how it should be evidenced to yourself, if you are in doubt about it. If you have no evidence of your union to Christ, it concerns you to realize your natural enmity of heart to God, deeply to affect your foul with a fenfe of the dreadful mifery of a Chriftlefs ftate, and to lament before God the pollution of your nature, the hardness of your heart, the guilt of your fins; and the amazing deftruction and perdition unto which you are thereby expofed.-It concerns you, (as I have often advised you), to lie at mercy, to come to the footstool of fovereign grace, felf-loathing and felf-condemning, pleading with importunate ardour, for the powerful influences of the bleffed Spirit, to draw and unite you to Christ. It concerns you to be careful and diligent in your attendance upon all the duties of religious worship, and to be stedfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, if you would not have your labour in vain in the Lord. It concerns you, though watchful, active, and diligent, yet utterly to defpair of all help in yourfelf, and to maintain a lively impreffion, that all the progress of fpiritual life must flow from your union to Jefus Chrift; and that you must therefore rely upon him only, to do all in you and for you. It likewise concerns you to look unto Jefus Christ, not only as a fufficient, but a compaffionate Saviour, willing to receive you to mercy in your prefent ftate, how bad foever; and therefore to endeavour a cheerful and immediate compliance with the gofpel-offer, without waiting for moral qualifications to recommend you to the Redeemer's acceptance; and let Chrift Jefus be your steady hope and confidence, whatever darkness, difficulties, trials or temptations you may meet withal in your way. If you are in doubt about your ftate, and in an uncomfortable fufpenfe whether you are united to Gg3 Chrift ་་ Christ or not, do not reft fatisfied in fuch a cafe, wherein your eternal ALL is at stake, and in a precarious uncertainty.-But labour to refolve your doubts, by the lively exercife of faith; and by an humble cheerful confidence and delight in the bleffed Saviour. Then may you know that he dwells in your heart by faith, when you are rooted and grounded in love, Eph. iii. 17.-Labour to evidence your union to Chrift, by having your heart purified by faith; and your affections spiritual and heavenly. Then may you know that you are rifen with Christ, when you feek thofe things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God; and when you place your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth, Col. iii. 1, 2.-Labour to clear up this doubt, by the exercife of all the feveral graces of the Spirit of life. If you live in the exercise of faith, repentance, love to God, humility, hope in Chrift, defire after, and delight in him; if you bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance, hereby you may know, that he abideth in you, by the Spirit which he hath given you, John iii. 24.-Labour like wife to clear up this difficulty, not only by the life, but by the growth of grace. If you grow more humble, felf-abafing, and felf-condemning: If you grow more penitent; and more paffionately groan under the burden of, and mourn after deliverance from all your fins; if your love to God increases, and you take more delight in him and in his ways, or at least long after a life of nearer communion with him, with more ardent defire; if you are more fpiritual in your thoughts, meditations and affections, more heavenly in your conversation; and more careful of your respective duties both to God and man, then you may may know that Chrift abideth in you, and you in him ; in that you bring forth much fruit, John xv. 5. If you get fatisfying evidences of your union to Chrift, adore, admire, and praife the infinite condefcenfion, and the aftonishing love of the glorious Redeemer, in taking fuch duft and afhes, fuch fin and pollution, into union with himfelf. Contemplate the amazing transaction of love with admiration; and let the love of Christ constrain you to live to the praife of the glory of that grace by which you become accepted in the Beloved. That Chrift may abide in you, and you in him, that you may win Chrift, and be found in him at his appearance and kingdom, and that you may reign with him for ever, is the prayer of, Sir, Your, &c. LETTER XVIII. Wherein fome Antinomian Abufes of the Doctrine of Believers Union to Christ, or Pleas from it for Licentioufnefs and Security in finning are confidered and obviated. SIR, ALLOW me the freedom to tell you, that the confequences you draw from the doctrine of our union to Chrift, as I have reprefented it, are without any foundation; and that a juft view of the cafe must convince you, that this doctrine gives no "advantage to licentious and latitudinarian prin"ciples," but the direct contrary.-I fhall therefore endeavour, according to your defire, to confider the Antinomian principles you are pleafed to propose; and fee whether they "naturally follow "from what I taught in my last.” "You "You do not fee (you tell me) if the principles I "teach are allowed, how the Antinomians can be "charged with error, in fuppofing that the true be"liever has no caufe to repent of his fins, or to "entertain any difquietment of mind with respect "to them, fince he is united to Chrift, and all his "fins are charged to Chrift's account, whereby he has fatisfied for them all. Why therefore should the believer be concerned about a debt which is "fully discharged?-Juftice is satisfied with refpect "to him; Chrift delights in him, as a member of " his own body; the Spirit of God dwells in him, "notwithstanding any of his fins and imperfections. "Why may he not therefore be perfectly eafy with "refpest to fin; and look upon it, (as a modern "Antinomian expreffes himself), unworthy of our "leaft regard " To this I anfwer, 1. That no man who is practically conformed to this Antinomian principle, can know himself to be a believer; and therefore there can be no foundation for this reafoning in any perfon whatsoever. Were your arguing allowed to be juft, it can take place with none but those who have infallible evidence of their union to Chrift; which it is impoffible any man fhould have, who is not burdened with his fins, who does not hate them, and groan after deliverance from them.-Repentance is the genuine and neceffary fruit of a true faith. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and fhall mourn, Żech. xii. 10. That thou mayeft remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, becaufe of thy fhame, when I am PACIFIED towards thee for all that thou haft done, faith the Lord God, Ezek. xvi. 63. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Then fhall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and shall loathe yourfelves in your own fight, for your iniquities, and and for your abominations, Ezek. xxxvi. 28. 31.-It is the true believer, and he only, that is capable aright to mourn for fin, truly to hate it, and to groan under the burden of it. Unbelievers may mourn under a sense of their guilt and danger, but this is not to repent of fin. It is the believer only who forrows for fin as fin; who hates all fin; who groans, being burdened, from a sense of his finfulnefs; and who cries out with the Apostle, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? What room can there then be for thofe licentious conclufions you fpeak of? Who is the person that can thus rock his confcience to fleep, under the prevalence of his lufts, from the doctrine. of our union to Chrift, as I have defcribed it? Muft it be fuppofed to be one who is united to Chrift; or one who is not united to Christ?-Surely not. the former; for how can he be indolent, carelefs and fecure in the commiffion of fin, from the doctrine of our union to Christ, who has no evidence of this being his cafe; nor can have any such evidence, till he is poor in spirit, and is thereby qualified for the kingdom of heaven, Matt. v. 3. till he is one that mourns for his fins, and comes under the promife of comfort, ver. 4. and till he is of a contrite and humble fpirit; for with fuch, and only with fuch, has the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, promifed to dwell? Ifai. lvii. 15. And I think, I need not endeavour to prove, that he who is not united to Chrift, has no fhadow, of a plea or pretence to make for careleffnefs and fecurity in fin, from the doctrine before us. Whence it follows, that all pretences of this kind are without any rational foundation. They only proceed from mens delight in fin, in a life of fenfual ease and carnal security; and not at all from the precious truth before us. This facred truth may indeed be pervert ed |