~

bath the Son, bath Life (Eternal Life) abiding in him: 1718. To be truly in Chrift, is to be truly happy; this Docerine is as clear as the Sun at Noon-day, or as a Morning without Clouds: A Soul, when it comes to fee itfelf undone without a Saviour, and fee Sin to be exceeding Sinful, and is ready to cry to the Almighty,. Lord, help, or I perifh! Save me, or I am undone for ever! Then the Soul feeth itfelf miferable; but it is for want of Chrift: And when Chrift is come into, or unto the Soul, then its Mifery vanished, or flieth away; but from Day to Day, and Week to Week, yea, all the Days of one's Life; to be miferable Sinners, is a miferable Cafe indeed, deftroying the very Nature of Christianity: Wherefore, fome tender, confcientious Souls, cannot join with fuch miferable Sinners and Sayers, who neither fay nor do that which they ought

3dly, As to thefe Sayings, We are full of Bruises and putrifying Sores, from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, and that there is no Soundness in us.

Can any Congregation of fuch People as thefe (if they fay truly, and if they do not fay truly, what will the Confequence be, let the wife in Heart judge) can, I fay, fuch a People be the Church of Chrift, or his Spouse, or beautiful Bride? Chrift faith, If the Infide be clean, the Outfide will be clean alfo ; And he came to cleanse the Souls of poor Mortals, and to heal them, and wash them from Sin, and doth it by his fpiritual Baptifm, and the Fire of his Word; alfo the abovefaid Church and People, contrary to this putrified and unfound, conftant and continual Confeffion, do both promife and vow, that they will forfake the Devil and all his Works, the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World, and all the finful Lufts of the Flesh, and walk in God's Holy Will and Commandments, all the Days of their Lives: The very highest Pitch of Perfection any Man or Chriftian can attain in this Life! and yet contrary to those Vows and folemn Covenants, they tell the Almighty, from Time to Time, that they are unfound,

nay,

1718. nay, that there is no Soundness in them; but that they are putrified from Head to Foot (as above) and by their common Practice intend to tell him fo as long as they live in this Life: This is unfound Work indeed: And truly those who are tenderly confcientious may well fcruple to join with it, or with those who are in fuch Ways, Words and Works.

Those bruifed, putrified, fore and unfound Souls, are therefore tenderly, in Chriftian Love, advised to come to Chrift, the Phyfician of Value, and great Doctor of the Soul, that he may heal them, and wash their finful, putrified Souls, and unfound Hearts, "by the Washing of Regeneration, and renewing of his Word and Spirit." Ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you, faith our Saviour, Jobn xv. 3. They were cleanfed, by putting his Word in Practice; for, faith Chrift, Mat. vii. 24. He that beareth thefe Sayings of mine, and doth them, I will liken bim to a wife Man; fo, confequently he that doth them not, is foolish, finful and unclean:

4thly, And further, fay they, We have left undone thofe Things which we ought to have done. Now doing the Truth, and doing that which is right, is what we ought to do; and committing Sin, is that which we ought not to do: Certainly any Man of Sense and Understanding, would think it Mockery, if his Children or Servants (hould ferve him fo from Time to Time, and make a common Practice of it: By this Confeffion (if it be genuine) they muft needs know better than they practice or do, they knowing what they ought to do, but not doing it; and our Lord Jefus Chrift faith pofitively, He that knows his Master's Will, and doth it not, fhall be beaten with many Stripes: And again, Be ye not like the Scribes and Pharifees; for they fay, and do not; therefore be ye not like unto them.

But what can be expected from thofe who fay they fin in their beft Duties? And if fo, they fin whenever

they

they read the Common Prayers; and by the same Rule, the oftner they read them, the oftner they fin; wherefore, how can a fincere, devout Soul, who unfeignedly loves the Lord Jefus Chrift, fo as to keep his Commandments (for that is to love him truly, and according to his own Definition of it; If ye love me, keep my Commandments, faith Chrift) I fay, how can any fuch fincere Soul join with fuch wrong Doers and Sayers; it must needs be an unfafe Practice to do what One knows fhould not be done; the Nature of fuch Doings being very provoking, either to God or Man: What Man in the World would like it, in either Son or Servant?

Oh! what would become of poor, degenerate Man, if the Lord Almighty were not very indulgent, if he were not a God gracious and merciful, flow to Anger, and of great Loving-kindness to poor Mortals!

