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and so true religion be quite another sort of thing, even such as I have described, which lies so diametrically opposite to the natural bent and bias of our whole souls, it is a clear case that grace must be irresistible, and can proceed from nothing but mere free mercy, nor result from any thing but the sovereign pleasure of the most High: So that, in short, the whole dispute is resolved into this question-What does the law of God require, and wherein does a genuine conformity thereto consist? But of this more afterwards.

And from what has been said, we may easily gather a plain and short answer to all the mighty cry about promises, promises to the unconverted, if they will do as well as they can; for it is plain, heaven's gates stand wide open to all that believe and repent, and return to God, through Jesus Christ.... John iii. 16: and it is plain, the wrath of God is revealed against all who do not do this... John iii. 36: and it is plain that there is nothing but the want of a good temper, together with the obstinate perverseness of sinners, that hinders their return to God; and that, therefore, all their pretences of being willing to do as well as they can, are mere hypocrisy. They are so unwilling to return to God, or take one step that way, that they can be brought back by nothing short of an almighty power; and are so far, therefore, from being entitled to the promises of the gospel, that they are actually, and that deservedly too, under condemnation by the gospel, (John iii. 18) and under all the curses of the law...Gal iii. 10. "Take heed, therefore, O sinner, thou enemy of God, "when you pretend that you desire to repent and do as well as you can, that you be not found quieting yourself in a state of "estrangement from God, hiding your natural aversion to God "and holiness under fair pretences: And know it, if you do, "though you may deceive yourself by the means, yet it will ap

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pear, another day, before all worlds, and it will be known that "you were an enemy to God, and would not be reconciled, and "did but flatter him with your lips, and lie unto him with your "tongue, in all your seemingly devout pretences. You think "yourself good enough to have an interest in the promises, but

"infinite goodness judges you deserve to be numbered among "the children of wrath and heirs of hell..... John iii. 18, 36."Your high conceit of your own goodness is the foundation of "all your confidence, and both join to keep you secure in sin "and under guilt, and insensible of your need of Christ and "sovereign grace....Luke v. 31-Rom. x. 3." Did sinners but see the badness of their hearts, they would be soon convinced that the promises are not theirs, but the threatenings; and would feel and know that they have no claims to make, but lie absolutely at mercy.... Luke xviii. 13.

9. And if it is nothing but the mere grace and sovereign good pleasure of God, which moves him to stop sinners in their ca reer to hell, and by his irresistible and all-conquering grace, and by the supernatural influences of his holy spirit, subdue their stubbornness, take down the power of sin in their hearts, and recover them to himself and if he does this for them, when they are at enmity against hini, and are his open enemies by wicked works, and so are altogether deserving his wrath and vengeance ;-I say, if this be the case, there is all reason to think, that he, who thus begins, will carry on the work to perfection. He knew how bad the sinner was when he first took him in hand....how he hated to be converted, and how he would resist, and that his own almighty arm must bring salvation; and yet this did not discourage his first undertaking: And he knew how the sinner would prove after conversion.... just how barren and unfruitful....just how perverse and rebellious, and just how apt to forget God and turn away from him, and that his own almighty grace must always be working in him to will and to do....Phil. ii. 13. He knew all the discouraging circumstances before-hand, and his infinite goodness surmounted them all and he had mercy on the poor sinner, because he would have mercy on him, of his mere good pleasure, from his boundless grace, aiming at the glory of his own great name ....Eph. i. 6. And now, this being the case, we have all reason to think that God will never alter his hand, or leave unfinished the work which he has begun; for there always will be the same

