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tion, adore the infinite riches of that grace and love, which has opened a fountain for fin and uncleanness.

And, to fum the whole in a word, you must remember, that it is the effence of a true repentance, to turn to God; and therefore, if you would evidence the fincerity of your repentance, you must give up yourself to God. You muft chufe him for your God and portion. You must watch at his gates, and wait at the pofts of his doors. You must make a business of religion; and, in a life of moft active and earneft diligence, expect acceptance through the merits of Christ, and continued fupplies of grace and ftrength from his fulness, to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

That the Lord would carry on his own work in your foul, and lead you from grace to grace, and from ftrength to ftrength, till you arrive where your faith will be turned into vision, and your repentance into eternal praises, is the prayer of,

SIR,

Your, &c.

LETTER X. Wherein is proved, that the Seventh Chapter to the Romans contains the Description and Character of a converted State.

I

SIR,

Cannot but take comfort from your melancholy complaint of the corruptions you are struggling with, and your fenfe of the vilenefs and finfulnefs. of your heart, which makes you groan, being burdened; because you therein breathe the language of a broken and a contrite fpirit, and give me hopes

that

that you are offering to God the facrifice, which he will not defpife."You took comfort, you tell "me, from the seventh chapter to the Romans, find"ing there the like complaints with yours, in fo "eminent and exalted a Christian as the Apoftle "Paul himself; but that prop is knocked from un "der you, by converfation with fome perfons of a "fuperior reputation for religion, who affure you, "that St Paul is there giving the character of an "unconverted perfon, under a conflict between his "corruptions and the alarms of an awakened con"fcience; and that all those places of Scripture are "to be interpreted in the fame manner, which re"present the like conflict in the foul.". -Upon which you defire my sentiments.

What ftrange efforts are of late made against evangelical, vital, and experimental piety! How inconfiftent are the methods used by those who are fo earnestly labouring in this undertaking? Is it not enough to put mankind into a dangerous fecurity, by flattering them with a prospect of fafety, without any experience of a work of grace in their hearts, but they must also torment and difquiet the minds of those who have been favoured with those bleffed experiences, by perfuading them, that remaining difallowed corruptions and imperfections are inconfiftent with a ftate of grace, and with the favour of God!-What do thefe men mean? Have they no feeling perception, no affecting fense of the imperfections of their hearts and lives? Or do they make it their practice, and esteem it their duty, to give their corruptions a quiet refidence in their hearts, and to maintain no conflict or struggle with them?

But it is my business to answer your demand, and to endeavour to convince you, that the Apostle, in the feventh chapter to the Romans, is defcribing

the

the conflict, which every true Chriftian experiences while he walks with God, and lives near to him.

In order to a fair and clear decifion, it will be proper to take some (very brief) notice of the general fcope and defign of this epiftle, in the first feven chapters.-This feems to be fummarily propofed in the first chapter, ver. 17. Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The juft shall live by faith. That is, we are justified before God, only by the righteoufnefs of Chrift received by faith. We continue in a juftified ftate, by the renewed exercise of faith; and the whole life of a juftified perfon is a life of faith in the Son of God, as well as his whole hope of eternal life is through faith in Chrift.-This doc trine is proved, by a representation of the atrocious impiety and wickedness of the whole Gentile world; that even they who make the highest pretences to innocence, and who judge and cenfure others for fuch horrid impieties, as are commonly practifed among them, are all inexcufable and felf-condemned, on account of the wickedness perpetrated and indulged by themselves; being all of them fuch violators of the law and light of nature, as will leave them without excufe in the day when God fhall judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift. This is plainly the Apoftle's argument, from the 18th verse of the first chapter to the 17th verse of the second chapter. Whence it follows, that the Gentile world cannot poffibly have any claim to juftification by their own perfonal obedience; nor any other way, but by the righteousness of Christ received by faith.

The Apoftle next proceeds to fhew, that the: Few has no better plea to make for his acceptance with God, on account of his own personal righte oufnefs, than the Gentile, though he refts in the law, and makes his boaft of God, knows his will, and approves

approves the things that are most excellent. For he alfo, in his higheft natural attainments, breaks the law, dishonours GOD, and at the best performs but an external obedience, and reaches not to the fpirituality which the law requires.-The few has indeed much every way the advantage, in point of external privilege; but in point of juftifying righte oufnefs he cannot be faid to be better than the Gentiles; no, in no wife!-This is the argument from the 17th verfe of the fecond, to the 9th verse of the third chapter: In which verfe and those following, the Apostle fums up the argument, in these remarkable words, which fully justify my interpretation of his scope and defign: For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one, &c.-That every mouth may he stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.-From thefe premifes, he draws this conclufion in the 20th verfe of the third chapter, &c. Therefore by the deeds of the law fhall no flesh living be justified in his fight. For by the law is the knowledge of fin.

But

now the righteoufness of God, without the law, is manifefted, being witnessed by the law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jefus Chrift unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus.-Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law.-Which was the point to be proved.

But here may arise a question: What law is it that the Apostle excludes from having any hand in our juftification? To which it is answered: All the law, that was obligatory both upon Jews and Gentiles; for they were both obnoxious to wrath, by their violation of the refpective laws they were

under;

under; had all finned, and come short of the glory of God. And God deals with them all alike. He will justify them all by their faith in Jefus Chrift, and no otherwife; and thereby fhew, that he is not the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also.

Having thus concluded his first argument, and proved from the guilt and impotence both of Jew and Gentile, that no man can be justified by the law of nature, by the law which was given to the Jews, nor any other way but by the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jefus Chrift :-The Apoftle proceeds to prove the fame thing from ABRAHAM'S faith being imputed to him for righteousness; and from DAVID's defcribing the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteoufnefs without works, throughout the fourth chapter.

He then begins the fifth chapter, by defcribing the glorious privileges of thofe who are thus juftified by faith, and ends it by the wing in what manner we partake of the righteousness of Chrift for our juftification: That it is in the fame manner, as we are partakers of the fin and guilt of Adam, to our condemnation.-As Adam's fin was imputed to all whom he represented, unto their condemnation, so the righteousness of Chrift is imputed to all whom he represented, and who believe in him, unto justification of life. As by one man's disobedience many were made finners, fo by the obedience of one, many fhall be made righteous.

After a folemn caution unto all, not to turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, and not to continue in fin, that grace may abound; and after enforcing this caution from the obligation we are under by our baptifm to die unto fin, and walk in newness of life, as Chrift died for us, and rofe again from the dead, (as in the first part of the fixth chapter), the Apostle goes on to fhew (in the latter part of that chapter)

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