5thly, And as to their finging David's Pfalms in Metre; how often do they fing that which is not true as to themselves, and also that which is not according, but contrary to their States and Conditions? As when they fing, That they water their Couch with their Tears; and that they practice what they know, when they confess they do that which they ought not to do, and leave undone that which they ought to do."

The Apostle faid, he would fing with the Spirit, and with the Understanding alfo. And again, We know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh Intercession for us, with Groanings which cannot be uttered, Rom. viii. 26. In the primitive Times of Chriftianity, they pray'd and fung as they were helped by the Holy Ghoft, or Spirit, and not by Book, or stinted or fet Forms; but Oh! the primitive Soundnefs of Chistianity is too much loft and defaced; and therefore fome who defire to come again to the primitive Soundess and Purity of the Chriftian Religion, fcruple to join with fuch unfound Formalities, and that confcientiously,

K

1718.

1718. confcientiously, for the Reasons above, and more which might be given.

When fuch Scruples are mentioned, the Members of the Church of England ufufally reply, that the Scriptures vindicate them in their Form, which, how well they do fo, let it be freely and fairly examined; not for Contention, but for Edification in the pure Love of Jefus.

ift, "The Scripture faith, that there was a People that was full of Bruifes and putrifying Sores, &c."

Anf. But that was in the Time of the Law, when the People had trangreffed the Law, and were under the Law; for had they done their Duty, and kept the Law, they could not truly have laid fo, Ifa. i. 6. They were then indeed gone aftray like loft Sheep, and that brought them into that fore, putrified State, and bruised Condition, and " their Law did not make the Comers thereunto perfect; yet (as faith the Apoftle) the bringing in of a better Hope did," which was the Hope of the Gofpel; fo that the Apostle preaches Perfection under the Gofpel Difpenfation, though fome of our worldly-wife Men will not allow of its and I hope we are not under the Law, but under Grace; and the glorious Law of the Spirit of Life, in Chrift Jefus, hath and doth fet the true Believers free from the Law of Sin and Death;" fo that a true Christian cannot fay truly (with the falfe and rebellious Jews, of whom the Prophet there speaks)" That he is full of putrifying Sores, and that there is no Soundness in him, and fay it all the Days of his Life.”

2dly, Again the Scripture fays, Pfa. li. 5. I was hapen in Iniquity, and in Sin did my Mother conceive me.

Anf. The Pfalmift was at that Time under deep Convictions for the great Sins he had been guilty of, in the Matter of Uriah; but by his Expreffions in the 9th, 10th, and 11th Verfes of the fame Pfalm, it is plain he believ'd a better State attainable; and furely thefe Expreffions cannot be applicable to all Men, at all

Times; for we read of them who were fanctified from 1713. the Womb; neither can it be reasonably or charitably fuppofed, that all Women (efpecially chafte and virtuous Christians) do all conceive their Children in Sin, and bring them forth in Iniquity; and if it were so (which God forbid) it don't follow, that we must live in it all our Days; no furely, if we believe Chrift, and the Holy Scriptures, whofe Doctrine is holy, and Commands Holiness, in both Teftaments. And if People would walk in the Holy Light of Chrift, who enlightens every Man that cometh into the World, as recorded in Holy Scriptures, they would then be cleansed from their Sin, from both the Act and the Imputation, as faith the Apoftle, If we walk in the Light, as he is in the Light, then have we Fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jefus Chrift, his Son, cleanfeth us from all Sin, 1 John i. 7.

3dly," There is none that doth Good, no not One," Rom. iii. 12.

Anf. It is beyond all Doubt the Apoftle spoke of the People in their unconverted State; for if they had been come to the Work of Converfion and Regenera tion, they muft, and it is impoffible but they should, do fome Good; and though there was a Time that none did Good, it was under the Law, and not under Grace; and spoken of the Unbelievers, and not Believers; especially fince Chrift has brought a Covenant of Grace, in order to teach and help us to live righteous, virtuous, holy, religious, and fober Lives and Converfations, Titus ii. 11.

4thly, They object the Words of our Saviour to the young Man in the Gofpel, where he calls Chrift Good Mafter, afking him, "What good Thing he should do that he might inherit Eternal Life?" Christ anfwered, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but One, that is God, Mat. xix. 17.

Anf. And true it is, in our Lord's Senfe, for comparing Men to Chrift (who is God) there is none good; the young Man thought he had been fpeaking