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through the Death and Righteoufnefs of his Son.) We are accounted righteous before God only for the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift by Faith, and not for our own Works or Defervings. Wherefore that we are juftified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of Comfort, as more largely is exprefs'd in the Homily of Juftification, and in Article XIth. Oh fweet Article! Sound and fcriptural Tenet of our Mother Church; how few of the Clergy do feed thy Sons with the fincere Milk of thy precious Doctrine? How often do they mix the imaginary Meetnefs of Man with the Merits of Chrift, in Point of Acceptance with God, and fo rob him of the Honour due to his Name. May all you that read the above facred Lines, the Touchftone of orthodox Teaching, take due Care how you adulterate the unfpotted Righteousness and Merits of Chrift with a base Mixture of your own (imperfect, deceitful, ragged) Righteousness. For "God will not give his Glory to another, neither his Praise to graven Images," (viz. Works performed by you) Ifa. xlii. 8. Bebold my Servant, faith God! as much as to fay, I have given him for a Covenant to you my People, to fulfil my Law, and (thereby bring in an everlasting Righteoufnefs for you, Dan. ix. 24.) alfo to die in your ftead, that you might live eternally, and my Soul delighteth in him for fo doing, Ifa. xlii. 1, 6. "Neither can there be Salvation in any other Way; for there is no other Name given under Heaven among Men, but the Name of Jefus Christ, whereby we must be faved," A. iv. 12. Tho' too often fet at nought by you Builders, v. 11. by mixing your own Doings with his Merits, and thereby daubing your Hope, Faith, and all your Building with uncempered Mortar. For you secretly idolize your own good Works, inftead of

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trusting wholly to his Righteousness, imagining at least that your good Endeavours will partly entitle you to Salvation. All fuch fond Hopes, fuch Wood, Hay and Stubble Building, God, in his Anger, will confume, and you with it, in the Midst of all your vain Hopes, with the great Hailftones of his Wrath and fiery Indignation, Ezek. xiii. 13, 14. God would have you know that Chrift only is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, Jer. xxiii. 6. "Behold! all ye that kindle a Fire, that compafs yourselves about with Sparks, (that fofter yourselves with falfe, perfecuting Zeal) God bids you walk in the Light of your Fire, and in the Sparks which you have kindled, (feed yourselves with the Hope of being faved by pompous Ceremonies) this hall ye have at my Hands, ye fhall lie down (not in Peace, but) in Sorrow," Ifa. 1. 11. "Therefore look unto me all the Ends of the Earth, (faith Chrift) and be faved," Isa. xlv. 22. Oh! how does Jefus Chrift love to hear poor Sinners plead in Faith the Merits of his Sufferings at the Throne of Grace: and how acceptable are their Perfons and Performances in Christ, in whom the Father is for ever well pleafed. When his Merits are pleaded before the Throne in Faith, Chrift, who is the Angel of the Covenant, putteth much incense into the Prayers of fuch Supplicants; and offers them up acceptably upon the golden Altar (of his perfonal Merit and Holiness) which is before the Throne, Rev. viii. 3.. The Apoftle faith, "We have an Altar (a Type of Christ on the Crofs) whereof Unbelievers have no Rigth to eat," Heb. xiii 10. Our glorious Redeemer condescended to be a Prieft, Altar, and Sacrifice for the Benefit of the Faithful: unto whom the Lord will reveal his Secrets, and fhew them his Covenant, Pfal. xxv. 14.) Oh! may THE LORD OUR

