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Then were the precept to believe,
No better news than do and live.'
If then we won't diftinguifh here,
We cloud, but don't the gospel clear;
We blend it with the fiery law,
And all into confufion draw.
The law of works we introduce,

As if old merit were in ufe,

When men could life by doing won,
Ev'n though the work by grace were done. -
Old Adam, in his ignorance,
Deriv'd his power of doing hence:
As all he could was wholly due;
So all the working ftrength he knew,
Was only from the grace of God,
Who with fuch favour did him load:
Yet was the promise to his act,
That he might merit by compact.
No merit but of paction could
Of men or angels e'er be told;
The God-man only was fo high
To merit by condignity.

Were life now promis'd to our act,

Or to our works by paction tack'd;

Though God fhould his affistance grant, 'Tis ftill a doing covenant.

Though heav'n its helping grace fhould yield,
Yet merit's ftill upon the field;

We caft the name, yet ftill 'tis found
Difclaim'd but with a verbal found.
If one should borrow tools from you,
That he fome famous work might do ;
When once his work is well prepar'd,
He fure deferves his due reward;
Yea juftly may he claim his due,
Although he borrow'd tools from you:
Ev'n thus the borrow'd strength of
Can't hinder merit to take place.
From whence foe'er we borrow powers,
If life depend on works of ours ;

grace

Or if we make the gospel thus
In any fort depend on us ;

We give the law the gofpel place,
Rewards of debt the room of grace;

We mix Heav'n's treafures with our trafh,

And magnify corrupted flesh.

The new and gospel covenant

No promise to our works will grant;
But to the doing of our Head,
And in him to each gofpel deed.
To godlinefs, which is great gain,
Promife is faid to appertain :
But know, left you the gospel mar,
In whom it is we godly are.
To him and to his righteousness.
Still primar❜ly the promise is ;
And not even to the gracious deed,
Save in and through the glorious Head.
Pray let us here obferve the odds,
How law and grace take counter roads
The law of works no promife fpake
Unto the agent, but the act..
It primar❜ly no promise made
Unto the perfon, but the deed;
Whate'er the doing perfon fhar'd,
"Twas for his deed he had reward.
The law of grace o'erturns the scale,
And makes the quite reverse prevail :
Its promise lights not on the deed,
But on the doing perfon's head;
Not for his doing, but for this,
Because in Chrift his person is:
Which union to the living Prince,
His living works and deeds evince.
Good fruits have promise in this view,
As union to the Branch they fhew;
To whom the promises pertain,
In him all yea, and all Amen.
Obferve, pray; for if here we err,
And do not Chrift alone prefer,

But think the promise partly stands
On our obeying new commands;

Th' old cov'nant place to works we give,
Or mingle grace with Do and Live;
We overcloud the gospel charms
And alfo break our working arms.
More honour to the law profefs,
But giving more we give it lefs.
Its heavy yoke in vain we draw,
By turning gofpel into law.
We rob grace of its joyful found,
And bury Chrift in Mofes' ground:
At beft we run a legal race

Upon the field of gospel grace.

PARAGRAPH III. The Gospel no new Law, but a joyful
found of Grace and Mercy.

LAW Precepts in a gofpel mold,
We may as gospel doctrine hold;
But gofpel calls in legal drefs,
The joyful found of grace fupprefs.
Faith and repentance may be taught,
And yet no gospel tidings brought;
If as mere duties these we prefs,
And not as parts of promis'd blifs.
If only precepts we prefent,

Though urg'd with strongest argument,
We leave the wak'ned finner's hope
In darkness of defpair to grope.
The man whom legal precepts chase,
As yet eftrang'd to fov'reign grace,
Mistaking evangelic charms,
As if they ftood on legal terms.
Looks to himself, though dead in fin,
For grounds of faith and hope within ;
Hence fears and fetters grow and fwell,
Since nought's within but fin and hell.
But faith, that looks to promis'd grace,
Clean out of felf the foul will chafe,
To Chrift for righteousness and ftrength,
And find the joyful reft at length.

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Proud flesh and blood will startle here,
And hardly fuch report can bear,
That Heav'n all faving ftore will give
To them that work not, but believe.
Yet not of works, but 'tis the race
Of faith, that it may be of grace:
For faith does nothing but agree

To welcome this falvation free. "Come down, Zaccheus, quickly come, "Salvation's brought unto thy home: "In vain thou climb'ft the legal tree; "Salvation freely comes to thee. "Thou dream'ft of coming up to terms; "Come down into my faving arms; "Down, down, and get a pardon free, "On terms already wrought by me. "Behold the bleffings of my blood, "Bought for thy everlafting good, "And freely all to be convey'd "Upon the price already paid. "I know thou haft no good, and fee "I cannot ftand on terms with thee, "Whofe fall has left thee nought to claim, "Nor aught to boast but fin and fhame." The law of heavy hard commands Confirms the weak'ned finners bands; But grace proclaims relieving news, And scenes of matchlefs mercy fhews. No precept clogs the gofpel call, But wherein grace is all in all; No law is here but that of grace, Which brings relief in ev'ry cafe. The gospel is the promise fair Of grace, all ruins to repair, And leaves no finner room to say, "Alas! this debt I cannot pay; "This grievous yoke I cannot bear, "This high demand I cannot clear." Grace ftops the mouth of fuch complaints, And ftore of full fupply prefents.

The glorious gofpel is (in brief)
A fov'reign word of fweet relief;
Not clogg'd with cumbersome commands,
To bind the foul's receiving hands.
'Tis joyful news of fov'reign grace,
That reigns in ftate through righteoufnefs,
To ranfom from all threat'ning woes,
And answer all commanding do's:
This gofpel comes with help indeed,
Adapted unto finners need:
Thefe joyful news that fuit their cafe
Are chariots of his drawing grace:
"Tis here the Spirit powerful rides,
The fountains of the deep divides;
The King of glory's fplendour fhews,
And wins the heart with welcome news.

PARAGRAPH IV. The Gospel further deferibed, as a bundle of Good News and Gracious Promises.

THE first grand promife forth did break
In threats against the tempting fnake:
So may the gofpel in commands;
Yet nor in threats nor precepts stands :
But 'tis a doctrine of free grants
To finners, that they may be faints :
A joyful found of royal gifts,
To obviate unbelieving thifts:
A promife of divine fupplies,
To work all gracious qualities
In those who, pronest to rebel,
Are only qualify'd for hell.
Courting vile finners, ev'n the chief,
It leaves no cloak for unbelief;
But ev'n on grofs Manaffeh's calls,
On Mary Magdalen's and Saul's.
'Tis good news of a fountain ope
For fin and filth; a door of hope
For those that lie in blood and gore,
And of a falve for ev'ry fore.
Glad news of fight unto the blind;
Of light unto the darken'd mind;

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