power to change your own heart, and to produce in yourself a new principle of love to God, and conformity to him, by any endeavours of your own.It is vifible, from what has been already faid, that our hearts and affections must be renewed and fanctified, before either our perfons or fervices can be acceptable in the fight of God: And which way can this be compaffed? If you take up refolutions, these will no longer stand you in stead than the principle of fear, from which they proceed, is kept in act. If you execute these refolutions in fome external reformations, this is but lopping off the branches, while the stock and the root of the tree are still alive, the "affections and difpofitions of the foul being still the fame.-If by fear, or other felfish motives, you fomething reftrain the present more fenfible exercife of your finful appetites or paffions, this is but damming up the ftream, and forcing it into another channel; pull down the dam, and it will run where it did before.-Certain it is, that every man naturally loves the world, and the things of the world, the objects of his fenfual appetites; and loves his lufts and idols more than God: And it is equally certain, that whatever reftraints he may fometimes put upon these dispositions, an omnifcient eye beholds the fame principle in him notwithstanding; and confequently he can never pleafe God, till there be in this refpect a real and thorough change wrought in all the powers of his foul fuch a change as the Scriptures defcribe by a tranflation from darkness unto light, from death to life, and from the power of Satan unto God.

And to fuppofe, that any but He who first gave being to our fouls, can give them a new being, in all fpiritual or moral refpects, and make their difpofitions, appetites, paffions, contemplations, defires and delights, not only differing from, but directly

and

and laftingly contrary to what they were, is to afcribe to the creature what is the peculiar property and prerogative of the glorious God himself.Do you, Sir, but make the trial, and you will find, after all your endeavours, that the violation of your promifes and refolutions, the deadness and hypocrify of your duties, the prevalence of your fins, and the continued eftrangement of your affections from God and godlinefs, will give you more fenfible conviction, than any methods of reafoning can do, that there is a greater power needful than your own, to make you a new creature.

It must therefore neceffarily follow, that there is nothing you are able to do can give you a claim to the renewing influences of the holy Spirit.-If any thing you can do can give you a claim to the renewing and fanctifying influences of the divine grace, your claim must be either from merit or promife.Not of merit; when you cannot of yourself fo much as leave off finning, and thereby running further into debt to the juftice of God; and this, even in and by the best of your duties; your highest attainments therefore can merit nothing but the divine difpleasure.-Not of promife; for where, I beseech you, has God promifed to reward your infincerity with his faving mercy? And how vain are all pretences to ferve God fincerely, where there is not one grain of true holiness in the heart? Whatever moral honefty, men in a state of nature may boast of, it is all but spiritual hypocrify in the fight of a heartfearching God, and can bring none under the promife, which is made to faith unfeigned, the only fimplicity and godly fincerity in the account of the gofpel.

But I return to confider your objection more diftinctly." The Scriptures, you tell me, promise, "that he who feeks fhall find."-But, Sir, do not the Scriptures alfo inform us, that many shall feek

to enter in at the ftrait gate, and shall not be able; that fome afk and receive not, because they afk amifs: And that he who does not ask in faith, nothing wavering, must not think he shall receive any thing of the Lord? There is indeed a promise to him who feeks in faith and fincerity: But what claim can he have to that promife, who has neither true faith nor fincerity?-Will mocking God, and flattering him with your lips, while your heart is eftranged from him, intitle you to the promise?

But you fay, "All our divines tell us, that the "moft finful and unworthy may have access to God "through Chrift; and this is the purport of all my "reafoning with you."-True, by faith in Chrift they may: But God is a confuming fire to unbelievers. He that believeth not is condemned already. -What claim therefore can they have to the favour of God upon Chrift's account, who have never received him by faith; and confequently have no interest in him, nor in any of his faving benefits?Can they claim the benefits of the covenant of grace, who are themselves under the covenant of works, which curfes them for their not continuing in all things written in the book of the law to do them?

-I intreat you, Sir, to confider this cafe; it is of vast importance to you.-If you have not good evidence of an intereft in Chrift, how can you pretend to the privileges purchased with his precious blood? How can you pretend to access to God through him, and a claim to the bleffed influences of his holy Spirit?-How can unbelievers have a claim to the favour of God by Chrift, when he himfelf affures us, that the wrath of God abideth on them?

But, "Will not God have compaffion on his creatures, when they do what they can to ferve "him "What answer would a prince make to a condemned rebel in his fhackles and dungeon, that

fhould

fhould make this plea for pardon? Would the criminal's doing what he can to ferve his prince (which, in his prefent ftate, is nothing at all to any good purpose) atone for his paft rebellion? Or would this qualify him for his prince's favour, while he yet retains the fame enmity in his heart against him, and will not fo much as fubmit to his fovereign good pleasure and mere mercy? The application is eafy; and it belongs to you, Sir, to confider seriously, whether a finner, who is dead in trefpaffes and fins, who is in a ftate of rebellion against God, and therefore under the condemning fentence of the law, can any more atone for his fins, or make a reasonable plea for grace and pardon, than the traitor aforefaid?-But were your reafoning ever fo juft, it would afford you no grounds of comfort; for there never was, nor ever thall be, any man, that can fairly make this plea in his own favour, and truly fay, he has done all he can in the mortifying his lufts, and in his endeavours to ferve God. There will, after all his attempts, remain enough neglected, even of the external part of his duty, that was most in his own power, to condemn both his perfon and his fervices.

You complain, that "the arguments in the book "I fent you do not give you fatisfaction.*"-Well, I have here added fome further evidence to what was there offered; and would now call upon you to confider, whether all these things put together do not make it evident, that you lie at mercy, and convince you of thofe Scripture-truths, that it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that fheweth mercy; and that God giveth his faving grace only because it hath fo feemed good in his fight-Confider, whether you can atone for paft fins by prefent duties, by duties which are fo I 2 polluted

• The true Scripture Doctrine, &c.

polluted by the principle from which they flow, and which have fo much carnality, felfifhnefs, hypocrify, and finful defects cleaving to them, that if the iniquity of your most holy things be imputed, it muft greatly increase the moral diftance between God and you. Confider, whether, while you are under the law, or covenant of works, you are capable not only to fulfil all its preceptive demands, and fo not further expofe yourself to its curfes, but alfo to do fomething towards making fatisfaction to God's justice for what you have already done amifs, and to merit his favour.Or confider, whether you have any claim to God's acceptance of your person upon Chrift's account, without an intereft in him, and whilft condemned already by his own mouth, and under the wrath of God for your unbelief.

Confider, whether you can have any promife of acceptance to plead, while you remain under the curfe, both of the law and gofpel.Confider, whether an omnifcient and holy God can be either deluded or gratified with mere external fhews of religion, when he knows you have an heart in you that is far from him.Confider, whether you can ever make the cafe better, by all your endeavours to change your own heart, and to create yourself anew in Chrift Jefus, any more than you can produce a new world.--Confider, whether you dare venture your eternity upon this iffue, that you fincerely do what you can to ferve God; and whether there be not fuch finful defects cleaving to your best performances, as may juftly condemn both you and them. Confider again, whether, if you thould do all you can in the fervice of God, you would do any thing that would either fully come up to the terms of the covenant of grace, or bear the least proportion to that falvation which the gospel requires. Confider once more, whether the glo