tent, and reconciled to God. He admires Jefus Chrift as his partizan, efpoufing his caufe, and procuring it of the father, that he fhould be more lenient, than to fupport his holy law. He is fil a Saviour, for making the happinefs of finners, and their deliver. ance from God's perfect law, his fupreme object. He knows that he loves fuch a Saviour, and hence, has a ftrong perfuafion, and confirmation in his opinion, that his fins are pardoned, that Chrift died for him in particular, and that it would be fin to doubt of it, that doubting of it would be unbelief, and finning againft Chrift, and fo exceedingly criminal and provo fectly holy. But that this law is too hard and fevere for mankind, in their prefent ftate. That it cannot be reasonably binding upon us with infinite and immutable obligation. That it would be hard in God to deal with us ftrict-led with inexpreffible love to fuch ly according to this law, and that God faw it, and was difpofed to relax it, and make an alteration of it in our favor; or rather, to give us the offer of a new law, adapted to our prefent fallen capacities, by which we might have life. That Chrift fuffered to procure this abatement, and atone for our not keeping a law, which in our circumftances, we could not keep, and ought not to be bound by. That fuch as believe on Chrift, in this view of his character and atone-king to him. ment, as being the finner's friend, and taking his part, and procuring an abatement of the law in their favor, and are willing to be under this new law, are no longer holden by the old law, and are releafed from it by what Chrift has done. That this new law, fometimes called the gofpel, or evangelical law, requires fincere endeavors after holiness, and will take up with an imperfect righteoufnefs, and that, in confequence of what Chrift has done, juftification and acceptance with God are obtained, by virtue of this new law, by our fincere endeavors after holinefs, and that these are the grounds of our acceptance and falvation. It is plain that the carnal heart, under the fear of wrath to come, and contending with the perfect law of God, as foon as the finner gets this idea of the gofpel, will be pleafed with it. This fuits him. It is an abatement and conceffion in his favor, which gratifies his unholy heart. God meets him, on this plan more than half way. And now he will be con In the exercise of this faith, a man will think it his duty to keep up this belief, and by no means give way to any unbelief, or doubt about it; for all his love to Chrift depends upon his having this belief. He confiders all the promifes in the fcriptures in this light, and applies them to himself, and fuppofes he has a right fo to do. He believes that they were given to affure him of his good eftate, and that it would be criminal in him to doubt of this application of them. This faith fills him with great joy at his fuppofed deliverance, and becaufe God has revealed it to him, that he is de. livered from wrath. This he calls the fpirit of adoption, and the fealing of the fpirit. In a word, his wicked heart is gratified with this gofpel, and out of the overflowings of his love, he' is determined to ferve God by his endeav ors, and obedience to this reduced law, by a fincere imperfect righteoufnefs all his days, in full expectation to be noticed with a rich reward. Some of the defects of this honorable for him to accept. : Further All their love, joy, comfort, obedience and religion, are entirely falfe, and abominable in the fight of God, and are expreffions of enmity of heart againft him, and his law, and the true gofpel of his grace. They love Chrift for breaking down God's law, and overthrowing its authority, and fupporting finners in rebellion and difobedience. Their joy arifes from their falfe notions of Chrift, and is of a felfish nature, and refpects their own final happinefs, on principles better fuited to their carnal hearts, than fubmiffion to the perfect law of God. They praife God for confenting to give up or abate his law, and to come to better terms with them. Their comfort is, that now reftraints are taken off, the yoke of bondage to the perfe&t law of God broken, fincere defires and endeavors accepted, as the terms of juftification, and imperfections, or in other words, no fmall degree of wickednefs and licentioufnefs tolerated. And their religion and obedience are all to faith must now be noticed. Thofe | dience, as would in reality be dif who have this faith, have no fenfe of the infinite and immutable obligation of the moral law of God upon us, in all cafes whatsoever, nor of the inexcufableness and evil nature of fin. They indeed believe that the law is not a good law, as it refpects fallen man, that it ties us up to impoffibilities, that God has given it up in favor of all who believe, and that we are not inexcufable for not rendering perfect obedience to it. Such believers have no fenfe of their depravity and obftinacy of heart, as the only thing which prevents their yielding finless obedience to the law. They excuse themselves in this, by