Then were the precept to believe,
No better news than 'do and live."
If then we won't diftinguish here,
We cloud, but don't the gospel clear;
We blend it with the fiery law,
And all into confufion draw.
The law of works we introduce,...
As if old merit were in use,
When men could life by doing won,
Ev'n though the work by grace were done..
Old Adam, in his ignorance,
Deriv'd his power of doing hence:
As all he could was wholly due;
So all the working strength he knew,
Was only from the grace of God,
Who with fuch favour did him load:
Yet was the promise to his act,
That he might merit by compact.
No merit but of paction could
Of men or angels e'er be told;
The God-man only was fo high
To merit by condignity.
Were life now promis'd to our act,
Or to our works by paction tack'd;
Though God should his assistance grant,
'Tis still a doing covenant.
Though heav'n its helping grace should yield,
Yet merit's still upon the field;
We cast the name, yet still 'tis found
Disclaim'd but with a verbal found.
If one should borrow tools from you,
That he fome famous work might do;
When once his work is well prepar'd,
He fure deserves his due reward;
Yea justly may he claim his due,
Although he borrow'd tools from you:
Ev'n thus the borrow'd strength of grace
Can't hinder merit to take place.
From whence foe'er we borrow powers,
If life depend on works of ours;
Or if we make the gospel thus
In any fort depend on us;
We give the law the gofpel place,
Rewards of debt the room of grace;
We mix Heav'n's treasures with our trash,
And magnify corrupted flesh.
The new and gospel covenant
No promife to our works will grant;
But to the doing of our Head,
And in him to each gospel deed.
To godliness, which is great gain,
Promise is faid to appertain :
But know, left you the gospel mar,
In whom it is we godly are.
To him and to his righteousness
Still primar'ly the promise is;
And not even to the gracious deed,
Save in and through the glorious Head.
Pray let us here observe the odds,
How law and grace take counter roads,
The law of works no promise spake
Unto the agent, but the act..
It primar'ly no promise made
Unto the perfon, but the deed;
Whate'er the doing person shar'd,
'Twas for his deed he had reward.
The law of grace o'erturns the scale,
And makes the quite reverse prevail :
Its promise lights not on the deed,
But on the doing person's head;
Not for his doing, but for this,
Because in Christ his person is :
Which union to the living Prince,
His living works and deeds evince.
Good fruits have promise in this view,
As union to the Branch they shew;
To whom the promises pertain,
In him all yea, and all Amen.
Observe, pray; for if here we err,
And do not Christ alone prefer,
But think the promise partly stands
On our obeying new commands;
Th' old cov'nant place to works we give,
Or mingle grace with Do and Live;
We overcloud the gospel charms
And also break our working arms.
More honour to the law profefs,
But giving more we give it lefs.
Its heavy yoke in vain we draw,
By turning gospel into law.
We rob grace of its joyful found,
And bury Christ in Mofes' ground:
At best we run a legal race
Upon the field of gospel grace.
PARAGRAPH III. The Gospel no new Law, but a joyful found of Grace and Mercy.
Law Precepts in a gospel mold,
We may as gospel doctrine hold;
But gospel calls in legal dress,
The joyful found of grace fupprefs.
Faith and repentance may be taught,
And yet no gospel tidings brought;
If as mere duties these we press,
And not as parts of promis'd bliss.
If only precepts we present,
Though urg'd with strongest argument,
We leave the wak'ned finner's hope
In darkness of despair to grope.
The man whom legal precepts chase,
As yet estrang'd to sov'reign grace,
Mistaking evangelic charms,
As if they stood on legal terms.
Looks to himself, though dead in fin,
For grounds of faith and hope within;
Hence fears and fetters grow and swell,
Since nought's within but fin and hell.
But faith, that looks to promis'd grace,
Clean out of felf the foul will chase,
To Chrift for righteousness and strength,
And find the joyful rest at length.
Proud flesh and blood will startle here, And hardly such report can bear, That Heav'n all faving store will give To them that work not, but believe. Yet not of works, but 'tis the race Of faith, that it may be of grace : For faith does nothing but agree To welcome this falvation free. " Come down, Zaccheus, quickly come, " Salvation's brought unto thy home: " In vain thou climb'st the legal tree; " Salvation freely comes to thee. "Thou dream'st of coming up to terms; "Come down into my faving arms; "Down, down, and get a pardon free, "On terms already wrought by me. " Behold the blessings of my blood, "Bought for thy everlasting good, "And freely all to be convey'd "Upon the price already paid. " I know thou hast no good, and fee "I cannot stand on terms with thee, " Whose fall has left thee nought to claim, " Nor aught to boast but fin and shame." The law of heavy hard commands Confirms the weak'ned finners bands; But grace proclaims relieving news, And scenes of matchless mercy shews. No precept clogs the gofpel call, But wherein grace is all in all; No law is here but that of grace, Which brings relief in ev'ry cafe. The gospel is the promife fair Of grace, all ruins to repair, And leaves no finner room to say, "Alas! this debt I cannot pay; "This grievous yoke I cannot bear, "This high demand I cannot clear." Grace stops the mouth of fuch complaints, And ftore of full fupply presents.
The glorious gospel is (in brief)
A fov'reign word of sweet relief;
Not clogg'd with cumbersome commands,
To bind the foul's receiving hands.
'Tis joyful news of sov'reign grace,
That reigns in state through righteoufnefs,
To ransom from all threat'ning woes,
And answer all commanding do's:
This gofpel comes with help indeed,
Adapted unto finners need:
These joyful news that fuit their cafe
Are chariots of his drawing grace:
"Tis here the Spirit powerful rides,
The fountains of the deep divides;
The King of glory's splendour shews,
And wins the heart with welcome news.
PARAGRAPH IV. The Gospel further described, as a bundle
of Good News and Gracious Promises.
THE first grand promife forth did break
In threats against the tempting snake:
So may the gospel in commands;
Yet nor in threats nor precepts stands:
But 'tis a doctrine of free grants
To finners, that they may be saints :
A joyful found of royal gifts,
To obviate unbelieving shifts:
A promise of divine supplies,
To work all gracious qualities
In those who, proneft to rebel,
Are only qualify'd for hell.
Courting vile finners, ev'n the chief,
It leaves no cloak for unbelief;
But ev'n on gross Manasseh's calls,
On Mary Magdalen's and Saul's.
'Tis good news of a fountain ope
For fin and filth; a door of hope
For those that lie in blood and gore,
And of a falve for ev'ry fore.
Glad news of fight unto the blind;
Of light unto the darken'd mind;
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