faying, fave your felves from this untoward Generation, 40. And again, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, Chap. iii. 19. And again, To Him gave all the Prophets Witness, that through his Name, whofoever believeth in Him, shall receive Remission of Sins, Chap. x. 43. And again, Be it known unto you, therefore, Men and Brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the Forgiveness of Sin. And by Him, all that believe are juftified, Chap. xiii. 38, 39. And again, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved, &c. Chap. xvi. 31. In all these Inftances, there is fomething exhorted to, called Believing on, or in Chrift; being baptized in his Name for Remiffion of Sins; Repenting, and being conVerted; fomething more than paffive Conviction, and at the fame Time, fomething confiftent with the alone Sufficiency of Chrift's Righteousness, which can be neither more nor less, than the Appropriation, Truft, or Confidence we plead for.

That," the Promises of the Gospel are made only to Believers," will never invalidate our Plea for Appropriation, while it remains true, that the Grant of Chrift, and the Salvation in Him, is made to Sinners; and in receiving the Grant, they evidently commence those to whom the Promifes are made; that is, those who believe on Chrift according to the apoftolic Exhortation. And to Sinners, thus immediately believing on Christ, the Promises are made: Firft, to encourage fuch to

draw

draw near and live with Confidence on the fufficient Righteousnefs. Secondly, to give them a Certainty dependant upon the Divine Faithfulness, and animating thereby to the most ready and willing Obedience,

To fay no one must account the Righteousness of Chrift, as belonging to Him, in any Sense, until he discovers himself a true Believer, as it excludes the Application we plead for, fo in its Room it introduces all the pernicious Confequences this Author profeffes to avoid in his Accufation of Afpafio, viz."holding forth a preliminary humán Righ

teousness as fome Way expedient, or rather ne❝ceffary, to our enjoying the Comfort and Bene"fit of Chrift's." Unless Palamon can make it manifest that we enjoy the Comfort and Benefit of Chrift's Righteoufnefs, while we are, according to Him, "working in the Way of painful De

fire and Fear, till we come to that Enjoyment," common Experience teacheth us, that Righte ousness can only relieve or comfort us, as far as it respects us.. That He is able to fave his Elect, is no Comfort to me, further than I conceive myfelf to be one of them, and in this Case, I am comforted, either by a conjectural Hope, or by a Hope founded on the Difference there is betwixt me and others.

"And to obviate the Difficulty, how shall I "know that the Promise is to me! They ad

"drefs

"drefs their Brethren in this Manner: In the "Name of the great God .we declare, that the "Promife is to thee, and thee, O Man, Woman, "whofoever thou art." p. 23.

The Promife of Salvation, to whofoever believes on Chrift, is evidently to the Sinner, as his Encouragement to come to the fure Enjoyment of the Righteousness and Salvation given in Him, by receiving, appropriating, and trufting confidently on Him as fo given.

"In His Name we call you this Moment to "ftretch forth the withered Hand and the wi"thered Heart, and take hold of Chrift, faying, "He is mine, and I am his." Ibid.

That may be understood thus ; " we speak not in our own Name, as fignifying our own Importance, but inform you of the glad Tidings, that it is God's Command, and your Duty, not to wait to feel fome Power or Alteration in yourself as a Ground for your Confidence, but just as you are, in Obedience to the divine Command, receive or appropriate Chrift, faying, He is mine, and I am his.”

The withered Hand and the withered Heart, are Expreffions used to fignify a poweriefs, helpless Condition, which confifting in the Prevalence of our naturally evil Difpofitions, ferves to denominate us Sinners, and fpoils our Hopes of living by our own Performances; yet is no Objection against living by his Obedience who hath become.

the

the Righteoufnefs of the Guilty. For it must be remembered, we are not justified by our Acts, but by the Righteousness we appropriate; and our Appropriation only ferves to give us the divinely authentic Enjoyment by the Word, of that Juftification of the Ungodly, and without Strength, whereby we are faved. Hence we are called not to wait for Strength to do something for the Enjoyment of this Juftification, but stretch forth the withered Hand, or just as we are, to live by Chrift's Righteousness, when we feel nothing but what marks us out for eternal Destruction. When Lazarus was made to hear, he came forth according to the Command he heard, or in Obedience to the Voice that quickened him; and when we are made to hear the Divine Invitation and Command to live by this Righteousness, we appropriate in Obedience to him that makes us hear his Voice. The Righte oufnefs itself, is that by which we are accepted; the Appropriation refpects our Poffeffion and Enjoyment. In the latter, we may be weaker or stronger; in the former, is the invariable Ground of our Confidence.

That God has given to us eternal Life in his Son, is the apoftolic Style, and the very Record which is pointed out for our peculiar Attention; and when the Word Offer has been made use of, and understood to convey nothing more than this important Truth, the Believer of the Record has

become

become the Receiver of the Gift, or the Enjoyer

of the Bleffing.

"Hence we fee, that This is mine, or this was ❝ done for me, is a Truth whose Evidence takes "its Rife from the Pains I take to believe it ?” p. 26.

Its Evidence depends on the Veracity and Faithfulness of him who fpake the World into Being, has provided the fufficient Righteousness, and has commanded us to give him this Honour of depending on his Word, in our Enjoyment of this Salvation.

It is not in this Cafe the Language of the Belief of a Truth, but of the Reception or Appropriation of a free Gift; the Belief of the Truth of the Sufficiency of Jefus Christ, and of his being freely given, goes before, and is that Knowledge of the Name of the Lord which emboldens us to put our Truft in Him. What we thus affure ourselves of, in Compliance with the Divine Invitation, &c. as it is a certain Truth in the Divine Mind, fo it appears a Truth by the Divine Word, when it is evident I am begotten to this Chriftian Faith, Hope, and Charity. The Difference here between us is, that with Palamon, this is mine, this was done for me, is a Truth whofe Evidence takes its Rife only from a Discovery that I am diftinguished from other Sinners by my Faith, Love, and self-denied Obedience. With us it is

the