motive from which he undertook the work, to excite him to car ry it on even the infinite goodness of his nature; and he will be always under the same advantages to answer the end he at first proposed, namely, the advancement of the glory of his grace: And he will never meet with any unforeseen difficulties or discouragements in his way. We may, therefore, be pretty certain, if really God begins this work, under such views and such circumstances, that it is with design to carry it on ;-as Samuel reasons in a parallel case :-I. Sam. xii. 22....For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people: So that if the doctrine of the saints' perseverance were not expressly taught in scripture, yet, on this ground, we might argue very strongly for it: But that this is a doctrine plainly revealed in the gospel, we may learn from Mat. xiii. 23—John iv. 14, and x. 4, 5, 27, 28—I. John iii. 6, 9-Heb. viii. 10, &c. &c. When St. Paul kept under his body, and brought it into subjection, LEST he should be a cast-away, (I. Cor. ix. 27.) he did no otherwise than he was wont to do in temporal concerns, in cases wherein he was, beforehand, certain of the event: So he sent word to the chief Captain, of the Jews lying in wait to kill him, lest he should be murdered by them; although it was revealed to him from God, but the very night before, that he should live to see Rome..... Acts xxiii. 12-21: So he would not allow the sailors to leave the ship in the midst of the storm, lest they should some of them be drowned for want of their help; although, but a little before, it was revealed to him from God that not one of them should be drowned.... Acts xxvii. 23-31. And, indeed, it was his duty to do as he did, as much as if he had been at the greatest uncertainties about the event: So, although Paul knew that never any thing should separate him from the love of God, (Rom. viii. 38.)-yet he used all possible endeavors to mortify his corruptions, lest he should be a cast-arvay: And, indeed, it was his duty to do so, as much as if he had been at the greatest uncertainties about the event: And what was his duty, was also the duty of all good men; and therefore St. Paul, in his epistles, is

frequently exhorting all to do as he did; and that in a perfect consistency with the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, which he also teaches: And as Paul's being certain of the event did not tend to make him careless in the use of proper means to save his natural life, but rather tended to encourage and animate him, as knowing that he should finally succeed-so his being certain of the event did not tend to make him careless, but to animate him, with respect to his spiritual and eternal life : And as it was with him, so it is with all good men....Rom, yi, 2: For this is always the case, that certainty of success animates men, if the thing they are about be what they love, and what their hearts are engaged in; but to die to themselves, the world and sin, and love God, and live to him, and grow up into perfect holiness, is what all believers love, and have their hearts engaged after; an absolute certainty, therefore, of perseverance has, in the nature of things, the greatest tendency to animate them to the most sprightly activity. There are none but graceless hypocrites that take encouragement from the doctrines of free grace to carelessness and sin....Rom. vi, 1, 2.

10. If this be the nature of a saving conversion-if this be the nature of true holiness-if this be true religion, so contrary to flesh and blood, and all the habitual propensities of nature, then, so long as there is the least corruption left in the heart, there will, of necessity, be a continual conflict: Grace will continually seek the ruin of sin, through its contrariety to it, and hatred of it; and sin will strive to maintain its ground-yea, and to regain its former dominion. The gracious nature delights in the law of God, and aspires after sinless perfection-the sinful nature hates the law of God, and strives to lead the man captive into sin: The gracious nature is a disposition to love God su premely, live to him ultimately, and delight in him superlatively; and this sinful nature is a disposition to love self supremely, live to self ultimately, and delight in that which is not God wholly and because these two are contrary the one to the other, therefore the flesh will lust against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh....Gal, v. 17. The gracious nature joins in on С с

God's side against all sin; and while God works in the man to will and to do, he works out his own salvation with fear and trembling....with caution and circumspection....with watchfulness and holy concern-laboring to die to himself, the world and sin, and be wholly the Lord's....Phil. ii. 12, 13. While the divine spirit is breathing upon his heart, and realising to him the being and perfections of God....the existence and importance of divine and eternal things, and is spreading divine light over his soul, and is banishing selfish and worldly views, and is drawing his soul to holy and divine contemplations, he feels the divine influence....he blesses the Lord....he summons all within him to engagedness....he pants after God:-"O that I might know "him-that I might see him in his infinite glory! (Psalm lxiii. “1, 2.)....O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee—my "soul thirsteth for thee-my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and "thirsty land, where no water is.... To see thy power and glory, “ so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Verse 8.)..... My "soul followeth hard after thee. (Psalm lxxiii. 25.)....Whom "have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth Ide"sire besides thee. O that I could, with O that I could, with my whole heart, love "thee forever, live to thee forever, live upon thee forever, and "never, never, depart from thee! O that I could think for thee, "and speak for thee, and act for thee-at home and abroad, "by day and by night, always live to thee, and upon thee !"Here, Lord, I give myself to thee, to be forever thine....to love "thee and to fear thee, and to walk in all thy ways, and to keep "all thy commands; and O that my heart might never depart "from thee! But alas, alas, to will is present with me....to have "a disposition to all this, and long for all this, and seek and "strive for all this, is easy and natural, for I delight in the law "of God after the inward man; but how to perform I find not— "how to get my whole heart so to fall in, as that there shall not "be the least contrary temper, this is quite beyond me, for 66 am still carnal, sold under sin....have another law in my mem"bers....have still the remains (of the flesh) of my native con"trariety to God, and disposition to disrelish divine things;

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