ramus is ready to cast unjust reflections up me; for one had the assurance the other day to stand upon the market cross, and cry, "I publish the banns of marriage between the chuch of England and the church of Rome; if any person can show cause or impediment why these may not lawfully be joined together, let them now speak, or for ever be silent." Immediately another starts "" forbid and says, up, the banns." Says the former, "Sir I insist that you show your reasons." "Wal, replies the other, have patience, and I wil tell you: They are too near of kin: and if his will not satisfy you, I will descend to particulars." This woful doctrine of merit ha ruined thousands of souls, is the bane of tre religion, and one of the great marks that demonstrate the pope to be Anti-christ. Howcontrary is sucl preaching to God's word, an to what I teach in the communion! "We not presume t come to this thy table, trsting in our own righteousness, but in thy nanifold and gre.t mercies." "When ye have done all those things which are commanded, saiti Christ, say, we are unprofitable servants.”1

P. So you have undertaken, in the first pace, to show, from the church, that all men ar undone by original as wellas actual sin; secondly, you call in the authority of God's word to rove, that all by nature are in a state of condmnation; thirdly, you say, man hath no power of his own to return to God; fourthly, thatie can

1 Luke xvii. 10.

I

nerit nothing by all he can do. I do not understand nor relish this kind of doctrine. think a man must be beside himself to believe it.

D. So I verily thought, you did not believe ore word of what you professed; and this occasioned me to urge it so home and frequently upon you. But I have sufficiently cleared myself from the accusation of delirium, and every other dsorder you are always ready to impute to me. If you, on your part, are as clear of what seens to lie against yourself, it is well. Not that you are in the least danger of being listracted with pure and undefiled religion, or of paying to high a regard to sacred writ, or of becoming truy wise and useful; but still, are not out of the reach of other evils, which nay overtake you before you are aware. Some nen's sins go efore to judgment.1 Wickedress is often purished in this life, with horror and despair.-The foretaste of destruction: Some are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Ohers are blind; nd taking on them to lead the blind, both fall nto the ditch.3 Sir, let me inreat you to take warning in time. If you ever design to be convinced, let it be now, lest you ring yourself and others, into the place of

torment!

P. It behoves you to give the highest proof that the method you take be certainly right.

D. am ready to describe the method I take with awakened, self-condemned sinners, that feel ther lost estate. I grant if I were to leave

1 1 Til. v. 24. 2 Hos. iv. 6. 3 Mat. xv. 14.

the broken and contrite heart without pointing out the remedy, I should be a miserable teacher, and you might well complain. A physician that meets with a body full of distempers, prescribes searching medicines before he gives cordials; and the skilful husbandman breaks up the fallow ground before he sows the seed. But your false and superficial method reforms nothing, nor so much as prepares for any thing good, either in heart or life: The wicked are wicked still; the proud, worldly, and profane, continue to be the same, or grow worse. Whereas every wise master-builder, every faithful messenger of God, cries aloud, like the Baptist in the wilderness, and alarms the consciences of sinners, in order to prepare the way of the Lord. Therefore when any are truly wrought upon by the doctrine I teach, experience the truth of what I have laid down, see the depravity of their fallen nature, bewail the sinfulness of their whole lives, then only are they to be deemed meet for the promises of the gospel.

P. Then it seems the only way to peace, is through sorrow and distress.

D. Through godly sorrow: for whilst they are in a state of unbelief, labouring under the terror of an awakened conscience, sorrows encompass them about till Christ is revealed in them, and their sins are washed away through faith in his blood. They see that God is offended, the law broken, the conscience defiled; scripture therefore condemns, justice demands

Matt. iii. 2, 3.

22 Cor. vii. 10.

satisfaction, and the promises of salvation only aggravate their guilt, seeing they have slighted the offers of mercy, been deaf to the loudest calls, neglected every means and opportunity of salvation: These all, therefore, unite together, to accuse, and terrify. For if he that despised Moses' law died without mercy, of how much SORER punishment shall he be thought worthy, who has done despite to the spirit of grace?1

"At such a season they are all alarmed. Past actions stare them in the face; transgressions are brought to remembrance; pride, disobedience, unbelief, love of the world, contempt of God and his holy word, appear in their true light: Sin seems unpardonable, ruin unavoidable, and they are ready to faint under the unsufferaable load. Inbred corruption weighs heavy, wicked habits are as fetters of iron, evil desires like a prison of hewn stone, which cannot be broken; temptations break in on every side, distractions from friends and neighbours, who strive to bring them back to the customs of the world, its sin, and false security; and if they return to God, it must be through a storm of opposition, and the contempt of them that know him not.

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The soul is now dark as well as helpless, without light to discern, or power to perform; very uncertain whether God will save sinners so defiled and lost, so unable to believe that the Son of man gave his life a ransom for them; that

'Heb. x. 28, 29.

2 Matt. xx. 28.

he came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentence."1

Now they strive to make their own peace, and would appease God by promises, or by bringing vain oblations; but after many fruitless attempts for reconciliation, and to cleanse themselves from pollution, they find that conscience can only be purged by the blood of Christ; this being the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness; that God accepts of nothing but faith in the Lord Jesus; that that is the work of God, that they believe on him whom he hath sent; and that till they do, all their righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

P. A strange way to happiness; a way that few will ever approve

of.

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D. It is a way pointed out in scripture, and taught by me. I earnestly exhort all to confess their sins before the face of almighty God, with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, to the end they may obtain forgiveness of the same;" acknowledging "that they have erred and strayed like lost sheep," and that "there is no health in them:"* Imploring mercy

1 Matt. ix. 13. Mark ii. 17. Luke v. 32. 2 Heb. ix. 14. 3 Zec. xii. 1. 4 John vi. 29. 5 Is. lxiv. 6. 6 Exhortation and confession for morning and evening ser

vice.

* Such as join in this confession would do well to consider, it is to be made with an OBEDIENT heart, and not in such wise as to return again to folly. Moreover, that they acknowledge their defilement by sin to be such, that they have NO HEALTH in them, but are full of wounds and bruises, and putrifying sores, (Is. i. 6.) a body that is ALL disease, even one complicated plague