to him for help? That because you have no claim to his favour, but lie at his mercy, you will not therefore seek mercy at his hands?-Does not this, at the first view, appear contrary to all the methods of reasoning we should use in any other cafe? Can you promife yourself comfort from fuch reafonings, and fuch conclufions as thefe, in your laft expiring moments, when your foul is entering upon its eternal and unchangeable ftate?

But you object," If God in fovereignty de"figns mercy for us, we fhall obtain it, whether

we feek or no: and, if not, it is in vain to "ftrive."-To this, it is fufficient anfwer, that God never does in fovereignty appoint falvation for any, in the final wilful neglect of gospel-means.

He is Sovereign in the appointment of the means, as well as of the end. The fame glorious Sovereign, who affures us it is not for our sakes that he bestows his fpecial grace upon us, but for his own name's fake, does alfo let us know, that he will be inquired of by the houfe of Ifrael, to do this for them. Whence it follows, that if we have not a heart to feek with earneft diligence, for the gra. cious influences of the Spirit of God, there is no profpect we shall ever obtain; for God will make us feel the want of his mercy, and will make us efteem his falvation worthy of our care, and pains, or leave us to the unhappy effects of our own madness and folly. But if we have hearts given us, to be humbly and earnestly attending upon the means of grace, it is an encouraging fign, that he who has excited our diligence, intends to crown it with fuccefs.

You fee, Sir, I have obeyed your commands, and have addreffed you with as much plainnefs and familiarity as the caufe requires, and you yourfelf have demanded.

That

That God may effectually bring you to fubmit to the terms of his grace, and enable you so to run, as that you may obtain, is the prayer of,

SIR,

Your, &c.

LETTER VIII. Wherein the Difference between a true faving Faith, and a` dead temporary Faith, is diftinctly confidered.

SIR,

YOUR

OUR Complaints do exactly anfwer my expectations. It is not your cafe alone, to have unworthy apprehenfions of God, vain, trifling "imaginations, and strange confufion of mind, "accompanying the exercises of religion." It is no new thing for those who are fetting out in earneft in a religious courfe, to find by experience, that their "progrefs in religion bears no pro"portion to their purposes ;" and that their good "defigns and refolutions come to but little more "than outfide appearances, and no way anfwer "their hopes."-It is matter of thankfulness, that you have a feeling fenfe of this. I hope, if no other arguments will convince you of the truth of what was infifted on in my last, you will at least be convinced, by your own experience, that you lie at mercy.

You" thank me for my plainness and faith"fulness to a poor wretched infidel, who yet "breathes out of hell, by the mere patience of "an affronted Saviour."I had not only the warrant of your commands, but the vaft importance of the concern before us, to embolden me to lay by all referves; and even to tranfgrefs the

common

common rules of decorum and respect in my for. mer letters; and need you not conjure me to "retain the fame freedom." I am no courtier; nor am I at all acquainted with the fashionable methods of the Beau Monde. I fhall therefore apply myself, according to my capacity, in my accuftomed methods of addrefs, to answer your defires.

You obferve," that I infinuate as if men may "believe the truth of the gofpel, without a fa"ving faith in Chrift, without an interest in him, "or a claim to the benefits of his redemption. "You therefore defire I would give you the distin"guifhing characters of a faving faith, and fhew "" you wherein the difference lies, between a true "faith, and that which is common to hypocrites, " as well as to Chriftians indeed."

I do indeed infift upon it, that men may notionally and doctrinally believe the truth of the gofpel, without a faving faith in Christ, and without an interest in him, or a claim to the benefits of his redemption. This is a truth clearly taught in the Scriptures, and abundantly evident from the reafon and nature of things.If any therefore fhould expect falvation from a mere doctrinal and hiftorical faith in Chrift, they will, in the conclufion, find themselves disappointed and afhamed of their hope.

We read (John xii. 42, 43.) of many of the chief rulers who believed in Chrift, but dared not confef's him; for they loved the praife of men, more than the praife of God. And will any man imagine, that fuch believers who dare not confefs Chrift before men, thall be confeffed by him before his heavenly Father, and his holy angels, in the great day of retribution ?Will any man imagine, that our bleffed Lord will own fuch for his fincere difciples and followers, who love the praife of men, more than the praife of God? Here then is a clear inftance of a doctrinal and

hiftorical

hiftorical faith, which was not faving, and could give no claim to the promise made to true believers.We have this matter further illustrated and confirmed by the Apostle James, in the fecond chapter of his epiftle; where we are fhewn, that fuch a faith is dead, being alone; that it is but a carcafe without breath: As the body without the Spirit is dead, fo faith without works, is dead alfo. Of fuch a faith we may therefore fay with the fame Apostle, What doth it profit, though a man say that he has faith? Can faith fave him?

But I need not multiply Scripture-quotations in this cafe. It is what is continually confirmed to us by our own observation.-How many do we fee every day, who acknowledge the truth of the gospel, and yet live worldly, fenfual and vicious lives; who profefs they know Chrift, but in works deny him ; who call themfelves by his name, and yet value their lufts and idols above all the hopes of his falvation; and even run the venture of eternal perdition, rather than deny themselves, take up their crofs, and follow him?-Now there can be nothing more certain, than that these men are utterly unqualified for the kingdom of God; and that they can have no fpecial intereft in him who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

As, on the one hand, there is a gracious promise of final falvation to all who believe on the Lord Je fus Chrift: He that believeth, and is baptized fhall be faved: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life :-So, on the other hand, there is a fort of believers, who can have no claim to this promise, nor any intereft in the salvation by Chrift.-It must therefore be of infinite confequence, that we have indeed the faith of God's elect, that we may become

K

the

the children of God by faith in Jefus Chrift; and therefore that our faith be distinct, in its nature and operations, from fuch an empty, lifeless, and fruitless belief, with which the formal, worldly and fenfual profeffor may deceive and destroy his own foul. From whence it appears, that your question is most important, and deferves a most careful and diftinct anfwer; which I fhall endeavour in the fol lowing particulars.

-

1. A true and faving faith is a realizing and fenfible impreffion of the truth of the gospel; whereas a dead faith is but a mere notional and Speculative belief of it. Faith is, by the: Apoftle, defcribed: the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen; that which brings eternal things into a near view, and reprefents them unto the foul as undoubted realities. Whence it is, that the true believer, when he has experienced the defect of his own purposes and endeavours, when he is wearied out of all his falfe refuges, emptied of all. hope in himself, and is brought to fee and feel the danger and mifery of his ftate by nature, he is then brought in earnest to look to Jefus, as the only refuge and fafety of his foul.-He then fees the in-. comparable excellency of a precious Saviour, breathes with ardent defire after him, repairs to him as the only foundation of his hope; and, proportionably to the evidence of his intereft in him, rejoices in Chrift Fefus, having no confidence in the flesh.-Now, the bleffed Saviour and his glorious falvation is the fubject of his serious, frequent, and delightful contemplation. Now, an intereft in Chrift is valued by him above all the world; and he is in earnest to obtain and maintain good evidence, that his hope in Christ is well founded.-Now, the favour of God, and the concerns of the unfeen and eternal world, appear of greater importance than every thing else.

He