is in the nature of things, and in the doctrine of the Gospel, the believer's path way to eternal life. He that faith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 1 John ii. 4. He that faith, he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked, John ii. 6. Whosoever committeth fin, tranfgreffeth alfo the law, 1 John iii. 4. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, 1 John v. 3. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the fcripture, Thou balt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well, Jam. ii. 3.

And now, Sir, it belongs to you to confider, whether the Antinomians have any handle at all for their licentious principles, from the doctrine of our union to Chrift, rightly confidered and underflood. If no man can have any good evidence of his union to Chrift, without a repentance and humiliation for his offences againít God, then no man can have reason to be eafy and fecure in finning, from a prefumption of his union to Christ. If the fins of believers are by virtue of their union to Christ more aggravated, than the fins of other men, they have more cause than others to lament their fins before God, and to be deeply humbled on the account of them. If believers, as well as others, muft repent of their fins, or perish, they have then the fame caufe, which others have, to mourn for their fins, and with the greatest deteftation to renounce and forfake them. If believers, by means of their union to Chrift, though perfectly juftified, are yet not perfectly fanctified, but in many things do all offend if Chrift has not taken away the pollution of fin, and perfonal innate guilt, though he has born the curfe, and taken away the penalty of fin from believers; if the law ftill remains a rule of obedience to believers; and if their deviation from, or violation of that rule, be of the nature of fin, and brings them under guilt and defilement, they have then caufe to be humbled for their fins, to groan under the burthen of them, and ardently to pant after deliverance from their remaining body of death. All thefe premises are (I think) fully proved; and the confequences cannot therefore be fairly denied. Whence it follows, that whoever quiet their confcience with fuch vain pretences, expose themselves to the dreadful confequences of a licentious life, divine rejection, and wrath unto the uttermost.

Thus I have briefly anfwered your feveral pleas, in

favour of the libertines of the prefent age, by reafonings which cannot fail of giving you fatisfaction, if duly confidered. You'll be pleafed to bear with me, whilft I offer one aufwer more, which will equally obviate all your objections: and difcover them all to be groundlefs, unreasonable, and irreligious.

You will readily allow, if it be impoffible from the nature of things, that one who is truly united to Jefus Chrift, fhould be habitually carelefs and at eafe, indifferent and indolent in a way of finning, that your ob. jections are then all groundless, and without any rational foundation. And that this is so, may be made abun-. dantly clear and evident.

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If a true and fincere love to God be a neceffary confequence of our union to Jesus Christ, and be also utterly inconfiftent with thofe licentious conclufions, which you have mentioned; it will then follow, that it is impoffible from the nature of things, that any one who is truly united to Jefus Chrift, fhould be careless, eafy, and indifferent in a way of finning. That all who are united to Jefus Chrift, do habitually love God, and dwell in the love of God, is exprefly afferted by the apoftle, 1 John iv. 16. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. And it is alfo neceffary from the very nature of our union to Chrift. Being united to Chrift, we fhall partake of all the graces of the bleffed Spirit, which are in Chrift, as in a fountain or repository to be communicated unto us; as I have fhewn you before, that this need not be infifted on.

Let us therefore proceed to confider, whether the love of God be, from the nature of it, compatible or confift- . ent with a carelesness and indifference about finning against him. Can we love God, and be careless and indifferent about affronting him, and loading him with indignity at the fame time? Can we love God, and yet be content to dishonour his name, violate his laws, and trample his facred authority and attributes under the feet of our lufts? This cannot be, till love and hatred, friendfhip and enmity become the fame thing, no ways to be diftinguifhed. Our profeffion of love would hardly be voted fincere by one of our fellow creatures, who fhould

