certainly make the same progress in holiness as he does in well-grounded comfort and joy. The objection therefore can no ways effect those with whom this is an experienced truth; who always find that their hope and joy quicken them in their spiritual course, invigorate their duties, and enlarge their desires and endeavours after a conformity to the whole will of God.

I must now leave this matter to your own reflections; you yourself must judge of the validity of your exceptions. Compare the picture you have drawn of some empty, enthusiastical pretenders to religious experiences, with the description I have given you of those, who have indeed experienced the divine life; and consider whether there be any real similitude, in any marks and lineaments of their countenances. In those are found pride and petulance: but in these, humility and self-abasement. In those, censoriousness and uncharitableness are the distinguishing characters in these, a charitable preferring others to themselves. There you see schism, contention and faction: here, kindness, peace and brotherly love. There imaginary impulse, but here the word of God alone, is considered as the rule of life. There, joy and comfort are considered as the evidence of a good state: here, they are considered as the fruit of good evidence of faith in Christ, and of a renewed nature. There, religion is supposed to consist in rapture and ecstasy: here, in spiritual affections and in a heavenly conversation. There, we find men building their hope and comfort upon their imaginary attainments: but here, we find them making Christ Jesus their only refuge and hope. And to sum up all in a word, there are high pretences to religious experience without the fruits of holiness: but here, the happy effects of this change appear in the heart and life; and justify the profession to be true, and the experiences to be indeed what they are pretended to be.

Upon the whole, there is nothing more certain, than that the Scriptures represent what I have set before you, as the real characters of the children of

God. It is equally certain, that as an actual experience of the renewing change is, from the nature of things, absolutely necessary to salvation, so a sense of this change wrought in us is requisite to true peace and comfort, and there can be nothing but a want of due attention to this experience, or ignorance of the quality of that change they have sensibly experienced, which keeps believers in darkness and doubts about their state. The subjects of this work can therefore have no greater evidence that it is from God, than sensibly to feel that it every way answers the original description. What greater evidence can they have of the truth of the gospel, than a sensible experience of the reality of its doctrines, and the truth of its promises, by this wonderful work of grace in their own hearts, which so visibly carries the divine signature both in its operation and effects; and is so manifestly distinguished from all false appearances and pretences? For my own part, I cannot but look upon the irregular heats, you speak of, as affording some convincing evidence in favour of the cause I am pleading. These things are foretold in the Scriptures. By these things Satan is endeavouring to support his own kingdom, as we may reasonably expect he would do. He knows, that he is most likely to play the surest game, when he transforms himself into an angel of light. And these false appearances serve for a foil, to discover the greater lustre in a true and real work of divine grace.

The only objection against all this, which I can foresee, is, that the persons I am characterizing, exist no where, save in my descriptions of them. But I need add no more to what I have said upon this already, than my attestation, that I have the comfort of an inward and intimate acquaintance with considerable numbers of such as those whom I have described. And if you, Sir, would seek out such for your chosen companions, your objections would die of themselves; and the argument I have insisted upon, would appear in its proper light and strength.

I know not what more can be needful to be added

upon this subject, but my hearty prayers, that the Spirit of Truth would lead us both into all truth; and that we may know by sensible experience what is the hope of Christ's calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; which has been justly, though but weakly and very imperfectly represented in these letters from,

Sir, Yours, &c.

LETTER VII.

THE DOCTRINE OF GOD'S SOVEREIGN GRACE VINDICATED;

AND

SOME EXCEPTIONS AGAINST IT CONSIDERED AND ANSWERED.

SIR-You cannot imagine how much comfort you have ministered to me by your last. I greatly rejoice to hear, that "the more strictly you examine the cause, the greater evidence you find of the undoubted truth and certanity of the Christian religion:" But that "you are filled with confusion, to think how long you have lived at a distance from that blessed Saviour, who has wrought out such a glorious redemption for us. 99 And I am not at all 'surprised to hear you complain, that "you cannot entertain clear apprehensions of my discourse of experimental religion:" That though your last objections are silenced, there are others which fill your mind with greater difficulty, and are of much greater importance if I have given you a just view of the case." And "that

you cannot tell how you can ever be brought to a feeling sense of the doctrines of sovereign grace, which I so much insist on, while they appear to you so inconsistent with truth, and so unreasonable." I am not, I say, surprised at this; for we are naturally. prejudiced against these doctrines; and are not easily brought to receive them, by reason of the strong bias there is upon our minds to the contrary principles. I

shall then endeavour to consider your several objections; and how strong and plausible soever they may appear, I do not despair of giving you satisfaction.

You object, that "if we are of ourselves capable of no qualifying conditions of the divine favour, or (to use my own words) if we must feel that we depend on mere mercy, and that all our own refuges, and all our endeavours in our own strength to relieve our distressed souls, are fruitless and vain, you cannot tell to what purpose any of our endeavours are; or what good it will do us to use any means at all for our salvation.

In order to a clear solution of this difficulty, it seems needful to convince you, that this lost, impotent, deplorable state is the case in fact, of every unrenewed sinner, whatever objections we may frame in our minds against it: and therefore it is necessary, that he should sensibly perceive the case to be as it truly is. And then, it will be proper to show you, that the consequence you draw from this doctrine is unjust; and even directly contrary to the improvement you ought to make of it.

I begin with the first of these; and shall endeavour to convince you, that man is indeed in such a lost and helpless state, that he depends on mere mercy; and cannot bring himself into a claim to the divine favour, by any power or ability of his own. I shall not run into the scholastic controversies and subtle distinctions, with which this doctrine has been clouded by many of our wrangling disputers: but shall endeavour to set it in the most plain, easy, and practical light, that I am able.

I think, you must readily grant, that you cannot make an atonement for your sins, by any performances within your power. You are, Sir, to consider yourself as a sinner, as a criminal and delinquent in the sight of God. Your nature is corrupt and defiled. Your actual transgressions of the law of God have been very numerous; and perhaps some of them attended with special aggravations. All your sins

are directly repugnant to the perfections of the Divine nature; and consequently offensive to a pure and holy God. And what greatly increases the difficulty and danger of your case, is, that you are still continuing to act contrary to God in all you do, while your nature is unrenewed; and while you are without a principle of love to God. I am sure you will pardon this freedom; for it is necessary you should know the disease, in order to the cure. Judge then yourself, whether it can be supposed, that an omniscient heart-searching God can be pleased with any, even the most devout of your overt actions, when he knows that your heart is estranged from him, and your nature has no conformity to him; but your affections are glued to your several idols. How then can you be reconciled to God, by virtue of your own performances and attainments? Can you pay ten thousand talents with less than nothing? Can you please God by offending him, as you do by the obliquity of all your duties, the defects of your best devotions, and the sinful affections from whence they all flow? Or can you have those unworthy thoughts of an infinite, unchangeable God, as to hope you can make such impressions upon his affections, by acknowledging your offences, and imploring his mercy, as to excite his compassion and sympathy; and to make your impure and unholy nature agreeable to his infinite purity and holiness? Can your insincere and hypocritical duties (for such they are all at best, while they proceed from an unsanctified heart,) bring the glorious God to take complacency in what is directly contrary to his own nature? You cannot but see, that these proposals are most unreasonable and absurd. One of these things must certainly be true; either, first, that you have naturally, whilst in an unrenewed state, a principle of holiness, and love to God: or, secondly, that works flowing from an impure fountain, and from a principle of opposition and alienation to God, are yet pleasing to God, will serve to appease him, and will entitle you to his favour: or, thirdly, that you cannot, by any thing