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they only believe the Threatnings, without belie. ving the Promifes. It is nevertheless manifeft, that they believe the Promifes, as well as the Threatnings, becaufe their Faith works by Love to God, and Defire after Holiness, and a full Enjoyment of God. They would not once fufpect their Belief of the Promifes, at the fame Time that they are confident of their Belief of the Threatnings, were it not for their mistaking the Nature of true Faith, in the Manner we have formerly mentioned. Becaufe they believe not that they themselves are pardoned and juftified; therefore they think they have no Faith in the Promises. But tho' you doubt of your own Sincerity, you are fill perfuaded of the Truth of the Promifes. Now your doubting of your own Sincerity, is rather a Weakness in your Hope, than in your Faith; or rather the Defect is chiefly in your Self-Acquaintance.- Yet fill be more mindful of divine Promifes, than Threatnings. Let all your Fear be exercifed on the Threatnings; but let that be only in order to the fuller Exercife of your Love, Defire, and Thankfulness upon the Promifes.And let your Faith interpret all the Judgments of God, merely as the Threatnings of the Word of God fhall direct. The Judgments of God may be very dangeroufly misunderstood; and therefore draw no Conclufions concerning them, but what are evidently fcriptural.

CHA P.

CHAP. VII.

How to live by Faith for Pardon and Sanctification.

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$15. [1] Particular Directions how to live by Faith for the Pardon of Sin; § 6 and alfo for Sanctification.

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17. [II]

Ardon and Sanctification are confiderable Branches of the Life of God in the Soul of Man, and must greatly illuftrate the Exercise of Faith How this Part of the Exercife of Faith is to be regulated, we are now diftingly to confider.

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§ 2. [I] In Order to the Exercise of Faith for the Pardon of Sin, Get a clear Knowledge of your Need of Pardon. It must be an awakening, practical Knowledge of our own great Neceffity, which must teach us to value Chrift as a Saviour, and to come unto him' as thofe that labour and are heavy laden,' that he may give us Reft (a).' A fuperficial, fpeculative Knowledge of our Sin and Mifery, will only lead to an Hiftorical Faith in Christ.

(a) Mat. xi. 28,

Chrift. We should therefore lay to Heart, as particularly as we can, all our Wickedness of Heart and Life, our original and actual Sin, our Sins of Omiffion and Commiffion, with all their Aggavations. We should think seriously on the Wrath of God, which punishes Sin by the Miseries of this Life, and the everlafting Torments of Hell; and alfo on the Law of God, which, for the Honour of his Government, juftly requires that our Tranfgreffions fhould be punished. A true Senfe of these Things, will teach us to think of Chrift as a Saviour indeed.

$ 2 Endeavour diflinctly to know who Chrift is, and what he does for Sinners Juftification. The Dignity of his Perfon and the perfect Holiness of his divine and human Natures, render him fit to undertake our Juftification and Salvation. His Obedidience and Sacrifice merited our Pardon and Juftification. The new Covenant which freely offers Pardon to all Mankind, is both founded and fealed by his meritorious Blood. As our High Prieft, he offered up himself a Sacrifice to God. As our King, his Law of Grace in the Covenant describes the Terms of Life and Death. As the univerfal Judge, his Sentence juftifies and condemns Men according to the Covenant. As our Teacher and Prophet, he declares the Covenant to be his Father's Will, and proclaims it to the World, and fends his Embaffadors to befeech Men in his Name to be reconciled to God. And as our Advocate and Interceffor, he prefents our Neceffities, and his own Merits, in Order to the conftant Communication of all needful Grace. -Endeavour to know how far the Righte oufness of Chrift is, and is not, made ours.

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ted for us as a Mediator, as the Head and Root of all Believers, the fecond Adan, the Fountain -op fpiritual Life, and the Surety of the new Covenante He did all this in his human Nature, and for the Sake and Benefit of Man. He fuffered, that we might not fuffer Damnation. He obeyed, but not to excufe us from Obedience. He fuffered and obeyed, that our imperfect Obedience might not be our Ruin; and that our perfect Obedience might not be ncceffary to our Juftification and Salvation; but that God, for the Sake of his perfect Obedience, might forgive all our Sins; and adopt us for his Children, and endow us with his Spirit, and glorify us for ever. Endeavour to know what Guilt is remitted by Chrift in our Juftification. Chrift does not make our Fault to be no Fault, but he remits the Punishment due to our Fault, fo that God is no longer displeased with our Perfons, nor withdraws his Love from us. Endeavour to know from what Sins Chrift does, or does not, justify Men. He forgives all Sins upon true Repentance and Faith; but he forgives no Man in a State of Impenitency and Unbelief; nor any Man's final Impenitency and Unbelief."

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$3. Look well to the Foundation which Faith has for feeking after the Pardon of Sin. Confider the gracious and merciful Nature of God and Chrift; how ftrongly Chrift engaged himself to fhew Mercy by h's Mediatorial Undertakings; that fhewing Mercy, is the Office of Chrift, which he cannot poffibly neglect, and to which he was appointed by the Father; and that now it is (as it were) the Intereft of God and Chrift to justify us, that God may not

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lofe the Glory of his Grace, nor Chrift his Obedience and Sufferings. Confider Chrift's near Relation, both to his Father, and to us; and the Perfection of his meritorious Sacrifice; together with the Covenant of Promife, which he has sealed. Think of the Earneft of the Spirit, which is Pardon in a great Meafure accomplished. Think alfo of the many Millions now in Heaven, many of whom were greater Sinners than you, and not one of them came thither without Redemption by Chrift. With thefe Confiderations truft yourselves confidently on his Grace, Remember that you have continual Need of Chrift to continue your Julification. Therefore labour to fulfill your Engagements to him, and to abide in him, and he in you,' that you may 'bring forth much Fruit,' and not be withered,' nor caft into the Fire (b).' Every Sin which you commit, needs a renewed Pardon in Christ. Thus you will have conftant Need of him and muft daily come to God for Pardon thro' him. Not that every Sin deftroys your former Juftification. There is

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no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus, who' prevailingly walk not after the Flefh, but after the Spirit. If any Man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righte ous; and he is the Propitiation for our Sins. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all Unrighteoufnefs (c).'. Chrift's conftant Advocacy fhews our continual Need of obtaining Paidon thro' him.

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$4. Remember that known Sins must be repented of, in Order to the Pardon of them, even tho'.

(b) John xv. 4--6. (c) Rom. viii. 1. 1 John ii. 1, 2.

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-i. 9.

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