fecure under the covert of his righteoufnefs, as a fufficient defence. Believeft thou this?

This is the general faith of the gofpel, which being without particular application, doth not unite the finner to Chrift, nor enter him into the covenant; and may be found in reprobates and fallen angels, being only an affent in general to the truth of the doctrine of the gofpel, Matth. xiii. 20. 21. and viii. 29. But by the nature of the thing, it is neceffarily. prerequifite to a faith of particular application: for I must firft believe a faying to be true in itself, before I can trust to it for my part; I must first believe thing to be good in itself, before I can believe I that it is good for me.

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But where the faith of the gafpel is carried forward to uniting with Chrift, the effect of this general faith is very valuable, as well as neceffary. And that is, an high efteem of Chrift and his covenant, an ardent defire of union and communion with him, a longing for his righteoufnefs, as a hungry man longs for meat, or a thirsty man for drink. The man fees indeed, that he has no fpecial intereft in Chrift and his righteoufnefs; but he would fain have it: all is faplefs to him without it; his foul within him cries, Give me Chrift, or elfe I die: and he is content to. part with all for him, and to take him for all. This is taught us in the parables of the treafura hid in thefield, and of the pearl of great price, the finding out of which moves to fell all, and to buy them, Matth. xiii. 44. 45.46.

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Howbeit this esteem and defire of Chrift is different from that which follows upon the foul's union with. Chrift, when once faith hath taken poffeffion of him and his benefits, and hath got a view of his intrinfic fupereminent worth and value: the which is men tioned, I Pet. ii. 7. Pfal. Ixxiii. 25. The true fpring. of all this esteem and defire, is the principle of

Self

felf-preservation, and the view of Chrift as fuited to that end. The merchant-man is feeking goodly pearls for his own enriching: and feeing that the one pearl will answer that defign, he is reftlefs till he have it. The poor finner is hotly purfued with the law's curfe, which is ftill ringing death and damnation in his ears. In the mean time, he gets a diftant view of the city of refuge; and therefore he makes forward to it with all speed: but what makes him run, but life, life, precious life, that he may not perifb? Verily, he cannot be expected to act from a more generous principle, before he is united to Chrift: John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. But let him not fear; he is welcome to Chrift, even coming to him from no higher principle. The truth is, the Lord Jefus, by his Spirit, fets the principle of felfprefervation aftir, being a thing in itself good, and ufeth it as a mean to haften finners unto him. This is evident from the complaint, John v. 40. And ye "will not come unto me, that ye might have life. Can one imagine our Lord will reject a finner coming to him for life, when he complains that finners will not come to him for that end?

II. The Faith of the Gospel-OFFER.

In the next place, you must believe, that Jesus CHRIST, with his righteoufnefs and all his falvation, is by HIMSELF offered to finners, and to you in particular. This is the plain voice of the gofpel to all unto whom it comes, Ifa.lv. 1. Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, cime, buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Rev. xxii. 17. Whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Prov, vili. 4. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men. But alas! few believe it: yea, none will believe it to purpofe till the Dd2

Spirit

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Spirit of the Lord make it plain to them, and perfuade them by an inward illumination. Many fecure finners hear the gofpel, and are glad of the offer: but they difcern not CHRIST's voice in it. They hear it not, as the word of the LORD Christ himself to them; but as the word of men: hence it hath no due authority upon their confciences; fo they pafs it over lightly. Thus were his offers of himfelf entertained, when made by his own mouth, but he not difcerned as the eternal SON of GOD, and Saviour of the world. So, in the congregation of Nazareth, all bare him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. But they faid, Is not this Jofeph's fon? Luke iv. 22. And in a little they rose up, and thrust him out of the city, verfe 29. Again, when the voice of CHRIST is dif Icerned in the offer by the convinced finner; then the finner is ready to conclude, that it is to others, but not to him. Unbelief faith, but our bones are dried, and our hope is loft, we are cut off for our parts, Ezek. xxxvii. 11. They cannot believe, that fo good news from heaven concerns them, or that fuch a good word is directed unto them. And thus men not believing God in the record given of his Son, that he is with all his falvation offered to them, do make him a lyar, 1 John v. 10,

