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bound to do, for, other men's fouls, viz. to pray, preach, exhort, and reprove for their falvation.

Error IX. They will not allow the new covenant to be pro· perly made with us, but with Chrift for us. * And fome of them affirm, That this covenant is all of it a promife, having no condition upon our part. They acknowledge, indeed, faith, repentance, and obedience, to be conditions, but fay they are not conditions on our part, but on Christ's; and confequently affirm, that he repented, believed, and obeyed for us?

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Refutation 1. The confounding of diftinct covenants leads them into this error; we acknowledge there was a covenant properly made with Chrift alone, which we call the covenant of redemption. This covenant, indeed, though it were made for us, yet it was not made with us: It had its condition, and that condition was laid only upon Christ, viz. That he fhould affume our nature, and pour out his foul unto death, which condition he was folely concerned to perform; but befides this, there is a covenant of grace made with him, and with all believers in him: with him primarily, as the head, with them as the members, who perfonally come into this covenant, when they come into the union with him by faith. This covenant of grace is not made with Chrift alone, perfonally confidered, but with Christ, and all that are his, mystically confidered, and is properly made with all believers in Chrift; and therefore it is called their covenant, Zech. ix. 11. "As for "thee, alfo, by the blood of thy covenant, I have fent forth thy prifoners out of the pit wherein is no water." So when God entered into the covenant of grace with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. "I will establish my covenant (faith he) between me and thee, and thy feed after thee." So when he took the people of Ifrael into this covenant, Ezek. xvi. 8. "I fware unto thee (faith he) and entered into a covenant with thee, and thou " becameft mine."

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This covenant of grace made with believers in Chrift, is not the fame, nor muft it be confounded with the covenant of redemption made with Chrift before the world began; they are two distinct covenants: For in the covenant of grace, into which believers are taken, there is a Mediator, and this Mediator is Chrift himself. But in the other covenant of redemption, there neither was, nor could be any Mediator, which manifeftly diftinguishes them. Befides, in the covenant of grace, Christ bequeaths manifold, and rich legacies, as he is the Teftator;

* Vide Saltmarsh of Free Grace, pag. 126, 127.

but no man gives a legacy to himself. This covenant is really, and properly made with every believer, as he is a member of Jefus Chrift, the head; and they are truly, and properly foede rates with God: The covenant binds them to their duties, and encourages them therein by promites of strength, to be derived from Chrift, to enable them thereunto.

2. We thankfully acknowledge, that the glory of the new covenant is chiefly difcovered in the promises thereof; upon the belt promises it is established. And all the promises are reducible to the covenant. They meet, and center in it, as the rivers in the fea, or beams in the fun; but yet we cannot fay, that nothing but promifes is contained in this covenant: For there are duties required by it, as well as mercies promised in it.

Nor may we fay, that thofe duties required by it are requir ed only to be performed by Chrift, and not by us; but they are required to be performed by us in his ftrength: Nor is it Chrift that repents and believes for us, but we ourselves are to believe, and repent in the ftrength of his grace: And till we do fo actually, in our own perfons, we have no part, or por. tion in the bleffings, and mercies of this covenant. If Christ by believing for us, give us an actual right and title to the promifes and bleffings of the new covenant, then it will unavoidably follow:

(1.) That men, who never repented for one fin in all their lives, may be, nay, certainly are pardoned as much as the greatest penitents in the world; because though they never repented themfelves, yet Chrift repented for them; exprefly contrary to his own words, Luke xiii. 3. Except ye repent, ye "thall all likewise perish;" and contrary to his own established order, Luke xxix. 47 Acts iii. 19.

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(2.) It will alfo follow, that unbelievers, who never had union with Chrift by one vital act of faith, in all their lives, may be, nay, certainly fhall be faved, as well as thofe that are actual believers: because, though they be unbelievers in themfelves, yet Christ believed for them; exprefly contrary to Mark xvi. 16." He that believeth not, fhall be damned." John iii. 36, "He that believes not the Son, fhall not fee life; but the "wrath of God abideth on him." And Luke xii. 46. "will cut him in funder, and will appoint him his portion with "unbelievers."

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(3.) It will alfo follow from hence, that men may continue in a state of difobedience all their days, and yet may be faved, as well as the most obedient fouls in the world; exprefly con

trary to Eph. v. 6. " Let no man deceive you with vain words; " for because of these things, cometh the wrath of God upon "the children of diföbedience." And Rom. ii. S. "But unto "them are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey "unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath." And 1 Pet. iv. "What fhall the end of them be that obey not the gospel "of God?”

17.

This language founds ftrange and harsh to the ears of Chriftians, a repenting Chrift faving the impenitent finner; a believing Chrift faving unbeliever's; an obeying Christ saving obftinate, and difobedient wretches : Whither doth fuch doc

trine tend, but to encourage and fix men in their impenitence, unbelief, and difobedience? But the Lord grant no poor finner in the world may truft to this, or build his hopes of eter nal life upon fuch a loofe, fandy foundation, as this is. Reader, all that Chrift hath done without thee, will not, cannot be effectual to thy falvation, unlefs repentance, faith, and obedience, be wrought by the Spirit in thy foul. It is "Chrift "in thee, that is the hope of glory," Col. i. 27. beware, there fore, on what ground thou buildeft for eternity.

