Zephaniah says, He rests in his love, Zeph. iii. 17. therefore it follows, that faithfulness must become faithless, truth untrue, justice unjust, kindness unkind, and every perfection of his nature lost, ere his love can know the least removation from the object once loved; this truth is as firm as the lips of Deity can declare it, and the language of heaven confirms it, Mal. iii. 6. I am the Lord, I change not, therefore the sons of JACOB are not consumed. But I venture to add once more, and so close my description of the nature and properties of the love of GOD; in the last place, it is a love of a superlative delight, and the highest complacency in the object loved: JEHOVAH's love to his church, is the same for delights and complacency as it is to CHRIST, considered as Mediator. That CHRIST was the object of his Father's delight, considered as the head of the Church, appears with beams of truth as bright as the sun; I was, says CHRIST, by him as one brought up with him; I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, Prov. viii. 30. and his Father, by the prophet, styles CHRIST his elect, in whom his soul delighted. And it is evident by scripture, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, which makes it evident to the mind, that he loves his people with the same love of delight, as he does the LORD JESUS, considered as the head of the church; here is an argument that has all the energy of Deity in it, that has all the force of divine authority, for it is the voice of him that spake as never man spake; it is CHRIST, speaking to his Father concerning his love to his people, John xvii. 23. And hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Upon which account the church is called Hephzibah, the LORD delighteth in thee; therefore the prophet says, as à bridegroom rejoiceth over his bride, so shall thy God rejoice in thee; see with what life and divine pathos, the prophet Zephaniah speaks to this purpose, Zeph. iii. 17. He will rest in his love, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will joy over thee with singing; which proves the superlative delight of the mind in the object beloved, as it denotes to leap or exult with joy; for if JEHOVAH did not love his people with a love of delight, and complacency, he would never have saved them from the wrath that is to come. The Apostle grounds the salvation of God's people, upon his love of delight unto them before they were called out of darkness into his marvellous light. See Eph. ii. 4, 5. For the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us. Hence it is that the LORD bears with our provocations, heals our backslidings, supplies our wants,

guides us by his counsels, and at last receives us to glory; because he delighted in us. Indeed his love of complacency may be proved from the titles and appellations he gives his people in his word, as he calls them his jewels, his portion, his inheritance, his bride, his spouse, his treasure, his royal diadem, his throne, and his crown of glory, Isa. lxii. 3. Thus, my dear Friendly, I have, in the first place, laid before you in a succinct manner the original and grand fountain of all true happiness, viz. the love of GoD. And, secondly, expatiated upon the glories and properties of this love, as it is revealed in the word of GOD, as a free and sovereign love, as an early and ancient love, as a rich and valuable love, as a distinguishing and discriminating love, as an inconceivable and incomprehensible love, as an unutterable and inexpressible love, as a strong and inviolable love, as a permanent and durable love, and as an eternal and unchangeable love. Lastly, as a love of delight, and the highest complacency. But now what ideas does my Friendly form of it?

Friendly. My dear Truth, my soul is completely satisfied with your description of true happiness; I am entertained with it, and delighted beyond expression, beyond conception, with the glories and properties of that love, that is the fountain, source, supply, and consummation of it; my heart burns with intense desire after the possession and enjoyment of it, as your arguments from the sacred word, have spread a death upon that happiness I promised myself from the fields of nature's pleasure, the volumes of earthly knowledge, and the gratifications of a carnal mind. Therefore, my dear Truth, forgive the eagerness of my second enquiry, how shall I enjoy an interest in this love, that is the sea and supply of all happiness?

Truth. It is a peculiar pleasure to me, to find that your soul breathes so earnest after the possession of that happiness, that is adequate to all your wishes, and commensurate to every spiritual desire, as ages can never waste it, eternity can never exhaust it, therefore the life and happiness of an immortal soul is bound up in it; but it is quite necessary that you are, in the first place, well acquainted with your state by nature, which will serve much to enhance the worth and grandeur of that happiness you long for, be your comfort and joy here, and your glory and felicity hereafter.

Friendly. I am all ear, all attention, to every instruction that may serve as a porch and introduction to that felicity I long to enjoy.

Truth. I will be as brief and as succinct upon this head as

possible; by the way you will give me leave to remind you that the scriptures are the volumes of firm, eternal, and unshaken truth, as the author is the God of truth, as the scribes of it were the men of truth, called holy men of old, the HOLY GHOST, amanuenses and pen-men to the secretaries of Heaven, as they wrote as they were moved by the HOLY GHOST, therefore the subjects contained in scripture, must be the matter of truth, and consequently your state by nature, as therein described, must be an unshaken truth.

Friendly. Begin, then and let me know what state the scripture describes mankind to be in by nature.