But where faving faith is a-working, the word of the gofpel-offer is, by the Holy Spirit, applied to the foul in particular with power, as the word of the LORD himself, and not of men; whereby the man is affured, that it is the voice of CHRIST, and to him in particular: whereupon he applies it to himfelf by believing: 1 Theff. 5. For our gofpel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Hol Ghaft, and in much affurance. Chap. ii. 13. The word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the

word

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word of God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that believe. This is altogether neceffary; infomuch. that without it there can be no receiving of Chrift, forafmuch as otherwife the foul can fee no folid ground and foundation of faith for itself: for it is. evident, there can be no receiving aright, where, the finner doth not believe the offer to be to him in par- . ticular. And here begins the application of faith, an application tending to union with Chrift.

Wherefore, if you would unite with Chrift, and fo enter into the covenant of grace, fift yourfelves before the LORD as condemned finners, under the eurfe of the law; and hear and believe the word of his gospel, as diercted to you condemned and curfed finners in particular. So will it come unto you, as the rifing fun, to one fitting in darknefs, and in the fhadow of death; or as the offer of a pardon, to one under fentence of death. And let not your heart. mifgive you by unbelief: but firmly believe the offer to be made by CHRIST himself unto you, as it is in very deed, Ifa.lv. 3. Hear, and your foul ball live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you.

But here it is neceffary to remove the following, objections.

OBJECT. 1. But Chrift is now in heaven, and I hear no voice from thence: how then can I believe that he himself is offering himfelf to me? ANs.. Though Chrift is in heaven, yet he is fpeaking from heaven to us; howbeit not by a voice founding through the clouds, ver by a voice founding in the gofpel: Heb.xii.25. See that ye refufe not him that Speaketh that speaketh from heaven.. And not on ly is his voice in the word of the gospel, but he himfelf by his Spirit is in it, as the Apofle teacheth, Rom. x.6.7.8. Thence it is, that it is a quickening word to dead fouls: John vi. 63. The words that Ipeak unto you, they are fpirit, and they are life..

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It is the lively feed, whereof the new creature is formed, 1 Pet. i. 23. Jesus Christ did once, by a voice founding through the clouds, fpeak a word of convic tion, Acts ix. 4. 5. But even in that cafe, the word of the offer of himfelf was remitted to the preaching of the gospel by a messenger thereto appointed, ver. 6. And the voice of Chrift founding in his written word, is more fure than a voice founding through the clouds, 2 Pet. i. 18. 19. This voice in the word is the flated ground of faith, with which faith must elofe for falvation: Rom. i. 16. The gospel of Chrift: it is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth. Ver. 17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. And there is no true faving faith, where it is not received as the very voice of the LORD himfelf, Theff. i. 13. Therefore you must receive the word of the gofpel, as the word of CHRIST himfelf, as in every deed it is.

that,

OBJECT. 2. But Chrift in the word of the gospel doth not name me how then can I believe that he offereth himself, his righteoufnels and falvation, to me in particular? ANs. Neither doth he name you in the word of the law, whether in the commands thereof, or in the curfe thereof. How do you come to believe that you are a finner? Is it not, t the commands of the law being directed to all men, you conclude and believe, that, you being of the number of mankind, they are therefore directed to you in particular, as well as to others? And how come you to believe that you in particular are under the curfe of the broken law? Is it not, that, fince the law denounceth its curfe against every one that, being under it, breaks it, Gal. iii. 10. Rom. i. 19. you do conclude and bellevo, that it curfeth you, forafmuch as you are one of thefe Breakers thereof Now, you have as fufficient ground to believe that the offer of the gospel is to you in particular; foraf

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