirm, that the foul in fuch 
 a ftate, is under the curfe of the law j that it is 
 not taken into covenant with God j and that it 
 hath no union with Chrifrr 
 
 What ! whilft the fpirit of Chrifl has poffeflion 
 of the heart ! Surely fuch an aflertion is big with 
 abfurdity, and at once fays,- that there is and is- 
 not reconciliation ; and that though Chrift be in 
 the finner, and one with him, yet that the fin- 
 ner is not in Chrift, and not one with him. 
 
 M. a. te
 
 It will be fakl, that conviction of fin precedes 
 faith and regeneration, and that a finner can- 
 not be interefted in any of the gofpel bleflmgs 
 till he believes, nor till he is regenerate and born 
 again : 
 
 I anfwer, Faith doth indeed difcover to the 
 elect finner, that he is taken into covenant 
 with God ; doth fiiew him that the law's curfe 
 is removed from him to his furety ; and that 
 through faith it is that the Spirit manifefts to the 
 foxil its adoption into the family of God ; yea, 
 that it is through faith only, the elect finner re- 
 ceives Chrift in all his offices, as his prophet, 
 prieft, and king ; and therefore it is, that fuch 
 great things are fpoken of faith, and that it is faid 
 to juftify : yet, who but an ideot in divinity, 
 would fay that the grace of faith jufliftes, or that 
 it reconciles to God, any otherwife than by laying 
 hold of, or making known to the elect foul that 
 perfect righteoufnefs which it hath in Chrift, its 
 head ; of whom the foul is apprehended before it 
 apprehend! Cliriil. 
 
 In a word, to fay that there is no being in 
 covenant with God, no intereft. in gofpel blef- 
 fmgs, no pardon, reconciliation, or juftification, 
 no union with Chrift, no redemption from the 
 curfe of the law, no acceptance with God (for 
 thcfe aqj fynonimous terms) before conviction of 
 fin, nor before faith and regeneration, is to 
 
 make
 
 r IJT r 
 
 make all that dependent upon inherent grace, 
 which is itfelf the ground and foundation of that 
 very grace ; confequently it makes the caufe to 
 flow from the effect, inftead of the effect from, 
 the caufe ; at the fame time that it favors too- 
 much of a refined fort of justification by works,, 
 and holds forth a very uncomfortable idea to 
 difrrefled, awakened confidences. 
 
 It will not however be found fo certain as 
 fome imagine, that conviction of fin precedes faith 
 and regeneration. The truth is^ that in order 
 of time they all take place together, infomuch 
 that no one can be convinced of fin without a 
 degree of faith in the fcripture teftimony j and' 
 no one is either convinced of fin, or has faith 
 without being born again ; a< convinced, unre- 
 generate believer being a contradiction in terms. 
 Whartherefbre God hath joined together let no ' 
 man put afunder. 
 
 But though conviction of fin, farth and rege- 
 neration all take place at once, and are all com- 
 plete works of God, as much- as justification, 
 itfelf is complete (fince no one can be half a con-- 
 vinced finner,, half a believer, half born again, 
 any more than he can be half juftifie<l) yet do' 
 they all admit of 'degrees and growth, though juf- 
 tification admits of neither. That is to fay, the 
 foul that is convinced of fin, grows in the. know- 
 ledge of the evil, and of the gxceedhgftnfulnefs of)' 
 M 3.. fui'.
 
 ( 138 ) ;v 
 
 fin y and ftill attains greater degrees of this know- 
 ledge as it advances in the divine life, though it's 
 original conviction be a perfect work of the fpirit. 
 
 idly. The foul that upon it's firft awakening 
 has but faith enough to put it on the flight to 
 Chrift, yea though his faith be but as a grain of 
 muftard-feed, and though it be impeded in it's 
 progrefs by mountains of felf-righteoufnefs, and 
 by dark thick clouds of unbelief, has as much 
 received a complete Savior as the moft advanced 
 believer, though it may be many years before fuch 
 a foul attains to the full affurance of faith, and 
 perhaps may never attain to it at all. 
 
 3<#y. The foul which is thus far convinced of 
 fin, and is thus far looking to Chrift, is as much 
 born again of the fpirit, and new created, as the 
 moft exalted faint can be, but as the natural babe 
 grows in all its parts, fo doth the new born fpi- 
 ritual babe grow in grace, and in the knowledge 
 of our Lord and Savior Jefus Chrift. In this 
 fenfe though regeneration itfelf be at firft perfect, 
 yet doth the new born child of grace grow and 
 increafe till it arrive at the full.ftature of a young 
 man and father in Chrift. 
 
 In brief there can be no intermediate ftate, or 
 moment between fp ; ritual death and fpiritual life ; 
 between unbelief and faith j between unregeneracy 
 and being born again i and therefore the foul that 
 
 has
 
 ( 139 ) 
 
 has experienced the firft quickening influences or 
 the Holy Ghoft, is as much patted from death 
 unto life, and as much freed from curfe and con- 
 demnation as if he were already in Heaven : And 
 all the works and duties of fuch an one arc accept- 
 able to God in Chrift, though done under much 
 flavifli fear and bondage of fpirit, till the Holy 
 Ghoft cries abba father in the heart, and manifefts 
 to the foul it's adoption and intereft in all the 
 gofpel promifes and new covenant bleflings, filling 
 it with joy and peace in believing, and giving it 
 that perfect love which cafteth out all tormenting 
 fear. Yet even after this, the foul may again 
 have it's dark trembling fits, and lofe the fenfe of 
 Chrifl's Idva^ though it never lofes the love ol 
 Chrift himfelf. 
 
 No. CXXXI. 
 
 THE firft fpark of light, and the firft motion 
 of fpiritual life in the heart of a finner, muft com-e 
 from him who is the light and the life of men. 
 But Chrift cannot dwell in the heart, unlefs there 
 be union with him, and whofoever is thus parted 
 from death unto life is not under condemnation. 
 
