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Saviour; but the real Expectation is from the Creature, and the Work of God is laid upon it. Pleasure, Profit, and Honour, are the natural Man's Trinity, and his carnal Self is these in Unity. It was our first Sin, to afpire to be as Gods; and it is the greatest Sin that is propagated in our Nature from Generation to Generation. When God' fhould guide us, we guide ourfelves; when he fhould be our Sovereign, we rule ourfelves; the Laws which he gives us, we find Fault with, and would correct; and if we had the making of them, we would have made them otherwife; when he should take Care of us, (and muft, or we perish) we will care for ourselves; when we should depend on him in daily Receivings, we had rather have our Portion in our own Hands; when we should submit to his Providence, we ufually quarrel at it, and think we could make a better Difpofal than God hath made. When we fhould study and love, trust and honour God, we ftudy and love, trust and honour, our carnal. Selves. Inftead of God, we would have all Mens Eyes and Dependance on us, and all Mens Thanks returned to us, and would gladly be the only Menon Earth extolled and admired by all. Thus we are. naturally our own Idols. But down falls this Dagon, when God does once renew the Soul. It is the chief Defign of that great Work, to bring the Heart back to God himself. He convinceth the Sinner, that the Creature can neither be his God, to make him happy, nor his Chrift, to recover him from his Mifery, and reftore him to God, who is his Happiness. God es this, not only by his Word, but by Providence

This is the Reason, why Affliction fo frepiently concurs in the Work of Converfion. Arguatents which Geak to the quick, will force a Hearing, when the muff powerful "Words are flighted. If a Sumer' raude bis Credit his God, and GQJ fhall catk

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him into the lowest Difgrace, or bring him, who idolized his Riches, into a Condition wherein they cannot help him; or cause them to take Wing, and fly away; what a Help is here to this Work of Conviction? If a Man made Pleasure his God, whatfoever a roving Eye, a curious Ear, a greedy Appetite, or a luftful Heart could defire, and God fhould take thefe from him, or turn them into Gall and Wormwood; what a Help is here to Conviction? When God fhall caft a Man into languishing Sickness, and inflict Wounds on his Heart, and ftir up against him his own Conscience, and then, as it were, fay to him, Try if your Credit, Riches, or Pleasures, can help Can they heal your wounded Confcience? "Can they now fupport your tottering Tabernacle? "Can they keep your departing Soul in your Body? "or fave you from mine everlafting Wrath? or "redeem your Soul from eternal Flames? Cry aloud "to them, and fee now whether thefe will be to you "inftead of God and his Chrift." O how this works now with the Sinner! Senfe acknowledges the Truth, and even the Flesh is convinced of the Creature's Vanity, and our very Deceiver is undeceived.

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§8. THE People of God are likewife convinced of the abfolute Neceffity, the full Sufficiency, and perfect Excellency of Jefus Chrift: As a Man in Famine is convinced of the Neceffity of Food; or a Man that had heard, or read, his Sentence of Condemnation, of the abfolute Neceffity of Pardon; or a Man that fies in Prifon for Debt, is convinced of his Need of a Surety to difcharge it. Now the Sinner feels an in-. fupportable Burthen upon him, and fees there is none but Chrift can take it off. He perceives the Law proclaims him a Rebel, and none but Chrift can make his Peace. He is as a Man purfued by a Lion, that la eft perift, if he finds not a prefent Sanuary.

He is now brought to this Dilemma; either he must have Chrift to justify him, or be eternally condemned; have Chrift to fave him, or burn in Hell for ever; have Chrift to bring him to God, or be fhut out of his Prefence everlasting'y. And no Wonder if he cry, as the Martyr, "None but Chrift, none but "Chrift." Not Gold, but Bread, will fatisfy the Hungry; nor any Thing but Pardon will comfort the Condemned. Al Things are counted but Dung now, that he may win Ghrift; and what was Gain, he counts Lafs for Christ (k). As the Sinner fees his Mifery, and the Inability of himself, and all Things to relieve him, so he perceives there is no saving Mercy out of Chrift. He fees, though the Creature cannot, and himself cannot, yet Chrift can. Though the FigLeaves of our own unrighteous Righteousness are too fhort to cover our Nakedness, yet the Righteousness of Chrift is large enough: Ours is difproportionate to the Juftice of the Law, but Chrift's extends to every Tittle. If He intercede, there is no Denial; fuch is the Dignity of His Perfon, and the Value of His Merits, that the Father grants all He defires. Before, the Sinner knew Chrift's Excellency, as a blind Man knows the Light of the Sun; but now, as one that beholds its Glory.