Error 10. They deny fanctification to be the evidence of juftification, and deridingly tell us, this is to light a candle to the Jun; and the darker our fanctification is, the brighter our juftification is.'

Refutation. I am not at all furprifed at this ftrange and abfonous language; it is a falfe, and dangerous conclufion, yet fuch as naturally results from, and, by a kind of neceffity, follows out of their other errors: For if the elect be all justified from eternity, and that neither repentance, faith, or obedience, be required of us in the covenant of grace; but were all required of, and performed by Chrift, who repented, believed, and obeyed for us; then, indeed, I cannot understand what relation our fanctification hath to our juftification, or how it fhould be an evidence, mark, or fign thereof, or what regard is due from Chriftians to any grace, or work of the Spirit wrought in them, to clear up their intereft in Chrift to them. For we being in Chrift, and in a state of juftification, before we were naturally born, we muft neceffarily be so before we be regenerated, or new-born: and, confequently, no work of grace wrought in us, or holy duties performed by us, can be evidential of that which from eternity was done before them, and without them.

1. I-grant, indeed, That many vain profeffors do cheat, and

deceive themselves, by false, unfcriptural figns, and evidences, as well as by true ones mifapplied.

2. I grant alfo, That by reafon of the deceitfulness of the heart, inftability of the thoughts, fimilar works of common grace in hypocrites, distractions of the world, wiles of Satan, weakness of grace, and prevalency of corruptions: The clear ing up of our juftification by our fanctification, is a work that meets with great, and manifold difficulties, which are the things that moft Chriftians complain of.

3. I alfo grant, That the evidence of our fanctification in this, or any other method, is not effential, and absolutely ne ceffary to the being of a Chriftian. A man may live in Christ, and yet not know his intereft in him, or relation to him, lfa. 1. 10. Some Christians, like children in the cradle, live, but understand not that they live; are born to a great inheritance, but have no knowledge of it, or prefent comfort in it.

4. I will further grant, That the eye of a Christian may be too intently fixed upon his own gracious qualifications; and be ing wholly taken up in the reflex acts of faith, may too much neglect the direct acts of faith upon Chrift, to the great detri ment of his foul.

But all this notwithstanding, The examination of our justification by our fanctification, is not only a lawful, and poffible, but a very excellent and neceffary work and duty. It is the course that Christians have taken in all ages, and that which God hath abundantly bleffed to the joy and encouragement of their fouls.

He hath furnished our fouls to this end with noble, self-reflecting powers and abilities. He hath anfwerably furnished his word with variety of marks and figns for the fame end and use. Some of these marks are exclufive, to detect and bar bold prefumptuous pretenders, 1 Cor. vi. 9. Rev. xxi. 8, 27. Some are inclu five marks, to measure the strength and growth of grace by, Rom. iv. 20. And others are pofitive figns, flowing out of the very effence of grace, or the new creature, I John iv. 13. "Hereby we "know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath "given us of his Spirit."

He hath also exprefly commanded us to examine and prove our felves; upbraided the neglecters of that duty, and enforced their duty upon them by a thundering argument, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. “Exa"mine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, prove your own "felves; know you not your own felves, how that Jefus Chrift " is in you, except ye be reprobates." In a word, for this end and purpose, amongst others were the fcriptures written, 1 John

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13. These things have I written to you, that believe on "the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have "eternal life." And therefore, to neglect this duty is exceeding dangerous; but to deny and deride it, intolerable. It may be justly feared, fuch men will be drowned in perdition, who fall into the waters, by making a bridge over them with their own fhadows.

For my own part, I verily believe, that the fweetest hours Chriftians enjoy in this world, are when they retire into their clofets, and fit there concealed from all eyes, but him that made them; looking now into the bible, then into their own hearts, and then up to God; clofely following the grand debate about their intereft in Chrift, till they have brought it to the happy defired iffue.

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And now, reader, for a clofe of all, I call the Searcher of hearts to witnefs, That I have not intermeddled with thefe ⚫ controverfies of Antipaedo-baptifm, and Antinomianifm, out of any delight I take in prolemical ftudies, or an unpeaceable contradicting humour, but out of pure zeal for the glory, and ⚫ truths of God; for the vindication, and defence whereof, I have been neceffarily engaged therein. And having dif charged my duty thus far, I now refolve to return (if God will permit me) to my much fweeter, and more agreeable ⚫ftudies; ftill maintaining my Chriftian charity for those whom • I oppofe; not doubting but I fhall meet thofe in heaven, from whom I am forced, in leffer things, to diffent and differ upon

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A SER MON.

1 COR. i. 10. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye all speak the fame thing, and that there be no divifions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the fame mind, and in the fame judgment. WHEN I confider this healing and uniting text, and the fcandalous divifions of the congregations to which I reBb b

VOL. IV.

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