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readily appear, that it is the testimony of God concerning his Son, and that reaches very wide. The capital fact attefted is, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But there are a multitude of facts connected with it, and which will be found to take in the whole facred record from the beginning to the end of it; which all contribute to illuftrate and establish the certainty of it, the place and station he holds, and the end and defign of his coming into the world to fave finners of mankind; that he has put away fin by the facrifice of himself, and has all the fullness. of life lodged in his hand; that whofoever has the Son hath life; and makes it as cer- . tain, on the other hand, that he who hath not the Son hath not life. From this neceffary and infeparable connection between Jefus Chrift and eternal life, arifes an axiom of very great moment in the practice of Chriftianity, viz. that eternal life is as certainly given, and precifely in the fame manner, as Jefus Chrift is. And hence it neceffarily follows, that as all who hear the gofpel without any diftinction whatever, are not only allowed and warranted, but called and commanded in the most peremptory

peremptory manner, to believe in him with the strongest affurances, that they fhall not perish, but have everlasting life; what fhall we say? what ground of doubting have we left, whether the gift of pardon and life in him is to be believed with the fame affurance, and particular application to ourselves, while yet we neither have, nor can have, any of these qualifications which fome people call the conditions or terms of the promife, or the terms of grace, which, by the way, is a direct contradiction in terms; for if it is of works, eafy or difficult alters not the nature of the thing; if it be of works of any kind, it is no more of grace.

I should not have mentioned these things here, as they lie fo fair in the testimony of God that no unprejudiced reader can poffibly miss of them; but that it is in this view, and in this view only, that faith either works love, or works by it. No truth is more frequently inculcated the divine record, than that as men, all mankind are naturally alienated from God, through the ignorance that is in them: fo that they are enemies in their very minds, through wicked works; nay, as

if enemies was too foft a word, the Apostle fays, the carnal mind is enmity itself; and it is foftered and maintained by an evil confcience, the native effect of fin. This paints the God, who really is love, in the dreadful light of an avenging enemy, from whom the finner has nothing to expect but everlasting deftruction. One may be prevailed on to forgive an enemy, and even to love him for God's fake; but when God himself appears an enemy, what motive or ground can be found for engaging the love of a creature, who cannot love any thing but what he is quite pleased with? It is true, as God is perfectly good, he ought to be loved for himself, abstracting from every other confideration; but then he must be seen as he is in himself, and in his true character; and which cannot be feen any how, but where his true character is to be feen, and that is in thefe manifeftations only which he has made of himfelf in Jefus Christ.

It would, I dare fay, be fuperfluous labour to fhow how it is the peculiar province of faith, to perceive the glory of VOL. III.

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God as he has made it fhine forth in the face of Jefus Christ. The man that believes the teftimony of God, that he has fent his own beloved Son to be the Saviour of the world, will certainly find it very hard to believe, at the fame time, that he is the world's enemy. He that believes that he has given up this his beloved Son a facrifice for putting away fin, and a ranfom for the lives and fouls of finners, must find his confcience purged from dead works; fo that instead of filling his foul with the terrors of the Almighty, it speaks the peace of God which paffeth all underftanding. But when faith perceives the grant of eternal life made to this fame beloved Son of God, in behalf of perishing finners, the terms of the grant fully performed by him, and all the fullness of life lodged in his hand, with the exprefs order to give it to all without exception who will come and receive it at his hand, be they who they will, or what they will, how can fuch a believer miss knowing and believing the love of God to him, and refenting it with the warmeft acknowledgements of gratitude

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and love? Thus the law of love is planted in the believer's heart; and as love is the fulfilling of the whole law, and all the commandments of God injoin no more than the native and genuine actings of love, there is no more commanded than what true genuine love would have done, whether it had been commanded or not. Thus the great promife of that new teftament, of which Chrift is the mediator, is fulfilled in the believer; the law of God is written in his heart, and as the Apostle John fays of every one that be-. lieves, he hath truly and properly the witness or testimony in himself.

CHAP. V. 7.

7. Te did run well,
not obey the truth?
him that calleth you.
eth the whole lump.

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who did hinder you, that ye fhould 8. This perfuafion cometh not of 9. A little leaven leaven10. I have confidence in you, through the Lord, that you will be, none otherwife minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgement, whosoever he be. II. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcifion, why do I yet fuffer perfecution? then is the offence of the cross ceafed. 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13. For, brethren, ye have been called into liberty; only ufe nst liberty for an occafion to the flesh, but by love Serve

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