$9. (5) AFTER this deep Conviction, the Will difcovers alfo its Change. As for Inftance.-The Sin, which the Understanding pronounces evil, the Will turns from with Abhorrence. Not that the fenfitive Appetite is changed, or any Way made to abhor its Object: But when it would prevail against Reason, and carry us to fin against God, inftead of Scripture being the Rule, and Reafon the Mailer, and Senfe the Servant; this Diforder and Evil, the Will abhors. The Mifery also which Sin hath procured, is not only difcerned

(k) Phil. 7, S.

difcerned, but bewailed. It is impoffible that the Soul fhould now look, either on its Trefpafs against God, or yet on its own felf procured Calamity, without fone Contrition. He that truly difcerns that he hath killed Chrift, and killed himfelf, will furely in fome Measure be pricked to the Heart (1). If he cannot weep, he can heartily groan; and his Heart feels what his Understanding fees.The Creature is renounced as Vanity, and turned out of the Heart with Difdain. Not that it is undervalued, or the Ufe of it difclaimed; but its idolatrous Abufe, and its unjuft Ufurpation. Can Chrift be the Way, where the Creature is the End? Can we feek to Chrift to reconcile us to God, while in our Hearts we prefer the Creature before him? In the Soul of every unregenerate Man, the Creature is both God and Chrift. As turning from the Creature to God, and not by Christ, is no true turning; fo believing in Chrift, while the Creature hath our Hearts, is no true believing. Our Averfion from Sin, renouncing our Idols, and our right receiving Chrift, is all but one Work, which God ever perfects where he begins.At the fame Time the Will cleaves to God the Father, and to Chrift, Having been convinced, that nothing elfe can be his Happiness, the Sinner now finds it is in God. Convinced alfo, that Chrift alone is able and willing to make Peace for him, he most affectionately acceptз of Chrift for Saviour and Lord. Paul's Preaching was Repentance towa d God, and Faith toward our Lord Jefus Chrift (m). And Life eternal confifts first in knowing the only true God, and then Jejus Chrift whom he hath jent (n). To take the Lord for our God, is the natural Part of the Covenant; the fupernatural Part is, to take Chrift for our Redeemer. The former is firft neceflary, and implied in the latter. To ac

(1) Acts i. 37.

(i) Acts xx. 21.. (n) John xvii. 3.

cept

cept Chrift without Affection and Love, is not justifying Faith. Nor does Love follow as a Fruit, but immediately concurs; for Faith is the receiving of Chrift with the whole Soul. He that loveth Father or Mother more than Christ, is not worthy of him (0), nor is juftified by him. Faith accepts him for Saviour and Lord: For in both Relations will he be received, or not at all. Faith not only acknowledges his Sufferings, and accepts of Pardon and Glory; but acknowledges his Sovereignty, and fubmits to his Go vernment and Way of Salvation.

$10. (6) As an effential Part of the Character of God's People, they now enter into a cordial Covenant with Chrift. The Sinner was never ftri&ly, nor comfortably, in Covenant with Chrift till now. He is fure, by the free Offers, that Chrift confents; and now he cordially confents himself; and fo the Agree ment is fully made.-With this Covenant Chrift delivers up himself in all comfortable Relations to the Sinner; and the Sinner delivers up himfelf, to be faved, and ruled by Chrift. Now the Soul refolutely concludes, "I have been blindly led by Flesh and

Luft, by the World and the Devil, too long, al"moft to my utter Deftruction: I will now be wholly "at the Difpofal of my Lord, who hath bought me "with his Blood, and will bring me to his Glory."

SII. (7) I ADD, that the People of Gad perfevere in this Covenant to the End. Though the Believer may commit Sins, yet he never difclaims his Lord, 1enounces his Allegiance, nor repents of his Covenant; nor can he properly be faid to break that Covenant, while that Faith continues, which is the Condition of it. Indeed, thofe that have verbally covenanted, and not cordially, may tread under Foot the Blod of tim Cvenant, as an unholy Thing, wherewith they were fancti

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