reckon to you in the Heap: That the Word of God is the best Rule of Life: Godliness is the greatest Gain: Sin the worst of Evils: God in Chrift the chiefest Good: An holy Life the fecureft and sweetest: That we ought to look only to Duty, and leave Succeffes to God: The best Peace, is Peace of Confcience: SelfDenial is the greatest Self-Interest: That we ought to chufe the greatest Affliction, rather than to commit the least Sin: That whatsoever we lay out, or lofe for Christ, fhall be repaid us with abundant Use and Advantage. Thefe, and many other fuch like, are Practical Truths; which unless we are fully perfwaded and convinced of in our own Confciences, will never be able to influence and govern our Lives and Actions. And unless we live according to fuch Rules as these are, it is utterly impoffible that ever we fhould be saved. And thus I have fhewed you, what are the Principles of Truth which accompany Salvation.

The Second Enquiry was, How we shall know whether thefe Principles, both Doctrinal and Practical, are imbraced by us in such a Way, as may give us good Hopes that we are in a State of Salvation. Indeed, it is not enough merely to know

thefe

these Things, or to believe that they are great and precious Truths: For there are not many who have lived long under the Dispensation of the Gospel, but have gotten a Notion of these Things, and their very Reason forceth them to fubfcribe to the Truth of them; but yet we see that Multitudes even of these are profane and impious, and fuch ungodly Perfons, that as the Pfalmift speaks, Salvation is far from them. Therefore I answer,

ift. Then these Principles are Things accompanying Salvation, when they are leading Principles: When a Man fails by this Compass, and fteers his Course according to them: When they lie not floating and fwimming in the Brain, but foak and fink into the Heart, and influence the Life.

2dly. When they are determining and conquering Principles: When Christ and our Interest come into Competition, then fee what thou art determined by. A carnal Man may difcourfe by Scripture-Principles; but when a Time of Trial and Temptation comes, and he and Chrift must part, or he and the World must part, he then determines his Choice by worldly Principles; and whatever he had speculatively talked before of preferring

the Peace and Purity of Confcience before all worldly Enjoyments, yet now he chufeth Sin rather than Affliction.

3dly. When they are quieting Principles: When they have determined your Choice, and then can fatisfy and quiet your Minds; then are they faving. It may be, that fometimes Confcience hath well determined, and doth fway a Man to a good Choice; but yet he is angry with it, and could curfe his Conscience for being fo tender, and forcing him to forego his earthly Interests.

4thly. When they are fixed Principles, not only in the Affent of the Judgment, but in the Consent of the Will: When they become habitual to us, and grow up in us as another Nature: That as the great natural Principle of all our natural Actions is Self-prefervation; fo the great fwaying Principle of all our Actions, is likewife thefe holy Maxims which naturally lead us to the Preservation of that which is our dearest Self, even our precious Souls, and their eternal Interests and Concerns.

Thus we have shown you the first Sort of Things which accompany Salvation, viz. The Principles of Belief, both Doctrinal and Practical: As likewife, what is neceffarily

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neceffarily required to make these Principles saving.

Let us now proceed to the Second gene ral Head; To confider thofe Impreffions. that must be wrought upon the Heart, Will, and Affections. And herein I shall (as before) make these two Enquiries :

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First, What these Impreffions are that accompany Salvation. And,

Secondly, What are the Evidences by which we know them to be saving.

First, What these Impreffions are. To this I answer in the General: They are thofe Habits of true and Divine Grace infused into the Will and Affections, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, whereby they are wholly renewed, and of Earthly and Senfual, become Heavenly and Spiritual. They do indeed comprehend all the Lineaments and Features of the Image of God: So that when we fpeak of the Graces of Faith, Love, Hope, Patience, Humility, Self-denial, & these are thofe Impreffions and Habits, wrought in the Heart, that accompany Salvation; and the whole Syftem and Complexion of them taken together, is that which the Scripture calls, the new Man, the new Creature, the Image of

God

God, the Divine Nature, Converfion, Sanctification, effectual Calling, and the like. And this great Change muft of Neceffity pass upon the Soul, before it can be brought into a Capacity of obtaining Heaven and eternal Salvation: For that God, whom the Prophet describes to be of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity, will not certainly behold it in Heaven, his own Throne and Palace. But, as all that were unclean, and leprous, and ulcerated, were to be removed out of the Camp of Ifrael, because God walked in the midft of it; fo fhall all fuch fpiritually unclean Perfons be excluded out of Heaven, the Palace of the great King, the Canip of innumerable Hofts of Angels, in the midft of whom the holy God walks, and converfeth only with pure and holy Spirits. Now thefe holy Habits of Grace, which are infufed into the Soul in its new Birth and Renovation, accompany Salvation two Ways:

Firft, As Preparations unto it.
Secondly, As Parts of it.

First, As Preparations to it. For as Godhath prepared an Inheritance of Glory for us hereafter, fo by Grace he prepares us for that Inheritance: And therefore the Apoftle, Colof. 1. 12. Gives Thanks to God who

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