head and Saviour of his church. And under this capacity, as I believe that Christ is there for me, so I am there in him: "For where the head is, there must the members be also;" that is, I am as really there in him, my representative now, as I shall be in my proper person hereafter; and he is as really preparing my mansion for me there, as I am preparing myself for that mansion here. Nay, I believe, that he is not only preparing a mansion for me in heaven, but that himself is likewise preparing me for this mansion upon earth, continually sending down and issuing forth from himself fresh supplies and influences of his grace and Spirit; and all to qualify me for his service, and “make me meet to be partaker of his inheritance with the saints in light."

Which inheritance, I believe, he doth so much desire his Father to bestow upon me, as he claims it for me; himself having purchased it with the price of his own blood. And as he hath purchased the inheritance itself, so likewise the way unto it for me; and, therefore, sues out for the pardon of those sins, and subduing those corruptions which would make me unworthy of it; and for the conveyance of those graces to me, whereby I may walk directly to it; not only saying to his Father, concerning me, as Paul said to Philemon, concerning Onesimus, "If this thy servant oweth thee any thing, set it upon my account; I will repay it." But what is this thy servant oweth thee, see, it is set upon my score already, and I have paid it; what punishments he is indebted to thee, for all the offences he hath committed against thee, behold I have borne them

already; see how I have been "wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his iniquities; the chastisement of his peace was upon me; with my stripes therefore let him be healed." And thus, as he once shed his blood for me amongst men, he now pleads it for me before God; and that not only for the washing out the guilt of my transgressions, but likewise for the washing away the filth of my corruptions; himself having purchased the donation of the Spirit from the Father, he there claims the communication of it unto me.

And that he hath thus undertaken to plead my cause for me, I have it under his own hand and seal; himself by his Spirit assuring me, that if I sin, "I have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous." So that I believe, he is not so much my solicitor at the mercy-seat, as my advocate at the judgment-seat of God, there pleading my right and title to the crown of glory, and to every step of the way that I must go through the kingdom of grace unto it. In a word, I believe, that Christ, upon promise and engagement to pay such a price for it in time, did purchase this inheritance for me from eternity; whereupon I was even then immediately chosen and elected unto it, and had by this means a place in heaven before I had any being upon earth; and when the time appointed, by covenant, was come, I believe, Christ according to his promise, paid the purchase-money, even laid down his life for me; and then forthwith went up and took possession of this my kingdom, not for himself, but for me as my proxy and representative: so that whilst I am in my infancy, under age, I am

in possession, though I have not as yet the enjoyment of this my inheritance; but this is reserved for me till I come at age. And howsoever, though I do not enjoy the whole as yet, my Father allows me as much of it as he sees convenient, so much grace and so much comfort as he thinks best; which are as a pledge of what he has laid up for me in his kingdom which is above.

ARTICLE VIII.

I believe that my person is only justified by the merit of Christ imputed to me; and that my nature is only sanctified by the Spirit of Christ implanted in me.

AND thus I do not only believe Christ to be my Saviour, but I believe only Christ to be my Saviour. It was he alone that trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath filled with the sour and bitter grapes of my sins. It was he that carried on the great work of my salvation, being himself both the author and the finisher of it. I say it was he, and he alone; for what person or persons in the world could do it, besides himself! the angels could not if they would, the devils would not if they could; and as for my fellow-creatures, I may as well satisfy for their sins, as they for mine; and how little able even the best of us are to do either, that is to atone either for our own transgressions, or those of others, every man's experience will sufficiently inform him. For how should we, poor worms of the earth, ever hope, by our slime and mortar (if I may so speak) of

our own natural abilities, to raise up a tower, "whose top may reach to heaven?" Can we ex

pect by the strength of our own hands to take heaven by violence? or by the price of our own works to purchase eternal glory? It is a matter of admiration to me, how any one, that pretends to the use of his reason, can imagine, that he should be accepted before God for what comes from himself. For, how is it possible that I should be justified by good works, when I can do no good works at all before I be first justified? My works cannot be accepted as good, until my person be so; nor can my person be accepted by God, till first ingrafted into Christ: before which ingrafting into the true vine, it is impossible I should bring forth good fruit; for the "plowing of the wicked is sin," says Solomon, yea; "the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord." And, if both the civil and spiritual actions of the wicked be sin, which of all their actions shall have the honour to justify them before God? I know not how it is with others, but for my own part, I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in all my life time, with that reverence, or heard with that attention, or received the sacrament with that faith, or did any other work whatsoever, with that pure heart and single eye, as I ought to have done. Insomuch that I look upon all my "righteousness as filthy rags;" and it is in the robes only of the righteousness of the Son of God that I dare appear before the Majesty of heaven. Nay, suppose I could at length attain to that perfection, as to do good works, exactly conformable to the will of God, yet

must they have better eyes than I, that can see how my obedience in one kind, can satisfy for my disobedience in another; or how that which God commands from me, should merit any thing from him.

No, I believe there is no person can merit any thing from God, but he that can do more than is required of him; which it is impossible any creature should do. For, in that it is a creature, it continually depends upon God, and therefore is bound to do every thing it can, by any means possible to do for him; especially, considering, that the creature's dependence upon God is such, that it is beholden to him even for every action that issues from it; without whom, as it is impossible any thing should be, so likewise that any thing should act, especially, what is good. So that to say, a man of himself can merit any thing from God, is as much as to say, that he can merit by that which of himself he doth not do; or that one person can merit by that which another performs; which is a plain contradiction. For in that it merits, it is necessarily implied, that itself acts that by which it is said to merit, but in that it doth not depend upon itself, but on another in what it acts, it is as necessarily implied, that itself doth not do that by which it is said to merit.

Upon this account, I shall never be induced to believe that any creature, by any thing it doth, or can do, can merit, or deserve any thing at the hand of God, till it can be proved, that a creature can merit by that which God doth: or that God can be bound to bestow any thing upon us, for that which himself alone is pleased to work in us, and by us;