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may have to any fuch from special, intimate Acquaintance, or from their being in the fame Cause, Party or Persuasion with himself, (which is indeed no more than the Exercife of Self-love or Selfesteem) he never loves the Image of Chrift in every Sect or Party, in whom he finds it, nor can he love a Conformity to the Children of God, in the Holinefs of their Hearts and Lives.

Here then you fee an apparent Difference in thefe two Sorts of Believers.-The one loves God above all Things: And indeed he that does not love him with a fupreme Love, does not love him as God, and confequently does not love him at all: But the other feeks the Favour of God, from no other Motive but Fear of his Difpleasure, or fome Defire of Happiness, and not from a Sense of the Excellency of his glorious Perfections, and the Blessedness of an Interest in his Favour.-The one loves what God loves, hates what he hates, and loves and esteems himself but in Proportion to his Conformity unto God. The other retains his Delight in his Lufts and Idols; and repairs to God because he durft not do otherways.-The one, like God himself, takes Pleafure in doing good to all Men, and takes fpecial Delight in all, without Diftinction, who are Partakers of the divine Nature. -The other at the best has his Love to Man influenced by felfish Principles, and therefore takes moft Delight in those who are most conformable to his own Sentiments or Difpofitions.

Left I fhould weary out your Patience, I fhall juft mention but this one Particular more.

6. A faving Faith humbles the Soul, and makes it low and vile in its own Eyes; whereas a dead Faith tends to exalt the Mind with vain Apprehenfions of, or Endeavours after, fome Sufficiency or Excellency of its own. The true Believer has a

deep

deep Senfe of the Greatnefs and Aggravations of his Sins, loathes himself on Account of them, and adores the Patience and Long-fuffering of God towards him, that has kept him out of Hell. He is fo fenfible of the great Defects of his Duties, of the Sinfulness of his Heart, the Imperfections of his Life, and his utter Unworthinefs of any Favour from God, that he cannot but entertain a most deep and fenfible Impreffion, that it must be a wonderful Difplay of mere fovereign Grace, if ever he obtains Salvation. It is always true, that the greater Manifestation of God's Love is made to his Soul, the greater Senfe he hath of his own Nothingness and Unworthiness, and the more he admires and adores the astonishing Riches of free, diftinguishing Grace to fuch a guilty polluted Creature as he is.-Tho' the true Believer lives in the Exercife of that Charity towards others which thinketh no Evil, but believeth all Things, and hopeth all Things; yet he always finds Occafion to condemn himself, and to cenfure his own inward Affections, and outward Performances, religious Duties, and moral Conduct, and therefore cannot but efteem others better than himself. In fhort, the true Believer always, while in this Tabernacle, groans, being burthened. He finds Occafions of a renewed Repentance every Day: He every Day finds new Cause to complain of himself, and new Caufe to commit a finful and unworthy Soul to the mere Mercy of God in Christ.

On the contrary, a dead Faith always either puffs up the vain Mind with a haughty, pleafing Apprehenfion of its own Attainments, makes it cenforious and uncharitable, and infpires it with that proud pharifaical Language, Ithank God, I am not as other Men; or elfe, from the fame haughty Principle, either leaves the Soul fecure and eafy, in its good Defigns and Purposes of future Repentance; or impa

tient and defponding, through Want of those good Qualifications which it fuppofes neceffary.

I think I need not enlarge upon this Diftinction; it is fo apparent and manifeft, and the Characters fo eafy to be known.

