Marshall - BT765 M37 1788

Gofpel IfMlviery Direst. 111 . áC for his name's fake. Love not the world, nei. fiC titer the things that are in the world, I John ii. GC 12, 15." I might quote abundance of texts of the fame nature. We may clearly fee by all this, that God hath accounted it a matter of great importance, and hath condefcended to take wonderful care in providing plentiful means, both under the Old and New Teftament, that his people might be firft clean- fed from guilt and reconciled to himfelf, to fit them for the acceptable practice of holinefs. Away then with all the contrary methods of new divinity. The THIRD ENDOWMENT neceffary to enable us for the practice of holinefs, without which, a per- fuafion of our reconciliation with God, wouldbe of little efficacy to work in us a rational propenfity to it, is, that we are perfuaded of our future enjoy- ment of the everlafting heavenly happinefs. This muft precede our holy praaice, as a caufe difpof ing and alluring us to it. This affertion hath fe- veral forts of adverfaries to oppofe it. Some ac- count, that a perfuafion ofour own future happinefs, before we have perfevered in fincere obedience, tendeth to licentioufnefs ; and that the way to do good works, is rather to make them a condition neceffary for the procuring cf this perfuafion. Others condemn all works that we are allured or itirred up to by the future enjoyment of the hea- venly happinefs, as legal, mercenary, flowing from felf-love, and not from any pure love to God ; and they figure out fincere godlinefs by a man bearing fire in one hand, to burn up heaven, and water in the other, to quench hell ; intimating, that the true fervice of God muft not proceed at all from hope of reward, or fear of punifhment, but only from love. To eftablifh the truth affcrted, againft the errors that are fo contrary to it, and to each other, 1 fhall propofe the enfuing confiderations. Firft, The nature of the duties of the law is fuck,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=