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yet has not been fruitful in good Works This will be the final Test, to prove our Sincerity towards God; and the eternal Judgment will turn upon this Evidence.The great Judge of the World will quickly appear, and his Reward will be with him, to render unto every Man according as his Works have been; and then he will inflict on those who are contentious and do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteoufnefs, Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Anguifh, Rom. ii. 8, 9

As therefore it is not a fmall Matter to inhabit the dreadful Flames of Hell, the Seat of enraged Justice and burning Vengeance, through eternal Ages, it cannot but be of the greatest Importance to take Pains to efcape it; to repent and obey the Gospel, to watch and pray, to be active and diligent in all the Ways of Religion, if so be we may be accounted worthy to escape that tremendous Mifery, and made meet to fland before the Son of Man. We have no other Choice before us but to be holy here, or unhappy for ever. We must obtain Grace from God, and live to him in the Exercife of Grace, or be feparated from his Prefence for ever, as unmeet Objects of his Favour. And will not all readily acknowledge, that the former is infinitely to be preferred by every one, who has any just Value for his prefent Intereft, or for his eternal Happiness !-How abfurd is it in the View of common Reason, to love Death, or chuse an evident Token of Perdition, by being the Servants of Sin, and obeying it in the Lufts thereof!

I hope, Sir, I have now answered not only your Question, but your Expectation. And yet that I may obviate all Miftakes, I will endeavour to give you a Review of the whole, in fome plain familiar and practical Directions.

If you fuppofe yourself in an unregenerate State, be found most earnestly diligent in the Duties of Religion, in the Ufe of the Means of Grace, and in Endeavours of a Conformity of Life to the Will of God, as the Way in which God will be enquired of by you, that he may bestow his converting and fanctifying Grace upon you. It is true, that God is the fovereign Author and Donor of his own fpecial Favours; but it is also true, that he has given you no Encouragement to hope for them, in any other Way but that of Duty.-In this Way therefore do you be found; pleading with him for the Influences of his Holy Spirit, to draw you to Christ, and to work the Work of Faith with Power in your Soul. In this Way you may hope in his Mercy, not indeed for the Sake of your Duties, but for the Sake of Christ's infinite Merits, and the boundless Grace and Goodness of the divine Nature. But in the Neglect of this Way of Duty, you have not the leaft Encouragment from the Word of God, to hope for the renewing Influences of the bleffed Spirit; without which you are undone eternally.

However, though even an unregenerate Man must thus frive to enter in at the firait Gate, you must yet confider and realize to yourself, that you are utterly uncapable of that Obedience which the Gofpel requires, without Faith in Chrift.-Faith is the first Act of evangelical Obedience, the Root of all other Graces, and the Principle of all fuch religious Duties as God will own and accept. For without Faith it is impoffible to please God, Heb. xi. 6. You muft live in the Spirit, before you can walk in the Spirit. Your first Business therefore is, not only earnestly to pray to God, that he would draw you to Chrift; but you must endeavour to look to this precious Saviour, as to a fufficient Fountain of Ff

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all Grace, trufting your Soul in his Hands, with encouraging Hope of Juftification by his Righteoufnefs, and Sanctification by his Spirit. If your Faith be fincere, you thereby lay a Foundation of fpiritual and acceptable Obedience: But if not, the best Works that you can perform, will be only external, hypocritical, legal and flavish Performances.

-You must therefore be brought to act Faith in Chrift for Holiness, as the Beginning of that Salvation which you hope to obtain from him. You are not to look upon a Life of Holiness and spiritual Obedience as the Condition of your Salvation, but as the Salvation itself, which you hope for, actually begun in your Soul; and you have as much Warrant from the Invitations and Promises of the Gofpel, to truft in the Lord Jefus Chrift for this Renovation of your Nature by his Spirit, as for the Juftification of your Perfon by his Blood, or for an eternal Inheritance with the Saints in Light. And you must accordingly depend upon him for it, and ask it of him in Faith, or never obtain it.

I have propofed thefe Things to you, upon the Suppofition that you have not fatisfying Evidences of a converted State.-Let us now then suppose the Cafe to be otherwife; and you comfortably perfuaded, that you have experienced the happy Change. An humble and chearful Dependence upon Chrift for new Supplies of Grace, muft ftill be the Source of your perfevering Obedience. Go on then to trust in him; and you will find that he will not fail your Expectations. You will find that his Grace is fufficient for you.

But do not deceive yourself with an Imagination of your trusting in Chrift, amidst a Courfe of finful Negligence and Inactivity. Remember, that good Works are of indifpenfable Obligation, and of abfolute Neceffity in the Refpects before mentioned.

You

You must not only truft in Christ to fulfil his good Pleasure in you; but you must live to him in the Exercise of that Grace and Strength which you derive from him.-In an humble Confidence in his fanctifying and quickening Influences, you must take heed to yourself, and keep your Soul with all Diligence; you must fee to it, that your Heart be right with God; that you delight in the Law of the Lord after the inward Man; that you maintain a strict Watch over your Affections as well as Conversation; that you neglect no known Duty toward God or Man; that you carefully improve your Time, and other Talents committed to your Truft; and endeavour, in a conftant Courfe, to maintain a holy, humble, fruitful thankful Life. And re-. member, that one Instance of good Works, which God requires of you, is a daily Repentance of your finful Defects; and a daily Mourning after a further Progress in Holinefs.-After an Efpoufal to Chrift by Faith, this is the Way, and the only Way of Comfort here and Happiness hereafter.

That I might fet this important Point in as clear a Light as possible, I have laboured to represent it in different Views; and thereby have neceffarily run into fome Repetitions, for which I depend upon your Candour:-Now, That the Lord would bless my Endeavours for your best Good, is the Prayer of,

SIR,

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LETTER XVII. Wherein the Nature of the Believer's Union to Chrift is briefly explained, and the Neceffity of it afferted and defended.

SIR,

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you mean no more by your "Ignorance of the "Nature of that Union to Chrift, which I so of"ten mentioned," but that you cannot form any adequate Idea of this incomprehenfible Mystery, it is nothing wonderful. There are Multitudes of Things whofe Existence you are most intimately acquainted with, yet of whofe fpecial Manner of Existence you can have no Idea.-You have no Reafon therefore to doubt of the Believer's Union to Chrift, because you do not understand the Mode of it, any more than you have to doubt of the Union of your own Soul and Body, because you do not understand the Mode of it. It is a fufficient Confirmation of the Truth of this Doctrine, that it is revealed in the Word of God. It is fufficient for our prefent imperfect State, to know fo much of the Nature of this Union as God has been pleafed to reveal in the bleffed Oracles of Truth.--It is your Mistake to suppose that "our Divines do but "occafionally mention this Doctrine; but don't pre"tend to explain it." Numbers of Divines have written well upon the delightful Subject; tho', Icon fefs, it is too little confidered by many of our practical Writers (as it ought to be confidered) as being the Foundation of both our Practice and Hope. Were it more diftinctly confidered, more particularly explained, and more frequently infifted upon, improved and applied, both from the Pulpit and the Prefs, 'than it is, it would be a probable Means to

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