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éd to himself? And are not all the Promises of the Believer's Perfeverance, Yeas, and Amen in Chrift, with whom the Believer is one mystical and Spiritual Perfon ?-Sooner fhall Heaven and Earth pafs away, than the bleffed Redeemer shall forget or neglect the Members of his Body, and the Objects of his Love; they were eternally chofen in him, they are his by Covenant, they are united to him by Faith, their Intereft is his, and he is gone to take Poffeffion of their Inheritance, that where he is they may be also.—Thus are we kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation. But how could we stand one Day or Hour against the Efforts of our own Corruptions, the Craft, Malice, and Power of Satan's Temptations, and the Snares and Entanglements of a wicked World, if we were not founded upon this Rock?

And now, Sir, you are to judge, whether there be not more than a doctrinal Acquaintance with our Union to Chrift neceffary for us, if we would either be juftified in the Sight of God, obtain that Holinefs, without which no Man can fee the Lord, live near to God, or hold the Beginning of our Confidence ftedfaft to the End.

By what has been faid, you cannot but fee, that it fhould be your great Inquiry, how this Union may be obtained, if you have not the Evidence of it, or how it fhould be evidenced to yourself, if you are in Doubt about it.

If you have no Evidence of your Union to Chrift, it concerns you to realize your natural Enmity of Heart to God, deeply to affect your Soul with a Senfe of the dreadful Mifery of a Chriftlefs State, and to lament before God the Pollution of your Nature, the Hardness of your Heart, the Guilt of your Sins; and the amazing Deftruction and Perdition unto which you are thereby expofed.-It H h

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concerns you (as I have often advised you) to lie at Mercy, to come to the Footstool of fovereign Grace, felf-loathing and felf-condemning, pleading with importunate Ardour, for the powerful Influences of the bleffed Spirit, to draw and unite you to Chrift. It concerns you to be careful and diligent in your Attendance upon all the Duties of religious Worship, and to be ftedfaft and unmovable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, if you would not have your Labour in vain in the Lord. -It concerns you, though watchful, active, and diligent, yet utterly to despair of all Help in your felt, and to maintain a lively Impreffion, that all the Progress of fpiritual Life must flow from your Union to Jefus Christ; and that you must therefore rely upon him only, to do all in you and for you. It likeways concerns you to look unto Jefus Chrift, not only as fufficient, but a compaffionate Saviour, willing to receive you to Mercy in your prefent State how bad foever; and therefore to endeavour a cheerful and immediate Compliance with the Gofpel-offer, without waiting for moral Qualifications to recommend you to the Redeemer's Acceptance; and let Chrift Jefus be your fteady Hope and Confidence, whatever Darkness, Difficulties, Trials or Temptations you may meet withal in your Way.

If you are in Doubt about your State, and in an uncomfortable Sufpence whether you are united to Christ or not, do not rest satisfied in such a Cafe, wherein your eternal A L L is at Stake, and in a precarious Uncertainty.-But labour to resolve your Doubts, by the lively Exercise of Faith; and by an humble chearful Confidence and Delight in the bleffed Saviour. Then may you know that he dwells in your Heart by Faith, when you are rooted and grounded in Love, Eph. iii. 17.-Labour to

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evidence your Union to Chrift, by having your Heart purified by Faith; and your Affections fpiritual and heavenly. Then may you know that you are rifen with Chrift, when you feek thofe things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the Right Hand of God; and when you place your Affections an Things above, and not on Things on the Earth, Col. iii. 1, 2.—Labour to clear up this Doubt, by the Exercise of all the feveral Graces of the Spirit of Life. If you live in the Exercife of Faith, Repentance, Love to God, Humility, Hope in Chrift, Defire after, and Delight in him; if you bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit, which are Love, Joy, Peace, Long-fuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meeknefs, Temperance, hereby you may know, that he abideth in you, by the Spirit which he hath given you, John iii. 24.-Labour likeways to clear up this Difficulty, not only by the Life, but by the Growth of Grace. If you grow more humble, felf-abafing, and felf-condemning: If you grow more penitent; and more paffionately groan under the Burden of, and mourn after Deliverance from all your Sins; if your Love to God increafes, and you take more Delight in him and in his Ways, or at least long after a Life of nearer Communion with him, with more ardent Defire; if you are more fpiritual in your Thoughts, Meditations and Affections, more heavenly in your Conversation; and more careful of your respective Duties both to God and Man, then you may know that Chrift abideth in you, and you in him; in that you bring forth much Fruit, John xv. 5.

If you get fatisfying Evidences of your Union to Chrift, adore, admire, and praife the infinite Condefcenfion, and the astonishing Love of the glori ous Redeemer, in taking fuch Duft and Ashes, fuch Sin and Pollution, into Union with himself. Contemplate

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template the amazing Tranfaction of Love with Admiration; and let the Love of Christ conftrain you to live to the Praife of the Glory of that Grace by which you become accepted in the Beloved.

That Chrift may abide in you, and you in him, that you may win Chrift, and be found in him at his Appearance and Kingdom, and that you may reign with him for ever, is the Prayer of,

SIR,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XVIII. Wherein fome Antinomian Abufes of the Doctrine of Believers Union to Christ, or Pleas from it for Licentioufnefs and Security in finning, are confidered and obviated.

SIR,

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LLOW me the Freedom to tell you, that the Confequences you draw from the Doctrine of our Union to Chrift, as I have reprefented it, are without any Foundation; and that a just View of the Cafe must convince you, that this Doctrine gives no Advantage to licentious and latitudinarian "Principles," but the direct contrary.——I shall therefore endeavour, according to your Defire, to confider the Antinomian Principles you are pleased to propose; and fee whether they "naturally fol. low from what I taught in my laft."

"You do not fee (you tell me) if the Principles I "teach are allowed, how the Antinomians can be "charged with Error, in supposing that the true "Believer has no Caufe to repent of his Sins, or to "entertain any Difquietment of Mind with refpect

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to them, fince he is united to Christ, and all bis

"Sins are charged to Chrift's Account, whereby "he has fatisfied for 'em all. Why therefore fhould "the Believer be concerned about a Debt which "is fully discharged? --- Juftice is satisfied with re"fpect to him; Chrift delights in him, as a Mem"ber of his own Body; the Spirit of God dwells "in him, notwithstanding any of his Sins and "Imperfections. Why may he not therefore be "perfectly eafy with refpect to Sin; and look upon it (as a modern Antinomian expreffes him"felf) unworthy of our leaft regard?" To this I anfwer,

1. That no Man who is practically conformed to this Antinomian Principle, can know himself to be a Believer; and therefore there can be no Foundation for this Reasoning in any Perfon whatsoever. Were your arguing allowed to be just, it can take Place with none but thofe who have infallible Evidence of their Union to Chrift; which it is impoffible any Man fhould have, who is not burdened with his Sins, who does not hate them, and groin after Deliverance from them.-Repentance is the genuine and necessary Fruit of a true Faith. They Shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn, Zech. xii. 10. That thou may't remember, and be confounded, and never open thy Mouth any more, because of thy Shame, when I am PACIFIED towards thee for all that thou haft done, faith the Lord God, Ezek. xvi. 63. And ye shall be my People, and I will be your God. Then hall ye remember your own evil Ways, and your D ings that were not good; and shall loath yourselves in your own Sight, for your Iniquities, and for your Abominations, Ezek. xxxvi. 28. 31.-It is the true Believer, and he only, that is capable aright to mourn for Sin, truly to hate it, and to groan under the Bur den of it. Unbelievers may mourn under a Senfe Hh 3

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