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it to the debtor is the fovereign work of the great creditor, who took the furety from prison and from judgment, when the total fum to precept and penalty was paid. And to us it shall be imputed, if we believe on him who raised up our Lord Jefus Chrift from the dead. By which fovereign act of divine clemency, displayed by imputation, the debtor is not only discharged; but, by virtue of this righteoufnefs on him, and the fpirit of promife given to him, the righteoufness of the law is fulfilled in him, while be walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

QUOT. She fhall not only be clear as the fun in her juftification, but the fhall alfo be fair as the moon in her fanctification.

ANSW. The church has been brought from under the moon-light difpenfation ever fince the Sun of Righteousness rose from the dead, and began to shine out of Zion, the perfection of beauty. The gofpel church is reprefented as having the moon under her feet, which is a very improper place for her fanctification; for furely her inward glory is not to be trampled upon.

QUOT. This faith unites the foul to the Lord Jefus Chrift; and, the moment the believer is made partaker of it, he becomes one fpirit with the Lord.

ANSW. In a former quotation faith was faid to work a vital union; but in this place is faid to be the uniting bond-and a very weak one at best, and

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will

will last no longer than death. The faints die in faith; but we hear nothing of this work of union, nor of this uniting bond, nor of any ties or feats of faith beyond the grave.

QUOT. This faith makes Chrift precious; it purifies his heart, and constrains him to hate fin, because of its deformity; because it is Chrift's enemy, and crucified him; and because Chrift abhors it, and a triune God abhors it. It confirains him to love holiness for its own beauty and excellence.

ANSW. For my part, I believe that, and that only, which constrains a man to hate fin, is the love of the Almighty to him; which, and only which, can produce a godly forrow for fin, and a hatred to it. When I was on the brink of black defpair under the law, I had a clear view and a strong faith in the holiness, juftice, and beauty, of God. The excellence of thefe, however, did not attract my love, but drove me to defperation and madness. I pitied myself, loved fin in my heart, and wished that there were no God at all. But, when pardoning love operated upon my grief and forrow, and produced repentance never to be repented of, then I loved the Lord with all my heart and foul; not because he was holy and beautiful, but because of his goodnefs, loving-kindnefs, tender mercy, pity, and compaffion, to fuch a curfed wretch as I was. The apostles loved God because he firft loved them; Mary loved much because fhe had much forgiven;

and

and the pfalmift loved the Lord because he had heard the voice of his weeping, and had forgiven the iniquity of his fin. If perfons were to publish a thousand volumes of fuch head notions as these, heart religion would ever contradict them all. It is not enough for authors to know the fcriptures, they must know the power of God alfo.

QUOT. Faith gives the foul victory over fin, Satan, and the world.

ANSW. If faith can do this, I fhould have no objection to fall down and worship it. But I believe that Chrift overcame the world, and bids me be of good cheer on that account; and the fame conqueror must give me power to tread on ferpents, fcorpions, and all the power of the enemy, or else they would foon be too much for me.

If ever I am made

more than a conqueror, it must be through him that hath loved me. My faith is fo far from giving me this victory, that I am obliged to employ faith in every time of trouble; to go with meffages, with petition after petition, till the Lord's ftrength, in anfwer to faith's prayer, be made perfect in my weaknefs. Instead of faith's giving this victory, the believer is obliged to lay hold of Chrift's ftrength, in order to keep his faith from finking. I know the apostle fays, that this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith; and that faith is a prevailing grace. But the object of faith, and the fyftem of faith, are chiefly intended in that paffage-the ob

ject

ject of faith, because he has already obtained the victory, and led captivity captive-the fyftem of faith, because eternal victory is promifed and given in that fyftem. They that overcome do it by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their teftimony. By the former it is obtained for us; in the latter it is promifed to us.

QUOT. In this way the Lord Jefus Chrift fanctifies his people, and actually faves them from the love and power

of fin.

ANSW. I am glad to hear that there are profeffors in the church who have preffed forward, and are got fo nigh to perfection; and I believe it is true with respect to the inner man. But, for my own part, I will openly confefs that, although I can find in myself a principle that opposes, refifts, and at times ftrongly and fenfibly detefts and hates all fin, and I lothe myself on the account even of the workings of it; yet I find that, with my fles, I not only love, but in many things ferve, the law of fin; which the contrary principle neither roots up, destroys, nor perfectly keeps under. I believe that fin fhall never be my ruin; and that the fovereign fway, or reigning power of fin, is deftroyed in my foul; and that the feed of God, or the new creature, produced by a fpiritual birth in me, will never love fin; yet the life and power that I feel in the perpetual strugglings of fin are fufficient to lay all my honour in the duft; and to fend me, with humble confeffion, confusion

of

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of face, and contrition of heart, to God, in fecret prayer, from year's end to year's end: and there are many fins in the world which, in an unguarded hour, and in an infenfible frame, are presented to my foolish heart as a fweet morfel.-And, perhaps, if all was known, the compilers of this book can describe no more experience of the protecting power of God, no more trophies of abftaining from fin, or victory over it, nor any more ocular demonftrations of an averfion to it, than William Huntington.

Quor. Holiness of heart and life is indispensably neceffary to enable the believer to maintain communion and fellowship with God.

ANSW. But the great question is, Where this holinefs of heart and life is to be had, in order to maintain this fellowship? For my part, I find no other way of obtaining holinefs, either in heart or life, but by enjoying union and communion with Chrift. So that holinefs is the effect of union, according to my feelings; and which I find no other way of keeping up, than by fervent prayer in private, humble confeffion, reading, meditating, and diligence in the use of means. Pointing to holiness in heart and life, in order to maintain communion and fellowship, is always the method of those who deal in the letter; but thofe who are acquainted with Jefus by the Spirit, and who know the Spirit's work, have not fo learned Chrift-they tell the believer to hold faft the head, and that he can do no

thing

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