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There are these two Things, especially in the Doctrine of our Juftification by Faith, which are to be condemned as most dangerous Errors in the Sects you speak of. The first is, their Notion of the Nature of a faving Faith. The fecond is, the Part which they aflign to Faith in our Juftification. It is neceffary, in order to fet the Affair in a proper Light, that I be fomething particular upon each of these.

The first Thing then to be confidered is their Notion of the Nature of a faving Faith: This they fuppole to confift in a joyful Perfuafion of our Interest in Chrift, and of our Title to his purchased Salvation. And accordingly Count Zinzendorff frequently gives us this View of a faving Faith. Believe then (fays he) that Jefus has attoned and payed a Ranfom for you all; and that you may experience it this very Moment; and know that ye have been healed by his Wounds and by his Stripes.

And the Antinomians in general agree with him in this, that faving Faith confifts in a comfortable Perfuafiou of our perfonal Interest in the Lord Jefus Chrift.But then, on the contrary, you may perceive, by what I have written to you on this Subject, that I do not fuppofe this Persuasion to enter into the Definition of a faving Faith; nor to be any Part of it. It is what a true Believer may want; and an unbelieving and impenitent Sinner may entertain in an high Degree.

This is an Affair of vaft Confequence, and therefore deferves a more diftinct and particular Confideration than I can now have Opportunity for. I fhall however attempt to fet it in as plain and familiar a Light as I can. In order to this, it will

Difcourfes on the Redemption of Man. p. 120.
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be proper (previous to my Reasoning against this wild Opinion) to premise these Obfervations:

1. That Believers may have good Satisfaction of their fafe Eltate, and full Perfuafion of their Inte reft in Chrift, from their Experience of a Work of Grace in their Hearts; and from the Fruits of Faith in their Affections and Converfations. It is juft Reasoning, from the Nature of the Fruit, to the Quality of the Tree that bears it. If therefore a Man finds in himself an habitual, predominant Defire after the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the Portion of his Soul, and the Foundation of his Hope; if he feels his Sins to be the Burthen of his Soul, what he hates without Referve, what he strives, watches, and prays against, and never willingly and deliberately indulges; if he delights himself in the Lord, in near Approaches to him, and Communion with him in his Ordinances; if he knows it to be the Bent and Difpofition of his Soul, to approve himself to God in a Life of Spiritual Mindedness, and in all holy Converfation and Godliness, in Selfdenial, in Piety towards God, in Righteousness, and Charity towards Men: Though he may yet groan under many difallowed Imperfections, he nevertheless may be, and ought to be perfuaded of his Interest in Christ; and give the Praise and Glory of thefe divine Influences upon his Soul to the bleffed Author of them; this is the ordinary and ftanding Evidence to the Children of God, of the Safety of their State. By this they have a comfortable and joyful Persuasion, that he who has begun a good Work in them, will perform it to the Day of Chrift.By this the Children of God are manifeft, both to themselves and others. In this Senfe, then, I do not deny to Believers a Perfuafion or Manifestation of their own good Eftate. This Perfuafon is what they should by no Means contentedly

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rest short of. It is greatly needful, not only to their Comfort and Hope, but to their ferving God with the Difpofitions becoming Children, with Enlargement of Soul, and with Chearfulness and Delight. But then you must remember, that this Perfuafion is not Faith; but arifes from the Fruits and Effects of Faith upon the Soul, and is what may (fometimes at leaf) be wanting in the best of the Children of God.-I must still further obferve,

2. That God is fometimes pleafed, in a more Special and peculiar Manner, to bed abroad his Love in the Hearts of Believers, by his Holy Spirit, with fuch fuperior Light and Evidence, that their gracious Sincerity, fo confequently their Interest in Chrift, and their Title to the eternal Inheritance, can at fuch Times be no Ways doubtful and questionable to them.The Spirit of God witneeth with their Spirits, that they are his Children; and they are fealed with the holy Spirit of Promife. In this Cafe, as in the other before mentioned, their com fortable Perfuafion of their Intereft in Chrift arifes from an evident Discovery of the Exercise of the Graces of his bleffed Spirit. Herein this joyful Perfuafion in both Cafes agrees, that it is reafonable and well-grounded. The Spirit of God never perfuades the Soul to believe a Truth without its proper Evidence; nor caufes the Believer to rejoice without rational Grounds and Motives.

