Secund, ad

teach, that the perfect man has grace and ftrength enough to forbear wilful fin, and that many actually do fo, I am, I must confefs, exactly of their mind. But then I am, at the fame time, of the fame mind with St. Austin, and St. Jerome too; for they teach the very fame doctrine: for they never contended about the poffibility of freedom or deliverance from mortal fin, but only from venial. St. Jerome ** Dial. fhall explain his own sense, Etenim abfque Pelag. p. vitio, quod grace dicitur. Kani, hominem 1898 posse esse aio :' Araudonтo, id eft, fine Peccato, effe nego. Which is the fame thing that St. Auftin commonly admits; that man may be fine Crimine, but not fine Peccato; without mortal, but not without venial fin. And in this, they are certainly of the mind of the fcripture; which every-where represents the perfect man, as holy, blameless, undefiled, without fpot, walking with God: and, in one word, as free from fin. If any man can reconcile these texts, which are very numerous, with mortal fin, I will not fay in the best state of the best men, but a state of fincerity and regeneration, I will acknow e 'ge my miftake. But till then I connot but think, the doctrine I advance, neceffary to establish the true notion of holiness, and convince us of our obligation to it. This doctrine

is again neceffary to wipe off thofe afperfions and calumnies the Quakers caft upon our Church; as if it held, that the regenerate themselves may continue in their fins; nay, cannot be freed from them. Our Church teaches indeed (Artic. 4.) that the most perfect men are never utterly exempt from defects, failings, and human infirmities; and I believe they themselves are not confident enough to teach otherwise: only they will not call these infirmities fins: and and then the whole controverfy is reduced to this; we agree in the thing, but differ in the name and in this difference, we are not only on the humbler, but the fafer fide too: for acknowledging them fins, we shall be the better difpofed fure, to be forry for them, to beg pardon for them, and watch against them.

The fruit of this liberty has been fufficiently accounted for in chap. 3. And therefore I proceed.

3. To propose fome rules for the attainment of it.

1. The mind must be grounded and rooted in the faith; it must be thoroughly convinced and perfuaded of these great articles of the Chriftian religion, That there is a God, and fuch a God, a holy, juft, omnifcient, and omnipotent one; the incarnation,

carnation, fuffering and glory of the bleffed Jefus; a judgment to come, and the eternal rewards and punishments of another life. The firm belief of these things does naturally promote these two effects. 1. It will awaken a finner out of his lethargy and fecurity; it will disturb him in his finful enjoyments, and fill his mind with guilty fears, and uneafy reflections. And when the man finds no reft, no fecurity in his fins, this will naturally oblige him to endeavour the conqueft of them. But then we must not ftifle and fuppress these thoughts; we must give confcience full liberty; we must hear the dictates of our own minds patiently; and confider seriously those terrible truths, which they lay before us; till we go from this exercife deeply impreffed with fuch notions as these that our fins, fooner or later, will certainly bring upon us temporal and eternal mifery: that nothing but fincere righteoufness can produce true and lafting happiness that it is a dreadful danger to dally too long with indignation, or prefume too far on the mercy of a juft, and holy, and almighty God: that the neglecting the great falvation, tender'd by the gofpel, and procured by the bleffed Jefus; the flighting the blood of the covenant, and grieving the Holy Spirit (all which we do by wilful fin) is a guilt, that will fink down the

obftinate

obftinate finner into the lowest hell; and render his condition more intolerable than that of Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrab. 2. The fecond effect of the firm belief of these gofpel truths, is, that it begets in us a contempt of this world, and all the things of it. To him that believes; how fhort is time compared to eternity? how falfe, how empty are the pleafures of fin, compared with those of heaven? how infignificant the esteem or love of man to that of God? how worthlefs are all our worldly hopes and pretenfions in refpect of an intereft in Jefus? Now the foul, that is once thoroughly poffeffed with these notions, what will it not do, what will it not fuffer, rather than fall fhort of, or forfeit its crown? In what ftate will it not be contented; nay, in what state will it not abound in joy, whilft it holds fast the stedfaftnefs of its hope, and is fecure of the love of Jefus? Here begins that purity of heart, which is the fountain of true Epicurifm; that greatness of mind, which alone is true honour and fortitude. But, that faith may have these effects upon us, it must not be only a true, but a lively faith therefore my

2. Second Rule, or, if you please, another branch of the former rule, fhall be this. They that will be free indeed, muft not only believe the great truths of the

gofpel,

gofpel, but muft frequently and feriously ponder them, till they have imprinted in themselves as clear, diftin&t and perfect idea's of them as we are capable of. This will foon mortify the appetites of the body, correct our falfe opinions of worldly things: and baffle all the fophiftry and confidence of luft. A lively faith, is a faith that imports the most clear and natural, the most full and enlarged notions of its objects; a faith, that not only looks upon the articles of our creed as true, but beholds them in a manner as prefent; and fo represented and drawn to the life, that they fill the foul with great and moving confiderations. This faith does not only believe that there is a God; but it beholds him, and walks before him as prefent; it fees him arrayed in all his glory, and in all his majefty, in all the power and all the terrors, in all the beauties and all the graces of the divine Nature: it does not only believe, that there are rewards and punishments; but is extremely fenfible of the terrors of the one, and attractions of the other; and looks upon both as at the door. It does not only acknowledge a Mediator; but takes a full view of the mifery of that ftate, wherein we lay thro' fin; and of the blessedness of that, into which we are tranflated by the redemption, which is in Jefus. It contemplates this Mediator in

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