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with the Almighty, and say of his endless perfections, They are my right? Bold sinner, stand off, and tremble at thy presumptuous arrogance!"

Faith subscribes the charge, and triumphs in God's free grace.

O my God, I lay my hand upon my mouth; I confess the charge of mine unworthiness. My guilt and shame are such as I cannot cover; but thou canst and dost. Thou hast cast a mantle upon my nakedness; and hast promised, my transgressions shall not be mentioned, and that thou wilt multiply pardons. And shall I take up what thou hast buried, and affright myself with the ghosts that infidelity hath raised? Is it presumption to take the pardon that thou dost offer, or to receive and claim thee as mine, when it is but what thou hast promised? I durst not have pretended a title, but upon thy grant. I should have thought it diabolical pride, to have pleaded an interest in thee, and claimed kindred to thee, but that thou hast showed me the way.

And thou, my soul, art thou ignorant of God's great design? Knowest thou not, that it is his purpose to glorify free grace? And how should grace appear to be grace indeed, were there any worthiness in the subject? Thine unworthiness is but a foil, to set off the beauty and riches of free grace and mercy.

SECTION V.

It questions the believer's title 4, to God's grace and interest in the promise.

But I cannot shake off this brayer.* Alas! what a cavilling sophister is unbelief; and will never be answered! Now it is ready to tell me "What! if the promise should be a sure foundation? yet thou mayest not build upon another man's ground. What! though the grace and mercies of God are infinite? yet dogs may not catch at the children's bread; thou hast no right nor title to the promise, therefore cease thy pretended claim."

The triumph of faith, in the clearness of the be

liever's evidences.

But, O my soul, wherefore shouldest thou doubt? Whose image and superscription is this? Dost thou not bear upon thee the marks of the Lord Jesus? I have given up my name to him, and taken hold of his covenant;a and therefore may claim an interest.

I have accepted the matter, and closed with the Mediator, and subscribed to the conditions

a lsa. lvi. 4.

This enemy that brays, or makes a noise like an Ass. It also signifies one who strikes.

of the covenant; and therefore cannot question but it is mine.

The Lord hath offered to be my God, and I have taken hold of his offer; I have taken him as God, and given him the supremacy. O my soul, look round about thee, in heaven and earth; is there any thou dost esteem or value in comparison of God? Is there any thou dost love like him; or take that content or felicity in, that thou dost in him? Are not thy chief desires and designs to glorify and enjoy him? Thou canst not deny but it is truly thus. I am sure, nothing but God will content me. I am never so well in all the world, as in his company. My soul seeketh him above all, and rests in him alone, as my satisfactory portion. He offereth to take me as one of his people; and I have resigned myself accordingly to him, as his; have put both my inward and outward man under his government, and have given up all to his disposal, and am resolved to be content with him, as my all-sufficient happiness.b

and

Besides, I have taken him in his own way through Christ, whom he hath tendered to me as my head and husband; and I have accordingly, solemnly and deliberately, taken him. O my soul, dost thou not know thy often de

a Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26. b Phil. iii. 8. Phil. i. 26. Psalm lxxxvi. 8. lxxxiv. 1, 2, 3. Psalm xxvii. 4. cxix. 57, Psalm cxxiv. 8. 2 Cor. v. Acts xxiv. 16. with Rom. vi. 19. Luke xiv. 33. Psalm xvi. 5, 6. John i. 12.

bates? Hast thou not put Christ, and all the world, into the balance? Hast thou not cast up the cost, and reckoned upon the cross; and willingly put thy neck under Christ's yoke, and ventured thy salvation upon Christ alone; and trusted him with all thy happiness, and all thy hopes? Hast thou not, over and over, resolved to take him with what comes; and that he shall be enough, though in the loss of all things? Thou canst not but know, that these have been the transactions between Christ and thee; and therefore He is thine, and all the promises YEA AND AMEN, to thee, through him.

And for the terms of the covenant, I love and like them; my soul embraceth them: neither do I desire to be saved in any other way, than by repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, and sincere obedience to his gospel.g

I am willing to go out of my flesh, and do look unto Jesus for righteousness and strength, and trust my salvation wholly on this bottom. I am content to deal upon trust, and venture all in hopes of what is to come; and to tarry till the next world for my preferment; I am willing to wait till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have laid up my happiness on the other side the grave.b

a Luke xiv. 26. to the end. b Matt. xi. 29. c Phil. iii. 9. d 2 Tim. i. 12. e Phil. 3, 8. f Acts. xx. 21. g Rom. ii. 7. h Phil. iii. 3 to 10. 2 Cor. v. 7. 2 Cor. iv, 18. 1 Thess. 1, 9, 10. Tit. ii. 13. Heb. x. 34, and xi. 35.

SECTION VI.

Faith makes its claim to all the benefits of the cove nant, and stirs up the soul to joy and thankful ness, in the following.

And thou, my soul, believe and wait; look through the window, and cry through the lattice, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The vision is for an appointed time, wait for it. It will come in the end, and will not tarry. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth; be thou also patient. He hath long patience, and wilt not thou have a little patience? He for the fruits of the earth, but thou for the joys of heaven: he upon mere probabilities, but thou upon infallible certainties: He for a crop of corn, but thou for a crown of glory. Were he but sure that every corn would bear a crown, how plentifully would he sow, how joyfully would he wait! Why, such is thy harvest: As sure as the summer's delights do follow the winter's severities; as sure as the wished-for harvest doth follow the toilsome and costly seedstime, so sure shall thy Lord return, and bring thy reward with him. Therefore, my soul, love and long for the approaching jubilee; and wait all the days of my appointed time, until my change shall come.

a Hab. ii. 3. b James v. 7. c Rev. xxii. 12.

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