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"Man's Works. But in the Juftification of "Sinners, God has no Respect to any Man, as "better than another. He confiders Men, when "he commends his Love to them, as ungodly, " and without Strength, that is, without any "Will to be better. And all who find Mercy, "are brought to view themselves in that fame "Point of Light, wherein God beheld Men "when he gave his Son to die for them. They "do not find themselves prepared, or made fitter "than others for Mercy, by any Work of the Di"vine Spirit upon their Minds; but they find "their first Taste of Comfort by hearing of him, "who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God." p. 257.

Then they find their firft Taste of Comfort independant of any previous Discovery or Difcernment of their Faith, Love, or felf-denied Obedience. And their firft Taste of Comfort is, not that there is a fufficient Righteousness provided for the Elect, or the Qualified, but that there is a fufficient Righteoufnefs provided for the Guilty to live by, without waiting for any farther Difcovery.

"The popular Doctrine supposes, that Unbe"lievers may be seriously engaged in praying for "the Holy Spirit to help them to Faith, and ex"horts them accordingly; which is as abfurd as "to fuppofe that a Man may be defirous of being

influenced by the Spirit of a Truth, which, at "prefent, he neither believes nor loves. For "reckon it must be granted, that no Man loves "the Gofpel before he believes it." p. 360.

If we only understood by the Gofpel that we were welome to do fomething, or to wait and pray for fomething to denominate us Chrift's People, then we might be complaining for want of this Power, praying for it, and perhaps falfly comforted with the supposed Will for the Deed; and all the while there is no Willingness to live intirely by what Chrift has done. But this is not the Cafe: When Afpafio confider'd Appropriation as effential to Faith, and preffed it accordingly, he understood by Appropriation, a living entirely by Chrift's Righteousness alone, without waiting /for any other.

"When our Systems describe Faith to us, as "a saving Grace bestowed on us, by which we "make use of Chrift for Salvation; are we not "led to think of fome Grace necessary to our "Salvation, befide what appeared when Chrift, "by the Grace of God, tafted Death for the "Sins of Men?" p. 361.

But in as much as Afpafio's whole Plea is to live immediately by that Grace alone, without waiting for any other; he ftands clear of this Mistake.

"They

"They seen to forget that Chrift is in Heaven,

and we on the Earth-that the only Way "wherein we can receive Benefit from Chrift, is "by the Report concerning Him conveyed to our «Ears." p. 363.

If the Report, in this particular Case, invites and authorises us to live by Him, and the Righteousness which he performed, who is gone to Heaven; we may, notwithstanding he is gone to Heaven, receive the Report for true, and also lay hold of, or live by the Righteousness it thus reveals and conveys to us.

"When he comes to know that he may be ❝justified, he finds immediately a Covert from "the Storm." p. 364.

. But according to Palamon, he does not find this to be a Covert for Him, till he discovers his distinguishing Qualifications; whereas Afpafio finds a Covert for the guilty Sinner, without any fuch Distinction:

"If now we understand by the Storm, the "Wrath that is to come, the Believer, knowing

that Chrift hath done enough to deliver from "it, loves Him, takes hold of Him, or flies to "Him."

How?

"In obeying his Commands, and frequenting "every Mean of Correfpondence with Him." Ibid.

He

He that loves Him, takes hold of Him, or flies to Him, obeys his Commands; and is inclined to frequent every Means of Correspondence with Him; but to give us this as the Meaning and Import of those Scriptural Phrafes and Representations, more becomes Mr. Locke, or Archbishop Tillotson, than the Evangelical Palemon. He may be affured, if he abides by this Doctrine, the Offence of the Crofs will foon cease. The primitive Chriftians were taught to obey, because Jefus had delivered them from the Wrath to come, I Theff. i. 10. They fled to Him as the Righteousness provided for the Guilty and Deftitute; and by the Enjoyment of Him, under this Character, they were disposed to all other Obedience.

"Accordingly we find Barnabas exhorted those "at Antioch, in whom he faw the Grace of God, "that with Purpose of Heart they would cleave "unto the Lord. The Confequence of which 66 was, they affembled together in the appointed "Church Order, and denied themselves in sending "Relief to their Brethren in Judea.” p. 365.

Did they not affemble as Members of Christ, and Partakers of his Righteoufnefs? Did they not cleave to Him as the Lord their Righteousness? Or did they only fall into the appointed Church Order, in order to escape the Wrath to come? If fo, what is now become of the fufficient Righteousness or, in fhort, of all the apoftolic Ex

hortations

hortations, which conftantly proceed upon the Certainty of Salvation by Chrift, as the Principle of all the Obedience they call for.

"See what Effect the Knowledge of Christ had 66 on Paul, and what was his fteady Purpose: "Yea doubtless, and I count all Things but Lofs, for "the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jefus << my Lord." Ibid.

Paul fays, My Lord, the Thing we plead for, and counts himself apprehended of Christ Jesus. So that it is plain, he ran not as uncertainly, he fought not as one that beateth the Air. And as his Affurance did not allow him, or lead him to trifle, or flacken his Diligence in preffing forward to the defired End; fo on the other Hand, his preffing forward was far from being the Result of his Uncertainty; far from being animated with a View to know by his Performances, whether the divine Sovereignty had interpofed in his Behalf?

Palamon does not approve of Afpafio saying, "You must endeavour, diligently endeavour, to "believe." Ibid. But we may plead in his Excufe, that Afpafio is not here preffing to receive a Report as true without Evidence, but to appropriate and live by the revealed Righteousness; to obtain and maintain thereby that Certainty of Acceptance with God, which was neceffary to animate and incline to all Evangelical Obedience, and is included in every apoftolic Exhortation.

-Where

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