feek or strive for Mercy? In which Way have we the best Profpect of Succefs? By entertaining false and difhonourable Conceptions of the divine Being, and denying to God the Glory which is due to his Name? Or elfe by lying at the Foot of a Sovereign, and thereby afcribing to him the infinite Perfections of his excellent Nature? Though in this latter Way you can make no Change in God, you will nevertheless have the Evidence that he has made a Change in you, and a comfortable Prospect, that by bringing you to a Submission to his Sovereignty, he has a Design of special Favour to your Soul.

If we fhould yet further continue our View of this Cafe, it will appear, that a Submission to the mere fovereign Mercy of God is most conducive to your own Comfort, Safety and Happiness. This Confideration is a juft Foundation of Comfort and Hope, in that it obviates the Darkness and Difcouragements that would otherways arise from a Senfe of your Guilt and Unworthinefs, and from your Impotence, and unavoidable Infirmity and Imperfection in the Service of God.What Hope could you find from your Duties, when, after your best Endeavours, you would fee fo much Deadnefs, Formality and Hypocrify, in your highest Attainments? What Hope from your Reformations, when you find so much Sin and Corruption gaining Ground against all your good Purposes and RefoJutions?What Hope from your good Affections, when fo much Hardness of Heart, Worldly-mindednefs, Senfuality, and carnal Difpofitions are feparating between God and you ?---Can you quiet your Soul by impofing upon an omnifcient God, with your vain Shews and flattering Pretences? No, Sir, if you have any true Difcovery of your own Heart, these Confiderations muft continually perplex and diftrefs your Soul with diftract

ing Fears and Defpondencies, as long as you are thus compaffing yourself about with Sparks of your own kindling. For thefe Defects and Imperfections will certainly accompany your best Resolutions, Endeavours and Attainments.But then on the other Hand, if you lie at Mercy, and fubmit to God as the fovereign Difpofer of his own Favours, you have good Grounds of Encouragement and Hope. Are your Sins great, and greatly aggravated? the Mercy of God exceeds them all.-—-—-—-—Have you no agreeable Qualifications to recommend you to the Favour of God? Multitudes of others have found Mercy, who had no better Qualifications than you have. Have you no fpecial Promife to depend upon, as belonging to you, while in an unconverted State? yet is it not fufficient, that you have gracious Encouragement to leave all in the Hands of that Mercy, which infinitely exceeds your highest Apprehensions or Imaginations? Are you incapable to come up to the Terms of Grace propofed in the Gofpel? there is yet Hope in God's omnipotent Mercy, that he will work in you both to will and to do of his own good Pleafure; he has done it for thousands of Sinners no better than you.

Now, Sir, look around you, and fee what Refuge you can poffibly betake yourself t‹ -You are in the Hands of Juftice; and which Way can you make your Escape? If you attempt to fly from God, you perifh; but if you fly to him, there is Hope He is fovereign in the Donation of his Favours; you have therefore as good a Prospect of obtaining Salvation (in the Ufe of appointed Means) as any unregenerate Perfon in the World.-Your Defects and D merits need not be any Difcouragement; for his Mercy triumphs over the Guilt and Unworthiness of the greatest Sinners.-Is it there,

fore

fore not your greatest Safety to lie at his Foot, in the Way of his Appointments, where there is a bleffed Hope fet before you ?In this Way you have the infinite Mercy of God, the gracious Encouragements of the Gofpel, the glorious Succefs of fo many thousands who have tried this Method, to animate your Diligence and Hope: And there is no other Way, in which you have any Encouragement to expect renewing Grace and pardoning, faving Mercy.

Since you wholly depend upon God's free fovereign Mercy, you should use the more diligent and earneft Application, in all the Ways of his Appointment, that you may obtain it. Since you

mruft obtain Mercy of God, or perish, O with what Diligence and Importunity, with what Ardor of Soul, fhould you address the Throne of Grace, for Deliverance from your Guilt and Danger? Since in a Way of Sovereignty, God is pleafed to bestow his fpecial Grace, with an Intereft in his Son and his great Salvation, at what Time, and by what Means it fhall feem beft in his. Sight, you should therefore at all Times, and in the Ufe of all the Means of Grace, be feeking the Lord while he may be found, and calling upon Him while he is near..

Can it be thought just Reasoning, that because you cannot help yourself, and there is none but God can help you, it is therefore in vain to apply to him for Help? That because you have no Claim to his Favour, but lie at his Mercy, you will not therefore feek Mercy at his Hands? -Does not this, at the first View, appear contrary to all the Methods of Reafoning we fhould ufe in any other Cafe? Can you promise yourself Comfort from fuch Reasonings, and fuch Conclufions as thefe, in your last expiring Moments, when your Soul is entering upon its eternal and unchangeable State?

But

2

But you object, "If God in Sovereignty de"figns Mercy for us, we shall obtain it, whether 66 we feek or no: and, if not, it is in vain to "ftrive."-To this it is fufficient Answer, that God never does in Sovereignty appoint Salvation for any, in the final wilful Neglect of GofpelMeans. He is fovereign in the Appointment of the Means, as well as of the End. The fame glorious Sovereign, who affures us it is not for our Sakes that he bestows his fpecial Grace upon us, but for his own Name's Sake, does alio let us know, that he will be enquired of by the Houfe of Ifrael, to do this for them. Whence it follows, that if we have not a Heart to feek with earnest Diligence, for the gracious Influences of the Spirit of God, there is no Profpect we shall ever obtain; for God will make us feel the Want of his Mercy, and will make us esteem his Salvation worthy of our Care and Pains, or leave us to the unhappy Effects of our own Madness and Folly.-But if we have Hearts given us, to be humbly and earnestly attending upon the Means of Grace, it is an encouraging Sign, that he who has excited our Diligence, intends to crown it with Succefs.

You fee, Sir, I have obeyed your Commands, and have addreffed you with as much Plainness and Familiarity as the Caufe requires, and you your

felf have demanded.

That God may effectually bring you to submit to the Terms of his Grace, and enable you so to run, as that you may obtain, is the Prayer of,

LETTER VIII. Wherein the Difference between a true faving Faith, and a dead temporary Faith, is diftinctly

confidered.

SIR,

OUR Complaints do exactly answer my Ex

YOUR pectations. It is not your Cafe alone, to have

"unworthy Apprehenfions of God, vain, trifling "Imaginations, and strange Confufion of Mind, "accompanying the Exercifes of Religion." It is no new Thing for those who are fetting out in earneft in a religious Courfe, to find by Experience, that their "Progress in Religion bears no Pro"portion to their Purposes ;" and that their "good Defigns and Refolutions come to but lit"tle more than outfide Appearances, and no Way "answer their Hopes."It is Matter of Thankfulness, that you have a feeling Senfe of this.-[ hope, if no other Arguments will convince you of the Truth of what was infitted on in my last, you will at leaft be convinced, by your ownExperience, that you lie at Mercy.

You" thank me for my Plainnefs and Faith"fulness to a poor wretched Infidel, who yet "breathes out of Hell, by the mere Patience of "an affronted Saviour.' -I had not only the Warrant of your Commands, but the vaft Importance of the Concern before us, to embolden me to lay by all Referves; and even to tranfgrefs the common Rules of Decorum and Respect in my former Letters; and you need not "conjure me to "retain the fame Freedom." I am no Courtier ; nor am I at all acquainted with the fashionable Methods of the Beau Monde. I shall therefore ap

ply