in Fears and Anxieties, in Di'quietude and Uneafinefs of Mind, as often as their Confciences are awake, to entertain any serious Apprehenfions of a future and eternal World. Thus they live under a Spirit of Bondage, not being able to venture their guilty Souls upon the pardoning Mercy of God, and the infinite Merit of the Redeemer's Blood.

Nothing can be more apparent, than the Distinction and Difference here represented between these two Sorts of Believers.-The one, in all his Straits, Fears, Difficulties and Dangers, looks unto Chrift, as to a fure Foundation of Safety, Confidence and Hope: And though he may at fome Times doubt his Intereft in Chrift, he can at no Time deliberately place his Confidence, or expect Safety for his Soul any where elfe, but in the mere Mercy of God in Chrift. The other leaves the Soul afleep; or else seeks Rest only from the Righteousness of the Law, from Defires and Endeavours of his own, and must either find Comfort there, or nowhere.The one ventures all his Interests, and all his Hopes of Grace and Glory, upon the Faithfulness of the Gofpel Promifes, and the infinite Mercy of God in Chrift. The other fees no Way to quiet the Accufations of his Confcience, and to obtain Qualifications for Salvation, by depending upon a naked Promise. In a Word, the one can fee Safety and Security, in leaving all the Concerns both of Time and Eternity in the Hands of Christ. The other, being ignorant of the Righteoufnets of God, muft make the Righteoufnefs of the Law his Refuge, or elfe live without the Comfort of Hope.

4A faving Faith fubjects the Soul to the Scepter and Yoke of Chrift; but a dead Faith leaves the Soul unrenewed and difobedient.A true Faith pu rifies the Heart, and overcomes the World; and he

L

that

that hath this Hope in Chrift, purifieth himself even as he is pure. A true Faith unites the Soul to Christ, as the Branch is united to the Vine; and thereby enables the Man to bring forth much Fruit.-The true Believer hates every falfe Way; he mourns over, and watches, ftrives and prays against all the Corruptions of his Nature, and all the Imperfections of his Heart and Life.-There is no known Sin which he indulges himself in, no known Duty which he willingly neglects; no Difficulty which can deter him from following Chrift, no Temptation which can allure him from endeavouring a Conformity to the whole Will of God.Not as tho' he had already attained, or were already perfect He has daily Caufe to lament his Defects; but yet he can truly fay, that he delights in the Law of the Lord after the inward Man; and accordingly endeavours in every Station and Relation, in all his Conduct both to God and Man, as well in fecret as openly, to live a Life of Conformity to • God in all the Duties he requires of him.-And wherein he cannot attain, he is yet pressing towards Perfection, and groaning after a further Progrefs in Holinefs, even in all Inftances, without Referve; nor yet fatisfied without a final Perfeverance to crown his Sincerity.

But, on the other Hand, the Obedience of an unfintere Profeffor is very partial, defective, temporary, and but a Matter of Force and Constraint upon the Appetites and Affections. If, with Herod, he reforms and does many Things, he yet retains his Herodias, fome darling Corruption unmortified, or leaves fome unpleasant Duty neglected. Or if, by the Lashes of an awakened Confcience, he is driv. en for a Time to a more general Reformation from all known Sin, and to outward Attendance upon all known Duty, he finds no inward Complacency in

it; and therefore is like a dull Horfe, that will be kept on his Way no longer than he feels a Spur in his Side.

. Here then is a confpicuous Difference between a true and a falfe Believer. The one has a Principle of Holiness, a Delight in it, and an earnest and continuing Defire after further Proficiency in the divine Life. The other aims only at so much Holinefs as he thinks will fave him from Hell, but cares for nothing more; and what he has is excited by Fear, or constrained by Force, contrary to the natural Tendency and Bias of his Soul.

In fine, the one makes it the Endeavour of his Life, to approve himfelf to a pure, holy, and omnifcient God. The other refts in Endeavours to quiet his Confcience, and to filence its Clamours and Accufations.

