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Things are become new: new Companions, new Converfation, new Peace and Joy in believing, 2 Cor. v. 14, 16, 17. Confequently the Defire of their Heart is towards him, and they cry out with the Spouse, to him whom their Soul loveth; "Where doft thou make thy Flock to reft at Noon?" not only from Sinai's Thunder, and the Curses on Mount Ebal, but from the Frowns and Sneers of the ungodly World, the Deceit of Sin, and the Snares of the Devil. "For why should I turn afide from the Flocks of thy Companions?" Cant. 1. 7. Thus by Faith they offer unto the Lord, like Abel, a Free-will Offering, more excellent than Cain, or the faithlefs Generation, Heb. xi. 4. But the Unconverted, not having tafted that the Lord is gracious, Peter ii. 3. nor received a Testimony that they are in the Covenant of Grace, and the Objects of divine Love; they generally murmur, and ftigmatize the Doctrine of Predestination, and fay, "It brings Difhonour to God, by making him the Author of Sin which malicious Charge is falfe and blafphemous! may we convince fuch by the Armour of Righteoufnefs and the Word of Truth. God made Man upright at firit, and having pronounced him very good, appointed him Lord of the Creation; and placed him in the Garden of Eden. And the Lord commanded the Man, faying, "Of every Tree of the Garden thou mayeft freely eat: but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the Day thou eateft thereof thou fhalt furely die," Gen. 11. 16, 17. Adam was now a free Agent, and had Power to obey his Maker's Will; the Devil could not ruin him without his Consent: and although God knew he would fall, yet God laid no Conftraint on him to difobey, nor infused evil Habits into him, God can not tempt to evil. But Satan envied

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Man's

Man's Happiness, and beguiled Eve, and Adam hearkened to the Voice of his Wife, and then eat of the forbidden Fruit; which ruined himself, and his Pofterity for ever. So here we find that the Devil, who rebelled in Heaven, and caused War there, was the first moving Cause of Man's Difobedience in Paradise. And therefore Satan is the Author of Sin, and God is juftified in his Sayings, and overcomes when he is judged, Rom. iii 4. God declares himself a SAVIOUR, but proves Men guilty of their own Deftruction. "O Ifrael! thou haft destroyed thyself, but in me is thy Help," Ifa. xlv. 21. Hof. xiii. 9. "Thou haft fold thyfelf (to be a Bond-flave to the Devil, &c.) for nought, but thou fhalt be redeemed without Money," thy Poverty fhall not debar thee from Salvation, Ifa. lii. 3. God in Chrift is the Author of eternal Life, unto all them that obey (or fubmit to believe in) him, Heb. Y. 9. Chrift himself faith, "The Son of Man came not to deftroy, but to fave," Luke ix. 56. And whereas "out of the Mouth of two or three Witneffes every Word must be established," Matt. xviii. 16. "Therefore let God be true, and every (contentious) Man a Liar," Rom. iii. 4.

WE thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, for difclofing thy Will to thy Church below, informing us, that whatfoever Things are revealed in boly Scripture belong to us and to our Children for ever, but fecret Things belong to God, Deut. xxix. 29, Grant, O Lord, that what has been proved by the Authority of thy boly Word, might be blessed to thy People; and ftrengthen the Faith of thine Elect, that they might walk more comfortably through this Valley of Tears. And may we all through Faith join with Saint Paul, and fay," Bleed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who bath blessed us with all Spiritual

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fpiritual Blessings in heavenly Places in Chrift :·· Aëcording as he hath chofen us in him, before the Foun dation of the World; that we should be holy, and with: out Blame before him in Love," Amen, Eph. i. 3, 4.

