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Means are his vaffals; fhall we without grudge
Difcard the mafter, and efpoufe the drudge?
The hypocrite, the legalift does fin,

To live on duties, not on Chrift therein.
He only feeds on empty difhes, plates,
Who dotes on means, but at the manna frets.
Let never means content thy foul at all,
Without the Hufband, who is all in all *.
Cry daily for the happy marriage-hour;
To thee belongs the mean, to him the pow'r.

SECT. III.

A CALL to believe in JESUS CHRIST, with fome hints at the act and object of faith.

'RIEND, is the queftion on thy heart engrav'd,

FRIE

What fhall I do to be for ever fav'd +?

Lo here's a living rock to build upon;
Believe in Jefus §; and on him alone

For righteoufnefs and ftrength thine anchor drop,
Renouncing all thy former legal hope.

Believe (fay you!) I can no more believe, Than keep the law of works, the DO and LIVE.'

True; and it were thy mercy, didft thou fee
Thine utter want of all ability.

New cov'nant graces he alone can grant,
Whom God has given to be the covenant;
Ev'n Jefus, whom the facred letters call
Faith's object, author, finisher, and all
In him alone, not in thy act of faith,
Thy foul believing, full falvation hath.

;

Col. iii. 3. Acts xvi. 30. § Ver. 31. ‡ Ifa. xlii. 6.

In this new cov❜nant judge not faith to hold
The room of perfect doing in the old.
Faith is not giv'n to be the fed'ral price
Of other bleffings, or of paradise :

But Heav'n, by giving this, ftrikes out a door
At which is carried in ftill more and more.
No finner must upon his faith lay ftress,
As if it were a perfect righteousness.
God ne'er affign'd unto it fuch a place;
'Tis but at beft a bankrupt begging grace.
Its object makes its fame to fly abroad,
So clofe it gripes the righteoufnefs of God;
Which righteousness receiv'd, is (without ftrife)
The true condition of eternal life.

But ftill, fay you, pow'r to believe I mifs.
You may; but know you what believing is?
Faith lies not in your building up a tow'r
Of some great action by your proper pow'r,
For Heav'n well knows, that by the killing fall
No pow't, no will remains in man at all
For acts divinely good; 'till fov'reign grace
By pow'rful drawing virtue turn the chafe.
Hence none believe in Jefus as they ought,
'Till once they firft believe they can do nought,
Nor are fufficient e'en to form a thought*.
They're confcious, in the right believing hour,
Of human weaknefs, and of divine pow'r.
Faith acts not in the fenfe of ftrength and might,
But in the fenfe of weakness acts outright.
It is (no boafting arm of pow'r or length),
But weakness acting on almighty Strength t.
It is the pow'rlefs, helpless finners flight
Into the open arms of faving might:

* 2 Cor, iii. 5. + 2 Cor. xii. 9.

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'Tis an employing Jefus to do all

That can within falvation's compass fall;
To be the agent kind in ev'ry thing

Belonging to a prophet, priest, and king;
To teach, to pardon, fanctify, and fave,
And nothing to the creature's pow'r to leave.
Faith makes us joyfully content that he

Our Head, our Husband, and our All should be; Our righteousness and ftrength, our stock and ftore,

Our fund for food and raiment, grace and glore. It makes the creature down to nothing fall, Content that Chrift alone be all in all.

The plan of grace is faith's delightful view, With which it clofes both as good and true. Unto the truth, the mind's affent is full, Unto the good, a free confenting will. The Holy Spirit here the agent chief, Creates this faith, and dashes unbelief. That very God who calls us to believe,, The very faith he feeks muft alfo give. Why calls he then? fay you. Pray, man, be Why did he call dead Lazarus to rife? [wife; Because the orders in their bofom bear Almighty pow'r to make the carcafe hear. But Heav'n may not this mighty pow'r difplay. Moft true; yet ftill thou art oblig'd t' obey, But God is not at all obliged to stretch His faving arm to fuch a finful wretch. All who within falvation-rolls have place, Are fav'd by a prerogative of grace;

But veffels all that fhall with wrath be cramm'd, Are by an act of holy justice damn'd.

Take then, dear foul, as from a friendly heart, The counfel which the foll'wing lines impart.

SECT. IV.

An ADVICE to finners to apply to the fovereign mercy of God, as it is discovered through CHRIST, to the highest honour of justice, and other divine attributes, in order to further their faith in him unto falvation.

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O, friend, and at JEHOVAH's footstool bow; Thou know'ft not what a fov'reign God Confefs, if he commiferate thy cafe, [may do. "Twill be an act of pow'rful fov'reign grace. Sequeftrate carefully fome folemn hours, To fhew thy grand concern in fecret pow'rs. Then in th' enfuing ftrain to God impart, And pour into his bofom all thy heart.

'O glorious, gracious, pow'rful, fov'reign Lord, 'Thy help unto a finful worm afford;

'Who from my wretched birth to this sad hour 'Have ftill been deftitute of will and pow'r To clofe with glorious Chrift; yea, fill'd】 with fpite

'At thy fair darling, and thy faints delight, Refifting all his grace with all my might. 'Come, Lord, and fap my enmity's ftrong tow'r;, 'O hafte the marriage-day, the day of pow'r: That fweetly, by refiftlefs grace inclin❜d,

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My once reluctant be a willing mind.

Thou fpak'ft to being ev'ry thing we fee, When thy almighty will faid, Let it be. 'Nothings to being in a moment pass: 'Let there be light, thou jaidft; and so it was *. 'A pow'rful word like this, a mighty call, 'Muft fay, Let there be faith, and then it fhall. * Gen. i. 3.

Thou seek'st my faith and flight from fin and

guilt;

• Give what thou feek'ft, Lord; then feek what thou wilt.

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'What good can iffue from a root fo ill!

This heart of mine's a wicked lump of hell; ''Twill all thy common motions still refift, Unless with special drawing virtue bleft. Thou calls, but with the call thy pow'r con

vey;

• Command me to believe, and I'll obey,
'Nor any more thy gracious call gainfay.
Command, O Lord, effectually command,
And grant I be not able to withstand;

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Then pow'rlefs I will ftretch the wither'd hand.

I to thy favour can pretend no claim,

• But what is borrow'd from thy glorious name; "Which though moft juftly thou may'ft glorify, In damning fuch a guilty wretch as me.

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A faggot fitted for the burning fire

Of thine incenfed everlafting ire:

Yet, Lord, fince now I hear thy glorious Son,

In favour of a race that was undone,

• Did in thy name, by thy authority,
Once to the full ftern juftice fatisfy;
And paid more glorious tribute thereunto
Than hell and all its torments e'er can do.
Since my falvation through his blood can raife
A revenue to justice' highest praife,

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Higher than rents, which hell for ever pays:
These to tremendous juftice never bring
A fatisfaction equal and condign.

But Jefus our once dying God performs, • What never could by ever-dying worms:

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