thinking that it is in the nature of things impoffible that men, in our circumitances, could keep it, if they were ever fo much difpofed to do it. And hence their faith is built on falfe notions of the law of God, and of that fallen ftate from which Chrift came to redeem us. Hence they have no true ideas of the character and work of Chrift, nor of the nature and defign of his atonement. Their ideas of him are entirely falfe. Chrift came together of a felf-righteous and mermagnify that law, which they cenary nature, defigned to purthink he came to abate, to affert chase justification by their new and establish the obligations of law, as is an expreffion of a kind obedience to that law, from which of gratitude to God, for denying they fuppofe he came to give them himfelf, and coming to fuch terms a releafe. He came to condemn of accommodation. fin in the flesh, all that fin, which they think he winks at, as only the neceffary imperfections of Chriftians, he came to juftify the father in all his claims, whom they fuppofe he came to pacify, and render more propitious to finners, and better difpofed towards our world, and he came principally to glorify God, while they think his main object was to fave finners, on the ground of fuch imperfect obe- borders on profaneness and blaf The confequences of this faith alfo are in other refpects abominable. It is from its nature attended with fpiritual pride and felfcomplacency, inftead of humility and felf-abhorence. Those who have it, under pretence of magnifying free grace, often affume a kind of familiarity with God, which betokens their want of reverence for him, and fometimes phemy. This faith leads them to | confequently will be miferable for look down on the habitual duties of religion, and an humble, laborious and conflicting life of holinefs, as low, and as being a ftate of bondage, from which Chrift came to fet them free: And to confider those who practise these duties, as inferior in their attainments to themselves, legal, not evangelical, that is, under bonds, and not like themfelves, brought into the glorious liberty of-of what? of finning that grace may abound. Further, This faith is far from being the fubftance of those things, which the gofpel gives true believers reafon to hope for. It is not in any degree a conformity to God, to his law, and to perfect holinefs. But it is oppofition to all thefe. The Chriftian is not warranted to expect that God will ever fhake the foundations of his government and kingdom, by reducing his law, or by faving finners on the terms of their imperfect, or their perfect obedience; nor does the true Christian wish for it: He exalts God: Self is not every thing with him. Nor is this faith the evidence of things not feen. There is nothing in this faith, which fits a man for the enjoyment of the true God, that can be pleafed with his law as it ftands, and with a government administered according to this law. But if it is in any fenfe, an evidence of things not feen, it is an evidence that those who have it, never can be fuited with God, and his law, and holinefs; but that, when they fhall come to find out what God is, they will hate him,-what Chrift, and the defign of his atonement are, they will be wholly difappointed in their expectations, and full of enmity againit him, and ever. This faith is indeed an evidence that those who have it, and are under the power of it, are children of wrath. There is ftill another falfe kind of faith, which is equally ruinous in its nature, which many mistake for true faith, and against which it is important that people fhould be warned. This faith excludes the entire depravity of the natural hearts of men, while in a state of probation, it fuppofes that there is fomething of a moral nature in them, which God approves; that men may cherish this, and it will increafe and become a confirmed ftate of holiness if cultivated. Thofe who have this faith, difbelieve that God, by an irrefiftable power of his own, renews the heart; and think that he only fets motives before men, which excite their exertions, and by these they become holy. They difbelieve that ever God elected, and fixed on a certain number, whom he is determined to fave by his own efficiency, and to do infinitely more for them than for others. And fuppofe that it is owing, not to the fpecial diftinguishing agency of divine grace, but to their own care, attention and faithfulness, that fome become holy and interefted in the promises of the gospel, and even finlefs in this life, and others fin away their day of grace, and are finally loft. They believe that the perfeverance of the faints depends wholly on their own exertions, and that they may, and fometimes do fall finally from grace, and are forever ruined. This faith is defective, erroneous and of a pernicious tendency in the following things. Thofe who have it, have no idea of the ruined ftate through entire wickedness of heart, from which Chrift H came to fave his people, nor of any ftrong oppofition to divine truths. They have no idea of the dependence of men on the Holy