pitta. VI. Of SanE1jcati®n. 121 felves, that their hearts fwell in anger and manifeft hatred againft the law, yea, and againft God and Chrift, for prefcribing fuch hard conditions of fal- vation, which they cannot keep, and yet muff ex. pect to be damned eternally for breeding them, This filleth themwith blafphemous thoughts againit. God and Chrift, and theycanhardly refrain fromblafphem- ing with their tongues. And when they arebrought to this horrible condition, if God doth not in mer- cy difcover to them t he wayof falvation, by free grace, through faith alone, they will endeavour, if theycan, to fear their confciences paft feeling of fin, and ful- ly to abandon all religion, which hath proved fuch an unfufferable torment to them: or, if they cannot fear their confciences, forne of them are eafily pre- vailed with by Satan, rather to murder themfelves, than to live longer in the hatred of God, the fpirit of blafphemy, and continual horror of confcience. This is the peftilent effect of legal doctrine upon a Carnal heart, that Both but roufe up, and terribly en- rage the fleeping lion, our finful corruption, inftead of killing it : as is too evident by the fad experience of many that have endeavoured with all their might to practife it ; and by the Scripture, that fheweth a fufficient cattfe why it cannot be otherwife. There- fore, the doctrine of falvation by fsncere obedience, that was invented againft Antinomianifm, may well be ranked amongthe worft Antinomian errors. For my part, 1 hate it with perfect hatred, and account it mine enemy, as I have found it to be. And 1 have found, by force goodexperience, the truth of the lef- fon taught by the Apoftle, that the way to be freed from the dominion of fin, is, " not to be under the law, but under grace," Ro. vi. 14. óthly, The way of falvation by works was blafted by thecurie denounced againft the firft Adam's fin; fo that now it cannot work life in us, or holinefa, but only death ; for the law which requireth both fiucere and perfect obedience to God in all things, Q.
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