7

from war, trouble, and distress; and, (2.) Reft, fatisfaction and contentment in the condition attained. And this, at least the fecond part of it, belongs unto the spiritual sense that we enquire after. Again, there is in it joy in the Holy Ghoft, called joy unspeakable, and full of glory, 1 Pet. i. 8. as alfo glorying in the Lord, upon the account of his grace, Efa. lxv. 26. with many the like effects, proceeding from a fhedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts, Rom. v. 5.

Yea, you fay thefe are the things you aim at; these are the things you would attain, and be filled withal. It is this peace, this joy, this glorying in the Lord, that you would always be in the poffeffion of; 1 fay you do well to defire them, to feek and labour after them; they are purchated by Chrift for believers: But you will do well to confider under what notion you do defire them. If you look on these things as belonging to the effence of faith, without which you can have no real interest in forgivenefs, or acceptance with God, you greatly deceive your own fouls, and put yourselves out of the way of obtaining of them. These things are not believing, nor adequate effects of it, fo as immediately to be produced where-ever faith is: But they are such confequents of it, as may, or may not, enfue upon it, according to the will of God. Faith is a feed that contains them virtually; and out of which they may be,' in due time, educed by the working of the word and fpirit. And the way for any foul to be made partaker of them, is to wait on the fovereignty of God's grace, who createth peace in the exercife of faith upon the promifes. He then that would place believing in these things, and will not be perfwaded that he doth believe, until he is poffeffed of them; he doth both lofe the benefit, advantage, and comfort of what he hath, and neglecting the due acting of faith, puts himself out of the way of attaining what he aimeth at.

Thefe things therefore are not needful to give you a real, faving intereft in forgivenefs, as it is tendered in the promife of the gofpel by the blood of Chrift.

Ss 2

And

And it may be it is not the will of God, that ever you fhould be entrusted with them. It may be, it would not be for your good and advantage fo to be. Some fervants that are ill husbands, muft have their wages kept for them to the year's end, or it will do them no good. It may be fome would be fuch fpend-thrifts of fatisfying peace and joy, and be fo diverted by them from attending unto fome neceffary duties, as of humiliation, mortification, and self-abasement, without which their fouls cannot live, that it would not be much to their advantage to be entrusted with them. It is from Y the fame care and love, that peace and joy are detained from fome believers, and granted unto others.

You are therefore to receive forgiveness by a pure act of believing, in the way and manner before at large defcribed; and do not think that it is not in you, unless you have conftantly a fpiritual sense of it in your hearts. See in the mean time that your faith bringeth forth obedience, and God in due time will caufe it to bring forth peace.

The like may be faid concerning the other head of ' grace; though it be not fo direct unto our purpose, yet tending alfo to the relief of the foul in its depths. This is the grace that we have from God in Chrift for our fanctification: When the foul cannot find this in himfelf, when he hath not a fpiritual fenfe and experience of its inbeing and power, when it cannot evidently diftinguish it from that which is not right or genuine; it is filled with fears and perplexities, and it is yet in its fin. He is fo indeed who hath no grace in him; but not he always who can find none in him: But thefe are different things. A man may have grace, and yet not have it at fome times much acting; he may have grace for life, when he hath it not for fruitfulness and comfort, though it be his duty fo to have it, Rev. iii. 2. 2 Tim. i. 6. And a man may have grace acting in him, and yet not know, not be fenfible, that he hath acting grace. We fee perfons frequently under great temptations, of apprehenfion that they have no grace at all

and

and yet at the fame time, to the clearest conviction of all who are able to difcern fpiritual things, fweetly and genuinely to act faith, love, fubmiffion unto God, and that in an high and eminent manner, Pfal. lxxxviii. Heman complains, that he was free among the dead; a man of no ftrength, ver. 4, 5. as one that had no fpiritual life, no grace. This afflicted his mind, and almost destracted him, ver. 15., and yet there can be no greater expreffions of faith and love to God, than are mixed with his complaints.

These things I fay then, are not to be judged of by spiritual fenfe, but we are to live by faith about them. And no foul ought to conclude, that because it hath not the one, it hath not the other; that because it hath not joy and peace, it hath no intereft in pardon and forgiveness.