 Again. An unbeliever cannot put forth any 
 a5t of fpiritual life, feeing he himfelf is dead in 
 
 fin:
 
 fin: and every fuch a& which a believer puts 
 forth is the act of a juftirkd perfon. 
 
 Thefe are felf- evident truths to an enlightened 
 mind ; and the neceflary conclufions refulting from 
 them muft be. 
 
 i/?. That union and justification precede con- 
 vi&ion of fin ; though the knowledge of thefe 
 bleflings be fubfequent thereto. 
 
 idly. That juftification is patted over to the 
 foul, whilft it is fpiritually dead. 
 
 ^dly. That repentance does not fit or prepare 
 any foul for pardoning mercy, but is a proof that 
 the foul has received mercy as an ungodly fainer. 
 ~ 4//&/y. That to preach up humiliation and re- 
 formation, in order to qualify the foul for pardon, 
 is in effect to preach the law inftead of the gofpel. 
 
 $tbly. That all fuch preachers require living 
 works from dead men, and the obedience of 
 God's children from fuch as are children of 
 vvrath. 
 
 bthly. That both faith and repentance are 
 fruits of union with Chrift, and of reconciliation 
 through his blood. 
 
 Itbly. That the life of a believer is hid with 
 Cbrijl in God. 
 
 %tb/y. That becaufe Chrijl livtth, ht Jball /;w 
 
 Jfi. 
 
 gtbfy. That where the Holy Spirit dwells in 
 
 the
 
 the heart by faith, there the fruits of that Spirit 
 muft appear in the life. 
 
 lotk/y. That where Chrift, the living head of 
 his church, now is, there every living member 
 muft alfo be. 
 
 The above conclufions will pave the way for 
 the following abfurdities, which are neceflarily 
 involved in the common popular miftake of pla- 
 cing conviiftion of fin by the fpirit oT Ch7ift\b e - 
 fore pardon of fin by the merit of ChrifT 
 
 To fay, that a man has the grace of God in 
 his heart, and that he is made a partaker of the 
 life-giving fpirit, convincing him of the evil of 
 fin, and making him willing to receive Chrift 
 in all his qffices, and yet that his perfon is 
 under condemnation, is full of grofs contra- 
 dictions. It is to make a man at once dead, 
 and alive ; a child of light, and a child of dark- 
 nefs ; a believer, and an unbeliever ; regeneratej 
 and carnal j one with Chrift, and yet at enmity 
 with him. 
 
 Into all thefe, and a thoufand more abfurdities, 
 as deftrudtive of the foul's peace as fubverfive of 
 pure gofpel truth, do they fall into, who inftead 
 of freely holding up Chrift to fmners as fuch, tell 
 poor fouls that by grace they muft repent,, by grace 
 they muft amend their lives, by grate they muft 
 do thisjthat and the other, and then there is no 
 doubt but God will pardon them, and give them 
 an intereft in Chrift j yet this is the language of 
 
 many
 
 many minifters yea, of many who I am per- 
 fuaded not only mean well, but who are really the 
 children of God, and who wifh to bring fouls to 
 Chrift, and whofe labors the Lord bktfes, not- 
 withftanding the remaining darknefs by which, in 
 a pious fincerity and an honeft fear and jealoufy 
 for the inrerefts of holinefs, they keep many of 
 the Lord's people in continual bondage and dif- 
 trefs of confcience, laboring as it were in the 
 fires, and calling for the whole tale of bricks^ 
 without giving Jtraw to make one : For though 
 they mould tell finners of grace in Chrift from 
 morning till night, that grace is no grace to me, 
 any more than it is to a devil or to a damned fpi- 
 rit, unlefs I receive it out of the fullne(s of Chriflv 
 which I can no otherwife do, but as I have firft 
 received Chrift himfelf, and am one with him. 
 The graft muft be put into the tree before it can 
 derive fap and nourishment from that tree ; fo 
 the believer muft be united to Chrift, the head of 
 influence, before he can receive grace from him, 
 as a branch engrafted into the true vine ; and it is 
 impofiible he fhould be fo united and engrafted, 
 and ftill remain a child of wrath, in a ftate of en- 
 mity againft God ; and if not in a ftate of enmity,, 
 then he muft be in a ftate of reconciliation : unlefs 
 we affirm with the papifts, that juftification is 
 progreflive, and dependent on the conduct of the 
 creature.. 
 
 Tbefe
 
 ( 143 > 
 
 Thcfc truths are fo detnonftrable and (elf-evi- 
 dent, that it is amazing how fo many good and 
 gracious fouls can ftumble at them : But as this 
 view of things entirely takes the whole bufmefs 
 of falvation out of the tinner's hands, and places 
 it in the Savior's, no wonder we are fo unwilling 
 to fubmit to it. 
 
 I am, however, aware of an objection which 
 may be raifed againft the doctrine. 
 
 It may be afked, how can there be union be- 
 tween Chrift and the foul, before the bond of 
 that union be cemented by the Spirit given from 
 Chrift, working faith in the finner's heart ? 
 
 I anfwer, that the union and onenefs which 
 fubfifts before faith, is through Chrift the fcede- 
 ral head and reprefentative of his church, having 
 actually taken the flefh and blood of all the eledt 
 feed, who were chofen with him and in him as 
 members and very parts of his body ; yea, as 
 bone of his bone^ and Jlejb of his jlejh ; and to 
 whom grace was given in him before the founda- 
 tion of the world : but the manifeftation of this 
 union, and the- finner's own knowledge of it, is 
 by the faith of the operation of God, at the time 
 of effectual calling. 
 
