fessors do; and it maketh a huge inconsistency in their religion.

The believer also may lay open all his heart unto God; 1 Sam. i. 15. "I have poured out my soul before the Lord," and impart all his secrets unto him, and all his temptations, without fear of a mistake. The believer also may inquire into what God doth, in so far as may concern his own duty, or in so far as may ward off mistakes of the Lord's way, and reconcile it with his word; so Job xiii. 15. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him; but I will maintain mine own ways before him." The believer is a friend in this respect, as "knowing what the master doth." See Gen. xviii. 28. &c. Jer. xii. 1 Isaiah lxiii. 17.

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The believer also may be familiar with God, to go in daily with his failings, and seek repentance, pardon and peace, through Christ's advocateship; Acts v. 31. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins;" 1 John ii. 1. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." O how often in one day may the believer plead pardon, if he intend not to mock God, or to turn grace into wantonness! The Lord hath commanded men to forgive seventy times seven times in one day;" and hath hinted there in the parable of a king who took account of his servants," how much more the master will forgive, Matth. xviii. 22-28.

The believer also may be satisfied to entrust God with all his outward concernments, for he doth care for these things; Matth. vi. 30, 31, 32.

"If God so clothe the grass of the field, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or where withal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." 1 Peter v. 7. " Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." Yea, the believer may humbly put God to it, to make him forthcoming for him in all cases as beseemeth, and to help him to suitable fruit in every season, " even grace in time of need," Heb. iv. 16. Yea, how great things may believers seek from him in Christ Jesus, both for themselves and others! 1 John v. 14, 15. "If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us." John xiv. 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." Isaiah xlv. 11. "Ask of me things to come concerning my sons; and concerning the work of my hands command ye me," It is the shame and great prejudice of his people that they do not improve that communion with God more than they do: Christ may justly upbraid them, that they ask nothing in his name, John xvi. 24.

By what is said, it doth appear of how great conséquence this duty of believing is, by which a man closeth with Christ Jesus whom the father hath sealed, and given for a covenant, to the people. It is so honourable for God, answering his very design, and serving his interest in the whole contrivement and manifestation of the gospel; and it is so advantageous to men, that Satan, and an evil heart of unbelief do mightily

oppose it, by moving objections against it. I shall hint some most ordinary.

CHAP. III.

Objections taken from a man's unworthiness, and the heinousness of his sin, answered.

OBJEC. I am so base and worthless of myself, that I think it were high presumption for me to meddle with Christ Jesus, or the salvation purchased at the price of his blood.

ANSW. It is true, all the children of Adam are base and naughty before him," who chargeth his angels with folly," Job iv. 18. "All nations are less than nothing, and vanity before him." Isaiah xl. 17. There is such a disproportion between God and men, that unless he himself had devised that covenant, and of his own free will had offered so to transact with men, it had been high treason for men or angels to have imagined that God should have humbled himself, and become a servant, and have taken on himself our nature, and have united it by a personal union to the blessed Godhead; and that he should have subjected himself to the shameful death of the cross; and all this, that men, who were rebels, should be reconciled unto God, and be made eternally happy, by being in his holy company forever.

But I say, all that was his own device and free choice: yea, moreover, if God had not sovereignly commanded men so to close with him in and through Christ, Isaiah Iv. 1, 2, 3. Matth. xi. 28. 1 John iii. 23. 2 Cor. v. 20. no man durst have made use of that device of his. So then, although with Abigail I might say,

"Let

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me be but a servant, to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord," 1 Sam. xxv. 41. yet since he hath in his holy wisdom devised that way, and knoweth how to be richly glorified in it, Eph. i. 18. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know-what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." John xvii. 10. "All mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them;" and he hath commanded me, as I shall be answerable in the great day, to close with him in Christ, as is said, I dare not disobey, nor inquire into the reason of his contrivements and commands, but must adventure on the business, as I would not be found to "frustrate the grace of God," Gal. ii. 21. and in a manner disappoint the gospel, and falsify the record which God hath borne of his Son, that there is life enough in him for men, 1 John v. 10, 11. and so make God a liar, and add that rebellion to all my former transgressions.

OBJEC. I am a person singularly sinful, beyond any I know; therefore I dare not presume. to go near unto Christ Jesus, or look after that salvation which is through his righteousness.

ANSW. Is your sin beyond the drunkenness and incest of Lot; adultery covered with murder, in David; idolatry and horrid apostacy in Solo.. mon; idolatry, murder, and witchcraft in Manasseh; anger against God and his way, in Jonah; for swearing of Christ in Peter after he was forewarned, and had vowed the contrary; bloody persecution in Paul, making the saints to blaspheme, &c. (but woe to him who is embolden- . ed to sin by these instances recorded in scrip

ture, and adduced here to the commendation of the free and rich grace of God, and to encourage. poor penitent sinners to flee unto Christ;) I say, are your sins beyond these? yet all these obtained pardon through Christ,as the scripture doth shew.

Know, therefore that all sins do lie alike level before the free grace of God," who loveth freely,' Hosea xiv. 4. and looketh not to less or more sin. If the person have a heart to come unto him through Christ, then he is able to save to the uttermost," Heb. vii. 25. Yea, it is more' provoking before God, not to close with Christ when the offer cometh to a man, than all the rest of his transgressions are; for" he that believeth not hath made God a liar, in that record he hath borne of life in the Son;" 1 John v. 10, ld. And he who doth not believe, shall be condemned for not believing on the Son of God," John iii. 18. That shall be the main thing in his ditty; so that much sin cannot excuse a man if he be afraid of Christ and shift his offer: since God hath openly declared, that "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, Christ came to save sinners, whereof I am chief." Even he who is chief of sinners in his own apprehension, is bound to believe and " accept this saying;" 1 Tim. i. 15.

OBJECT. My sins have some aggravating circumstances beyond the same sins in other persons, which doth much terrify me.

ANSW. What can the aggravations of thy sins be, which are not paralleled in the forecited examples? is thy sin against great light? so did many of those we spake of before. Was it