18. But ye are Chrift's House; if ye hold fast the Confidence, and the Rejoycing of Hope firm to the end. ver. 6. Caft not away thy Confidence then; which has fo great Recompence of Reward. Chap. 10. 35. Whoever would put thee out of it; Be no more persuaded to part with thy Faith, than to part with thy Saviour, or thy Soul. Be ftrong in Faith, giving Glory to God: Like the Father of the Faithful; Rom. 4. 20. And let the World fee, That thou ferveft the Lord, whom thou Dareft Truft.

And tho' thou art a miserable Sinner: He will be the more Glorified, to be thy Saviour. Tho' thou hast been Guilty of great Sins, before thy Converfion; Yea and fince too: Yet why did he Bear the Punishment of them, If thou muft Bear it? Tho' thou wanteft Righteousness, to Recommend thee: He has enough, To make thee Accepted in him. And the Juftice of Heaven is more Satisfied, in his Suffering Once; than in thy Suffering for ever. Nor is God only Merciful, but Juft, in Juftifying the Believers on Jefus. Rom. 3. 26. Faithful and Just to Forgive thee thy Sins. 1 Joh. 1. 9. And he that did caft an eye of Pity upon thee, even at the Worft Be fure, will not caft thee off, when it is grown Better with thee. As the Apoftle argues; Rom. 5. 10. If when we were ·Enemies we were reconciled to God, by the

Death

Death of his Son; Much more being Reconciled, we fhall be Saved by his Life. He that would not Difdain thee, when there was nothing of Invitation in thee: Will he Defert thee, after his own Bleffed work begun in thee, Invites and Engages him, to Perfect, what concerns thee? Wherefore shouldst thou fo Fear in the days of Evil; when the Iniquity of thy heels fhall compass thee about? Pfal. 49. 5. For God in Chrift binds himself in a Covenant of Grace and Friendship with all Believers: And then the Law of Friendship obliges to bear with Failings and Infirmities. So that when thou finnest of Frailty; and art carry'd away with the Force of Temptations, to do the Evil which thou wouldeft not; yea and when old Reckonings, and Past Sins, Regurgitate, and make new Head against thee; Thou haft an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the Righteous, and he is the Propitiation for thy fins. 2 Joh. 2. 2. So that the finful, evil fhall not be Charged upon thee; When thou doft not Approve of it, nor confent to it: But makeft thy Prayers and Refiftance against it. That which thou beareft then as a Burden; and Longeft and ftriveft to get Rid of; Tho' it Annoy thee; it fhall not Deftroy thee. For Chrift has once Atoned, and ftill Intercedeth, for fuch Tranfgreffors. And where any has ought against 'em; He will place it on his own Account; and fo bring off, and clear 'em.

Doft

Doft thou then Confefs thy Sins, and Endeavour to Break them off; yet dareft not Trust him to Forgive 'em? Take heed, For thus thou thinkelt worse of thy Heavenly Lord, than thou would'st do of any worthy Friend upon Earth; from whom thou would't be bold to expect fuch Favour. Whereas the Bleffed Saviour, will not only Equal, but Exceed, all the Kindest Friends, that thou knoweft in the World. O caft thy felf then upon that Mercy, which lies open to all that are in Mifery: Not because thou art Worthy; But because thou haft an Almighty and moft Gracious Redeemer, who diftributes it Freely. Expect it from him, without Money, and without Price: Not becaufe Thou canft fo well Please him; But because Mercy best Pleases him. Mic. 7. 18. Not for thy fake: But for his Own; Ila. 43. 45. For the Fulness of that Love, which Covers all the Multitude of thy Sins. And when ever thou Falleft into any of them; Do but Humble thy Soul, and make Confcience to Rife again; And let thy Heart Cleave to nothing that God abhors: Nor Allow thy felf to run on in any Known way of Wickedness: And then thy Sins Remaining, when not Refet and Cherished, fhall not be Imputed.

Thus Let Faith in Chrift ftill be thy ftrong Hold But by a Confcientious Carriage, be full of Care, to keep that Faith in good Heart: So to keep up the good Intelligence with

Heaven;

Heaven; By walking in thy Integrity before the Lord. Nor Harden thy Heart against Repentance, when fenfible of thy Offences: And let not that Heart Condemn thee, For fhutting thy eyes against the Light, which fhews thee thy Duty. For the Bolder thou makeft with Sin; The lefs Bold fhalt thou be in thy God. And the better thou Keepeft in with him; the more Confidence fhalt thou have towards him. Tho' none of thy Holinefs can Merit Heaven: yet he that has Merited for thee, Appoints thee in this way to walk thither. And tho' thou dost not Eftablifh thy own Righteousness; Nor Trust to any thing that thou doft; (Not to any of thy Duties, for more than belongs to 'em; i. e. Thou must not Truft to them, for Chrift's part) Yet because Juftified perfons have fomewhat more to do, than 7rufting in Chrift Jefus; Let me fhew, briefly, for thy Satisfaction and Eftablishment, (as fuch a one,) What God now Requires, and will Accept, of thee.

If then thou doft not take up with the Antinomian conceit, To ask, What need I do any thing; when Chrift has done all? Yet doft thou run the fenfe of thy Infufficiency to fuch an Extream, as to count the ufe of all thy Endeavours but a meer Impertinence; and askeft, What is all my Labour worth? Or what will it fignify; Let me do.

whatever

whatever I can? Do not think that Grace will be ever the lefs Free, for all thy Labouring But tho' there is no Merit in it; yet Grace may be justly with-holden, for Want of it. And fill muft thou be giving Proof and Evidence of thy Believing, in thy Working; And have a Careful heart, to know what the Will of the Lord concerning thee is : And put forth all the Strength thou haft, to do the things which he Commands.

Thus then the Cafe ftands,

He requires thee to Mortify all thy Lufts; and to Break off all thy Sins; To yield him entire Obedience, and to Abound in the Fruits of Righteousness. True.

But then for all this, he allows Thee Time, and will Supply thee with Strength; And will Accept thee, doing it in fuch manner, and by fuch Degrees, as thy Frailty will admit. And he does not expect, that all on a fudden, thou fhouldst shake off every Corruption: But that thou fhouldft Labour to Subdue them; according to that measure of Strength thou haft received. And when thou layeft thy Defigns, and bendeft thy Forces, against the Sins that hang upon thee; Tho' thou art not presently rid of 'em, He will Accept thee.

And tho' thou canst not quite Banish the Corruption from Dwelling in thee; Nor get the full and perfect Conqueft over it: Yet if thou Warreft against it, to prevent the Reign

of