 Whilft thefe truths open a more glorious dif- 
 play of divine grace and love, they bring with 
 them at the fame time the fulled confirmation of 
 
 the
 
 the dodrines of unconditional ele&ion, and of the 
 final perfeverance of every foul that was given to 
 Cnritt in the covenant of redemption : and in this 
 view of them they were embraced by Theodore 
 Beza, and the moft eminent men among the 
 Reformers. And though they were on this ac- 
 count termed Supralapfarians^ yet it will perhaps 
 be difficult to fplit the hair between them and 
 others of the Reformers who, for diftin&ion fake, 
 vv^re called Sublapfarians* 
 
 No. GXXXII. 
 
 A BELIEVER is the light of the world. 
 The fait of the earth* A city fet on an hill. A 
 child of God. A friend of God* An heir of God* 
 A joint-heir with Chrift* He is a partaker of 
 the divine nature. He is vne with Chrift^ and 
 Chrift is one with him. He is efpoufed and mar~ 
 rjed unto Chrift. He is a member of Chrift' s body. 
 He is bone of Gbri/l's bone, and flejb of Chrift' 's 
 flejh. Chrift liveth in him ; dwells in his heart j 
 fitps with him, and hefups witfr Chrift. The Fa- 
 ther , Son, and Spirit (the blefled Trinity in uni- 
 ty) make their abode with him, and condefcend 
 to \\wzf ellcwjfrip and communion with him. He 
 
 hdth
 
 ( 145 ) 
 
 hath put on Cbrijl ; is in Cbrijl ; is crucified witff 
 Cariji ; is rifcn with Cbrijl ; isfet down in hea- 
 venly place* with Cbrijl. 
 
 Oh ! love, pajjing knowledge. What manner 
 of perfons ought we to be, in all holy conversation 
 and godlhiejs ? 
 
 NO. cxxxnr. 
 
 It is a rafti afiertion (though not unfrequently 
 heard) that any man will be condemned on ac- 
 count of his own righteoufnefs and good works.,; 
 fmce no one will be punifhed but for his unright- 
 eoufnefs and for his bad works. Were his own 
 righteoufnefs and works really fuch as could bear 
 the teft of God's law, inftead of being condemn- 
 ed for them, he would be juftified by them ; but 
 as they fall infinitely fhort of what that pure, 
 juft, and holy law demands, they become fins 
 and mifdeeds, inftead of good and righter.r.N 
 works : and therefore it is that the truth and juf- 
 tice of God cannot but infiicfl the deferved pe- 
 nalty upon them, according to his own declarati- 
 on. Cur fed is every one that continueth not in al? 
 things which are written in the book of the law to 
 do them. The hw then is a miniflration of death 
 nd condemnation even to thofe who obferve it 
 N the
 
 ( 14* ) 
 
 the moft exactly. The gofpel is a miniftration of 
 righteoufnefs (of the juftifying rigliteoufuefs of 
 Chrift) to all that truly believe. 
 
 And here it is worthy of obfervation, that though 
 we render the words, x*x i^y*, GOOD WORKS. 
 yet the exact translation is ornamental works^ i. c. 
 Inch works whereby we adorn the doctrine or 
 God our Savior. 
 
 No. CXXXIV. 
 
 THOUGH the word imputation is made 
 ufe of in fcripture, as beft fuited to our ca- 
 pacities, and as expreflive of the vicarious under- 
 dertakings of the Lord Chrift ; Yet is the 
 righteoufnefs of Chrift more than imputed to a 
 believer. It was as much wrought out by all 
 the fpiritual feed, in their fecond living foederal 
 head, as the law was broken by all the natural 
 feed, in their firft foederal head, Adam ; in 
 whom, as faith the apoftle, all have finned. 
 
 In the fame manner, then, as by the difobedi-. 
 ence of one, many were made finners ; by the obe- 
 dienceof one, (hall many be made righteous. And if 
 all the elect really wrought out a perfect righteouf- 
 nefs in Chrift, as being one with him ; then they 
 niuft have union with him, and this righteoufnefs 
 
 muft
 
 C H7 ) 
 
 muft be theirs, even before it is revealed to them 
 (as the fame apoftle fpeaks) by faith : though, as 
 confulered in the firft Adam, they are by nature 
 children of wrath, even as others. 
 
 No. CXXXV. 
 
 THERE are few things which prove the 
 rfiforder which is introduced into the world by 
 the fall, more than the fevcrity with which dumb 
 creatures are too often ufed by thofe to whom 
 God hath placed them under fubje&ion. 
 
 It is certain that there are many unconverted 
 perfons (efpecially among the amiable fex) who 
 from a certain contexture of conftitution, feel 
 much for animals in diftrefs, and who love to make 
 them happy ; furely then all thofe, whofe feelings 
 are heightened by religion, and who know that 
 all animals, in their degree, partake of the miferies 
 of the general apodacy, and that the whole creation 
 traimihtb and groaneih on this account, ought to 
 do all in their power to bring things back to their 
 original flate in Paradife, where I doubt not but 
 cveTy^creatur'e flocked about the happy pair in 
 innocence, and placed the fulieft confidence in 
 their primaeval lord. And were man now to (hew 
 N 2 him-
 
 ( 14-3 ) 
 
 himfelf kind and tender-hearted towards them, rt 
 is certain that confidence would in a great mea- 
 iure be recovered, as has been proved in various 
 inftances (particularly in the amity fubfifting be- 
 tween the excellent Mr. Cowper, author of the 
 Poems, and his hare) ; and the kingdoms of this 
 world, in refpecl: of the intercourfe and happinefs 
 among the different orders of beings, become a 
 peaceful millenium ftate. The wifeft man that 
 ever lived, (he v\ ho is emphatically the wifdom 
 of God excepted) has left it on record, that tbt 
 merciful man is merciful to his leajl ; by which 
 it is evident, that it is as much the character of 
 one who fears God, to be indulgent to the brute 
 creation, as it is for him to pray or to give alms. 
 
 ! The meaneft things that are, 
 
 As free to live, and to enjoy that life, 
 As God was free to form them at the firft, 
 Who in his fovereign mercy made them all. 
 Ye therefore who love mercy, teach your fons 
 To love it too. 
 