find us eafy and indifferent about injuring his intereft and reputation, and loading him with contempt and indignity. Does not the love of God especially confift in a defire of, and delight in a conformity to the divine nature and will? That they who love God, dwell in God and God in them: that as he is, so are they in this world, 1 John iv. 16, 17. And can they delight in a confor mity to God, and yet be eafy and content when they act molt contrary to his will, and in the higheft repugnancy to all his glorious and infinite perfections? Does not the love of God confift in a hatred of fin, and of whatever is difpleasing in his fight? Ye that love the Lord, hate evil, Pfal. xcvii. 10. And can there be any thing more inconfiftent, than being careless and indifferent about falling into fuch circumftances as are peculiarly hateful and abhorrent to us? Does not the love of God, imply a love to his law; and a delight in complying with his holy will in all things? how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day, Pfal. cxix. 97. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, Rom. vii. 22. And is it confiftent, is it not the highest contradiction, to love the law of God, to delight in an obfervation of it and conformity to it, and yet be indifferent and un. concerned about a violation of it, or a non conformity to it? Does not the love of God, in the nature of it, imply a life of actual obedience? If ye love me, keep my commandments, John xiv. 15. If ye keep my commandments, ye fhall abide in my love, John xv. 10. And can any thing be more contradictory, than keeping God's commandments, and a careless indifferency about break. ing them? Is there no gratitude in our love to God, no fenfe of our obligations to his infinite goodnefs and compaffion; and no fenfe of our ungrateful abuse of his amazing difpenfations of benignity and mercy, in our ranfom from hell by the blood of his Son, in our gospel privileges and advantages, in our participation of his Ipecial diflinguifhing grace, and in our hopes of glory? Is the love of the Father a light thing with us, in choofing us before others from the foundation of the world, in giving his own Son to redeem and fave us; and in fending his Holy Spirit to fulfil his good pleasure in our fouls; and fit us for heaven? Is the blood of a Saviour a

light thing with us, whereby we are ranfomed from death and hell; and made heirs of the future glory? Is the fanctifying, comforting, and quickening influence of the bleffed Spirit a light thing with us, whereby we are brought near to God, enabled to maintain communion with him, and are qualified for the eternal inheritance? Can we dishonour the Father, trample upon the blood of the Son, and grieve the Holy Spirit, without care, concern or fear; and yet make pretences to an union to Chrift, and to the love of God? A vain dream! A moft inconfiftent and contradictory pretence!

I hope, I have by this time given you fufficient evidence, of the weakness and impiety of thofe objections, you have alledged in favour of the Antinomians and would therefore only just add this further remark, that though we should never difhonour our bleffed Saviour by doubting of his fufficiency for us, be our cafe what it will; though we should never indulge distracting doubts and fears, which will drive us from God, unfit us for duty, and bring dishonour upon that infinite mercy, in which we hope; and though we should not prefently dig up our foundation, and call all our hopes and experiences into queflion, because of our difallowed infirinities: yet if we are united to Chrifl, we cannot fail of mourning for our fins, and bringing them to the blood of Chrift for pardon; we cannot fail to groan being bur thened, and to esteem our fins the heaviest burthen we have in the world: though we may and ought to rejoice always, in the riches of redeeming mercy and love; yet we cannot but lament and groan always after deliverance from the remaining body of death.

You proceed to object, that if my doctrine of the ⚫ believers union to Chrift be true, you cannot fee how we can prove our juftification by our fanctification. For according to that fcheme, our juftification depends • wholly upon our union to Chrift: but nothing at all upon our fanctification. Is it not then the most ra. tional proceeding, to prove our juftification by that on ⚫ which it does depend, rather than by that on which it does not depend; by that which does juftify us, rather than by that which does not justify us? How can we prove our juftification, by that which procures no free

dom from guilt, no title to the favour of God, no claim to eternal falvation?'

In answer to which I muft entreat you to confider, whether there be any way fo certain to prove the exiftence of the caufe, as by the production of the effect: and whether there be any way whatsoever to evidence that there is a caufe, if there be no effect; or if the effect be utterly unknown. How do we know the exiftence of God: but by his word and works, which are vifible effects of his being; and thereby vifible evidences and discoveries of his glorious perfections? To apply this to the prefent cafe. How can we evidence our union to Chrift, and our acceptance with God thereby, but by the actings of grace, and the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are the effects of it? The fubject matter to be made evident to our confciences, is this, that we have received the Lord Jefus Chrift by faith, are so united to him; and thereby juftified in the fight of God. Well, if this be fo, the life which we now live in the flefb, we live by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. ii. 20. We are purifying ourselves, even as he is pure, 1 John iii. 3. If we have received Chrift Jefus the Lord, we alfo walk in him, Col. ii. 6. And do we upon an impartial trial, find this fo? Do we live in an humble conftant dependance upon the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the fountain of all grace; and the author of our eternal falvation? Do we hate every false way; and crucify our flesh with its affections and lufts? Do we live in the love of God, and carefully and seriously attend every way of known duty towards him? Do we live in the love of our neighbour; and are we confcientious in the performing the duties of every relation and character we fuftain? And do we lament before God the imperfections we find in these attainments; and earnestly pray and ftrive for a further progrefs in holinefs? This, all this, is the neceffary fruit of our union to Chrift, and of our juftification before God thereby is not this therefore the proper and only evidence thereof? And is there any thing without this, which can give us any fcripture evidence of our justification? The Antinomians may pretend to evidence their juftification by their joy and comfort; but how come they by their joy and comfort, if they have no pré