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INWARD
NTT1EsS
T6
CRRISTiANITY'.
CSERM. 1.
such
a
one
as
could not, generally
free.
their
consciences
from
all sense
of
defilement and
guilt,
and
fears,
though
it
cleansed their
souls
in
the sight
of God.
The
Socinians, in
our
age,
can have
but very little
solid
comfort,
if
they are truly awakened to the
spiritual
.
sight
of
the
law
of God
;
for
when
they have
nothing to
plead
with
God, and nothing
to
trust
in
but
his
mere
absolute
mercy, while
they deny the
proper
satisfaction
of
Christ Jesus,
how weak
must
their
hope
be,
how
feeble
is
the foundation
of it
!
but
when
a
poor,
con-
vinced, awakened
soul,
that
now believes
the
doctrine
of
Christ, has
been
long before tormented
in
his
consci-
ence
about atonement
for
sin,
and
found no hope
;
the
christian
religion,
the
gospel,
.
with its
pardoning grace,
and the
satisfaction
that Christ
has made, gives
the
soul
peace, and leads
the troubled
conscience
to
rest
and
quiet;
he
trusts
this gospel,
he
receives
this salvation,
and bath
the witness in himself
that it
is
divine.
II.
The
happiness
of
eternal
life
consists also
in
the
special
favour
of
God,
which
is
distinct
from the
par-
don
of sin;
for
it
is
very possible for
a
criminal to be
pardoned,
and
not
to
be
made
a
favourite
of
the king.
The
favour
of
God, and
a
sense
of
this favour,
is
a
great
part
of
heaven.
This
is
called seeing
of God,
often
in
scripture.
When
souls
are
fully possessed
of
the love
of
God,
when they have
it
shed
abroad
in
their hearts
in
perfection
;
when they know
that
the infinite
and
eternal Maker
and
Governor of
all things loves
them,'
and
will
for ever
love them, this
is
eternal
life;
and
this
is
enjoyed
in
some
measure here
on
earth
by'
true
believers, this
is
a
part of
eternal
life
begun
in
the
heart
of
every christian
:
for
when
God pardons,
he receives
into
his
peculiar
favour.
This
the
christian religion teaches
us,
but
the
light
of
nature
could never
tell us so
:
for
if
the light
of
nature
and
reason could have proceeded
so
far
as
to
acquaint
us with
pardoning
grace
in all
the
extent of
it,
yet
it
could never
have presumed to
assure
us,
That
he
should
mare
the rebels
he
had pardoned
his,
favourites ,for
ever.
We
might have
been forgiven,
and then annihilated.
But
the scripture teaches
us,
whom
God
forgives
he"
makes favourites
too.
And Christ
Jesus
has laid
the