And now, Sir, to fum up the whole in a fhort and eafy View.If you have good Evidence of a Saving Faith in Chrift, you must have such a fenfible Impreffion of the Truth of the Gospel, as makes you feel the Importance of your eternal Concerns, and your Neceffity of an Interest in Christ, and puts your Soul upon earnest and active Defires after him, as your only Hope and Safety.-You must heartily approve the Way of Salvation which the Gospel rereveals, and heartily confent to the Terms on which it is offered.-You must accept of Christ as a free Gift, bringing nothing with you of your own to recommend you to his Acceptance. You must accept of him as your only Righteousness to juftify you before God; and as your Prince, as well as Saviour; confenting as well to be governed as. to be faved, to be fanctified as to be juftified, by him. And as you must receive him, fo you must confidently truft in him alone, as a fure Foundation of Safety and Hope, and as a continuing Fountain of all Supplies of Grace to your Soul, whatever Difficulties and Difcouragements you may meet with. And you must have this ftanding Evidence of the Sincerity of your Faith, that it purifies your Heart, and brings you to an earnest Defire of, and Endeavour after, habitual Holiness of Heart and Life; that it works by Love to God and Man, and keeps up in your Soul an abafing Sense of your own Vilenefs and utter Unworthiness after all. -This is that precious Faith, to which the Promises of the Gospel are made, and to which no falfe Profeffor can make any juft Pretence.

ΤΟ

To conclude with a ftill fhorter View of this Cafe.

When a realizing Be ief of the Gospel; and a Despair of all Help in yourself brings you to repair to Chrift as your only Safety, and to venture your Soul, guilty as it is, upon the Merit of his Obedience, the Sufficiency of his Grace and Strength, and the Faithfulness of his Promife, and heartily to fubmit to his Rule and Government, now you cannot fail of the fanctifying Influences of his Spirit, to qualify you for the eternal Inheritance: For the Amen, the true and faithful Witness, has given you his Word for it, that if you thus come to him, he will in no wife caft you out.

I might fum up this important Point in a yet fhorter View. If you fo heartily approve of, and delight in the Gofpel-Way of Salvation by Chrift alone, that you can chearfully venture your Soul and your eternal Interests upon it, as the fure and only Foundation of Hope and Safety, you have then the Faith of God's Elect. And in this Cafe he that has bestowed fuch Grace upon you will carry on his own Work in your Soul, will give you those several Qualifications and Evidences of a gracious State, which I have above described; and will at taft prefent you faultlefs before his Throne with exceeding Joy.That you may have the delightful Experience of fuch a Progrefs of Grace in your Soul, is the Prayer of, SIR, Your, &c.

LETTER IX. Wherein the Difference between a legal and an evangelical Repentance is diftinctly confidered.

SIR,

́OU justly observe," It is of infinite Concern, "that your Repentance towards God (as well

You

<< as

66 as your

Faith towards the Lord Jefus Christ) be "fincere; and that you have therefore Gaufe to be "follicitous, not to be deceived with a Repentance "which must be repented of :" And you have therefore juft Reafon to defire" a clear Apprehen"fion of the Difference, between a legal and an e"vangelical Repentance." I fhall therefore endeavour, according to your Defire, " to fhew you the "Difference, in as eafy and familiar a Light as I 66 can." -And perhaps it may give you a clearer View of the Cafe, if I fhould fhew you first negatively, wherein the Distinction does not confift, under a few Particulars, before I proceed to a direct Illuftration of it.

It may then be observed, that a deep Distress of Mind on Account of finning against God, is common both to a legal and evangelical Repentance.-Even Judas could cry out with Agony of Soul, I have finned in betraying innocent Blood; as well as the Pfalmift groans out his Complaint, that there was no Reft in his Bones becaufe of his Sins.-A diftreffing Senfe of Sin, in itself confidered, is therefore no Evidence for, nor againft, the Truth and Sincerity of Repentance.

Moreover, a fearful Apprehenfion of the divine Difpleasure may be common to both Sorts of Penitents, Mere legal Convictions may make Sinners in Zion afraid, and Fearfulness furprize the Hypocrite; and Destruction from God may be a Terror to a holy Job, in as great Reality, though not with fuch defpairing Infidelity, as to a Cain or Judas; that this can be no diftinguishing Mark of a true or falfe Repentance.

I may add, Dread of, and a temporary Reformation from outward and known Courfes of finning, may likewise be the Confequence of both a legal and evangelical Repentance.-Ahab humbled him

felf,

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