But you object, "If God in Sovereignty de"figns Mercy for us, we shall obtain it, whether <6 we feek or no: and, if not, it is in vain to "strive." - To this it is fufficient Answer, that God never does in Sovereignty appoint Salvation for any, in the final wilful Neglect of GoffelMeans. He is fovereign in the Appointment of the Means, as well as of the End. The fame glorious Sovereign, who affures us it is not for our Sakes that he bestows his fpecial Grace upon us, but for his own Name's Sake, does alfo let us know, that he will be enquired of by the Houfe of Ifrael, to do this for them. Whence it follows, that if we have not a Heart to feek with earnest Diligence, for the gracious Influences of the Spirit of God, there is no Profpect we fhall ever obtain; for God will make us feel the Want of his Mercy, and will make us esteem his Salvation worthy of our Care and Pais, or leave us to the unhappy Effects of our own Madness and Folly.—But if we have Hearts given us, to be humbly and earnestly attending upon the Means of Grace, it is an encouraging Sign, that he who has excited our Diligence, intends to crown it with Succefs.

You fee, Sir, I have obeyed your Commands, an have addreffed you with as much Plainnefs and Familiarity as the Caufe requires, and you yourfelf have demanded.

That God may effectually bring you to fubmit to the Terms of his Grace, and enable you so to run, as that you may obtain, is the Prayer of,

LETTER VIII. Wherein the Difference between a true faving Faith, and a dead temporary Faith, is diftinctly confidered.

SIR,

7OUR Complaints do exactly answer my Ex

Ypectations. It is not your Cafe alone, to have

"unworthy Apprehenfions of God, vain, trifling "Imaginations, and ftrange Confufion of Mind, "accompanying the Exercifes of Religion." It is no new Thing for those who are setting out in earneft in a religious Courfe, to find by Experience, that their "Progrefs in Religion bears no Pro"portion to their Purposes ;" and that their "good Defigns and Refolutions come to but lit❝tle more than outside Appearances, and no Way ❝anfwer their Hopes."It is Matter of Thankfulness, that you have a feeling Senfe of this.-I hope, if no other Arguments will convince you of the Truth of what was infilled on in my last, you will at least be convinced, by your ownExperience, that you lie at Mercy.

You" thank me for my Plainnefs and Faith❝fulness to a poor wretched Infidel, who yet "breathes out of Hell, by the mere Patience of ❝an affronted Saviour.". -I had not only the Warrant of your Commands, but the vaft Importance of the Concern before us, to embolden me to lay by all Referves; and even to tranfgrefs the common Rules of Decorum and Respect in my former Letters; and you need not "conjure me to "retain the fame Freedom." I am no Courtier ; nor am I at all acquainted with the fashionable Methods of the Beau Monde. I fhall therefore ap

ply

ply myself, according to my Capacity, in my accuftomed Methods of Addrefs, to answer your Defires.

You obferve," that I infinuate as if Men may "believe the Truth of the Gospel, without a fav"ing Faith in Chrift, without an Intereft in him,

or a Claim to the Benefits of his Redemption. "You therefore defire I would give you the di"ftinguishing Characters of a laving Faith, and "fhew you wherein the Difference lies, between a "true Faith, and that which is common to y 66 pocrites, as well as to Christians indeed."

I do indeed infist upon it, that Men may notionally and doctrinally believe the Truth of the Gofpel, without a faving Faith in Christ, and without an Intereft in him, or a Claim to the Benefits of his Redemption.. This is a Truth clearly taught in the Scriptures, and abundantly evident from the Reafon and Nature of Things.If any therefore fhould expect Salvation from a mere doctrinal and hiftorical Faith in Chrift, they will, in the Conclufion, find themselves difappointed, and afhamed of their Hope.

We read (Joh. xii. 42, 43.) of many of the chief Rulers who believed in Chrift, but dared not confefs him; for they loved the Praife of Man, more than the Praife of God.--And will any Man imagine, that fuch Believers who dare not confefs Chrift before Men, fhall be confeffed by him before his Heavenly Father and his holy Angels, in the great Day of Retribution?-Will any Man imagine, that our bleffed Lord will own fuch for his fincere Disciples and Followers, who love the Praise of Men, more than the Praife of God?-Here then is a clear Inftance of a doctrinal and historical Faith, which was not faving, and could give no Claim to the Promife made to true Believers.We have this Mat

ter further illuftrated and confirmed by the Apoftle James, in the fecond Chapter of his Epiftle; where we are fhewn, that ucha Faith is dead, being alone; that it is but a Carcafe without Breath: As the Body without the Spirit is dead, fo Faith without Works, is dead alfo. Of fuch a Faith we may therefore fay with the fame Apoftle, What doth it profit, though a Man fay that he has Faith? Can Faith fave him?

But I need not multiply Scripture Quotations in this Cafe. It is what is continually confirmed to us by our own Obfervation.How many do we fee every Day, who acknowledge the Truth of the Gofpel, and yet live worldly, fenfual and vicious Lives; who profefs they know Chrift, but in Works deny him; who call themselves by his Name, and yet value their Lufts and Idols above all the Hopes of his Salvation; and even run the Venture of eternal Perdition, rather than deny themselves, take up their Cross, and follow him? - Now there can be nothing more certain, than that these Men are utterly unqualified for the Kingdom of God; and that they can have no fpecial Interest in him who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works.

As, on the one Hand, there is a gracious Promife of final Salvation to all who believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift: He that believeth, and is baptized fhall be faved: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life:So, on the other Hand, there is a Sort of Believers, who can have no Claim to this Promife, nor any Interest in the Salvation by Christ. It must therefore be of infinite Confequence, that we have indeed the Faith of God's Elect, that we may become the Children of God by Faith in Jefus Chrift; and therefore that our Faith

.be

be distinct, in its Nature and Operations, from fuch an empty, lifelefs, and fruitlefs Belief, with which the formal, worldly, and fenfual Profeffor may deceive and destroy his own Soul.--From whence it appears, that your Queftion is most important, and deferves a most careful and diftinct Answer; which I shall endeavour in the following Particulars.

I. A true and faving Faith is a realizing and fenfible Impreffion of the Truth of the Gofpel; whereas a dead Faith is but a mere notional and fpeculative Belief of it.-Faith is, by the Apostle, defcribed, the Subftance of Things hoped for, and the Evidence of Things not feen; that which brings eternal Things into a near View, and reprefents them unto the Soul as undoubted Realities. Whence it is, that the true Believer, when he has experienced the Defect of his own Purposes and Endeavours, when he is wearied out of all his falfe Kefuges, emptied of all Hope in himself, and is brought to fee and feel the Danger and Mifery of his State by Nature, he is then brought in earnest to look to Jefus, as the only Refuge and Safety of his Soul.ne He then fees the incomparable Excellency of a precious Saviour, breathes with ardent Defire after him, repairs to him as the only Foundation of his Hope; and, proportionably to the Evidence of his Interelt in him, rejoices in Chrift Jefus, having no Confidence in the Flefh.--Now, the bleffed Saviour and his glorious Salvation is the Subject of his ferious, frequent, and delightful Contemplation.-Now, an Intereft in Chrift is valued by him above all the World and he is in earnest to obtain and maintain good Evidence, that his Hope in Chrift is well founded. -Now, the Favour of God, and the Concerns of the unfeen and eternal World, appear of greater Importance than every Thing else. He now mourns ́under a Sense of his former Sins; he groans under K 3

the