 Ccwpcr. 
 
 No. CXXXVI.
 
 C H9 ) 
 
 NO. cxxxvr. 
 
 THERE can perhaps be no better judgment 
 formed of a man's ftate Godward, than by the 
 eftimate he has of the world. Every real Chrif- 
 tian looks upon the world as his foul's foe, and 
 whilft he is in the world, is not of the world : 
 nay even when the world puts on the moft allu- 
 ring face, he accounts its fmiles as thofe of a de- 
 ceitful harlot, and the language of his heart is, 
 Thou art my portion^ O Lord. Whom have I in 
 heaven but tbee y and there is none upon earth that 
 1 defer e in comparifon of thee? His opinion of 
 the world at all times muft be, that it is a poor, 
 empty, worthlefs bubble, which will foon vanifh 
 away ; and even at thofe feafons when he feels 
 himfelf too much entangled and drawn afide by 
 worldly objects, ftill his judgment is not changed, 
 and he wonders he mould be fo much the dupe 
 of a bewitching ftrumpet. It is not fo with the 
 Formalift. Amidft his higheft parade of religi- 
 ous pomp, fo far is he from fufpecling the world 
 to be his adverfary, that it is his idol. Give him 
 plenty of the world, arid in return he will give God 
 plenty of prayers and facraments and fame alms- 
 deeds, but amidft them all, the world is uppermoft 
 N 3 in
 
 in his affections ; though " God forbid (fays he) 
 that I mould neglect my duty." 
 
 No. CXXXVII. 
 
 IT was an obfervation of that great ornament 
 of the law, Sir Mathew Hale, that in proportion 
 as he had fan6tified the Sabbath Day, God had 
 profpered him all the reft of the week. I fear 
 there are few lawyers now-a-days of this good 
 man's opinion ; I mould rather fay, I fear there 
 are but few who have tried his experiment ; as 
 Sunday is the great day for drawing and exajnin- 
 ing briefs, holding confutations, &c. and above 
 afl, for the pleafing amufement of receiving re- 
 tainers. But not to loolc at ike law alone j Sun- 
 day7 among all ranks (perfons in high life fetting 
 the pernicious example) is the principal day for 
 feaftings, vifitings, travelling, &c. and of late for 
 concerts. In a word, the Lord'sTJay is' let apart for 
 every thing but for the Lord ; and, in too many 
 families, almoftallkind of bufinefsis tranfa&ed on 
 that day, except the great bufmefs of piety and re- 
 ligion. Surely, Co3 liatTi"aa5ntroverTy with us, 
 and will be avenged of fuch a nation as this, for 
 our horrid abufe of his facred day of reft. 
 
 It is to be hoped, however, that his Majefty's 
 late proclamation has done fome good in ftem- 
 
 ming
 
 ming the torrent of Sabbath impiety. May rna- 
 giftrates be active ! May minifters be earneft I 
 May every private Chrrftian, by precept and ex- 
 ample, lend an hand to help forward this falutary 
 work ! and may' we be as much diftinguifhed for 
 our national repentance and amendment, as we 
 have been and ftill are for our national wicked- 
 nefs and profanenefs ! Elfe, without pretending 
 to prophetic gifts, I fear I may truly fay, that 
 an heavy cloud of wrath hangs over , us, and is 
 even now ready to burft upon this devoted land, 
 devoted, not to God, but to fin, and on that ac- 
 count to deflruftion. As a nation, both Church- 
 men and DifTenters have departed from the pure 
 evangelical doftrines of the reformation ; and our 
 dieadful defection in principle has produced an 
 equally dreadful defection in practice. 
 
 Arianifm, Socinianifm, Pelagianifm, and Ar- 
 minianifm are not afhamed to unveil their faces, 
 and to woo their lovers at noon day, and many, 
 very many unwary and unftable fouls have they 
 beguiled and efpoufed, to themfelves ; but whether 
 we view this grand quadruple alliance of ifrns, 
 feparate or united, they have altogether produced 
 but one frightful diftorted brat, viz. practical 
 Antinomianifm. From Parents a'ncT offspring 
 good Lord deliver us and our Land, Amen and 
 Amen, 
 
 THE
 
 THE FOLLOWING 
 
 M-EDITATIONS 
 
 WERE TRANSCRIBED 
 
 FROM A DIARY BOOK, WHICH WAS 
 
 WRITTEN ABOUT THE YEAR 1758. 
 
 JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. 
 
 VV AS the innocent Jofeph hated and defpifed 
 of his brethren, who moved by envy, (Ads, vii. 
 9.) confpired his death? So was the immaculate 
 Lamb of God hated, defpifed, and confpired againft 
 by his brethren the Jews, who for envy delivered 
 him to Pilate. (Mat. xiv. 10.) Was Jofeph fold, 
 ftript of his raiment, and caft into a pit ? So was 
 Chriftboth fold and ftript; whofe death and lying 
 in the grave is ftrikingly typified by Jofeph's lying 
 in the pit ; the pit and the grave being ufed in 
 fcripture as fynonimous terms. Was Jofeph 
 drawn out of the pit, and made ruler over a nation 
 
 that
 
 ( 153 ) 
 
