has been redeemed from the reigning and condemn ing Power of Sin and Unbelief, alfo tranfplanted from Nature into Grace, fo fhall the Body one Day obtain Redemption from the Grave, and be re-united to the Soul, and be put fafe into the purchased Poffeffion (according to Promile) Eph. i. 13, 14. Wherefore the Apoitle exhorteth Believers to cease from Sin, yea from corrupt Communication, left they grieve the Holy Spirit of God, and deprive themselves of his Comforts, who hath fealed them to the Day of Redemption, Eph. iv. 29, 30. Thus Chrift promises Believers fhall hear his Voice, and as Chrift knows them, they fhall know his Voice, and follow him. "And I give unto them (fays Chrift) eternal Life, and they fhall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my Hands. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's Hand," John x. 27, 28, 29. "For when the Enemy fhall come in like a Flood (into the Heart of God's Peeple, then the Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a Standard against him," and chase him away, Ifa. lix. 19. Therefore the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against the Church built upon this Rock, or Chrift received by Faith into the Believer's Heart, Matt. xvi. 18. But woe be to them that are alone (without Chrift), for when they fall, there is none to help them, Eccle. iv. 10. Oh! ftrive therefore to make your Calling and Election fure, then fhall you enjoy the Honour contained in thefe fublime Characters beftowed on God's People, viz. His pleasant Portion, Jer. xii. 10. His own Inheritance, Ifa. xix. 25. His Jewels, which he will one Day collect together, Mal. iii. 17. for his peculiar Treasure, Exod. xix. 5. The dearly Beloved of God's own Soul, Jer. xii. 7. The Apple of bis Eye, Zech. ii. 8. And Chrift fays that "who

foever offends one of them, it were better that a Mill-ftone was hanged about his Neck, and that he was drowned in the Depth of the Sea," Matt. xviii. 6. But notwithstanding God's unalterable Love to his People; if they wilfully fin against him, he will give the dearly Beloved of his own Soul (for a Seafon) into the Hands of their Enemies, Jer. xii. 7. until he hath fufficiently humbled them; and then will he have Compaffion on them, and bring every penitent Soul again into the Light of his Countenance, Ver. 15. And in order that God's People. might watch, as well as pray; God fays, " If my Children forfake my Law, and walk not in my Judgments; if they break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments: then will I vific their Tranfgreffions with the Rod, and their Iniquity with Stripes. Neverthelefs, my loving Kindnefs will I not utterly take from them; nor fuffer my Faithfulness to fail (thofe who are the Objects of his Love, and the Purchase of his Blood), Pfal. lxxxix. 30, 31, 32, 33. And though God's Bloodbought People are fafe in the everlasting Covenant of Grace, which is well-ordered in all Things and fure, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Yet they dare not fin that Grace may abound, left God's Rod follows them as it did King David for his Sin touching Uriah, &c. For faith God by the Prophet Nathan, The Sword fball never depart from thine House, 2 Sam. xii. 10. A dreadful Sentence! enough to deter God's People, yea, every confiderate Soul from wilful Difobedience!

Heavenly Father, we fee the Difficulty of walking in the right Road, being by Nature ignorant of thy Ways, and prone to Difobedience, owing to the Strength of our Corruptions, and Weakness in Grace. May we fee the Neceffity of thy correcting Hand, when we F

neglect

neglect our Duty, and difobey thy Commands; and confidering thy paternal Care over us, be enabled, through Faith, like holy David, to fay that thy Rod and Staff ball comfort us all the Days of our Life, Pfal. xxiii. 4.

SECT. III.

The Folly of daubing with untempered Mortar, or mixing Works with Grace. True Faith will believe the Promife, Dip in Jordan, and be clean. Aljo walk round Jericho, and gain the Conqueft. The Difciples forfook their Lord: Chrift gained the bloody Victory alone, and gave the Merits of his Life and Death

unto them.