Truth. Your earnest desires, Friendly, spread life and vivacity through all my intentions; to begin in the first place, your state by nature is described as afar from GOD, Eph. ii. 13. Ye that were sometimes afar off, which points out that distance that sin has made between GoD and the soul,

you are by nature afar from GOD, as to your knowledge of him; and consequently as to your communion with and enjoyment of him, sin has made an infinite breach between GOD and your soul, a breach as wide as Heaven and Hell. But, secondly, your breach is not only described as afar from GOD, but at enmity to GOD, Col. i. 21. And you that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your minds by wicked works; your affections are totally by sin estranged from GOD, alienated from him, averse to his ways, rebellious to his laws, the repeated acts of your mind by nature, is a complication of enmity to GoD, if the authority of an inspired writer conveys any energy to your mind, Rom. viii. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against GOD; for it is not subject to the law of GOD, neither indeed can be. Likewise your state by nature is described as dead, without any spiritual life at all; see Eph. ii. 1. Who were dead in trespasses and sins ; you will observe, a man that lies dead in his grave can never move in things natural, till life be given him, because he is dead, so your soul can never move in things spiritual, such as faith in CHRIST, and love to him, till spiritual life be given you from above; therefore regeneration is called a passing from death unto life; if a man is raised from the grave it must be by omnipotent power; so if your soul is raised from the death of sin, from the grave of iniquity, it must be, says the Apostle, by the exceeding greatness of his power, which is unto us who believe; again, if you call ever so loud to persons in the grave, your voice makes no impression on them, because they are dead; so in like manner the voice of Providence, the voice of the law, and the voice of the gospel

makes no impression upon the sinner's mind, though God has commanded his ministers to cry aloud and to spare not; the reason is, because by nature they are dead in trespasses and sins, therefore by the prophet Isaiah, they are described as having ears, but hearing not; once more, a natural death brings on the destruction of the body, and its consummation by worms; so a spiritual death, the death of the soul in trespasses and sins, brings on its eternal destruction (if grace prevents not) by that worm that dieth not, and the consummation by that fire that is not quenched.

But I proceed in the fourth place, to let you know, that your state by nature is described as without hope, see Eph. ii. 12. Having no hope, and without GOD in the world; which denotes our having no true hope in a state of nature, having no knowledge of the true foundation of hope, which is the death and infinite atonement of CHRIST; no acquaintance with the object of hope, which is CHRIST considered as God-man, the mighty SAVIOUR; no correspondence with the expectation of hope, which is strength to support, grace to supply, and glory to enjoy; if without this hope, we are then consequently without GOD in the world.

In the next place, your state by nature is described as without strength, see Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet without strength, &c. which points out your imbecility and weakness in things spiritual; a man that is in a miserable state, and without strength in that state, if ever he is recovered therefrom, it must be by a superior power than that of his own: In like manner, your state being miserable, as being a child of wrath by nature, and being without strength in this state, if ever you are recovered therefrom, it must be by an omnipotent power; if ever you are saved, it must be by God's almighty arm that brings salvation.

But I would just observe to you, in the sixth place, that the state of mankind by nature is described as ungodly, see Rom. v. 6. In due time CHRIST died for the ungodly; which denotes the vitiosity and vileness of our hearts by nature, and indeed how can it be otherwise than vile, seeing we are conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity, Ps. li. 5. from hence it is observed, by him that searches the hearts, and trieth the reins of the children of men, that every imagination of the thoughts of the heart are evil, and that continually; the heart by nature is a sink of sin, a lake of impurity, a fountain of uncleanness, and our inclinations are bent after, and as prone to evil as the sparks are to fly upwards. I would therefore add, that our state by nature is described as a state of captivity, being led

captive by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, see Eph. ii. 2. Therefore we are by the prophet described as brands in the fire, as a prey in the teeth of the devourer; Satan guides our feet in sinful ways, allures our hearts, and draws our affections to sinful enjoyments; we are easily captivated by his charms; he strikes the fire of lust, and our hearts being made of the tinder of Hell, we soon catch the flame; on which account he is styled, the strong man armed; but the bonds of our misery are made strong by our love to this state of captivity; we are naturally (though not designedly) as fond of going to Hell, as he is of having us; we are pleased with his slavery, hug Satan's chains, and love darkness, says the Evangelist, rather than light, because our deeds are evil.

To proceed, in the seventh place, that our state, by nature is described as lost, see Matt. xviii. 11. The Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Mankind, by nature, hast lost their title to Heaven and happiness, that was bottomed upon his obedience to the covenant of works, by his disobedience thereunto; they have, by sin, lost their meekness and disposition for Heaven; Heaven would be no place of happiness to a graceless sinner, for want of a spiritual meetness and disposition to the enjoyment of glory. Sin has not so much as left the favour of Heaven in the mind, it has erased the image of God from the soul, and robbed it of all the divine treasures of its creation, plunged it in an abyss of woe, and therefore lost as to its way of recovery; and man can never deliver himself from the power of Satan, from the dominion of sin, from the curses of the law, from the wrath of GOD, therefore man by nature is lost, as to any way of recovery he can devise: I might justly add, that man is, by nature, irretrievably lost in his way to hell, (if grace prevent not) if the Apostle speaks truth, Rom. iii. 16. Destruction and misery are in their way. My dear Friendly, I close my description of your state by nature, with the obser vation of him that declared, that he needed not that any testify of man, for he knew what was in man; therefore from his infinite knowledge, from his all-piercing eye, from his penetrating view, he says of man, Rev. iii. 17. Thou art wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Thus man appears, in the first place, to be wretched, despicable, sorrowful, forlorn, and sad; and well he may, having, by sin, lost all the beauties of his created state and condition, that purity and perfection it was first formed in, that glory and majestic beams it shone in, as created in the image of Gon, as being LORD of all, but having lost all by sin, it consequently fol