 that till then hid not known him ? S'o God would 
 not leave the foul of bis holy one in he/I ; neither 
 fujfer him to fee corrupt ion; but he rofe again, 
 to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and was found 
 of them that fought him not* Was Chrift tempt- 
 ed, and did he overcome the temptation ? So it 
 was with Jofeph, who refilled and overcame the 
 temptations of his miftrefs, Did Chrift fuffer 
 with two malefactors ; and was the one pardon- 
 ed and the other condemned ? So was Jofeph 
 numbered with the tranfgrefTors, when he was 
 imprifoned with the butler and baker of Pharoab, 
 cne of whom was pardoned, and the other con?- 
 demned. Was it faid of Jofeph, that he (hall 
 teach his fenators wifdom ? How much more is 
 this true of Chrift, the Eternal Word, the Wif- 
 dom of God ! Did all that was put into Jofeph's 
 hand, profper ? Soil is faid of Chrift, that the 
 pleafure of the Lord fhould profper in his hand. 
 Did a grievous famine prevail in other lands 
 whilft there was plenty in Egypt, where Jofeph 
 was ? So wherever Chrift is not, there muft of 
 necefiity be a fpiritual famine j but wherever the 
 true Jofeph is, there will be bread enough, and 
 to /pare. Did multitudes who were ready to pe- 
 rifh for want, flock from all parts to buy corn of 
 Jofeph ? So unto Chrift is the gathering of the 
 nations, who breaketh the bread of life to the 
 
 hungry,
 
 ( '54 ) 
 
 hungry, and filleth the empty foul with good- 
 nefs. 
 
 Thus much of this interefting prophetic hiftory 
 is already accomplifhed ; the remaining part of it 
 will not perhaps be fulfilled in its fpiritual fenfe, 
 before the time of the reftoration of the Jews ; till 
 the arrival of which happy period the yearning of 
 Jofeph's bowels towards his barbarous brethren, 
 who fuppofed him to be dead, and knew not that 
 it was he that had preferved, fed, and fupported 
 them, doth finely and ftrikingly reprefent the 
 wonderful affeclion of Chrift towards his crucifvjrs 
 the Jews, who though now he is eftranged from 
 them, and they efteem him fmittcn^Jiricken^ and 
 cfflifted, Ifa. 53. yet doth he ftill preferve them, 
 and will never leave them, nor for fake them, but at 
 \\\sfecond coming to eftablifh his glorious kingdom 
 in the Millenium will make himfelf known to 
 them, with more than that amazing tendernefs 
 wherewith Jofeph, at the fecond time (Acts vii. 
 13.) difcovered himfelf to his brethren. (Gen. 
 xlv. 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. ) Then (hall they look upon 
 him whom they have pierced. Then fiiall they 
 acknowledge him to be indeed the fon of God, 
 their much injured MefTiah, as Jcfeph's brethren 
 did look upon, and acknowledge him to be their 
 much injured brother, the dearly beloved fon of 
 their father in whom he was well pleafed. 
 
 At
 
 ( 155 ) 
 
 At this glorious j unsure (which by all the figns 
 of the times is not far off, ) the church of Jews 
 and Gentiles, of the calling of whom Jofeph's 
 younger brother Benjamin was an eminent type, 
 will be united, and we fnall be one fold under one 
 Jhepherd Jefus Chrijl. 
 
 This very remarkable hi/lory of Jofeph and his 
 brethren feems placed at the beginning of the 
 Bible as a (hort fummary preface containing all 
 that mould befal the Jewifh nation from its rife 
 to the end of the world. 
 
 There is yet a more particular application of 
 this hiftory, (efpecially of the latter part of it,) 
 when Chrift manifests himfelf to a foul that has 
 been long in defertion, at which time there is % 
 meeting between them, very like that of Jofeph 
 and his brethren j but as Jofeph feemed for a time 
 to ufe his brethren unkindly, when they came to 
 him for corn, though ready to perifh for want, yet; 
 his bowels all the while yearned moft affectionate- 
 ly towards them ; fo many poor, fainting fouls, 
 that come hungering and thirfting after righteouf- 
 nefs, feem to meet with what they are apt to think 
 very hard treatment, as we fee in the cafe of the 
 pfalmift, when he cries out in fuch bitternefs of 
 foul hath God forgotten to be gracious ? is bis 
 mercy clean gone for ever, and will he be no more 
 intrcated? (PL 77.^ So again, O my G:d I cry 
 
 in
 
 ( 156 ) 
 
 in the day time, tut tlou heareft not, and in tr.g 
 night feafon alfo I take no reft. This is further 
 exemplified in the blind man, who fat by the 
 way fide begging. (Lu. xviii. 35, -&c.) As alfo 
 in the poor woman of Canaan. (Mat. xv. 22, 
 &c.) Jcfus at firft fcems to take no notice of 
 either of them ; nay, he gives nothing but dif- 
 couraging anfwers to the latter, though he plainly 
 Ihewed them afterwards that his heart was full of 
 love towards them all the while he feemed deaf to 
 their intreaties. And as Jofeph's brethren were 
 troubled at his prefence, partly through joy, and 
 partly through a fenfe of their own ingratitude, 
 when he faid unto them, " I am Jofepb :" fo when 
 Chrift fays to a poor foul, " / am thy fafoation>" 
 then is that foul as it were overwhelmed, partly 
 at the thoughts of its own un worth inefs, and 
 partly at the torrent of facred joy that overpowers 
 it* 
 
 g 
 
 THE WORLD'S ESTIMATE OF CONVERSION. 
 
 SO long as a man continues carelefs about the 
 ftate of his foul, he may pafs on fmoothly, and 
 will meet with little or no oppofition in the broad 
 way that leads to deftrudion, if he. deck himfelf 
 with a few external duties, and live not in any 
 
 grofs
 
 C 157 ) 
 
 grofs notorious fins, he will be looked upon as a 
 perfon of great value and merit ; and his piety 
 will be highly extolled : but if he indeed take 
 his falvation ferioufly to heart, and, inftead of 
 the hufks of religion, be willing to feed upon the 
 kernel, then will the devil's agents foon rife up 
 againft him, and no name will be too bad for 
 him. Once indeed he was an honefr, good fort 
 of a man ; but now he is a poor, melancholy 
 mope, or crack-brained enthufiaft. Once he did 
 every thing as he ought j but now he carries mat- 
 ters a great deal too far. Now do his anxious 
 relations, and others that go by the name of his 
 friends, begin to admonifh him of his error ; and 
 exhort him not to make himfelf particular, tel- 
 ling him to beware of being righteous overmuch, 
 and that there is no need of all that extraordinary 
 precifenefs that he is apt to imagine; that he is 
 k>w-fpirited and ought to take his innocent diver- 
 lions freely, and go into company, and be like 
 other people. Nay, fomepoor fouls, under ftrong 
 convictions of fin, have been treated as if they 
 laboured under fome bodily difeafe; thephyfician 
 hath been fent for, and in vain exerted all his 
 fkill, till Chrift, the great phyfician of fouls, has 
 poured his fweet balm of Gilead into the fore ; 
 and, like the good Samaritan, by the wine of his 
 blood, and the oil of his fpirit, hath healed all 
 O thofc
 
 ( 158 ) 
 
 thofe cankering wounds, which he met witk 
 among the thieves of this world. 
 
