to the EPHESIAN S. thou art fallen into Sin: all the Sins ofthy whole Life lay upon theethen,and ihou ~ came£1: to God for the j>ardon ofthem; what dmh the Apoflle fay in Rom. 5?Ser.XXlV. (it is a ufe he makes ofthis very thing) If when we were Enemies (fa~th he, ver.IO.) ~ We were reconciled mito God by the Death ofhis Son; did God pardon you, Ctith he, when you firfl: came to hipi, having lain in your natural Condition all your days before, being Enemies unt6 him? now.faith he, being rei:onciled, being now en· tered into an Efiate ofCovenabt and Friendlhip with him; mucb more (faith he) heing reconciled we fhall befoved by his Lift : that is, he putteth the Emphafis both by comparing the elfeCl:ualnefs ofChrifi's Death, and Chrifi's Life iri us~ as I have elfewhere !hewn, but what I quote it now for is, that ifGod pardoned you then, \vhen you were Enemies, and came to him out ofyour Natural Condition (there· fore remember but that Condition) fur~ly now having reconciled you to himfelf, you !hall be_fa-:ed by_the Life,_ ~y the Ipte:ceffion ofChrifi. My Br~thre~, Ifwe fhould rematn tn a m1xt Condition ofSmn.mg, fuch as we ~ave here m thiS Life, even to Eternity, God could pardon us, and he would dolt: But reheve your Hearts tlius, make bUt a comparifon ofwhat you were in your former Efiate before you were converted, and make the comparifon thus : I went on many years in fuch a way ofSin, I knew not God; Gbd all that while loved me, his Heart was upon me, and he relieved himfelfall that while with this, I will let him alone; for I !hall have him tome to me in the end ; (and my Brethren it is certain that God did fo. Before ever 'Paul was converted, God had an Eye upon him all that while, he ha4 appointed the time in which he would turn him:) Anfwerably now, thou hail !l:ill Sin in tftee which breaks out again and again, and thou thinke!l: i~ will undo thee; How.dmh Geld relieve himfelfnow? There is a time (faith God) that 'I will take this Soul up into Heaven, free him from all Sin, and it is but be:i'rlh~ with l'iim, and pardqning ofhim till then ; I did it before, I did but bear with )urn, and forbear him till my Spirit turned him to me; now it is but bearing wit.h him fo much the longer, till fuch time as my Spirit !hall fully fanQify him, a~d he,be taken up unto my!elf. !_ hus,I fay,help thy Faith: and the Conf:deration ofGods Love to thee;and to h1s Children before they were converted, IS an evi· dent ftrengtlming ofour Faith. is.• AnC:IlaiiiJ, Itniay help our Faith, by moving us to take the fa!l:er hold upon Chrifi. My Brethren, though it is the Power ofthe Holy-Gho!l: that cloth help us to beiTeye, and gjv'esus arcngib to believe, yea every degree ofStrength; that -we take·a faft•~.r.. ho!l:r upon Chri!l:every day than other,it is from the Holy·Ghofii yet the Holy-Ghoft !Jfeth Motives and Confiderations, he deals with a Man here· ju as with a reafonable Creature. Now when aMan !hall look back upon his whole Life, and confider'the Sins ofhis unregenerate Condition, and all his Sins fince; in~Y, t!\at l\1an tl\lllk with himfel£; ifall the!e Sinslhould now be mine, and I lhould :lnfwe~ for tlierii" m1felf, what a Condition lhould I be in ? But here is my Lord and'SiMour Cl\l·ill; who frees me from them alf. This moves a Man fiill to ruri to him as.to a Ci\y ofl.\efuge, i:o lay fafier hold upori him, to renew ftronger. Atts of Faith everY d~y than other. And'rememller it for. that end 5 If a Mari hangupon t1\e t6pdfa Pinacll! ·(asI may fo exprefs it) tlii further off the Ground it i~,anll.' the more d~dger he feeS!ri falling, the fafl:er hold he will be fure to take; (o is'i(ller'e. And t'J\.at's the aeafon (my Brethren) why poor Souls when they come f1lr!l:' out.oftheir natural Condition, make i'o eagerly and defirably after Clirifl:, and·aliei"Faitll ; it is beeaute they have all the Sins of their unregenerate Condition atOIIi:e before them, which doth drive them to the Lord Jefus Chri!l: ; to him they run as unto a City ofRefuge, the cry of their bloody Tranfgreffions purfuing them. Therefore now that Faith 1\Jould grow every day !l:ronger an~ fuonger, we;haye a greater MotiVe unto it, for we have every day before us a ~reater Profp~frof'Sins. Ana fo in all thefe refpetls it may ferve to help forward Faith.;. Wherefore·r~rlfmher, fait~}~ Apoflle, &c. Third~, Another' Benefit, is, Love unto jefus Chrifr. (Thefe Advantages which 1meiltiori, many <i,f them may arife"froni Sins committed fince God called you as W:ellasbefore; andfomay'this:) You'kndwthat 1\Lryldvedmuch, becaufe'it i~ fald, much was forgiven her. r' will giVe you an In!l:ance ofPaul, in that place I quoted' even noW, (t Tim.I.)'th'oughnot to,tliat purpofe I no1v quote it.l,faith he, - ~Rr hefort
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