Mr. Sclatcr's Farewell Semen: 475 lieve , and if you do fo indeed, you are highly priviledged people, bleffed of God, and (hall be to all Eternity ;. but do you nor miliake? Do you-believe this, that Jefus is the Chria ? How came you by this belief ? What account can you give of it ? How were you brought over to this Belief ? Did you not come to this Faith and Belief , by common report ? You were born to this Doarine ; You look upon it as that which is the benefit you have by your being born in a ,-Na- tion, and among a People that profefs the Narneof Chia , and this bath been inttilled into you by education, and upon this account you take it : Did you ever buy this truth ? It is a truth that Jefus is the Chrill, how came is ro be yours? Did you ever buy this truth? Buy it? 1 fay buy it ? For the very truth is, we are never able to make out 'a good Title to any Gofpel-truth, until fuch time as we can fay we have bought it : How ? why , by ferious meditation, fludying the Scriptures, fearching unto them ferioufly, pondering and weighing of . them, crying mightily to God, that he would inanifea them to us, and encountring temptations from without, from within ; being at a point willing to engage liberty and eftace, and life, and all for this truths fake : Can you lay, We have pondered, and are fo fully fa- tisfied about it, as that if all the world (houlci come in a way of contradiaion ' and rife up in oppolnion to us, and come with fire and (word to beat us our of this truth, yet we are refolved to flick to it ? Can you give fuch an account of your felves, that )o.: have not taken it up upon a common report, but are able to fay there harh been an inward Revelationmade of thefe things to your fouls, that there bath been a fanaifted work of the Spirit upon your underhand- - ing, chat you come to fee into the mytterie of thefe Gofpel-teflimo- nies ? Is there an habitual frame of Spirit wrought in you, whereby withare carried out to dole with every truth of God, and, to (idle it upon this account, becaufe of a divine authority ilarript upon it ? when we give affent to common truths, but not with a common fpirit, but in the flrength ofan- inward conviaion, we rtnrit to it upon the account of an unaion that we have received f r on:: the holy one ; and we affent to this and that truth upon the account of. a vine authority which we fee to be flarripc upon it, and vvithall,vve find that there are fuitable workings of our in the loves and defines and delights of them to thefe truths has there will be a kindly work- ing of the heart where there is a right affent fititable to the truths af- fented to) as if there be a threatning, the Soul affents to it, and will tremble before God : It a pollifebe made, or a Gofnel-revelati- en, it will be accompanied with a holy rejoycing in God, that ever he should make fuch a promifa or. Revelation ; and then Eheie will be
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