5. A faving Faith works by Love to God and Man; but a dead Faith always falls fhort of both.The Apostle affures us, that if we have all Faith, fa that we could remove Mountains, and have not Charity, we are nothing.-Faith worketh by Love; and the true Believer keeps himself in the Love of God, Looking to the Mercy of the Lord Jefus Chrift for eternal Life. He delights in contemplating the glorious Perfections of the divine Nature: His Meditations upon God are sweet, and the Thoughts of him precious to his Soul. He values the Favour of God as Life, and his Loving-kindness as better than Life. If he can have the glorious God for his Portion, and live in the Light of his Countenance, he can be content with Straits and Difficulties, Trials and Afflictions, here in the World. He takes peculiar Pleasure in the Ordinances of God, and all the appointed Means of a near Approach into his fpecial Prefence; and is especially pleased, when favoured with fenfible Communion with God.-Though

L 2

Though he cannot always walk fo near to God, and find fuch fenfible Delight in him, yet he laments his Abfence when he withdraws; heavily complains of his own Deadness, Wordliness, or Senfuality, which feparates betwen God and his Soul; and can find no true Rest or Satisfaction, till he return to God, and God to him. This is at least the ordinary Course and Tenor of the Believer's Life ; and if at any Time he should be so left of God as to grow forgetful of him, and have any continuing Prevalence of a dead, carnal, wordly Frame in his Soul, this darkens the Evidence of his State, robs him of his Comfort and Peace, and will at length put him upon vigorous and active Endeavours for obtaining a Revival of his languifhing Graces, by a fresh Supply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift.

Thus, the true Believer hath the Love of God dwelling in him; and from the fame Principle, he likeways loves his Neighbour as himself.-He maintains a Life of Juftice, Meeknefs, Kindness and Beneficence towards all Men, bears Injuries, is ready to forgive, entertains the best Opinion of Men's State and Actions, that the Cafe will allow; and endeavours to live in the Exercise of Love, Joy, Peace, Long-fuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Meekness. And as he thus maintains a Love of Benevolence to all Men, he has, in a special Manner, a Love of Complacence towards thofe who bear the Marks of the divine Image.-These he delights in, on account of their being (or at least appearing to be) the Children of God. He loves them for their heavenly Father's Sake, as well as for thefe gracious Qualifications which make the Righteous more excellent than his Neighbour. He loves the Company of the Saints. Thefe are the excellent, in whom is all his Delight. He loves their Piety, and ftudies an Imitation of them, wherein they follow

Chrift;

Chrift; and ftudies to equal (if not excel) them in their higheft Improvements in Religion. He loves their Perfons, and hopes to join in Confort with them, in the eternal Praifes of God.

This is the real and genuine Character of every true Believer; while the highest Attainments of a dead Faith do fall fhort of every Part of this Defcription -The falfe Profeffor may imagine, that he has fomething of the Love of GoD in him; but, upon a juft View of the Cafe, it will appear, that 'tis only to an Idol, the Creature of his own Imagination. If he feems to love God, under an Apprehenfion of his Goodness and Mercy, he yet dreads him on Account of his Juftice, and has an inward Averfation to his Purity and Holiness; fo that the Object of his Love is an imaginary Being of infinite Goodness and Mercy, without either Juftice or Holinefs. If from the Alarms of Confcience, or fome Emotions of his natural Affections, he may take fome Pleasure in religious Exercises, this Pleasure is short and tranfient, like the Principle from whence it flows; he foon returns to Careleffness and Forgetfulness of God, and has his Affections quickly engaged in worldly and fenfual Purfuits. And however he may deceive himself, in any fuppofed Progress in Religion, he can never fatisfy his Soul with having God for his Portion: He can never in Courfe keep up a Life of Spiritual Mindedness, and Delight in God, and in a Way of Obedience to him, and Communion with him.

The fame Defects are likeways found in the unfound Believer, with Refpect to his Love to his Neighbour.-If he be not (as it is too commonly found) unjust and deceitful, wrathful and contentious, hard-hearted and unkind, bitter and cenforious, revengeful and implacable, yet he never loves, the Children of God as fuch. Whatever Love he

ww