Ghoft, to take them, fubdue their hearts by almighty power, fanctify and preferve them. They afcribe their own falvation from fin, very much to themselves-to their own confideration, ferioufnefs and attendance on duties and ordinances, as the cause of their converfion. And they afcribe it to these, that any continue to the end, and are faved, while others are loft for want of thefe; instead of imputing it to the diftinguishing grace of God, in electing, renewing and working effectually in his people, and keeping them by his power, thro' faith, unto falvation. This faith leads men to look to themselves, and not to God only, for regeneration, faith, fanctification, and all the graces which are connected with the promifes of falvation. It hides the glory of diftinguishing grace, fofters pride, and felf-dependence, and felf-complacency in those who have it, and produces a felf-exalting fpirit. Such are without an humble daily dependance on God for every thing,for holinefs and perfeverance. It leads men to believe that there is no effential change neceffary to falvation, but that the good feed in every heart, may without a fupernatural change, by their care, gradually ripen into perfect holinefs. It caufes men to hate and defpife the doctrines of grace, and entire dependence, and to look down on thofe who embrace these humiliating and felfdenying doctrines, as fanatics and enthufiafts. This faith rejects the efficient work of the Holy Ghoft, and the true way of falvation, and directs men to feek falvation, from whence it cannot come to their own exertions, inftead of leading them to loathe themselves as utterly corrupt at heart, and to caft themfelves on free fovereign grace, and. has nothing in it but what is confiftent with an unfanctified, proud fpirit. Inftead of mentioning the modern catholic faith, which teaches, that if men are fincere in their faith, and moral towards men, let their faith be chriftian, pagan or what it may, it will be accepted, instead of enlarging on any other fpurious faith in particular, it may perhaps anfwer every purpose, to notice briefly the difference between gofpel faith, and all kinds of falfe faith. a nd A true faith regards God's law as holy, fpiritual and of indifpenfible and immutable obligation,man as a finner by nature, entirely finful at heart,-Chrift as viewin and loathing the finner as fuck im and providing for his falvatio the that he might glorify God, ma he nify the law, and promote th.. general good. The believer approves of all, and of being thus confidered and treated, and delights to have God, his law, and kingdom exalted. He wishes to be faved as a finner, vile and unworthy, and that God would use him to answer his own glorious purposes. He confiders God as the whole fource of man's falvation, electing, redeeming, renewing, fanctifying and faving his people of mere mercy. He fastens his whole dependence on God, pants after holiness, and perfect obedience. He confiders thefe exercises, and the things which God has wro't in him, as the only evidence that he is entitled to the promises. There is not an exercife of true faith, which can come from the carnal heart; all are the exercises of the renewed | Saving repentance diflinguifbed from heart. But all falfe faith gratifies the pride, felf-righteousness, or the impatience that the natural man has of reftraints,-difapproves of the law, and of the true gofpel, of the terms of juftification, and ef holinefs. Such believers revolt at the idea of being faved for no confideration in themselves, of be legal repentance. MESSR'S. FROM under your candid ing regarded forever as unworthy, ceive themfelves, it feems defirable, ent lights with a view to their af EPENTANCE is a holy Rexercife produced by the fou In the review of the preceding kirbfervations, the ferious mind or fill reflect on the pernicious naof are of every falfe faith, and on okhe importance of obtaining juft and correct ideas of the gofpellowing thoughts on the diftinction faith, that he may diftinguith it between faving and legal repentfrom all false representations of the gofpel; left by a wrong idea of ance, with liberty to publifh, if faving faith, he fhould found his you judge them admiffible. hopes upon the fand. The ferious Chriftian will carefully examine the nature and effects of his own faith, to fee whether he has not deceived himfelf with fome fatal delufions. Of the importance of this he is reminded by Chrift, faying, "Enter in at the ftrait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Becaufe ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." EUPISTIS. divine fpirit, and the fubject views the law of God to be holy, juft and good, both in its precepts and penalty. He loves it and fees it to be a tranfcript of God's moral perfections, mourns for all his violations of it, and is reconciled to the juftice of God, in threatening him with everlasting deftruction. He loathes and abhors himself, as a finner, forrows for his fin on account of its being committed againt an infinitely holy God, and becaufe of its own evil nature and |