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to qualify them for the Kingdom of Heaven.-He therefore puts them upon examining into the Truth of their Faith, and Foundation of their Hope, and fhews them, by the Arguments already confidered, what alone will justify their Profession of Faith, and give them good Grounds to conclude the Safety of their State.

They therefore who over-magnify Works, and depend upon them as the Condition of their Juftification before God, are admonished by the Apostle Paul to confider, that they are building upon the Sand, and that they must renounce their false Confidence, or perish. For by the Works of the Law fhall no Flesh bejuftified: And if Righteousness come by the Law, then Chrift is dead in vain, Gal. ii. 16. 27. This folemn Truth does indeed, Sir, call for your earnest Attention.

On the other Hand, they who depretiate good Works, and neglect them as of no Confequence to eternal Salvation, are called upon by the Apoftle James to confider, how empty their Profeffion, how dead their Faith, and how vain their Hope of Salvation is. For if Men may go to Heaven without Holiness, why may not the Devils go there too, who have Faith (fuch as it is) as well as they? We must have a living Faith, or a dead Hope. Our Faith muft purify our Hearts, and renew our Converfations; or leave us among the impure and ungodly for ever. It concerns every one therefore, fo to speak and fo to do, as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty, Jam. ii. 12.

Upon the whole then, as you are taught by the one Apostle, how dangerous it is to build upon any other Foundation than Chrift only; for Chrift Fefus is our Hope, and other Foundation can no Man lay, than that is laid, which is Chrift Fefus; fo are you admonished by the other Apostle, that you

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can have no Intereft in Chrift nor Title to his Salvation, but by a Faith, which purifies the Heart, works by Love, and is justified by a fubfequent Life of Holiness and new Obedience.

The Extremes on both Sides of the Question are equally dangerous. He that joins good Works with Faith, as equally the Terms of Juftification before God, virtually rejects the Saviour's Sufficiency; fubftitutes his own Righteousness in the Room of the Righteousness of God; and confequently his Expectations muft perifh.-He that feparates good Works from Faith, in his Lite and Converfation, as tho' they were not requifite to Salvation, will be found very unfit for the heavenly World, when the Decree brings forth, He that is filthy, let him be filthy fill.

Suffer me then to conclude, Sir, with an earnest Intreaty, that, as you love your Soul, you would leave off unprofitable Disputes; and not distract your Mind, and carry away your Thoughts from practical Godlinefs, by fuch an earnest Application to these controverted Points; but fee to it, that you come to the Footstool of divine Grace, as a loft unworthy perifhing Sinner; that you depend only upon the Riches of God's free fovereign Grace, to draw you to Chrift, and give you an Interest in him; that you look to Chrift Jefus alone for Righteousness and Strength; and chearfully trust in him as a fafe Foundation of Confidence and Hope.

See to it, that the Life which you live in the Flesh be by the Faith of the Son of God; and as you look to his Righteoufnefs only for the Safety of your State, fo iikewife repair by Faith to his Fulnefs for all Supplies of Grace, whereby you may make a Progrefs in Holinefs.-See to it, that you do not quiet your Confcience with a dead Faith; but always remember, that he who hath this Hope in

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Christ, purifies himself even as he is pure; and that as your Perfon cannot be juftified but by Faith in Chrift, fo your Faith cannot be justified but by a careful Diligence in maintaining good Works.

Having therefore with the Heart believed unto Righteousness, be you in an humble Dependence upon Chrift, fedfaft and unmoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord; and your Labour will not be in vain in the Lord.

That ye may be kept by the Power of God thro' Faith, and receive the End of your Faith, the Salvation of your Soul, is the Prayer of,

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LETTER XVI. Wherein is confidered in what Respects good Works are neceffary; and our Obligations to them represented and urged.

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OUR Obfervation is juft, that "it would be “unsuitable and unseasonable to make Apo"logies for this further Trouble [as you are pleaf"ed to call it] after I have given you so many Af"furances of my chearful Readiness, to contribute "all in my Power to your best Interest "--Indeed, Sir, I have found nothing troublesome in the whole Progrefs of our Correfpondence, excepting fome dark Apprehenfions of late, left you would fruftrate the Grace of God, in feeking Righteoufnefs, not by Faith, but as it were by the Works of the Law. But it now greatly animates my Endeavours to ferve you, to find thofe Fears on my Part so happily removed, by finding," the Difficulties on your D d

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"Part obviated, in that important Point, and you "fatisfied with refpect to the Foundation of your "Hope." I am fenfible, that the Principles which I have been pleading for, are commonly loaded "with opprobrious Invectives, as being destructive "of an holy Life, and fubverfive of Morality and "Godliness." But I think I have already given you fufficient Evidence, that all these Infinuations are mere Calumnies; and that there is is no other poffible Foundation, than what I have reprefented to you, for Life of true Holiness and Piety. Iappeal to your own Obfervation and Experience, whether in general there be any that live more holy Lives, and more honour their Profeffion, than they who moft ftrictly adhere to the Doctrines of special Grace, and depend upon Chrift alone for Righteoulnefs and Strength; and whether they, on the contrary, who depend upon their good Works for a Title to the divine Favour, do not too commonly fhew the Weakness of their Foundation, by the Carelessnefs and Unfruitfulness of their Lives.

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The Question which you propofe, is however worthy of a diftinct Confideration.-"How far, "and in what Refpects are our good Works necef"fary to Salvation?"

In order to give you a proper View of this Cafe, it will be needful to anfwer this Question both negatively and pofitively; or to fhew you wherein our good Works ought to have no Place, nor be at all looked to or depended upon; and then to fhew you wherein good Works ought to have Place, and in what refpect they are neceffary to every Chriftian indeed, that would entertain a well grounded Hope of eternal Life.

In my negative Anfwer to this Question, I must firft obferve, that we are not to do good Works in order to change God's Purposes and Designs towards us; or to excite his Benevolence and Compassion to

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us.-I fufpect, 'tis too common a Cafe for Men to depend upon their penitent Frames, their Duties, their Reformations, their Works of Charity, or other religious Exercifes, as what will excite Affections, Paffions, or Compaffions in the glorious God, correfpondent to what they find in themfelves. And thence, when Confcience upbraids the Sinner for his past Provocations to God, he hopes to appeafe his Difpleasure by his Remorse, by his Duties, or by his more careful future Conduct: And now he is delivered to do all thefe Abominations; his Account is balanced, and he begins upon a new Score. Thence it is that his Hopes and Fears bear Proportion to his Frames and Carriages. Every serious Pang, every religious Duty, or moral Practice, which his Confcience approves, will raife his dejected Hopes; and give him comforting Expectations of the divine Favour. But it fhould always be remembred, that the Change to be hoped for by our Duties, religious Frames, or moral Conduct, must be in curselves, and not in God. He is of one Mind, and who can turn him? He is the Lord, he changeth not. We are therefore not to look to our good Works, but to the Redeemer's Merits, and the infinite Mercy of the divine Nature, as what will render God propitious to us.-Though we are only to hope for Mercy in a Way of Duty, it is not becaufe this will render God more willing to beflow it; but because it is the Way which God has appointed, to render us more difpofed and ready to receive it. It is an Imagination very unworthy of God to fuppofe, that we can move him to the Exercife of Compaffion, whofe very Nature is Goodness and Love itfelf; that we can excite any Mercy in him, whose infinite Mercy endures forever; or that we can procure any Change of Purpose in him, who is without any Variableness, or Shadow of turning.

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