are pleasing yourselves with the thought, that God will do the rest and make up your deficiences; but pray where is this written? And if this is not God's declared method of falvation, who suggested it? Can you not in this felf-contrived plan of salvation see the cloven foot? Is not felf and pride at the bottom of all this? What part in this work of your salvation is it that you propose to manage? It is already supposed to be begun, and that by God, otherwise it would never have been fet about? It is not unlikely you had stood idle or worse than idle 'till the ninth or eleventh hour, and if the good spirit of God had not inclined your hearts you would have loitered till you had tumbled into hell. And now that God has begun, do you intend by your own power and prudence to carry it on? Verily you will neither find courage nor conduct to withstand the least asfault from fin or fatan, for without Christ you can " do nothing," John xv, 5, you cannot maintain your ground a day nor an hour. If then your salvation be wholly of God, seek to him alone, take shame and guilt and weakness to yourselves, and give to him the glory.

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Again, is falvation only to be obtained through faith in the Lord Christ, then let your works no longer have either name or place in obtaining the blessing; if it was wholly purchased by the blood and righteousness of the Redeemer, then freely acknowledge that he alone is worthy to receive power, and riches, and wijdom, and strength, and bonour, and glory, and bieffing. Rev. v. 12. And if precious faith is appointed as the instrument in laying hold on salvation, and this faith itself be obtained as the gift of God, through the righteousness ness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ; then look out of yourselves, take off your attention from your own works, and look to Jesus; hear the word of the Lord, O earth, for faith comes by bearing, and bearing, (all that you can receive any comfort by) is from the word of God.

2d, If the work and undertaking of our Lord Jesus Christ was perfectly finished and compleat, labour to fettle in your minds the comfortable and interesting truth; the work finished, what remains to be done? The debt discharged, who can make any further demands? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is Chrift that died, the anointed of the father, the Shiloh, the defire of all nations, the woman's-feed who is God over all blessed for ever; yea rather that has rifen again, and hereby hath given an inconteftable proof of the fufficiency of the facrifice he had offered. As nothing can increase the splendor and light of the fun, or compare with the radiancy and brightness of it's beams; so nothing can add to the confummate work of the holy Jesus, nor any righteousness of ours be compared with the inimitable excellency of his righteousness.

Let your feafted eyes then continually look to this, meditate thereon by night and by day, and let your charmed ears be attentive to his last dying, but triumphant declaration, it is finished. Your hearts may often suggest unto you, that this or that good thing will ensure your peace; but if these would either thrust themselves into the place of Jesus and his perfectly finished work, or would offer themselves as auxiliaries in the grand affair of your acceptance with God, you ought to put them away as Jehu did the messengers of Joram

king of Ifrael, What hast thou to do with peace ? turn thee behind me.

God hath signified his good pleasure in the compleat work of his fon, in that he hath raised him from the dead, and exalted him as the great highpriest of his people to his right hand in heaven. Set your affections there where Jesus fits, let the anchor of your hope be cast in that which is entered within the vail; let your faith bring to your fouls from the fulness of Jefus a rich and plentiful supply; as your good works cannot fave you, neither can your involuntary bad works condemn you; " for there is no condemnation to "them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not " after the flesh but after the spirit;" Why? Because " the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in

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us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." Rom. viii, 1, 3.

You may often find your faith affaulted, and whole troops of distressing and comfort-wafting doubts, attempting to sap your confidence and undermine all your spiritual joys; on one hand a fenfe of the feebleness of your graces, may difquiet you, and on the other hand, the strength of your yet remaining corruptions, and your many weaknesses and imperfections, may pronounce a sentence of condemnation in your confcience, enforced by the holy law of God.

In such cafe, run with speed into the garden of Gethsemane, follow Jesus to the cross, view well his fufferings, listen to the language of his vocal blood, and hear him proclaim to the filencing of all your doubts, and the quieting of all your fears, it is finished. Let this precious declaration be inscribed on the tables of your hearts, let the found

of

of these words, the last words, the dying words, of your father, brother, friend; O never let their found depart from your ears. These attended to, these rightly understood, the believer may answer, I will not only say, all the objections of fin and fatan, but even of the righteous law, and the inflexible justice of God itself. Live therefore on the fulness there is in Jesus, die to fin, die to felf, and live by faith in the son of God.

Lastly, Does precious faith lay so faft hold on Chrift, that the smallest degree thereof will never quit it's hold, but will finally derive from Jesus, everlasting felicity to the foul? let this animate and encourage the weak believer under all his droopings and despondencies, that all the powers of the lowest hell, shall never be able to tear him from his hold of Jesus ; let him comfort himself with the assurance of the Redeemer's care of him, and love to him; if it were poffible he could ever lose his hold of Jesus, yet will Jefus never lose his hold of him, for he has loved him with an everlasting love, and has discovered his affection for him, and his gracious purposes toward him, in that with loving kindnejs he hath drawn him.

But again, as weak faith often leaves the foul exposed to manifold temptations from the devil, and deprives the heart of that confolation it might otherwise enjoy; labour for an increase of faith; it is the gift of God, in every meature and degree thereof; and as weak faith has access given to God in and through the mediator, afk. that more may be given you, feek that ye may find; you have now the way open to a tender and indulgent father, who will give all neceffary good thing's things to his adopted children in Chrift Jesus, and will not withold his holy spirit in all his quickening and enlivening influences from those that ask him. I add no more, May the God of all grace follow with his blessing, what has been delivered to the ear, and cause it to fink deep into your hearts, issuing in a holy conversation, to the happiness of your fouls, and the honour of God in Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen.

SER