RULE VII.

The feventh rule.-------Mix not foundation and buildwork together.--------The eighth.--------Spend not time in heartlefs complaints, &c.

Mix not too much foundation and building work together. Our foundation in dealing with God, is Chrift alone, mere grace and pardon in him.

Our building is in and by holiness and obedience, as the fruits of that faith by which we have received the atonement: And great mistakes there are in this matter which bring great intanglements on the fouls of men. Some are all their days laying of the foundation, and are never able to build upon it unto any comfort to themfelves, or usefulness unto others; and the reafon is, because they will be mixing with the foundation, stones that are fit only for the following building. They will be bringing their obedience, duties, mortification of fin, and the like, unto the foundation. These are precious ftones to build with, but unmeet to be first laid, to bear

upon

The

upon them the whole weight of the building. foundation is to be laid, as was faid, in mere grace, mercy, pardon in the blood of Chrift. This the foul is to accept of, and to reft in merely as it is grace, without the confideration of any thing in it felf, but that it is finful and obnoxious unto ruin: This it finds a difficulty in, and would gladly have fomething of its own to mix with it: It cannot tell how to fix thefe foundationftones without fome cement of its own endeavours and duty; and because these things will not mix, they fpend a fruitless labour about it all their days. But if the foundation be of grace, it is not at all of works; for otherwise grace is no more grace. If any thing of our own be mixed with grace in this matter, it utterly deftroys the nature of grace; which, if it be not alone, it is not at all. But doth not this tend to licentiousness? doth not this render obedience, holinefs, duties, mortification of fin, and good works, needlefs? God forbid; yea, this is the only way to order them aright unto the glory of God. Have we nothing to do but to lay the foundation? Yes, all our days we are to build upon it, when it is furely and firmly laid: And these are the means and ways of our edification. This then is the foul to do who would come to peace and fettlement. Let it let go all former endeavours, if it have been engaged unto any of that kind; and let it alone receive, admit of and adhere to mere grace, mercy, and pardon, with a full fenfe that in it felf it hath nothing for which it fhould have an intereft in them, but that all is of mere grace through Jefus Chrift. Another foundation can no man lay. Depart not hence until this work be well over. Surceafe not an earnest endeavour with your own hearts, to acquiefce in this righteousness of God, and to bring your fouls unto a comfortable perfuafion, that God for Chrift his fake hath freely forgiven you all your fins. Stir not hence until this be effected. If you have been engaged in another way, that is to feek for an interest in the pardon of fin by fome endeavours of your own, it is not unlikely but that you are filled with the fruit of

your

your own doings; that is, that you go on with all kind of uncertainties, and without any kind of conftant peace. Return then again hither; bring this foundation work to a bleffed iffue in the blood of Chrift, and when that is done, up and be doing.

You know how fatal and ruinous it is for fouls to abuse the grace of God, and the apprehenfion of the pardon of fins in the courfe of their obedience, to Countenance themselves in fin, or the negligence of any duty; this is to turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, as we have elsewhere at large declared. And it is no lefs pernicious to bring the duties of our obedience, any referves for them, any hopes about them, into the matter of pardon and forgivenefs, as we are to receive them from God. But these things, as they are distinct in themselves, fo they must be diftinctly managed in the foul; and the confounding of them, is that which disturbs the peace, and weakens the obedience of many. In a confufed manner they labour to keep up a life of grace and duty, which will be in their places conjoined, but not mixed or compounded.

First to take up mercy, pardon, and forgiveness abfolutely on the account of Chrift, and then to yield all obedience in the ftrength of Chrift, and for the love of Chrift, is the life of a believer, Eph. ii. 8,

9, 10.

RULE VIII.

Take heed of fpending time in complaints, when vigorous actings of grace are your duty. Fruitless and heartless complaints, bemoanings of themselves and their condition, is the fubftance of the profeffion that fome make. If they can object against themselves, and form complaints out of their conditions, they fuppofe they have done their duty. I have known fome who have fpent a good part of their time in going up and down from one to another with their objections and complaints.