But then this latter Persuasion differs from that before mentioned, in thefe following Refpects:-It is produced in the Soul with an incomparably ftronger and clearer Light.-In the other Cafe, Satisfaction is obtained by a Series of Reasoning, Reflection, and Selt-examination, diftinctly confidering the Scripture Rule, and comparing it with the State, Circumftances, and fettled Habit of the Soul. Whereas, in this Cafe, the Soul has fo clear a View, and Consciouinefs

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Consciousness of its prefent Exercise of Faith in Christ, and Love to God, that all Clouds are difperfed, all Mifts and Darkness vanish; and there is no Room left for Doubts and mifgiving Thoughts: But the Soul fees itself safe in the Hands of Chrift; and can reft there with the greatest Alacrity and Pleasure. Moreover, as this Perfuafion, which I am now fpeaking of, makes its Way into the Soul with much greater Light, so it has a much quicker and more fudden Production. The Soul is not exercifed, in this Cafe, for Months or Years together, with difficult Inquiries into its own State; but at once, before it is aware, overcomes all its Fears, by feeling the Poffeffion and Influence of the Graces and Confolations of the Spirit of God.-I may yet add, that this Perfuafion is accompanied with fuch unfpeakable Joy, as thofe (even Believers themfeves) cannot have any Idea of, who have not thus tasted that the Lord is gracious. The divine Light shines into the Soul with a tranfporting and ravishing Energy, till it is as it were loft in a joyful Astonish ment. By this the World vanishes out of Sight, and Death itself lofes its Terrors; by this the Martyrs have been enabled to fing in the Flames, and moft joyfully to triumph over all that is most frightful and diftreffing to Nature.-To which I may alfo add, that this joyful Perfuafion, of which I now fpeak, has a transforming Efficacy on the Soul, who is the happy Subject of it. It purifies the Heart, and promotes Conformity to God: It humbles the Soul to nothing in its own Eyes; bows it to an abfolute Subjection to the Will of God, and excites in it the most vigorous Exercife of the Graces of the Spirit, and the Duties of Christianity: Effects, which at least are not to fentibly produced, and in fuch a Degree, by the Satisfaction which the Soul obtains of its own gcod State, in the Method fi t

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mentioned. I have insisted the longer upon these Heads, to obviate all Mifapprehenfions of what I have yet to offer: And to the fame Purpose I must add once more,—

3. That we can have no other Glaim to Acceptance with God, but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by Faith; and therefore, that we can have no just Perfuafion of our being in Favour with God, but from our intereft in, and Dependence upon, his Righteoufnefs, as the Matter of our Fuftification. It is only on Account of what Chrift has done and fuffered for us that we are juftified before God, and intitled to eternal Salvation. It is only by Faith that we are interefted in this Righteousness. And 'tis only by the Evidence of our having a true unfeigned Faith, that we can fafely enjoy the Satisfaction and Comfort of a juftified State-That we cannot be justified before God by our own fincere Obedience, either to the Law of Nature, or to any imaginary Law of Grace, or even by Faith itself, as it is an Act of Obedience; or any other Way whatsoever, but by the Imputation of the Righteoufnefs of Chrift to us, and on the Account of what he did and fuffered for us, will appear from the following Confiderations.

This appears evidently true, in that nothing can be the Matter of our Juftification before God, but what is a proper and adequate Atonement and Propitiation for our Sins.That we have all finned, and come fhort of the Glory of God, is a Truth evident, both from the Light of Nature and Revelation.That God will by no Means clear the Guilty, has the fame Evidence and Certainty. Infinite juftice and Holiness cannot look upon those to be just, who are under the Guilt of Sin, and the damning Sentence of the Law.There is therefore a Neceflity

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