Now before I go any further, it may be neceflary to speak a Word or two to fome poor Souls that are willing to clofe in with Jefus Chrift, and would willingly take him upon his own Terms, only they being muddy in their Minds, and have not yet attained the Understanding of the Terms and Conditions of the two Covenants, they are kept off from clofing with Chrifts and all is, because they fee they can do nothing. As for Example, come to fome Souls and ask them how they do, they will tell you prefently, that they are fo bad that it is not to be expreffed: If you bid them believe in Jefus Chrift, they will answer, that they cannot believe; if you: ask them why they cannot believe, they will anfwer, because their Hearts are fo hard, fo dead, fo dull, fo backward to good Duties; and if their Hearts were but better, if they were more earneft, if they could pray better, and keep their Hearts more from running after Sin, then; they could believe; but fhould they believe with fuch vile Hearts, and prefume to believe, in Chrift, and be fo filthy: Now all this is, becaufe the Spirit of the Law ftill ruleth in fuch a Soul, and blinds them fo that they cannot fee the Teims of the Gospel. To clear this take the Subftance of the drift of this poor Soul, which is this: If I was better than I think I could believe, but being fo bad as I am, that is the Reafon that I cannot; this is juft to do fomething that I may believe, to work that I may have Chrift, to do the Law that I may have the Gofpel; or thus to be Righteous that I may come to Christ. O Man! thou must go quite back again, thou. muft believe, because thou canst not pray, becaufe thou canst not do; thou must believe, be

caufe

cause there is nothing in thee (naturally) that is good, or defireth after good, or else thou wilt never come to Chrift as a Sinner; and if so, then Chrift will not receive thee; and if fo, then thou mayeft fee that to keep off from Chrift, because thou canst not do, is to keep from Chrift by the Law, and to stand off from him, becaufe thou canst not buy him. Thus having fpoken fomething by the way, for the direction of thofe Souls that would come to Chrift, I fhall return to the former Difcourse, wherein arifeth this Objection.

Object. But you did but even now put Souls upon fulfilling the first Condition of the Gospel, even to believe in Chrift, and fo be faved; but now you fay, it is alone by Grace, without Condition; and therefore by thefe Words, there is first a Contradiction to your former fayings, and alfo that Men may be faved without the Condition of Faith, which to me feems a very ftrange thing. I defire therefore that you would clear out what you have faid,, as to my Satis faction.

Anfw, Though there be a Condition commanded in the Gospel, yet he that commands the Condition, doth not leave his Children to their own natural Abilities, that in their own Strength they fhould fulfil them (as the Law doth) but the fame God thus doth command that the. Condition be fulfilled, even he, doth help his Children by his Holy Spirit, to fulfil the fame Condition; For it is God that worketh in you,. mark, in you (Believers) both to will and to do, of his own good Pleafure, Phil' 2. 13. Thou haft wrought all our Works in us, and for us, Ifa. 16. 12. So that the Condition be fulfilled, it is

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not

not done in the Ability of the Creature. But, Secondly, Faith, as it is a Gift of God, or an Act of ours, take it which way you will: If we fpeak properly of Salvation; it is not the firft, nor the fecond Cause of our Salvation; but the Third, and that but inftrumentally neither that is, it only layeth hold of, and applieth to us that which faveth us, which is the Love of God, through the Merits of Chrift, which are the two main Caufes of our Salvation, without which all other Things are nothing, whether it be Faith, Hope, Love, or whatever can be done by us. And to this, the great Apoftle of the Gentiles fpeaks fully; for, faith he, God who is rich in Mery, loved us, even when we were dead in our Sins. Eph. z. 4. (that is, when we are without Faith) and that was the Caufe why we believe; for he thereby hath quickened us together, through the meritorious Caufe, which is Christ, and fo hath faved us by Grace, that is, of his own voluntary Love and good Will; the Effects of which was this, he gave us Faith to believe in Chrift; read foberly that Second of the Ephefians, at the 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Verfes. Faith, as the Gift of God is not the Saviour, as our Act doth merit nothing. Faith was not the Caufe that God gave Chrift at the firft, neither is it the Caufe why God converts Men to Chrift: But Faith is a Gift bestowed upon us by the gracious God, the Nature of which is to lay hold on Christ, that God afore did give for a Ranfom to redeem Sinners: This Faith hath its Nourishment and Supplies from the fame God, that at the firft did give it; and is the only Inftrument, through the Spirit, that doth keep the Soul in a comfortable Frame, both to do and fuffer for Christ,.

helps

helps the Soul to receive Comfort from Chrifts when it can get none from it felf, beareth up the Soul-in its Progrefs Heaven-wards: But that it is the firft Caufe of Salvation, that I deny; or that it is the Second, I deny: But is only the Inftrument, or Hand, that receiveth the Benefits that God hath prepared for thee before thou hadft any Faith: So that we do nothing for Sal vation, as we are Men. But if we fpeak properly, it was God's Grace that moved him to give Christ a Ransom for Sinners, and the fame God with the fame Grace, that doth give to the Soul: Faith to believe, and fo by believing, to close in with him, whom God out of his Love and Pity, did fend into the World to fave Sinners; fo that all the Works of the Creature are fout out, as to Fufification and Life, and Men are faved freely by Grace. I fhall fpeak no more here, but in my Difcourfe upon the fecond Covenant, I fhall anfwer a Hell-bred Objection or two, to forewarn Sinners, how they turn the Grace of God into Wantonnefs.

And thus you fee I have briefly spoken to you fomething touching the Law. First, What it is, and when given. Secondly, How fad thofe Mens Conditions are that are under it. Thirdly, Who they are that are under it. Fourthly,' How far they may go, and what they may do, and receive, and yet be under it, which have been done by way of Answers to feveral Questions, for the better Satisfaction of thofe that may stand in doubt of the Truth of what hath been delivered.

Now in the next Place, I fhall come to fome Application of the Truth of that which hath been fpoken; but I fhall in the firft place fpeak fome

thing to the fecond Doctrine, and then afterwards I fhall fpeak fomething by way of Use and Application to his first Doctrine.

The Second Doctrine now to. be Spoken to, is to fhew, that the People of God are not under the Law but under Grace.

For ye are not under the Law, but under Grace, Rom. 6. 14.

You may well remember, that from_these Words, I did obferve thefe two great Truths of the Lord Firit, That there are fome in Gofpel Times that are under the Law, or Covenant of Works.

Secondly, That there is never a Believer under the Law (or Covenant of Works) but under Grace.

I have spoken fomething to the former of these Truths (to wit) that there are fome under the Law, together with who they are, and what their Condition is, that are under it. Now I am to speak to the Second, and to fhew you who they are, and what their Condition is, that åre under that.

Doctrine.

* But before I come to that, I fhall * I touched fpeak a few Words, to fhew you upon this what the Word GRACE in this in the first Place fignifies; for the Word Grace in the Scripture, referreth fometimes to Favour with Men (Esther 2. 7. Gen. 39. 4. Chap.