So likewife he, the Spirit, teproves convincingly of (x) Error in Judgment, in calling Evi Good, &c. that is, calling the evil Doctrines o Man's Free Will and Power in himself, to fave himself, good Doctrine.

OR the evil Doctrine of our own Obedience the way to Eternal Life good Doctrine, is to cal Evil, Good.

AGAIN, To call any conditional Doctrine Good is to call Evil Good; nay, to make any Terms, or Conditions, or Offers of Grace as the Cond tions of the Covenant of Grace, is to make vi the (y) Covenant of Grace, which is order in all Things and fure, as David believed, ar the whole Tencur of which is, I will, and you fhall, as may be feen in thefe Texts, with many more, Gen. 3. 15. 12. 2, 3, 17. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

30. 22. 31. 4. 14. 20, 31, 32, 33, 34. 32. 37,35 *39, 40, 41. Ezek. 36. 25, 26, 27, 28. and as Pas faith, If by (2) Grace, then it is no more y Works, other wife Grace is no more Grace; b if it be of Works then it is no more Grace, &

So that Salvation and Eternal Life is by Gran alone; fo then to call, or count any Thing as the Way of Life and Salvation (or Means to ob tain it) but Jefus Chrift and Grace, is to call E vil Good; yet this is what moft do, yea, all b Nature do it.

On the other Hand, to call any of the Doc trines of Free, Sovereign, Diftinguishing Grace

(*) Ifai. 5. 20, 21. (y) 2 Sam,23. 5. (2) Rom. 11.6 Ephef. 2.5, 8.

hach

harth cruel, damnable Doctrine, is to call Good evil, and wo to them that do so, or that abuse them, to do (a)Evil, that Good may come on it, whofe Damnation is Juft, Ca BUT the poor Soul that is under the convining Work of GOD the Spirit, in its Judgment fees its Error in those felfno Power or Ability to perform the Terms or in those things, and finds in its Conditions of Faith and (b) Repentance that fome talk of; for now it finds it cannot repent with Repentance that's unto Life, that being the (c) Grant of God, nor of themselves believe favingly into Jesus Chrift, or get an Intreft in him, or get the Loye of GOD, nor make its Peace with him, as a great many Preachers bid poor Souls to do. But, alas! The convinced Soul finds that they might as well bid them make a World, as bid them believe or do any of those Things; for it finds it must be the (d) exceeding Greatness of his Power, by which they believe, nd that it is Chrift alone that has made [e] Peace by the blood of his Cross, Yea, it fees that ts Intreft in the Love of Gon, or Chrift is an Act of Grace not to be gotten by them.

་

愛。

Now they know they were ignorant of the Wind of GOD in his Word, and of who were the Minifters of Chrift's fending, but now they fee he one and know the other. Thus he reproves f Judgment, and fo brings them out of their

[a] Rom. 3. 8. [b] For. 31. 18, 19. [s] Ads 11, 18. [d] phe 1, 19. [e] Col. 1. 20.

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Error

Error and Miftake, and by the [f] Spirit, as the Spirit of Wifdom and Revelation: They are bought into marvellous Light to [g] behold what manner of Love the Father hath beftowed upon them, that they fhould be call'd, The Sons of Gop.

Now they fee that it is the Blood of Chrift the [b] Lamb of Gon, or the[] Blood of the Son of Gop in our Natures that cleanfeth from all Sin, that is the [k] Fountain opened, and that it is he that puts then into it, or fprinkles it upon them, for they know they cannot put themselves into it, or fprinkle it upon themfelves, no more than the [/] Man at the Pool.

HE it is that opens and reveals all the Glory and Excellencies of the Rightcoufnefs of Chrift, both as to its [] Greatnefs, Durablenefs, or [] Everlastingnefs, and of its [] Beauty, its Sweetnefs, and its Glory :

HE it is that informs the Soul into a right Understanding of the Divine Myfteries of God's Love, Will, Works, and Ways, for hereby the Soul finds Pleasure in beholding the wonderous Works of the Lord, now Ordinances are pleafant Things unto them. The Doctrines of GOD's free Grace, are fweet and pleasant Morfels unto their Souls.

28.

8,

[f] Ephef. 1 17. [g] John 3, 1. [b] John 1, 29. Acts 20, first John 1, 7. Zech. 13, 1. Pf. 51, 5. Rev., 5. [1] Fol 5, 5, 7. [m] P. 35, 6. [n] Pf. 119, 142. [0] P. 45, 423, 13, 14. [p] Ephef. 15 9. Pf. 8, 3, 4. Pf. 111, 2. Pf. 19, 10. Job 23, 13.

Now

and his Teftimonies, his Minifters, his People, all that has God's Image on them, is delightful unto them, thus they are called.

HENCE it is plain unto whom the Aroftle here wifheth Mercy unto, and Peace and Love to be multiplied unto, that is Mercy to fucccur relieve, and deliver their Bodies and Souls under whatsoever Trials and Afflictions they fhould meet with here.

Peace and Love be multiplyed in your Souls from the Father through the Son by the Spirit. [9] For he knew that they were like to meet with many Tribulations in the World. Thus I have fhewn how the Word Now hath an Eye to the Matter contained in the firtt and fecond Verfes.

2dly. THE Apoftle having laid fuch a Foundation, he in the third Verfe fpeaks unto the Perfons interested in this Grace of the Three-One, by the Appellation of Beloved, a Title of great indearedness, as appears by Gor and holy Mens ufe of it the Scriptures, and in the Song of Solomon often. And then tells them he gave all Diligence to write unto them of the common Sh'vation, and fays it was needful for him to write unto them, and to exhort them to contend earneftly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints. So that this common Salvation, and the Faith that was once given unto, or wrought in them, is what he builds upon for the former

[9] John 155 49. 16, 33.

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Founda

Foundation of the Grace of the Three glorious Perfons of the one Eternal GOD. So that this common Salvation cannot be meant as common to all mankind that will accept of it as offered unto them upon the terms of the Covenant, as fome fay, nor this common Salvation that which is to be offered fo freely unto all that will accept of it as ficely offered unto them, as others fay, neither is it the [r] outward temporal Salvation that is common to all Elect or Nonelect, as fome others fay, for that is not fo much the Matter of Faith asSenfe, and fo not the matter to be fo earneftly contended for as here exhorted unto.

BUT this common Salvation is the Eternal Salvation of all the Sanctified of the Father, of the Preferved in Jefus Chrift, and Called of the Spirit; for they shall all be alike faved with an [s] Everlafting Salvation, whether [t] Jew or Gentile, Male or Female, Young or Old, Strong or Weak in the Faith; common unto them all alike, al tho' it be the special Salvation to them only.

Now this is worthy the moft erneft contend ing for, therefore this Apoftle thought it fo need ful to write to them about it, and to exhort them to contend earneftly for the Faith of it, for it is plain from the whole Epiftle that this Salvation and Faith in it, as delivered then unto the Saints was much contended against by many then, as well as now, both as to the Auther of it (Chri

[r] Eccle. 2, 14, 9, 1, 2, 3. {s] Ffai. 45, 17. 28. Cel. 3, 11, 12. Acts 15, 11.