ligion among them. Thousands there are, ESSAY even in Europe, who neither know the IV. Gospel in Truth, nor come to God by this Mediator: They live not by the Faith of the Son of God, nor have juft Reason, according to the Gofpel, to expect divine Favour and Forgiveness. Bleffed God, enlighten the Thoufands of dark and wretched Mankind, and lead them in thine appointed Way to Happiness.

ESSAY.

The next Efay will shew us a plain and easy Account of Faith in Chrift, or of coming to God by Chrift: I acknowledge, I have been fometimes uneafy and afhamed to hear a Divine of the Proteftant Church tell his People, that Faith in Chrift is a myfterious Thing, and it is not to be well known, or clearly conceived in itself, but it may be much better conceived by its Effects, therefore, faith he, I proceed, inftead of speaking of Faith itself, to give you an Account of the Fruits and Effects of it.

As tho there was any thing in the Affairs of human Life, in Reason, or in Religion, clearer than this Notion, (viz.) Upon a Sight and Senfe of our Sins and Dangers, and our Weaknefs to help ourfelves, to commit ourfelves into the Hands of Christ, by an humble Act of Truft or Dependance on him, complying with his appointed Methods of Relief in the Gospel.

'Tis but as a Man fenfible of his Sickness applies himfelf to a wife and knowing Phyfician, and gives himself up to him, and trufts himself in his Hands to relieve him, complying with the Remedies appointed in order to his Cure: which I hope will appear very plain. in the following Eay foothill

A plain and eafy Account of a Sinner's coming to GOD by JESUS CHRIST, or of Javing Faith in CHRIST JESUS.

JOHN xiv. 6.

No Man cometh to the Father but by me.

IN

NNOCENT Man in the Day of his Creation had a Liberty of drawing near to God his Maker, and of delightful Converfe with him in a more immediate manner; but Man having fallen from God,* and becoming guilty in his Perfon, and finful in his Nature, dwells in this World afar off from God; and yet fometimes would attempt to approach him, and obtain his Favour again merely by his own Powers and Performances; as tho' the Goodness of God would receive him again into his Prefence, and into his Love in the fame manner as before. Sinful Mankind have been often trying to make their way to God in

and

and of themselves: Thence arife thofe va- ESSAY rious mistaken Grounds of Hope, of which V. we have given an Account in the former Difcourfe: But the Bleffed God has fufficiently informed us in the Word of his Gofpel, that it is in vain for us to hope to draw near to God, our offended Sovereign, without a Mediator; and there is but one Mediator of God's Appointment between God and Man, and that is the Man Chrift Jefus, 1 Tim. ii. 5. and No Man cometh to the Father but by him, John xiv. 6.

Now in order to explain what it is for Sinners to come to God the Father by Jefus Chrift, let us confider that all faving Approaches of the Creature unto God, depend on God's Approaches to the Creature: He first draws us by his Grace, and then we follow. Jer. xxxi. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting Love, therefore with Lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 1 John iv. 19. If we love him it is because he loved us firft. If our Souls are fet a moving towards him, it is because his Heart, his Pity and his Love moved firft towards us..

In the Reconciliation of God and his finful Creatures, there must be a mutual Approach, and a mutual Nearnefs; but it must be remember'd, that the Sinners coming nigh to God, is but an Eccho or Answer to the merciful Voice of God coming nigh to him: And the fame Method in which we

may

ESSAY may fuppofe the great God to draw near to V. Sinners, the fame Steps fhould we take in drawing near to God.

It must be granted, indeed, that all the Acts of God are eternal, and his Decrees have no Order of Succeffion as they are in him: The eternal Mind conceives the Ends and Beginnings of all things at once; but there are many Expreffions in Scripture which condescend to our Frailty, and teach us to conceive of the infinite and eternal 'Things of God by way of Time and Succeffion, that we may obtain a fuller and clearer Understanding of them; for no created Mind is capacious enough to grafp all the divine Decrees in one fingle Thought, as that God does who formed them.

It should be observed also, that tho' the Actions of the Soul of Man are generally produced in a fucceffive Way, yet fometimes two or three of thefe Acts are fo fwift in their Succeffion, and fo nearly fimultaneous, or at the fame Moment that they are blended together, or are fo interwoven in many Cafes, that it is hard to fay, which is firft, and which is laft: And many times alfo, in one and the fame Act of the Soul, there are fuch different Views and Designs concurring, as may make it look like two or three diftinct Actions: So returning to God by Jefus Chrift includes in it both Repentance, with all the Acts contained there

in, as well as Faith, with all its fubordinate ESSAY Motions: It is Repentance as it is a Return V. to God; it is Faith as Jefus Christ is the Medium of this Return. 1 put in this Caution here, only to fhew, that we are not to expect every fingle Sinner that returns to God by Jefus Christ, must have all these particular Motions of the Soul, or all thefe Tranfactions fenfibly paffing thro' his Mind, and that in the fame Order as is here reprefented; yet the Representation of these Things in fome rational Order, may greatly help the Conception of the whole, and give Perfons fomewhat of a more clear and more distinct Idea of it.

Let us then here take a Survey of those

feveral Steps, whereby God may be fuppofed to draw near to fallen Man, in order to his Recovery, and thereby we shall learn what correspondent Steps Sinners must take, in order to their coming to God.

1. The Bleffed God furveying his lower Creation, beheld all Mankind as Creatures in general fallen from his Image and his Love, and at a wide and dreadful Distance from their Creator. Compare the XIVth Pfalm 2, 3. Verfes with Rom. iii. 9, 10, &c. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the the Children of Men, to fee if there were any that did understand and feek God: they are. all gone afide, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doth Good, no, not