B'

EHOLD! it is abfolutely neceffary that all poor Sinners and every Believer that thirfteth for Grace to fubdue Sin fhould come to the Waters, viz. the Merits of Christ, and he that is poor in Spirit, and hath no good Works to buy with, let him come to Chrift. "Come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy Wine and Milk, without Money and without Price," Ifa. lv. I. The Poverty of the Soul excites Pity, and makes the Redeemer cry out, Oh! thou Afflictea, toffed with Tempeft, and not comforted, Ita. liv. 11. Come to my Banquet, for I have troden the Wine-prefs alone, in my Agony and bloody Sweat, for Wine to chear thy troubled Heart, Ija. Ixiii. 3. Alfo fuck the Breafts of my Faithfulness for the Milk of Confolation, Ifa. lxvi. II.

Then

Then go to the bloody Crofs, and eat the Sacrifice of my Body, which was broken there for thee, I am the Bread of Life, John vi. 48. Then come to my complete Obedience to the Law for white Raiment, (fpotlefs Righteoufnefs) "that the Shame of thy Nakedness do not appear," Rev. iii. 18. " Why do you spend your Money for that which is not Bread, and your Labour for that which fatisficth not God's Justice, nor appeaseth your Confcience)? hearken Diligently unto me (faith God), and eat ye that which is good, even the Merits of the Body and Blood of Chrift by Faith, and let your Souls delight themselves in this Fatnefs. Incline your Ear, and come unto me: hear, and your Soul fhall live; and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you, even the fure Mercies of David," Ifa. lv. 1, 2, 3. This fure Mercy belongs to every believing juftified Soul, that hath been fealed with the Holy Spirit, and God hath confirmed his Faithfulness to his Saints by an Oath, Once have I fworn by my Holiness, that I will not lie unto David, Pfal. lxxxix. 35. And whereas Believers have the fure Mercies of David conferred upon them, whom then shall we fear, fince The Lord is our Strength and our Song; and be is become our Salvation, Exod. xv. 2. And that the Believer might not doubt of God's Faithfulness to restore him, when the Devil hath thrust at him that he falls; which is fome Times the Cafe in the Field of Battle, in which he is continually under Arms, for he is a Soldier enlifted under the King of Sion, Jefus Chrift, and wears his Livery; having no Confidence in the Flesh; but all his Truft is in God. Therefore, God willing more abundantly to fhew unto fuch Heirs of Promife the Immutability of his Counfel, confirmed it by an Oath, that by two immutable Things (even by Word and Oath, pledged for the Security of the

F 2

Heirs

Heirs of Glory, we may be affured of renewed Grace; nor fhall we be fuffered to continue barren or unfruitful; the Scripture fays,) "In which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have ftrong Confolation, who have fled for Refuge to lay hold upon the Hope fet before us; which Hope we have as an Anchor to the Soul, both fure and ftedfaft, and which entreth into that within the Vail," Heb. vi. 14, 17, &c. Our Hope centers in the Merits of the all-atoning Blood of Jefus, who as an Advocate and High-Prieft is entered into Heaven, even into the Prefence of God, pleading the Merits of his precious Blood for us, Heb. viii. 1, 2. And God is thereby juft in being the Juftifier of them that believe in Jefus, Rom. iii. 26. Because God hath received double for all their Sins, by the Merits of the Death of his Son; "Speak ye comfortably (faith God) to Jerufalem (the Church militant) and cry unto her, that her Warfare is accomplished, that her Iniquity is pardoned, for fhe hath received of the Lord's Hand double for all her Sins," Ifa. xl. 2. The Church, (the whole Family of the Faithful) receives the Merits of Chrift by Faith, which Faith is the Gift of God, and then offers up those Merits to God, pleads the Atonement made for her Sins, not mixed in the leaft with her own good Works, in Point of Juftification before God. (Chrift is the Pearl of great Price, which we loft in the Fall of Adam, and no one fhould prefume to preach until he has found it; and then he would cry aloud, teaching with Authority, as Christ did, and not as the Scribes, Matt. vii. 29. Shewing the People that original Sin, as well as actual Tranfgreffions will condemn them. He will be enabled also to declare in the moft explicit Manner the divine Plan, the determinate Counfel of God to fave loft Sinners

through