 So alfo it frequently happens, that when car- 
 nal, decent, dead-harted Formalifts are afraid of 
 their relations becoming real vital Chriftians, that 
 they get daubing, unawakened clergymen to talk 
 to them of the danger and abfurdity of running 
 into extremes, and point out to them particu- 
 lar perfons as laudable examples for their imita- 
 tion, telling them to obferve Mr. Such-an-one, 
 who, though a very charitable, good man, and 
 univerfally efteerned by all that know him, does 
 neverthelefs take his innocent pleafures freely, and 
 thinks a prudent compliance with the world 
 highly neceflary. But it muft be replied, that the 
 univerfal eftcern any man may meet with, is by no 
 means a fcripture mark of his being a difciple of 
 Jefus Chrift, who pronounces woe againft all the 
 world's favorites ; (Lu. vi. 26.) and tells us ex- 
 prefsly, that the world will always love its own, 
 and fpeak well of them, and hate thofe whom 
 be hath chofen out of the world. (John, xv. 19. ) 
 But on the contrary, it is thofe that are perfe- 
 euted by the world, and are reviled and reproach* 
 ed of men, whom our dear Redeemer declares to 
 be the heirs of Heaven. BJefled are they, faith he, 
 which are perfecuted for righteoufnefs fake, for 
 theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Bleffed are ye 
 
 when
 
 ( 159 ) 
 
 when men (hall revile you and perfecute you, and 
 fhall fay all manner of evil againft you falfely for 
 my fake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for 
 great is your reward in Heaven. Mat. v. 10, II. 
 So alfo St. Paul aflures us, that the friendship of 
 the world is enmity with God ; and whofoever 
 will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of 
 God. 
 
 Now, let any one judge from thefe exprefs 
 texts of fcripture, whether to be well or ill fpoken 
 of by the world, is the trueft mark of a Chrif- 
 tian. 
 
 But although the word of truth aflures us that 
 in the world we (hall have tribulation, (John xvi. 
 33.) and that all who \vill live godly in Chrift 
 Jefus fhall fuffer perfecution j (2 Tim. iii. 12) 
 yet our Savior tells us not to marvel if the world 
 hate us j (i John iii. 13.) hereby plainly in- 
 timating that this hatred. of his true difciples 
 might well afford them matter of aftonifhment : for 
 what more unlikely than that fo long as a perfon 
 continues a rebel to God, a flave to his lufts and 
 appetites, a bitter enemy to mankind in general, 
 and particularly fo all his acquaintance, by doing 
 what is in his power to keep them from their 
 only good, and to encourage them to go on in 
 the broad way that leads to deftru&ion, what 
 more unlikely than that a perfon of this ftamp 
 O 2 Ihould
 
 ( i6o > 
 
 fliould l)e univerfally loved and efteemed ? Agaki 
 what more unlikely than that fuch an one mould 
 no fooner be made fenfible of his error, acknow- 
 kdge his ingratitude to his Maker snd Redeemer,, 
 become meek, humble, affable,, and loving to 
 all j experience the happinefs of his change, pity 
 the mifery of thofe who are ftill under the delu- 
 Con, be defirous of refcuing them from the jaws 
 of hell, and of making them partakers of that 
 real heartfelt joy, which is the companion of the 
 eftablifhed Chriftian j what more unlikely, I fay,, 
 than, that a man fhould no fooner undergo fuch 
 a change, than he mould be moft cordially hated 
 by the generality of people ; and that they fhould 
 fall upon him like ravenous wolves ? Yet, how- 
 ever extraordinary this may feem, daily experience 
 (hews it to be true. 
 
 But though the Chriftian cannot help fincerely 
 pitying his perfecutors, and praying to God to 
 turn their hearts, yet in feme fenfes he may look 
 upon them as his real friends ; ijff. Becaufe they 
 afford him a diftinguifhing mark of his being in. 
 the right way to glory, which without the afTifU 
 ance of their malice he could not have obtained. 
 'idly. Becaufe it is oftentimes with a Child of 
 God, as with a fluggifh horfe, he inuft bejpur- 
 redon when he is inclinable to ftand flill \ fo tjjft 
 reproaches and outcries of the world, arc excel-
 
 ( 161 ) 
 lent incitements to encourage and ftimulate the 
 
 followers of Chrift, to prefs forward in the ways 
 ofholinefs ; and in proportion as they are per- 
 fecuted by the world, to feek clofer fellowship 
 and communion with him who hath overcome 
 the world for their fakes, and is able to keep 
 them from the evil of it. 
 
 A MEDITATION, ON WISD. ch. v. 
 
 ** This was he whom we had fometimes in de- 
 " rifion, and as a proverb of reproach. 
 
 ** We fools accounted his life madnefs ; and his 
 " end to be without honor." 
 
 Wifdom of Solomon^ ch. v, 
 
 THESE words are, by the author of the 
 Book of Wifdom, put into the mouths of 
 thofe, who, in the days of their health and gai- 
 ety, took pleafure in reproaching and ridi- 
 culing the people of God, as a conjpany of poor, 
 defpicable, moping fools, or downright madmen, 
 to forfake all the mirth and jollity that this life 
 might have afforded them, in order to truft to the 
 uncertainty of what might happen hereafter. 
 