SEC T. VIII.
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Good Works, which are the Fruits of Faith, are acceptable to God; but Works done before Faith are not pleafant unto him. The true Church judgeth the Wicked on Earth. A variety of Diverfions, which the World call innocent Pleasure, but the Scriptures call it Vice, and as fuch it will be proved in the Day of Judg

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CET us next obferve, that unconverted Men,

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natural Religion, do fuppofe and believe that Men are and ought to be faved by their own good Works. Such Doctrine might be orthodox before. Adam fell, but fince, it is antichriftian. And revealed Religion by Scripture teaches us better, and fhews us a more excellent Way. By Grace are we faved, through Faith (faith the Scripture) and that not of ourselves, it is the Gift of God: not of Works, left any Man fhould boast," Eph. ii. 8, 9. And whereas Faith is the Gift of God; without Faith it is impoffible to please him, Heb. xi. 6. "For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin," Rom. xiv. 23, Faith 'looks to Chrift, and in him, Perfons and Performances are accepted: therefore good Works

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which are the Fruits of Faith, and follow after Juftification, cannot be performed by an unregenerated Man, not justified by Faith, and therefore, not at Peace with God, Rom. v.1. And confequently his beft Works are not acceptable to God, (as all the good Works of the Faithful are) neither can they fave his Soul, or administer true Comfort in a Day of Trouble. But good Works which are acceptable to God, and follow after Juftification, are the Fruits of that Faith which is given by the Holy Ghoft, when the Soul is firft quickened and made alive unto Salvation, Gal. v. 22. And, although, Men are not to be faved by their Works; as the Apoftle fays, "By the Works of the Law no Flesh can be juftified," Gal. ii. 16. yet, fhall: Men be judged according to their Works, Rev. xx. 13. And all those who through Faith have done good Works from a Principle of Love to Chrift, and to promote his Glory on Earth, will be approved by him as meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, Coli. 12. Therefore they having done good, fhall go into everlasting Life, John v. 29. While the Fearful and Unbelieving, who are afraid of the Crofs, though they have done many good Works in the Sight of Men, yet it being for finifter Ends, like theirs who faid, "Wherefore have we fafted, and thou takeft no Notice of us," Ta. lviii. 3. They expected to be rewarded for what they did, or dreaded Punishment in cafe of Neglect: therefore, their Works, though good and commendable in themselves, yet being done in a legal Spirit, or through flavish Fear, will not be accepted of God, for want of Faith. And fuch Men, not being juftified, nor fanctified, fhall confequently be fentenced by the Judge of the Whole Earth, as unmeet and unworthy to partake of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, who are fanctified through Faith

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in Chrift Jefus, A&t. xxvi. 18. And therefore muk have their Portion in the Lake of Fire and fecond Death, Rev. xxi. 18. And a natural Man, by arguing that he might be faved by the Light of Nature, if induftriously inproved, without the Teaching of the Spirit, or Infpiration of the Holy Ghoft, bewrays his own Ignorance, and proves that he never had any divine Revelation, as a Love-Token from God; and therefore understandeth not fpiritual Things, they being fpiritually difcerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. This I know by Experience, as foon as the Spirit of Truth convinces of Sin, (which lies in the Heart of every Unbeliever) Men immediately ftrive to keep the whole Law of God as a Condition of Life; but they ftrive in vain, their Babel Tower, or their Wall with untempered Mortar fhall fall; they may endeavour to believe alfo, but ftill mifcarry, for Man can no more believe (without Infpiration) than he can reach the Stars. They may betake themselves to Prayer, pray oft, pray long, and pray fervent, and yet Guilt remains, 'till at length their Strength and Heart fail, and they begin to fink into Defpair. Such was my Cafe, and then in the Depth of Mifery was obliged to cry for God's Mercy, Deep calling to Deep, I was convinced of my Weakness and Ignorance, and faw by God's Word that to be carnally minded was Death; but to be fpiritually minded was Life and Peace, Rom. viii. 6. And I being carnal, and the Law of God fpiritual, I therefore could fee no Way to efcape the Damnation of Hell: 'till, in the Midst of my very great Extremity, the Lord was pleafed to make it his Opportunity, and breathed on my dead Soul, and comforted me by revealing his Son in my Heart, Gal. i. 16. And by beholding him to be a compleat Saviour, I began to entertain the Hope of Glory, Col. i. 27. Know therefore that

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