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, and great High-priest, cause the Smoak of his Incenfe, perfumed with the Odours of his Merits, to enliven our lukewarm Prayers; and through the Efficacy of his atoning Blood, may we find Reception with God: And may he take the golden Cenfer, and fill it full of the holy Fire from the Altar of God, and pour it down into our earthly Hearts; that we may become the Sons of Thunder to awaken the Dead, and fhining Lights to direct those that are blind and may we likewife be Inftruments in the Lord's Hands to turn many from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God: that they may be inlightened to fee the Mifery of Man by Nature, and the Neceffity of being born again, (notwithwithstanding his fpecious Morality)" that Man is from the Crown of his Head to the Sole of his Foot, full of Wounds, Bruifes, and putrifying Sores; that never have been clofed, neither bound up, nor mollified with Ointment," in fhort, extreamly miferable, deftitute of all Good, Ifa. i. 6. O may Thousands among us be inlightened to fee themselves all over fpread with the Leprofy of Sin, and shut without the Camp, having not been cleanfed by the only Remedy, the Blood of the Lamb, Rev. i. 5. And confequently have no fpiritual Communion with Believers, who are fanctified by Grace, having never received the Forgivness of their Sins. May they cry out like the poor broken-hearted Publican, Lord, be merciful to me a Sinner, Luke xviii. 13. When they fee themselves all over leprous, they, like Naaman, will be glad to be healed,, and would hearken to the weakest Instrument under God for proper Advice, in order to be made whole, as that great Man attended to the Words of the little captive Damfel of Ifrael and like him would obey the Voice of the Hebrew Maid,

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who bid him repair to the Prophet in Ifrael. "Would to God (fays fhe) my Lord was with the Prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his Leprofy," 2 Kings v. 3. But let them not confult with Flefh and Blood, Gal. i. 16. Nor with carnal Reafon or earthly Grandeur. Let them not go to the King of Ifrael with their Prefents, ver. 5. nor to the great and Worldly-wife, for they will abhor meddling in fuch Matters, like the King of Ifrael, who rent his Clothes, faying, Am I a God to kill or make alive? Here the King being unacquainted with the Power of God, and the Efficacy of Faith, thought there was no fuch Cure to be done in Ifrael, ver. 7. But you fee, God is pleased to hide thofe Myfteries from the Great, the Wife and Prudent, worldly-minded Men, and reveals them unto Babes, even fo Father, (fays Chrift) for so it seemeth good in thy Sight, Matt. xi. 25,26. Would to God that all our rifing Generation, that are led captive by their Sins, might have the fame experimental Belief of the Power of God in their Souls, as the little captive Daughter of Ifrael had. O how sweet would their Words be feafoned with Salt, and confequently minifter Grace, as did the Words of this believing Maid, unto their Hearers. But to return, what faid the Prophet to the aftonished King of Ifrael?" Wherefore (faid he) halt thou rent thy Clothes? Let Naaman come now to me, and he fhall know that there is a Prophet in Ifrael. So Naaman came with his Horses and Chariot, and stood at the Door of the House of Elifba, (and thought to have no fmall Honour paid him, as proud wealthy Men expect in our Days) But Elifba only fent a Meffenger unto him, faying, Go, and wash in Jordan feven Times, and thy Flefh fhall come again unto thee, and thou fhalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went

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away difpleafed, faying, Behold! I thought, he would furely come out unto me, and ftand, and call on the Name of the Lord his God, and ftrike his Hand over the Place, and recover the Leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, Rivers of Damafcus, better than all the Waters of Ifrael? may I not wafh in them and be clean? So he went on his Journey in a Rage. But his Servants came near, and fpake unto him, and faid, My Father, if the Prophet had bid thee do fome great Thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he faith unto thee, Wafh, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven Times in Jordan, according to the faying of the Man of God; and his Flesh came again like the Flesh of a little Child, and he was clean," 2 Kings v. 8-14. Are there not too many proud Naamans among us, who will not come near the People of God, nor hearken to their Advice? when they might come to the Waters of Ifrael, to wash and be clean; as fome in this Town have already experienced, and with Joy do daily declare it. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come to the Waters, and he that hath no Money (no Worthiness) come ye, buy Wine and Milk, without Money, and without Price," Ifa. lv. 1. Oh! my dear Neighbours, here have been too many raging Naamans, turning their Backs upon the Word, and fo rejecting the Counfel of God, and will not come near religious Affemblies, and Chriftian Societies; though God hath promised "wherefoever two or three are gathered together in his Name, that he will grant their Request," Matt. xviii. 20. Efpecially when they offer unto God their Free-will Offerings of Thanks and Praises, when others are idle Loiterers about the Streets, or what is worse, Curfing, Swearing and Tippling in Ale-houfes, before and after

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