 03 The
 
 ( 1*2 ) 
 
 The fcene reprefents the day of judgment ; the 
 a&ors are the above-mentioned fcoffer-Sy who in 
 this doleful tragedy, begin to have very different 
 notions of tilings, than what they had when play- 
 ing their parts in that farce wherein they fhone fo 
 brightly upon the ftage of this world. For then 
 they could find no better language for the godly, 
 than ye fools, and ye madmen j but now the cafe 
 is quite altered. T^Jie righteous is proved to be 
 the only wife man ;'|id. \fiey are constrained to 
 call themfelves, u,'efibls y and we madmen. 
 
 But let us not fuppofe, that thefe defpifers and 
 
 fX) jt 
 
 abufers of the peopl<%pf C?od were confined to 
 Solomon's time : fince eveh God manifeft in the 
 fltfh, was reproached 1 as a madman, and as being 
 poflefTed with a devil ; and the chofen veflel, St. 
 Paul, was rudely told by a noble governor, that 
 he was lefide himfelf , when fpeaking that wifdonr 
 which is not of this world. Now then, if our 
 blefled Lord himfelf, and the great apoftle of the 
 Gentiles were thus ill-treated and ridiculed, how 
 much more fhall the inferior fervants of the houfe- 
 hold of faith be contemned, and counted the off. 
 fouring of aH things ? 
 
 Indeed he fhews himfelf to be a novice in the 
 fchool of Chrift, or rather, I fhould fear, he had 
 never received the grace of God in truth^ who 
 fuppofcs that it is poffible to be a GhriJIian alto-
 
 gether, and not meet with rebuffs and perfecu- 
 tions from a carnal world. Slander and detra&t- 
 on no man is proof againft > and oftentimes the 
 faireft characters (hall be the moft foully bedaubed 
 by the tongue of malevolence. For, as the excel- 
 lent Mr. Jenks well obferves, that " whatever any 
 " may talk or think of fome being fo good, they can 
 *' have no enemies, but all muff needs love them, 
 " it is indeed mere talk and miftake j for if they be 
 *' good indeed, with the holy good, the beft and 
 41 chief of goods (and without which none is really 
 " good), all that goodnefs (hall not defend them ; 
 " but many articles /hall'I) e found againft them." 
 In fhortj it is not only certain, that all who 
 will live godly in Cbrift j^/^ mt ift f li ff er perfe- 
 fution j (2 Tim. Hi. 12.) but that fo foon as a 
 perfon comes to the right ufe of his fenfes, the 
 world will be ready to think him mad. This may 
 feem to be an hard faying to many ; but I am con- 
 vinced, that there are few real Ghriftians but have 
 experienced it to be true. 
 
 NATVHI
 
 NATURE STARK BLIND IN SPIRITUALS.. 
 
 I T was admirably well faid M that there is more 
 need of grace than of learning to make a Chrif- 
 tian." And if we will believe the fcriptures, we 
 may know that many things are hid from the wife 
 and prudent, and revealed unto babes : (i. e.) 
 Though the things of God cannot be fathomed 
 by the wifdom of this world, yet he is pleafed to 
 reveal them by his fpirit to fuch as are but babes 
 in Chrift, and receive the gofpel with fimplicity 
 and godly fincerity. Hence it frequently happens 
 that poor, illiterate peafants, who have received 
 the grace of God in truth, are much better judges 
 of fpiritual matters, and much better qualified to 
 difcourfe of them, than many learned Rabbi's, and 
 fubtle reafoners, who have perhaps turned over 
 one commentator after another, without attaining 
 one grain of that knowledge whereby alone we 
 can be wife unto falvation ; for God hatb cbofen 
 tlffaolijh things of the world, to confound the wife 
 (l Cor. 1. 27) and the natural man receiveth not 
 th* things of the fpirit of God, for they are fo'.lijb- 
 unto, him j neithtr tan he know them becaufe 
 
 they
 
 they are fpiritually dtfcerned ; but he that if/ft- 
 ritual judgeth all things, (i Cor. 2, 14, 15.) 
 Therefore be a man never fo well fkilled in lan- 
 guages, be he never fo profound a philofopher, 
 yet if he is ftill in his natural ftate, he is much 
 more incapable of difcovering the myfteries of 
 that kingdom, which is righteoufnefs^ pence, and 
 joy in the Holy Ghoj^ (Rom. 14. 17.) than a 
 clown is of difcerning the fecrets of all the king- 
 doms of Europe. Nay farther, a man who is 
 born blind and deaf may have a better conception 
 of colours or founds, than any mind unenlightened 
 by the fpirit of God can form of foul-faving 
 things. Not but what human learning will greatly 
 aflift thofe that are poflefled of it in the hiftorrcal 
 and prophetical parts of fcripture ; as well as in 
 the knowledge of the original languages in which 
 the facred volume was written, yet when they 
 come to explain the deep things of God, what 
 blundering work do they make of it! perhaps 
 giving you this, and that doctor's opinion, till they 
 have gone through all but the right, which if they 
 happen to meet with in any Chriftian author, they 
 think too abfurd to be inferted, unlefs it be to ex- 
 pofe and ridicule it : therefore though grace with- 
 out learning will make a Chriftian ; yet learning 
 without grace_will Qply lead into ttiPg ; but 
 when learning and grace go together, it is a blefled 
 
 thing
 
 ( 166 ) 
 
 thing for the pofieflbr, as well as for the church 
 of God. 
 
 Was a grave, formal, unawakened profefTor, to 
 hear the people of God talk about their experi- 
 ences, their fpiritual defertions and comforts, the 
 workings of the Holy Ghoft upon their hearts, 
 their convi&ions, and humiliations, their legal 
 terrors, and ftruggles with the fpirit of bondage, 
 and their fweet fenfe and feeling of the fpirit of 
 adoption, what wonderful jargon, and enthufiaf- 
 tical gibberifh muft it appear to him ! would he 
 not think them a people of a ftrange language? 
 and more proper objects for bedlam, than for 
 heaven. 
 
 This confideration mould teach real Chriftians 
 to be cautious how they difcourfe of fuch things 
 before the unconverted, and how they caft their 
 pearls before fwine. that will either trample them 
 under foot, or turn again and devour thofe who 
 offer them. 
 
 SPIRITUAL DESERTIONS AND COMFORTS. 
 
 WERE we always to be exulting under the 
 fenfible comforts of the fpirit, how little fhould 
 >ve know of our own defperattly wicked hearts f 
 
 how
 
 C 167 ) 
 
 how liable fhould we be to be pufPd up wrth fpi- 
 ritual pride, and to fancy ourfclves the chief 
 favourites of Heaven ! fo that in the fchool of 
 darknefs and defcrtion, the ChrifUan learns many 
 cxceljentand ufeful letfons. ThenTt isV that ne 
 ranfacks his heart with diligence, and finds it to 
 be a foul fmk of iniquity, a Babylon of unclean 
 birds and/pints. Then it is, that he fees his ut- 
 ter inability to da any thing of himfelf to help blm~ 
 felf, and that hjs fofficievc^ is of God. Then 
 doth he plainly perceive the folly of putting any 
 tonfidence in the arm of fiejh^ and that he muft 
 trujl in the Lord, and ft ay himfelf upon kis God. 
 Then doth he learn to fpeak a word in feafon fy 
 him that is weary , and to tell others from his 
 own experience that man doth not live by bread 
 alonf, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
 mouth of God. Again ; it is in the ftate of defer- 
 tion that the Chriftian learns to receive fpiritual 
 bleflings with greater thankfulnefs, from a tho- 
 rough conviction that he can as foon move a 
 mountain, or create a world, as kindle the leaft 
 fpark of divine love in his hard, dull, dead, cold, 
 heart - t till Chrift the fun of Rigbteoufnefs arife 
 upon it with healing under *his wings ; or as the 
 fweet canticle exprefles it, he fees that if a man 
 would give all the fubjlance of hit boufefor love^ it 
 Jbould utterly be contemned. 
 
 Laftly,
 
 ( 168 ) 
 
 Laftly, the faithful foul that hath experienced a 
 long, and painful abfence from her beloved, and 
 has been feeking him befidc^ the Jhepherds tents^ 
 (the ordinances,) and enquiring for him amongft 
 the watchmen^ (the minifters) though without 
 fuccefs ; as foon as (he hears his fweet and well 
 known voice, and perceives him to be looking 
 forth at the windows^ and Jhewing himfelf through 
 the lattice \ then will (he arife and open the door 
 of her heart to her beloved bridegroom^ for fear he 
 fhould withdraw himfelf^ and will not fuffer his 
 bead to be jilled ^vith dew, and his loch with the 
 drops of the night. Then will me hold him f aft y 
 and will not let him go, till me has brought him 
 into her mother's houfe (the church), where hi: 
 banner over her will be love ; and the language 
 of the fpoufe's foul, " l*am my beloved's^ and my 
 btloved is mine. 
 
 [ See this extracted from ji/ereat farts of tbt 
 canticle.] 
 
 AN
 
 A N 
 
 H Y M N, 
 
 CONTAINING THE 
 
 AUTHOR'S OWN EXPERIENCE: 
 
 COMPOSED ONE NIGHT WHEN HE COULD 
 NOT SLEEP. 
 
 God my Maker givetb Songs In the Night. Job, xxxv. 10. ' 
 I. 
 
 JV1 Y guilty foul, how long befet, 
 
 With terrors all around ; 
 Whilft law and juftice claim'd their debt, 
 
 But I no payment found. 
 
 II. 
 
 In works and duties, long I try'd 
 
 Some inward peace to find ; 
 The more I ftrove, the more Icry'd, 
 
 Ah! much is left behind. 
 
 P My
 
 ( 170 ) 
 
 III. 
 
 My weary foul the tafk renew 'd, 
 And fain the prize would win ; 
 
 But when my righteous deeds I view'd, 
 I found each deed was fin. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Now Sinai's thunders louder roll, 
 And fenfe proclaimed me loft ; 
 
 Diftradting anguifli feiz'd my foul, 
 And Hope gave up the ghoft i 
 
 y. 
 
 At length I heard the gofpel found, 
 
 O joyful found to me I 
 Jehovah juft may ftill be found, 
 
 And fet th' ungodly free, 
 
 VI, 
 
 That precious blood, which faith applies, 
 
 In fpight of hell and fin, 
 My guilty confcience pacifies, 
 
 And fpreads fvveet peace within. 
 
 My
 
 VII. 
 
 My fpotlefs Savior liv'd for me, 
 On him my lins were laid ; 
 
 And whilft I view him rife, I fee 
 Each mite was fully paid. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Afcended now to God on high, 
 Above th* gethcrial jfkics, 
 
 He bids me boldly to draw nigh, 
 And all my wants fupplies. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Though bafe back-Hidings me reprove, * 
 
 He thofe backflidings heals : 
 Difplays his never-changing love, 
 
 And all his grace reveals. 
 
 X. 
 
 Say, deareft fhepherd, tell me why, 
 
 To me this vvond'rous love ; 
 That fuch a poor loft fheep as I, 
 
 Such matchlefs grace fliould prove ? 
 
 P 2 Reafons
 
 ( 17* ) 
 
 XI. 
 
 Reafons I fcek, but.feek in vain, 
 For none I e'er fhall know : 
 
 Then feek no more, fince this is plain^ 
 .That God wou'd have it fo. 
 
 F I X 1 3, 
 
 *fvnL A
 
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 URGiCAL TRACTS, containing a Trea- 
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